November 13, 2013
www.gfb.org
Vol. 31 No. 46f
GFB SUBMITS COMMENTS ON EPA STREAM CONNECTIVITY REPORT In a Nov. 6 letter to the EPA, Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall expressed concerns over a draft report the agency intends to use as basis for revising the scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The report, Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence, has been forwarded to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) for review. The SAB is scheduled to meet Dec. 1618 in Washington, D.C. Duvall noted that farmers engage in activities on land and water that sometimes require permits, and changes in Clean Water Act regulations could result in additional costs and regulatory burdens in order to carry out common farm activities. Because of this, the means used to develop EPA rules is of particular interest to GFB members who are farmers. Duvall wrote that the report appears to be driven by policy considerations rather than science and runs counter to both the Clean Water Act and the applicable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Rapanos v. United States. In the Rapanos case, the Court ruled that the EPA can only regulate waters that have a “significant nexus” (connection) to federally regulated waters. The connectivity report contends that all connections, no matter the kind, size or frequency, meet the “significant nexus” threshold. Duvall said that the report makes no scientific explanation of how there is a connection between ditches, gullies, swales and erosion channels and regulated waters or whether the connection is “significant.” “Farm ditches are a part of farming,” Duvall said. “Any attempt by EPA to expand federal control over these waters will be strongly opposed by our organization and its members. Regulatory authority over these waters is properly enforced by the state and we believe the Supreme Court has been clear on this point. To expand federal authority through this report is contrary to the Rapanos decision and is unjustified.” Duvall also took issue with the manner in which the EPA pushed the report toward use as a basis for regulation under the CWA, noting that before the SAB had an opportunity to review the science in the report, the EPA sent a proposed rule based on the report to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Duvall requested that the EPA withdraw the proposed rule from the OMB and allow the SAB to complete its review before submitting proposed rules based on the report’s conclusions.
Leadership Alert page 2 of 5 GFB POLICY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETS Members of the GFB Policy Development Committee met a second time in Macon on Nov. 4 to prepare the policy GFB members will vote on at the organization’s convention on Jekyll Island in December. The committee met at the GFB headquarters in Macon to consider changes to policy that guides Farm Bureau’s legislative initiatives. The committee consists of 30 county presidents, the chairmen of GFB’s 20 commodity advisory committees, and 25 GFB board members. “The main subjects on the minds of our members this year were our positions on water, ethanol, wildlife management issues, the farm bill and taxes,” said GFB President Zippy Duvall. “You are charged with giving serious attention to all these resolutions and putting them into a useable document for our voting delegates to consider.” Most of the water resolutions were prompted by pending legislation in Georgia’s General Assembly. After lengthy debate, the committee recommended recognition of EPD’s assistance in the management of agricultural water use. Several resolutions called for changes to GFB’s current ethanol policy, but the committee recommended continued support for the nation’s renewable fuels standard (RFS). The committee expressed farmers’ exasperation with problems associated with wildlife, particularly feral hogs and deer. There were also calls to find ways to resolve problems associated with increasing populations of black bears. The committee reiterated its call for passage of a farm bill in a timely fashion and urged the inclusion of a nutrition title in the legislation. Tax recommendations included support for the GATE program and the retention of its administration within the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The committee will meet again during the GFB Convention for an open session of policy development on Dec. 8, at 3:15 p.m., followed by a closed session for committee members only. The purpose of this meeting is to make last-minute recommendations before the voting delegates consider the final document on December 10. ONION PRODUCER SUES GEORGIA AG DEPARTMENT OVER PACKING DATE The largest producer of Vidalia onions is suing the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black over the department’s new rule setting a packing date for Vidalia onions. Represented by former Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers, Delbert Bland Farms filed suit on Sept. 23. In published reports Bland has maintained that onion quality and maturity are determined by climate and environmental factors rather than the calendar. The GDA put the rule in place over concerns about quality of the onions being shipped. The date was set as the Monday of the last full week in April, which in 2014 is April 21. Previously a shipping date was declared by the department each year, and growers could ship onions prior to that date if they received a U.S. No. 1 grade certificate after being inspected. Bland’s suit in Fulton County Superior Court contends that Black and the GDA did not have authority to establish the rule, which they argue is outside the intent of the Georgia Vidalia Onion Act of 1986. The suit asserts that while the Onion Act authorizes that the GDA set shipping dates each year, the law did not authorize the department to establish a packing date.
Leadership Alert page 3 of 5 APHIS FINALIZES BOVINE IMPORT REGULATIONS On Nov. 1 the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a final rule that will complete efforts to modernize the agency’s import regulations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the agency said in a press release. APHIS said the move demonstrates to the international community that the United States is committed to basing its BSE regulations on internationally accepted scientific literature and standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The final regulation will allow for the safe trade of bovines and bovine products, while still protecting the United States from the introduction of BSE. The control of imports is only one of several interlocking safeguards against BSE. This regulation does not change other measures that are currently in place in the United States. For animal health, these measures include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ruminant-toruminant feed ban. A robust BSE surveillance program monitors the health of the U.S. cattle population. Human health is protected by measures that ensure the safety of U.S. beef, the most important of which is the ban on cattle materials that have been shown to carry the BSE agent (known as specified risk materials) from the food supply. In recognition of the strength of these measures in the United States, the OIE upgraded the U.S. risk classification for BSE to negligible risk in May. The rule becomes effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. To view the rule in its entirety, visit http://tinyurl.com/l3yodx6. USDA PRODUCTION ESTIMATES UP SLIGHTLY FOR CORN, PEANUTS Georgia farmers are expected to produce slightly more corn and peanuts than was forecast in September according to the November production estimates released by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Georgia’s corn production is expected to be 84 million bushels, up 2 percent from the 82.35 million bushels forecast in September. Georgia corn growers increased plantings by 175,000 acres in 2013 over 2012, and the overall production is expected to increase by 51 percent from the 55.8 million bushels harvested in 2012. Georgia peanut growers are expected to harvest 1.763 billion pounds, up from a projected 1.657 billion pounds in the September report. The expected 2013 Georgia peanut production is still down 47 percent from the 2012 bumper crop, due in large part to a 40 percent reduction in acreage planted in peanuts. The projected production of cotton in Georgia remained the same from the September report to the November report at 2.5 million bales but is down 14 percent from 2012. Soybean growers in Georgia are forecast to produce 8.36 million bushels, 4 percent less than the September forecast but still 4 percent more than the 8.063 million bushels produced in 2012. The state’s growers of oats, rye and winter wheat had increased production over 2012. Growers of winter wheat increased production by 86 percent, from 11.27 million bushels in 2012 to 21 million bushels in 2013. Rye growers nearly doubled their production, from 550,000 bushels in 2012 to 1.08 million bushels in 2013. Oat production in Georgia increased by 2 percent, from 1.06 million bushels in 2012 to 1.08 million bushels in 2013. Due to the government shutdown there was no October crop report released by the NASS.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 5 SOUTHEAST QUALITY MILK INITIATIVE SURVEY The Southeast Quality Milk Initiative is conducting a survey with the goal of improving milk quality and developing strategies to control mastitis in the Southeast. The survey, collaborative effort between six land grant universities, including the University of Georgia, was sent to milk producers in mid-September and producers are requested to return them by Dec. 1. For more information, or if you are a milk producer who did not receiver a survey and would like to participate, contact Dr. Steve Nickerson at scn@uga.edu or 706-542-0658. TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESCUE TRAINING Dec. 5-7 TLAER Facility Gray This event is aimed at educating those who may respond in a disaster or emergency incident involving large animals, whether emergency responders or owners. The training will provide certification training in operations and awareness on large animal rescue topics. For more information visit http://www.tlaer.org/. CALHOUN PERFORMANCE TESTED BULL SALE Dec. 6 NW GA Research & Education Center Livestock Pavilion Calhoun Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. Contact Dr. Ronnie Silcox at 706-542-9102 or rsilcox@uga.edu or Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or pworley@uga.edu. BEYOND THE FARM GATE SOCIAL MEDIA SEMINAR Dec. 17 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center 8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tifton This free event, funded under a USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Grant, will help farmers gain the skills and knowledge they need to establish and maintain an effective online presence for their farm or ranch. The deadline to register is Dec. 10. To register or for more information, contact Chris Morgan at 706-542-7102 or acm@uga.edu, or visit http://www.depts.ttu.edu/aged/beyondthefarmgate/events.html. GEORGIA BEEF REFERENDUM PROCESS UNDERWAY Georgia cattle producers have until Dec. 31 to sign up with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to receive a ballot to vote in a state referendum that will determine if an assessment of up to $1 per head is collected to fund the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Beef. The proposed assessment is separate from the National Beef Checkoff (NBC). For the referendum to be valid, at least 25 percent of the total number of producers who receive ballots must vote. For the referendum to pass, two-thirds of those who vote must vote in favor of the commission. To request a ballot, visit http://agr.georgia.gov/beef-commission.aspx. Those without access to the Internet may contact their county Farm Bureau office. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY ACCEPTING AG CDL EXEMPTION FORMS New federal highway funding legislation that went into effect on July 1 allows expanded exemptions for farmers transporting their own products, equipment or machinery, but a producer must carry a special tag or distinction on the vehicle to receive the exemption. The form may be accessed at http://gamccd.net/FarmVehicle.aspx. The form must be completed online, and the vehicle identification number (VIN) for the specific vehicle is required. Beginning January 1, 2014, no farm CDL exemptions are applicable without form TR0025 being in the vehicle. Additional information on the exemption for farm vehicles can be found at http://www.gfb.org/legislative/map21.html.
Leadership Alert page 5 of 5 METRO ATLANTA BEEKEEPING SHORT COURSE Jan. 18, 2014 Atlanta Botanical Garden 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Atlanta This complete beekeeping course includes presentations for beginning and experienced beekeepers, covering entomology and botany, as well as displays of beekeeping equipment. register, visit Educational materials will be included. To http://www.metroatlantabeekeepers.org/sc_register.php. The registration fee is $95, which includes lunch and a parking pass. For more information send an email to shortcourse2014@gmail.com or call 678-597-8443. AG FORECAST MEETINGS Jan. 24, 2014 Georgia Farm Bureau Macon Jan. 27, 2014 Georgia Center for Continuing Education Athens Jan. 28, 2014 Toombs County Agri-Center Lyons Jan. 29, 2014 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Jan. 30, 2014 Cloud Livestock Facility Bainbridge Jan. 31, 2014 Clarence Brown Conference Center Cartersville Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. Seminar runs from 10 a.m. to noon followed by a networking lunch, with the exception of the Tifton and Bainbridge meetings, which feature breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by the seminar from 8 to 9:30 a.m. UGA economists will give the annual ag economic outlook and guest speakers, including experts on farm succession planning. Registration fee is $30 per person for $200 for a table of eight. Advance registration is required by Jan. 22, 2014. For more information, visit http://www.georgiaagforecast.com to register, call 706-583-0347 or send an email to carlam@uga.edu. Follow the meetings on Twitter @GAagforecast and join the conversation with #agforecast. AGCHAT, AFBF PARTNER TO HELP BLIZZARD VICTIMS In an effort to bring emergency relief to ranchers affected by the Winter Storm Atlas, AgChat Foundation is partnering in a fundraising effort with multiple organizations, including American Farm Bureau Federation. Contributions are 100 percent tax deductible and will be distributed to rancher-led organizations in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Funds will be equally distributed between the states. Contributions may be made online at http://tinyurl.com/kxarakd. Additional organizations are encouraged to join these efforts. For more information contact Executive Director Emily Zweber at 651-341-0430 or visit http://www.agchat.org.