Georgia Farm Bureau's Leadership Alert - November 19, 2012

November 19, 2012

www.gfb.org

Vol. 30 No. 47

GFB TO HOLD 2012 ANNUAL CONVENTION ON JEKYLL ISLAND Georgia Farm Bureau’s annual convention will be held Dec. 2-4 in the new Jekyll Island Convention Center that opened earlier this year. All of the convention events will be held in the 128,000-square-foot building located on the beachside of the island about where the old center stood.

Convention activities start at noon on Dec. 2 when the exhibit hall opens and registration begins. The final round of the Young Farmer Discussion Meet will begin at 1 p.m. The four finalists are Matt Bottoms of Pike County, Kyle Dekle of Habersham County, B.J. Marks of Newton County and Clay Talton of Elbert County. The finalists were selected during the preliminary rounds of the competition held in July at the GFB Young Farmer Conference.

Other events on Dec. 2 include the Women’s Committee Recognition & Leadership Program, an open session of policy development (PD) followed by a closed session for PD committee members only, the vespers service and the state awards program. Dec. 3 kicks off at 7:30 a.m. with a complimentary biscuit breakfast. Registration and the exhibit hall will also reopen at 7:30 a.m. The general session, during which Duvall will deliver his annual address, begins at 9 a.m. Gov. Deal and Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, will also speak. Prizes in the annual GFB Young Farmer Raffle will be awarded during breaks in the program.

The general session will be followed by the county presidents/secretaries luncheon, commodity conferences, an estate tax workshop and the GFB 75th Anniversary Dinner.

Dec. 4 activities begin at 6:45 a.m. with a membership breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents. Voting delegates will convene at 8:15 a.m. to discuss and approve GFB policy. District caucuses to elect district directors begin at 10:15 a.m.

District races with opposition are for the 4th District seat formerly held by the late William Hutchins and an 8th District seat left vacant with the resignation of Kim Brown. Candidates for the 4th District seat are Ray Fowler of Barrow County and Skeetter McCorkle of McDuffie County. Candidates for the 8th District seat are Rodney Dunaway of Pulaski County and Scotty Raines of Turner County. Counties in the Middle Georgia Vice President Caucus will meet at 11 a.m. to elect their regional representative. Incumbent Robert Fountain Jr. of Emanuel County and Brent Galloway of Newton County are running for the position.

All voting delegates will meet at 11:30 a.m. to elect the state president. Incumbent Zippy Duvall of Greene County and Gary Paulk of Irwin County are running for the position. Voting delegates will also designate the organization’s 1st vice president, which is being sought by incumbent Gerald Long of Decatur County.

Leadership Alert page 2 of 6 GFB ANNOUNCES COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS Georgia Farm Bureau will award a total of $14,250 in scholarships to 10 high school seniors who plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agricultural field. The top three students will each receive a scholarship of $3,000. The remaining seven students will each receive a $750 scholarship.

Students submitting an application must currently be a Georgia high school senior and plan to enroll in a unit of the University System of Georgia or Berry College during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Contact your county Farm Bureau office for information or an application. The application deadline is February 22, 2013. Applications must be approved and signed by the Farm Bureau president of the county in which the applicant resides or attends high school.

A copy of the application may also be downloaded by visiting http://www.gfb.org. Select Programs and then Ag in the Classroom. The Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company and the GFB Women’s Leadership Committee sponsor the scholarship program.

SURVEY: THANKSGIVING MEAL INCREASES LESS THAN 1 PERCENT The national average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 10 increased less than 1 percent this year from last, with the price per person only $4.95, less than the cost of most fast-food meals. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 27th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Price Survey, the national retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner is $49.48, 28 cents more than last year’s average of $49.20.

The shopping list for the informal AFBF survey included the following items in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty of leftovers: turkey, bread stuffing, cranberries, green peas, rolls, a relish tray of carrots and celery, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of whole milk and coffee.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 26 - Nov. 5. Participants were asked to look for the best possible prices without using coupons or purchase deals. Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data. A total of 155 volunteer shoppers from 35 states, including 19 from across Georgia, participated in this year’s survey. The average cost for a Thanksgiving meal in Georgia came in at $50.50. Due in part to shipping costs, Georgia shoppers paid more on average for turkey, milk, cranberries and peas than the national average. Georgia shoppers paid less for the other ingredients than the national average.

“I thought prices were about the same as last year as far as I remembered,” said Georgia survey participant Janet Mazurek, who shopped at a local grocery store in her hometown of Elberton. “I know I could find lower prices if I drove 20 miles to a Super Walmart, and I may do that when I actually buy my turkey, but I like my local store, and I like to support my local community so, I’ll buy everything else here.”

The national average price of the big-ticket item - a 16-pound whole turkey - came in at $22.23 this year, contributing the most to the cost of the meal. The Georgia shoppers paid an average of $23.97 for a 16-pound turkey. The national average cost for a gallon of whole milk was $3.59 while the average Georgia cost was $3.67. The national average cost for 12 oz. of fresh cranberries was $2.45 while Georgia shoppers paid an average of $2.81. The national average cost of one pound of peas was $1.66 while the Georgia average was $1.93.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 6 GFB URGES EPA TO STOP THE FLOOD OF REGULATION Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall recently sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing GFB’s concerns about the level of regulation the EPA is enacting against agriculture. A copy of the letter was also sent to EPA Region 4 Administrator Gwendolyn Fleming and Georgia’s U.S. Congressional delegation.

The letter was accompanied by a photo of GFB Policy Development Committee members with a “Stop the Flood of Regulation” banner containing signatures of more than 1,500 farmers who feel oppressed by EPA regulations.

GFB collected the signatures during Sunbelt Expo in October.

“We could have easily filled half a dozen banners if we had prepared them, but that was not our intent. Our point was to demonstrate the outright oppression farmers feel from the regulatory hand of EPA, an agency of our government that is supposed to benefit citizens,” Duvall wrote.

“We do not believe it is in the long-term best interest of our nation to have government and the people it serves at such cross purposes. We ask you to consider some of our concerns to see if progress can be made on these issues.”

In the letter, Duvall expressed concern about EPA’s attempt to remove the word “navigable” from the Clean Water Act through a guidance document after Congress chose not to do so and against Supreme Court precedent. Currently, the CWA applies only to traditional navigable waters, which are those capable of supporting interstate commerce, and language in the CWA grants farmers statutory exemptions for normal farming operations.

In addition, Duvall expressed Farm Bureau’s concerns about farmers being required to obtain National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits for pesticides applied on, over or near water requirements. This permitting requirement duplicates those already in effect under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

The letter also urged EPA to make an exemption for farm dust under the Clean Air Act since dust in rural areas is related to rainfall and wind conditions which cannot be controlled.

EPA KEEPS RENEWABLE FUELS LEVELS IN PLACE The EPA announced Nov. 16 that it would not grant a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), saying in a press release that it did not find enough evidence of “severe economic harm” to support the waiver.

The EPA said the decision is based on economic analyses and modeling done in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The economic analyses of impacts in the agricultural sector conducted by the EPA and the USDA showed that waiving the mandate would only reduce corn prices by approximately one percent on average.

Analyses of impacts in the energy sector, done by the EPA and the DOE, showed that waiving the mandate would not impact household energy costs.

Several states, including Georgia, had requested that the EPA grant a waiver to the RFS standard because of price pressures on feed grain resulting from reduced supplies of corn due to extended drought in the Midwest.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 6 GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AG ACCEPTING GATE SIGNUPS Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is accepting applications for the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) certificate, which Georgia farmers must have to receive sales tax exemptions on farm input materials effective Jan. 1, 2013.Applications may be completed online at http://www.agr.georgia.gov or downloaded and mailed to the GDA. Application forms are available at some county Farm Bureau offices. There is a $20 fee to process applications online and a $25 fee for mailed applications that may be made paid with Visa, MasterCard or a personal check made payable to the GDA. Visit the website or call 1-855-327-6829 for more information on applying for GATE. To qualify for GATE, an applicant must meet one of these criteria: 1) produce a minimum of $2,500 per year or more in ag products 2) provide at least $2,500/year of agricultural services 3) maintain orchards, timber or other multi-year products with the long-term capacity to produce $2,500/year or 4) own property that qualifies for the Conservation Use Value Assessment or Forestland Protection Act. UPCOMING SURVEYS TO BE CONDUCTED BY NASS Below are upcoming surveys to be taken by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Georgia office, and the dates they are to begin. Call the Georgia NASS office at 800-253-4419 with any questions or comments.

Thru Nov. 23 Grapes Production and Disposition, Blueberries, and Peach Surveys Questionnaires were mailed to producers in early October. Producers will be called for survey responses through Nov. 23. Results from this survey will be released in the Noncitrus Fruits report on January 22, 2013.

Nov. 21-Dec. 14 December Agricultural Survey Data collection for the December Survey will begin with a mail-out on Nov. 21 and be followed with a call between Nov. 29 and Dec.14. Results will be published in the Annual Crop Production report on Jan. 11, 2013.

Nov. 21-Dec. 12 Off Farm Grain Stocks Questionnaires will be mailed on Nov. 21 and producers will be called from the Georgia Field Office, Dec. 10-12. Results will be published in the Grain Stocks report on Jan. 11, 2013.

GA MILK PRODUCERS GRAZING & FORAGE MANAGEMENTWORKSHOPS Nov. 27 Macon Co. Extension Office, 100 Sumter St. Oglethorpe Nov. 30 UGA Tifton Conference Center Tifton The Georgia Milk Producers Inc. and Dr. Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia Forage Extension Specialist, are offering a series of workshops to discuss how dairy producers can manage their grazing and forages to offset feed costs and manage nutrients. These workshops qualify for two continuing education credit hours for waste operators and nutrient management planners. Meetings are free and open to dairymen, managers and employees. Workshops begin at 10 a.m. and are scheduled to end at noon with lunch. For meal purposes, please preregister by calling Farrah Newberry at 706-310-0020 three days before the meeting you will attend.

NOV. 30 IS DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR MONSANTO CHARITY PROGRAM Farmers in 33 South Georgia counties have until Nov. 30 to register to win $2,500 for a charity of their choice in the 2nd Annual America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program sponsored by Monsanto. 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.growcommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 for eligibility rules and to apply.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 6 USDA TO CONDUCT DECEMBER HOGS AND PIGS SURVEY In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its final quarterly survey of pork producers this year. The agency will survey producers to measure this year’s U.S. hog and pig inventory. During the first two weeks of December, NASS will ask producers to report their market hog and breeding stock inventories as well as their farrowing intentions as of Dec. 1. Only state and national-level data will be published, and information provided by NASS survey respondents is confidential by law. NASS will publish survey results in the quarterly Hogs and Pigs report on Dec. 28. These and all NASS reports are available online at http://www.nass.usda.gov. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov. For more information, call the NASS Georgia Field Office at 1-800-253-4419.

AG WATER PERMIT SUSPENSION MEETINGS Dec. 4 Mitchell County Ag Building Camilla Dec. 12 Terrell Co. Govt. Building Dawson The Georgia Environmental Protection Division announced July 30 it has suspended issuing new applications for ag water withdrawal permits for a 24-county area in the lower Flint and Chattahoochee River basins, which includes all or part of Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Turner and Worth counties. EPD is also suspending issuance of new ag surface water withdrawal permits for parts of Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Early, Marion, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell and Webster counties. Permit applications received by July 30 will be considered. The suspension will be re-evaluated annually beginning in November 2013. The UGA Cooperative Extension is hosting these meetings to discuss why EPD suspended issuing permits, how farmers can conserve water and the future of ag water permits. Registration for both meetings begins at 8:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9 a.m. and running until noon.

There is no registration fee, but attendees are asked to RSVP by calling 229-386-3377 to ensure there is adequate meeting space.

CALHOUN PERFORMANCE TESTED BULL SALE Dec. 7 UGA NW GA Research & Education Center Calhoun Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. in the livestock pavilion of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center. For more information contact Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or by emailing pworley@uga.edu.

21st CENTURY FARMING: BUILDING & EXPANDING FOOD COOPERATIVES Dec. 5 Columbus State University Cunningham Conf. Center Columbus Event runs from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The morning portion of the conference will feature a panel presentation with Georgia farmers who have teamed up to produce, package, distribute and sell their products. These agribusiness owners will discuss how they get their goods to the marketplace, how they finance their venture and what they would do differently. Afterwards, a panel of public and private sector financial experts will discuss funding options they offer farmers. The afternoon portion of the conference will look at food hubs. Speakers will discuss successful food hub models, methods for financing and Georgia's progress toward establishing food hubs. The cost is $65 per person, which includes lunch. For more information, visit

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=1152126 or contact Gilda Watters at 404-295-6271.

Leadership Alert page 6 of 6 TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESCUE TRAINING Dec. 7-9 TLAER Facility Gray This course will provide certification training on the practical considerations behind safe extraction of live large animals fro entrapments like trailer wrecks, ditches, barn fires and more.

Cost before Dec. 1 is $400 for operations hands-on training, including textbook, and $120 for awareness level training, not including textbook. Walk-in cost is $475 for operations level and $170 for awareness level on the day of the course. For more information visit http://www.tlaer.org/.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE Jan. 10-13, 2013 International Trade and Convention Center Savannah This annual conference features 12 different crop-specific workshops plus workshops on business operations and food safety. Attendees will also have the chance to receive legislative updates from Washington and Atlanta. For more information or to register, visit http://www.seregionalconference.com.

GEORGIA GROWN EXECUTIVE CHEF PROGRAM SEEKS APPLICANTS Georgia Grown and the Georgia Restaurant Association are seeking applicants for the Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program, which promotes the Department’s Georgia Grown campaign statewide. The program offers participating chefs a mark of honor and distinction, while increasing awareness for both restaurateurs and consumers about which local Georgia products are available for the cooking season. The application process runs through Jan. 11, 2013.

Visit http://www.garestaurants.org/GeorgiaGrown to apply. The selected chefs will be announced at the Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception on Feb. 19, 2013.

2013 AG FORECAST MEETINGS Jan. 25 Ga. Center for Continuing Education Athens Jan. 28 ECO Center Rome Jan. 29 Georgia Farm Bureau Macon Jan. 30 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Jan. 31 Decatur Co. Livestock Complex Bainbridge Feb. 1 Toombs Co. Agri-Center Lyons UGA economists will give the 2013 ag economic outlook and guest speakers will discuss international trade and how the global economy impacts local businesses. Check-in for all sessions, except Tifton, begins at 9:30 a.m. Seminars run from 10 a.m. to noon followed by lunch. The Tifton event is a breakfast that runs from 7:30 a.m to 10 a.m. Cost is $30 per person or $200 for a table sponsorship, which includes eight seats. Advance registration is required

by January 23. For more information or to register, visit http://www.georgiaagforecast.com call 706-583-0347 or email carlam@uga.edu.

FLAVOR OF GEORGIA FOOD PRODUCT CONTEST The UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development sponsors this annual contest, designed to help Georgia-based food entrepreneurs showcase their products. Contestants may submit as many products as they like. The categories are: barbecue and hot sauces; jams, jellies and sauces; confections; meat products; dairy products and snack foods. Registration is open and runs through Feb. 8, 2013. Finalists will be invited to take part in a final judging on March 11, 2013 and a public tasting on March 12 at Ag Awareness Day in Georgia event, when the

winners will also be announced. For more information about the contest, including registration information, visit http://www.flavorofgeorgia.caes.uga.ed or call 706-583-0347.