Vol. 72 No. 6
GEORGIA
November/December 2010
FARM BUREAU NEWS
The Voice of Georgia Farmers
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contents
table of november/december 2010
departments
we, the farmers PAGE 5
commodities update PAGE 8
legislative update PAGE 9
around georgia
PAGE 26
women’s committee update
PAGE 28
public relations staff
Paul Beliveau Director Jennifer Whittaker Editor
Lillian Davis Publications/Advertising Manager
Jay Stone Print/Web Specialist
Denny Moore TV Producer/Anchor
Rick Treptow Senior Radio-TV Specialist
Michael Edmondson Web/Video Manager
Mark Wildman Radio-TV Specialist
Dean Wood Radio-TV Specialist
Ryan Naquin Radio-TV Specialist
Vickie Amos Office Coordinator For questions about your membership or member benefits, call 1-800-633-5432. For questions regarding editorial content call 478-474-0679, ext. 5334 or e-mail jawhittaker@gfb.org For questions regarding advertising contact Hurst and Associates, Inc., 1-800-397-8908 Visit the GFB Web site today! www.gfb.org
Find us on Facebook, YouTube and follow us on Twitter 4 / November/December 2010
GFB plans 72nd annual convention
GFB’s annual convention will have a new feel this year, as members will gather on the marsh side of the island in Jekyll’s Historic District Convention Campus. Gov.-elect Nathan Deal will address members on Dec. 6. PAGE 6
UGA Extension announces restructure plan
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension has announced the agency’s new plan for delivering services. The plan, necessitated by state budget cuts, is expected to take 12 to 18 months to implement. PAGE 10
Young Farmer finalists keep the faith
Stuart and Lauren Boykin, Steven and Tiffany Metcalf and Brian and Melissa Ogletree have all built successful farms using faith, innovation and hard work. They’re the finalists for the 2010 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Achievement Award, which will be announced Dec. 5 during the GFB Convention. PAGE 12
Dasher wins Sunbelt Farmer of the Year award
Tattnall County Vidalia onion grower Robert Dasher won the Swisher International Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award, announced Oct. 19 on the opening day of Expo. PAGE 14
Monsanto expands rebate program for use of residual herbicides
In an effort to get more cotton growers to use residual herbicides to fight glyphosateresistant Palmer amaranth, Monsanto is increasing the rebate it offers farmers per acre through its 2011 Cotton Performance Plus Program and is offering the rebate on more herbicides than in previous years. PAGE 16
Premise Liability, 104: Does my policy cover agritourism activities?
This is the last in a series of articles exploring the issue of premise liability. This article discusses the agritourism coverage GFB farm policies provide. PAGE 19
GFB advises tax council against taxing farm inputs
Taxing farm inputs would affect the bottom line of every farm in Georgia, putting many in jeopardy, GFB members told the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians during a series of meetings held across the state this fall. PAGE 20
Georgia FFA programs win national awards, Duvall honored
GFB President Zippy Duvall was among eight FFA supporters who received the Honorary American FFA degree, and Georgia’s FFA programs garnered eight national awards during the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. PAGE 22
on the cover (Photo by Jay Stone) These Leyland cypress Christmas trees at 7 G’s Farm in Nicholson, north of Athens, are waiting for someone to take them home to decorate. Farm co-owner Greg Smith is the state coordinator for the Trees For Troops program, which donates trees to the families of deployed soldiers. Georgia Farm Bureau News
we, the Photo by Jay Stone
farmers Zippy Duvall, GFB President
Farm Families of Faith The family is the most important institution in America today. On our family farms we teach and learn the valuable lessons of life – values such as respect, discipline and responsibility. During the 2010 legislative session, our state leaders passed HB 1405 creating the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians to study Georgia’s tax structure. Georgia Farm Bureau is very interested in this process because taxes and the state budget are one of GFB’s priority issues. The council has held public hearings across the state to get public input, and we had farmers testify at all 11 meetings. I want to thank all of the farmers who gave up their time from their families and farms to serve their industry and their communities. We recruited 10 Georgia Farm Bureau members to speak at the listening sessions held by the tax council, and I testified on behalf of GFB at the Gainesville meeting. The main point of my testimony was that the exemptions we enjoy in agriculture are very important to the family farm. Not only do the exemptions keep our large farmers competitive in the marketplace, they very well could mean whether or not our small farms stay in existence. You can read more about the tax hearings on page 20. I mentioned that respect is one of the values we learn on the farm. Respect is what we have for the democratic structure of government. As Georgia Farm Bureau’s purpose states, our organization works to assist in providing farm families a fair and equitable standard of living and
to ensure the existence of agriculture as a vital and thriving industry in the future. Speaking of the democratic process, our organization has spent the last four months working with our grassroots volunteers developing policies that will guide us in 2011. This process started with our commodity conference in July. During this process, 86 counties sent in 355 resolutions to be considered by the state policy development (PD) committee. The GFB PD Committee has developed the policy changes that will be considered by our farmers at the state convention on Jekyll Island in December. Thank you to all the volunteers for giving of your time to shape the future of Georgia agriculture. This process is a good example of discipline, a core value taught in our homes. Fall of 2010 is drawing to a close and with that we have completed our county annual meetings and 10 district annual meetings. These meetings are always a time of celebration. We have recognized our counties for all the hard work they have completed in promoting agriculture and representing this great industry in the legislative arena. Sometimes I get asked why the volunteers of this organization work so long and hard. My answer is they love agriculture and it is their passion. But, more importantly, it’s our responsibility. We consider it a privilege to live on a farm because it is a great place to raise a family. Farm families of faith teach and live the values that make us who we are. Yes, sometimes our neighbors don’t underSee WE, THE FARMERS page 24
During the GFB 1st Dist. Annual Meeting GFB President Zippy Duvall visits with farm kids Owen and Madalyn Dault, children of 1st District Young Farmer Achievement Winner James Dault and his wife, Megan. The Daults operate a hydroponic farm in Canton where they produce a variety of microgreens, live basil plants and infused oils. Georgia Farm Bureau News
GEORGIA
FARM BUREAU NEWS
The Voice of Georgia Farmers
SUBSCRIPTION RATES Farm Bureau Members: Included in dues — $1 per year Non-Members — $15 per year To subscribe call 1-800-898-1911, ext. 5238. OFFICERS President ZIPPY DUVALL 1st Vice President/South Georgia Vice President GERALD LONG North Georgia Vice President BERNARD SIMS Middle Georgia Vice President ROBERT FOUNTAIN Treasurer/Corporate Secretary Wayne Daniel General Counsel DUKE Groover
DIRECTORS FIRST DISTRICT: J. Louis Hunt, LaFayette; Henry J. West, Rydal SECOND DISTRICT: Bobby Gunter, Dahlonega; Randy Ruff, Elberton THIRD DISTRICT: George Chambers, Carrollton; Nora Goodman, Temple FOURTH DISTRICT: Marvin Ruark, Bishop; William Hutchins, Winder FIFTH DISTRICT: Jim Ham, Smarr; Ralph Adamson Jr., Barnesville SIXTH DISTRICT: James Emory Tate, Denton; James Malone, Dexter SEVENTH DISTRICT: Ben Boyd, Sylvania; Gennis Folsom, Glennville EIGHTH DISTRICT: Phil Redding, Bluffton; Don Wood, Rochelle NINTH DISTRICT: Paul Shirah, Camilla; Lucius Adkins, Elmodel TENTH DISTRICT: David Lee, Alma; Daniel Johnson, Alma YOUNG FARMER CHAIRMAN: Matt Bottoms, Molena WOMEN’S COMMITTEE CHAIR: Cathy Barber, Alma ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising accepted subject to publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume liability for content of their advertising. Publisher maintains right to cancel advertising for non-payment or reader complaint about advertiser service or products. Publisher does not accept per-order, political or alcoholic beverage ads, nor does publisher prescreen or guarantee advertiser service or products. Publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised in the Georgia Farm Bureau News. For advertising rates and information, contact Hurst and Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 6011, Vernon Hills, IL 60061, 1-800-397-8908. Georgia Farm Bureau News was established in 1937. Copyright 2010 by the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation. Printed by Panaprint, Macon, Georgia.
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November/December 2010 / 5
GFB plans 72nd annual co
Event moves to Jekyll’s Historic District Convention Campus
Photo courtesy of Jekyll Island Authority.
By Jennifer Whittaker _____________________________________
GFB’s annual convention will be held at the island’s Historic District Convention Campus. The convention campus includes Magnolia Hall (left) and meeting room chalets, shown at right.
For the 47th year, Georgia Farm Bureau members will travel to Jekyll Island for the organization’s 72nd annual meeting Dec. 5-7, but the annual convention will have a new feel this year! Instead of convening at the island’s old convention center on the beach side of the island, members will gather on the marsh side of the island in Jekyll’s Historic District Convention Campus. The change comes as the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) forges ahead with the revitalization of island facilities. “The GFB Board of Directors voted to hold our convention on Jekyll in the temporary convention facilities after considering the proposal by Jekyll officials and other possible
Historic District Convention Campus
Georgia Sea Turtle Center Grand Oaks Magnolia Hall Pavilion
Convention Parking
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Map courtesy of Jekyll Island Authority.
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Restaurants 1. Doc’s Snack Shoppe 2. Sweet Shoppe 3. Café Solterra 4. JICH Grand Dining Room 5. Courtyard at Crane Cottage 6. Latitude 31 7. Rah Bar
6 / November-December 2010 Georgia Farm Bureau News For bookings or questions contact sales@jekyllisland.com | jekyllisland.com
nvention locations for the convention,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “ GFB has a long tradition of meeting on Jekyll, and the convention officials have assured us that the temporary facility will accommodate our event. I had the opportunity to visit the facilities in late October and was satisfied with them. It will be different from what we’ve been used to, but there will be some positives that folks will like about the temporary facilities, such as the meeting pavilions being centrally located.” The convention campus is located behind the Jekyll Island Club Hotel off of Old Plantation Road and Stable Road. In partnership with Jekyll Landmark Associates, an affiliate of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the JIA has renovated the 1929 Morgan Tennis Center, which will house the GFB exhibits, and erected temporary structures that include two large pavilions and 10 smaller chalets. The Grand Oaks Hall, which is 18,000 square feet, will serve as the auditorium during the convention and will be the location for the Sunday afternoon memorial service, vespers and awards program, Monday morning general session and Tuesday business session. Registration will be held in the lobby of the hall. Located beside the Grand Oaks Hall, the Magnolia Pavilion, which is 10,000 square feet, will serve as the location for the Young Farmer Discussion Meet Finals and the Women’s Commodity Recognition & Leadership Program on Sunday afternoon, the County Presidents/Secretaries Luncheon on Monday and the membership breakfast Tuesday morning. Ten 625-square-foot chalets are located around Magnolia Hall and will house the policy development committee meeting on Sunday afternoon and most of the commodity conferences on Monday afternoon. The convention kicks off at noon on Dec. 5 with registration, followed by the final round of the Young Farmer Discussion Meet at 1 p.m. The four finalists: Christy Bryan of Chattooga County, Jessica Bryant of Jackson County, Jonathan Fordham of Bleckley County and Will Godowns of Pike County were selected during the preliminary rounds of the competition held in July at the GFB Young Farmer Conference. The Women’s Commodity Recognition & Leadership Program will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon followed by a policy developGeorgia Farm Bureau News
Georgia to host AFBF convention
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f you’ve never had a chance to attend an American Farm Bureau Federation Convention, this is the year to attend, as the annual meeting will be held in Atlanta, Jan. 9-12, 2011 at the Georgia World Congress Center. More than 5,000 Farm Bureau members from across the country are expected to attend AFBF’s 92nd annual meeting. This year the convention is being held in conjunction with the 2011 Ag Connect Expo, a global event that showcases the latest in ag equipment, technology and ideas. “We’re excited to be hosting American Farm Bureau’s annual convention and letting farmers from across the country get a closer look at the diversity of Georgia agriculture,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “If you’ve never had a chance to attend an AFBF convention I’d encourage you to come to Atlanta. Come a day early, on Saturday, and kick some tires at the Ag Connect and then be there for the convention on Sunday and Monday.” The AFBF convention will address topics ranging from environmental policy and food safety to the 2012 farm bill and use of social media by farmers. Bryan
ment committee meeting at 3:15 p.m. The last event of the day is the memorial service, vespers and awards program at 4:30 p.m. On Dec. 6, the day will start at 7 a.m. with complimentary biscuits and beverages served at Magnolia Hall. The general session begins at 8:30 a.m. during which GFB President Duvall will deliver his annual address. Keynote speakers will address topics of interest to Georgia farmers. Governor-elect Nathan Deal will speak, and A.D. Frazier, chairman of the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians, has been invited to speak. The county presidents/secretaries luncheon will begin at noon. Commodity conferences will be held Monday afternoon at 2 and 3:30 p.m., featuring speakers who will address management and policy issues for the major commodities grown in Georgia. Tuesday activities start at 6:45 a.m. with the membership breakfast. Voting delegates will convene at 8:30 a.m. to discuss and approve
Shaw, chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, will discuss challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to impose federal mandates on states with respect to greenhouse gases. Mike Rowe, creator and executive producer of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe,” will deliver the keynote address on Jan. 10. A champion of farmers and ranchers, Rowe has spent years traveling the country, working as an apprentice on more than 250 jobs most people would go out of their way to avoid. Some of Rowe’s “dirty jobs” have included apprenticing as a large animal veterinarian, feedlot worker, dairy cow midwife, rice plantation worker, egg producer and with goat, pig, turkey, potato and sugar cane farmers. Rowe highlights issues facing America’s farming community through his Web site and blog “The Future of Farming” at http://www.mikeroweworks.com. The registration fee to attend the entire convention is $100 or $50 for a oneday pass. You may register on-site at the convention by providing a current Farm Bureau membership card. Contact your county Farm Bureau office manager for more information.
GFB policy. Delegates will also vote on the GFB director positions that are up for re-election this year along with GFB President Zippy Duvall and GFB South Georgia Vice President Gerald Long, who serves as the organization’s 1st vice president. All candidates are running unopposed for their positions. As convention attendees visit the beachside of the island, they may notice that Twentieth Century Fox is filming “X-Men: First Class,” the fifth X-Men action movie based on the Marvel comic books about mutant super heroes, on Jekyll. Convention attendees will also notice that the shopping center previously located across from the old convention center has been demolished. Demolition of the convention center is expected to be completed in November. Most of the shops previously located across from the convention center have been relocated to trailers in a temporary shopping village on Beachview Drive next to the new Great Dunes Park. November-December 2010 / 7
commodities/marketing update Don McGough
GFB Commodity Conferences offer industry updates If you’re going to attend the 72nd annual Georgia Farm Bureau Convention, one of the highlights will be the commodity conferences on Monday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These meetings will feature speakers addressing issues pertinent to each commodity. Most of the meetings will be held in the meeting chalets located around Magnolia Hall and Grand Oaks Hall in the Jekyll Island Historic District Convention Campus. Some meetings will be held in the Jekyll Island Club Hotel (JICH). Everyone is encouraged to attend these meetings to hear the latest updates on Georgia agriculture.
• U tilization of Georgia’s Forests, Nathan McClure
2 P.M. CONFERENCES
HAY----------------------------------------------------JICH Ballroom • Hay Production Outlook and Economics, Dr. Dennis Hancock • Hay Production Outlook and Economics, Dr. Curt Lacy
COTTON--------------------------------------------Chalets 1 & 2 • Variety Performance PGR Management, Dr. Guy Collins • Decreasing Irrigation/Less Stress in Cotton, Dr. Glen Ritchie DAIRY-------------------------------------------------Chalet 3 • Georgia 4-H & FFA Commercial Heifer Program-Success and Challenges, Matt London • Issues in the Dairy Industry, Everett Williams FORESTRY-----------------------------------------Chalet 4 • Bugwood-Education Resources to Support Land Owners, Dr. Keith Douce
Ga. Cotton Commission Annual Meeting & Ga. Cotton Production Workshop
– Jan. 26, 2011 – UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Begins at 8 a.m. Register Dec. 1 - Jan. 21 at www.ugatiftonconference.org or 229-386-3416 Visit www.georgiacottoncommission.org for more information. 8 / November/December 2010
FRUIT & VEGETABLE------------------------JICH Dubignon Room • Department of Labor Site Inspections, Dan Bremer • Promotion and Marketing of Fruits and Vegetables, Gary Caloroso and Lynn Kilroy GOAT AND SHEEP---------------------------Chalet 5 • Forage Production Systems for Small Ruminants, Steve Morgan
HONEYBEE----------------------------------------Chalet 6 • Combating Pests, Dr. Keith Delaplane • Honeybee Research in Florida, Mark Dykes POULTRY-------------------------------------------Chalet 7 • Proposed GIPSA Rules: Myth and Facts, Jon Huffmaster • Poultry House Energy Conservation, Dr. Mike Czarick SWINE------------------------------------------------Chalet 8 • Update from Georgia Pork Producers, Charles Griffin • Improving Swine Feeding Efficiencies, Dr. Robert Dove
3:30 P.M. CONFERENCES AQUACULTURE--------------------------------Chalet 5 • Aquaculture Association and UGA Research, Dr. Gary Burtle • Fish Feed Nutrient Content and Labeling Laws, Greg Hegwood and Larry Kelly
BEEF CATTLE------------------------------------JICH Ballroom • Update from the Georgia Beef Board, Gerald Long • Pasture to Plate - How Do You Get There? Steve Whitmire ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE--------------------------------Chalet 6 • GGIA Update for the 2011 Legislative Session and More, Chris Butts • Research Update at UGA, Dr. John Ruter EQUINE---------------------------------------------Chalet 7 • Incidence of Piroplasmosis, Dr. Carter Black • Update from the Ga. Equine Commission, Ann Jones FEEDGRAIN AND SOYBEAN-----------Chalet 3 • Grain Marketing, Dr. Nathan Smith • Georgia Soybean Production Issues for 2011, Dr. Jared Whitaker PEANUT---------------------------------------------Chalets 1&2 • Strategies for Palmer Amaranth Management in Peanuts, Dr. Eric Prostko • Washington Outlook, Bob Redding PECAN-----------------------------------------------Chalet 4 • Pesticide Usage in Pecans, Dr. Lenny Wells • Update on Ga. Pecan Promotion, Gary Caloroso TOBACCO------------------------------------------Chalet 8 • Verification of a Predictive Model for Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in Tobacco, Dr. Paul Bertrand • Update on Ga. Tobacco Commission, Fred Wetherington WATER-----------------------------------------------JICH Dubignon Room • EPD Update on Water Issues, Allen Barnes Georgia Farm Bureau News
legislative update Jon Huffmaster, Legislative Director
O
What is GIPSA and what are the proposed changes?
n June 22 the USDA Grain Inspection Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) issued a proposal to add several new sections to regulations dealing with competition and transparency related to livestock and poultry marketing contracts that GIPSA oversees. The 17-page proposal could have a significant impact on the livestock and poultry industry, and many questions have arisen in response to the proposal. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about GIPSA and the proposed rules. What is GIPSA? GIPSA is an acronym for the Grain Inspection Packers & Stockyards Administration. It is the federal agency within USDA charged with fostering fair competition, providing payment protections for farmers and guarding against deceptive or fraudulent practices. GIPSA was created under authority of the Packers & Stockyards Act of 1921. Farm Bureau supports GIPSA because of the agency’s long history of advocacy for farmers. Why did GIPSA publish these proposed rules? Some of the rules were published because Congress required it in the “Food, Conservation, & Energy Act of 2008” (2008 farm bill). Other provisions were not required by the farm bill, but were published under authority granted to the secretary of agriculture in the Packers & Stockyards Act. Why did Congress require GIPSA to address this issue? Many individuals and groups, including Farm Bureau, have raised the issue of unfair practices to livestock and poultry growers over the years. A major question related to unfairness is how to define it. At what point does an aggressive business practice in a competitive free market cross the line and become an unfair practice designed to stifle competition? The 2008 farm bill gave the secretary of agriculture two years to study that question and publish criteria to assist in recognizing when that line was crossed. This rule is the result of that congressional directive. Will Congress vote on this proGeorgia Farm Bureau News
posal? The short answer is no. Rules are not legislative bills, so no congressional vote will be scheduled. Congress is a legislative body, and their function is to make laws. USDA and GIPSA are part of the executive branch and are charged with interpreting and writing rules to implement laws passed by Congress. However, Congress controls the money, so congressional opinion is still important. Why is it called a proposed rule? When federal regulations are issued, they are generally published in the Federal Register so citizens can see what the government is proposing to do. At that point, comments are invited so the agency can hear stakeholder response to the rule. After comments are received, the agency can issue the rule, amend the rule or scrap the whole idea and start over. The deadline for comments on this rule was November 22. What does this GIPSA proposed rule do? This rule addresses many things. Some of them are: • Unfair Practices: The rule outlines examples of things that would help the secretary of agriculture determine if unfair practices are being used by packers and processors. Some of these practices include whether a reasonable person would consider an act to be in bad faith, misleading or retaliatory in nature. The secretary could also consider whether the rights of the grower were being infringed upon. • Undue Advantage or Disadvantage: The secretary might consider whether all growers who are able to deliver a similar product are treated in basically the same manner. • Livestock Purchasing Practices: The rule would prohibit practices that might be used to manipulate markets and stifle competition. For example, the rule would prohibit order buyers at stockyards from buying for more than one packer. This rule is controversial among Georgia cattle producers because the practice is common in Georgia stockyards. • Livestock & Poultry Contracts: The
rule would require that samples of contracts be submitted to GIPSA. The contracts would be placed on GIPSA’s Web site for public inspection. Specific information about individuals, trade secrets or confidential business information would not be posted. • Tournament Pay in Poultry Contracts: Tournament pay is a system of compensation whereby growers compete with other growers based on a variety of factors like feed conversion, mortality, etc. This rule would require changes to tournament contracts so that no grower would be paid less than the base pay specified in the contract. The rule would not prohibit tournament pay, it would not set a minimum base pay, nor would it prohibit premiums paid to more efficient growers. However, it would require that growers are paid at least what the contract specifies. • Capital Investment Issues: The rule seeks to clarify how the secretary may determine whether there is unfairness related to capital investments required by growers. A capital investment is defined as $25,000 or more. The secretary may consider whether or not the grower has the option to decline to spend the additional money and still receive birds. Other considerations may be whether or not other similarly situated growers are required to make a similar investment. • Capital Investment Prohibitions: The rule would mandate that capital investment requirements of $25,000 or more would be accompanied by a production contract of sufficient duration to allow the grower the opportunity to recoup at least 80 percent of the investment. It would also mandate that if growers have company-specified equipment in good working order, the company could not require an equipment upgrade without additional compensation to the grower. • Dispute Arbitration: The rule would require growers to specify whether or not they agree to disputes being settled by arbitration. Growers would have the right to decline arbitration and seek other avenues for remedy. See GIPSA page 24 November/December 2010 / 9
UGA Extension announces restructure plan By Jennifer Whittaker ______________________________________________________
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niversity of Georgia Cooperative Extension has announced the tier rankings assigned to counties under the agency’s restructuring plan necessitated by state budget cuts totaling 23 percent in the past two years. The six-level tier rankings will determine the services Extension offers in each county. The plan is expected to take 12 to 18 months to implement. “Cooperative Extension may take on a new look and feel in your county, but we will do our best to continue delivering the reliable service and education across the state that you know and trust,” said Dr. Beverly Sparks, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Associate Dean for Extension. The accompanying map shows the tier rankings each county has been assigned. Tier 1 counties will have no local Extension office but will have a basic 4-H program offered in the school system through an employee supervised by an agent in another county. Tier 2 counties will have a core 4-H program and a county Extension office with an office manager to help residents access diagnostic services (soil, water and forage samples) and Extension Updated 10/12/10 resources. A county extension coordinator (CEC) from another county will serve as administrator and agents will be assigned as resources but will not generally offer programs or make client visits. Tier 3 counties will have a core 4-H program, a county office staffed with an office manager and a shared agent from a surrounding county who spends time in the office. Tier 4 counties will have a 4-H program, a county office with a secretary, one county-based agent who may be agriculture, Family and Consumer Science, 4-H or split between these program areas. Tier 5 counties will have a 4-H program, a county office staffed with at least one support position and two or more agents (1 a CEC) to provide educational programs. Tier 6 counties will 10 / November/December 2010
have a full-time coordinator with multiple agents. The tier rankings were determined by district Extension leadership teams, Sparks said. Under the new tier system, 126 Georgia counties are classified in Tiers 4-6, which means they will have county offices, agents and 4-H programs. “I think our stakeholders understand the very difficult situation we’re dealing with, with the state budget, and I think they understand that we have very limited resources,” Sparks said. “Now if you’re in one of those Tier 1, 2 or 3 counties you may not be as pleased with us as if you’re in a Tier 4, 5 or 6 county, but again, I think this plan is flexible and allows us, as resources return, to build back and bring those 1, 2 and 3 tiers up to a higher tier.” The criteria for assigning the tier rankings included: the farm gate value of commodities produced in a county, county population and number of school-age children, county government funding of Extension, agricultural expertise needed in a county, the potential to share ag agents across county lines, placement of 4-H educator/program specialists, county support of 4-H, Family and Consumer Science expertise needed in a county due to low public health, poverty, bankruptcy and foreclosure rates, location of regional educational centers and access to mass media. “Over the past two years, Extension has lost 23 percent of its state funding. Due to these cuts we have lost 88 county extension agents and 26 specialist and administrator positions,” Sparks said. “We had 480 employees statewide, and now we’re down to 239 agents. We can’t continue to serve at the level we have.” The reduction in agents has come through retirement or agents voluntarily leaving, but reduced funding has prevented Extension from filling vacant positions, Sparks said. Statewide, Extension now has 113 ag agents, 90 4-H agents and 36 Family and Consumer Sciences agents. “As we implement this plan, we will add to our catalog of (Continued next page) Georgia Farm Bureau News
(Continued) online materials and work to create a more active virtual community for educating consumers and growers,” Sparks said. “We will offer more multi-county programs, too, especially in specialized crops and training areas.” To develop the restructure plan, CAES officials appointed a 20-member steering committee of UGA Extension faculty and staff from various levels and departments of the statewide organization. Since first meeting in March, the committee surveyed Extension employees, commodity groups, county government officials and county educators to get input. Georgia Farm Bureau members were surveyed during the organization’s annual Commodity Conference in July. “We are very appreciative of Farm Bureau members who took time to provide us information as we restructured the county operations component of Cooperative Extension. We took time to listen to a lot of different groups, and I assure you that every response was read and considered,” said Dr. Steve Brown, CAES assistant dean for Extension. “Farm Bureau was especially supportive of county operations. We heard loud and clear from Farm Bureau that local agents are important. Farm Bureau has always been a strong supporter of Cooperative Extension, and we will be working hard to earn your continued support.” In general, Farm Bureau members who completed the survey were supportive of the multi-county agent concept if necessary, but expressed concerns that not all counties would be equally served. More than 30 percent of the GFB survey responses indicated that general production information, such as field visits, consulting and crop management, is the most beneficial service county agents provide. More than 25 percent of the GFB survey participants said Extension’s soil and water testing service has the most benefit to them. Farm Bureau members also voiced support for 4-H with comments that included, “4-H is very valuable as it builds character and leadership in the schools. It needs dedicated leaders.” “We appreciate Cooperative Extension asking Georgia Farm Bureau for our input
on how farmers utilize their services and seeking our suggestions as they developed their restructure plan,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “While we hate to see any county lose an agent or office, we understand that Extension officials are trying their best to serve Georgia agriculture while utilizing the resources they have in the most efficient way possible.” District Extension directors are in the process of contacting impacted counties and employees to discuss pending changes and possible transfers. A list of high priority positions is being internally advertised, and Extension will begin filling these positions before the end of the year. “Although it hurts me to see any
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Apply and save. Contact your local Georgia Farm Bureau agent today! *Some restrictions apply based on the make and model of vehicle offered as collateral. Loans are subject to credit approval. Rates and financing options are limited to certain model years and are subject to change without notice. Finance charges accrue from origination date of the loan. Banking services provided by Farm Bureau Bank, FSB. Farm Bureau Bank, FSB is a service to member institution that provides banking services to Farm Bureau members. Services are not available in AL, IL, MI, MO, MS, OH or WY and may not be available in some counties or parishes. Farm Bureau, FB and the FB National Logo are registered service marks owned by the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used under license by FB BanCorp and its subsidiaries, including Farm Bureau Bank FSB. FB BanCorp is an independent entity and the AFBF does not own, is not owned by, and is not under common ownership with FB BanCorp or its affiliated entities.
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Georgia Farm Bureau News
county be denied the services of an agricultural natural resource (ANR) agent, I believe the decisions we made are sound. Hopefully, we will be able to replace ANR agents in non-supported counties very soon. Exactly how soon is up to the economy and the level of support we receive from federal, state and county government,” Brown said. Part of Extension’s restructuring plan calls for regional meeting centers. Extension plans to move away from county-level production meetings and ask producers to travel no more than 50 miles to attend regional production meetings where multiple Extension specialists will address See RESTRUCTURE page 20
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12 / November-December 2010
Young farmer finalists SCREVEN COUNTY – Stuart Boykin knew in his teens that he wanted to farm, and he knew that he wanted to keep his family’s land in the Boykin name. It wouldn’t be fair to say he started with nothing. His father, Roy, had approximately 235 acres in the southern end of the county, near the Effingham County line and the Savannah River, but when agricultural economic challenges hit in the mid-1980s, he took a job at the Savannah River Plant to stay afloat financially. “Daddy worked the job and serviced his debt,” said Boykin, who grows cotton, soybeans and peanuts. “He paid his rent. Rented the place out and took money out of his pocket to keep the place, to keep the farm. It wasn’t operating, it was just maintaining.” From that humble beginning in the late 1990s, Boykin’s farming operation has grown at a steady pace to more than 1,200 acres today. It’s been an exercise in patience. He’d add a few dozen acres here, a hundred there, buying equipment when he could afford it and learning one loan at a time how farm business gets done. A healthy dose of faith is required. “There have been some times I thought that I needed to go get a job or something, but you usually wait it out and something positive happens,” he said. “A farmer’s got to be an eternal optimist. He can’t ever give up. He’s got to have enough resolve to stay with it.” Boykin had help from his dad and from his wife, Lauren, now the Screven County 4-H agent. They were married in 2006, and their daughter, Lila Rose, was born in 2008. “Now pretty much anything that happens at home I’m in control of and anything that happens in the field is all Stuart,” Lauren said. “We partner together. He assumes all of the risk and all of the stress, and I just try and make sure we have food on the table and someplace we can relax a little bit in the few hours we get aside from the fields.” Back in his teens, Boykin got jobs doing farm work for Screven County Farm Bureau Vice President Olin Boyd, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out that farm life was more attractive to him than other occupations. “I don’t have to punch a clock or go work night shifts or anything like that,” he said. “So, I guess it’s
Photo by Jay Stone
Articles and photos by Jay Stone and Jennifer Whittaker _____________________________________________________________________________________
The Boykins (L-R) Lauren, Lila Rose and Stuart
kind of working doing what we want to do.” For Boykin, farming came down to a lifestyle choice, and he wants to pass its lessons on to his children. “Everybody that farms wants their farm or their home or what land they farm to be their legacy. But if this isn’t permanent at least we can instill a good work ethic and maybe some moral values to our family that they wouldn’t learn in a city lifestyle,” he said.
Photo by Jennnifer Whittaker
The three finalist families for the 2010 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Achievement Contest have all built success out of family land using faith, innovation and hard work. Stuart and Lauren Boykin (7th District, Screven County), started small and have steadily grown in their cotton and peanut operation. Steven and Tiffany Metcalf (8th District, Turner County) grow cotton and peanuts on the land that has been cultivated by Steven’s family for four generations. Brian and Melissa Ogletree (5th District, Spalding County), thrive on grain production and are carrying on the family tradition. Boykin wanted to save his family’s land and be his own boss. Metcalf really liked being outside. Ogletree had a backup plan to be a pilot but didn’t have to use it. All three liked the life farming provided for them as children and saw no reason to get out. Each family receives a $200 travel allowance for the GFB Annual Convention, where the state winner will be announced Dec. 5. The state winner will receive a year’s use of a Kubota L or M Series tractor, a $500 cash award from Dodge Truck Division and an expensepaid trip to Atlanta for the AFBF Annual Convention.
The Metcalfs (L-R) Tiffany, Graham and Steven. Newborn daughter Halle joined the family in October after this photo was shot. TURNER COUNTY – Farming is Steven Metcalf ’s dream job. “It’s challenging, but overall I enjoy doing it. Georgia Farm Bureau News
grow success from heritage
Georgia Farm Bureau News
ture,” Metcalf said. “It’s important to meet new people and hear what’s going on with them through the meetings and different events Farm Bureau has.” Tiffany, Steven’s wife, teaches fifth grade and does her part to make sure her students understand the importance of agriculture. “I love being part of a farm family,” said Tiffany. “I see agriculture as being especially important to this part of the state. Students are deprived of getting to learn about agriculture with all of the cuts that are going on.” That’s why she coordinated an Ag Day for the entire fifth grade at her school last year that taught the kids how peanuts and cotton are grown. She says it’s important that all kids learn the lessons their children,16-month-old son, Graham, and new-born daughter Halle, will learn growing up on a farm.
Photo by Jay Stone
I enjoy being my own boss, being outside, growing crops, watching them grow and harvesting them. Farming has its downfalls, but overall it’s fun,” Metcalf said. Metcalf was introduced to farming as a child, riding tractors with his father, Bennie. He began farming some while in high school and then went into it full time when he graduated in 1994. Today he farms about 1,200 acres – about 400 acres of peanuts, about 650 acres of cotton, with his remaining acres planted in rye, wheat and corn. He also runs a small herd of commercial cattle – about 40 head year round. “I feel like being diversified is a big factor [in being successful],” Metcalf said. “As hard as things are now, it’s important to be involved in several different things in case one or two don’t work out, maybe something else will.” In addition to his on-farm diversification, Metcalf owns a quarter interest in the Hat Creek Peanut and Farm Supply, a peanut buying point that purchases about 6,500 tons of peanuts each year. He also owns shares in Tifton Quality Peanut, a shelling plant that sells about 70,000 tons of peanuts annually. “If we didn’t own the buying point we’d only get money from selling our peanuts, whereas this way we make a profit on the handling of the peanuts, and we’re in control of the peanuts from the ground to out of the shell,” Metcalf explained. Metcalf is quick to credit the people who have helped him build a successful operation, such as his crop consultant Jay Holder and County Extension Agent Scott Utley. He also works as a team with his dad and younger brother, Matthew. “We have separate crops, but we all work together like it’s our own. Daddy plows up peanuts, I pick them, and my brother picks cotton. It works out well,” Metcalf said. For the past three years Metcalf has served as the Turner County Farm Bureau Young Farmer Chairman. “Farm Bureau is very important because the organization stands behind agricul-
The Ogletrees (L-R) Mason, Olivia, Brian, Melissa and Logan.
SPALDING COUNTY – It’s Wednesday, Sept. 29 and Brian Ogletree is playing a game all too familiar for most farmers: the waiting game. It rained on Monday – more than three inches in a 24-hour span on Ogletree’s land in northern Lamar and southern Spalding counties – an ill-timed precipitation event that coincided with harvest time for Ogletree’s 800 acres of browntop millet, which he would prefer cutting when the stalks are dry.
Like most farmers, he’s hesitant to complain about rain – Ogletree doesn’t use irrigation – but he’s antsy to get in the combine and get on with the harvest, knowing that timing is key for replanting his fields in clover that will be sold for seed. “It takes a lot of faith,” he said. “It really does. You’ve got to have pretty good faith in God, I feel like, just to know that He knows what going on, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Improvisation is part of the job. When Ogletree discovered that certain areas of his fields get spotty GPS reception, he rigged a guide for the front of his tractors that helped maintain precision planting. The Ogletree family has been farming for 65 years, spanning four generations and is now working on the fifth. Brian and his wife Melissa have twin boys, 6-year-old Logan and Mason, and a 2-year-old daughter, Olivia. Like their dad, the kids seem to be getting an early start. The twins started riding on combines with Brian and his father, Bobby, when they were 18 months old, Melissa said. “They love it,” said Melissa, who is a registered nurse in the critical care unit at Henry Medical Center. “I’m so glad they’re growing up on ag, because so many kids in their class don’t know where their milk comes from or where their hamburgers come from.” Like his own children, Brian got an early start in farming. He also started young with Farm Bureau. “My dad drug me to my first Farm Bureau meeting when I was 16,” he said. “They asked me to be the Young Farmer Chair for the county when I was 18. The longer you’re involved in it, the more important you realize it is.” Farming was the first option on his career choice list, but he went to Southeastern Flight School in Macon and earned a commercial pilot license. Just in case. “That was my college,” he said. “I learned how to farm from my dad, and farming was the thing I liked doing best. Flying was my backup, but I always knew I wanted to farm.” November-December 2010 / 13
Tattnall County farmer Robert Dasher and his wife Debbie accept the Swisher Sweets/ Sunbelt Agricultural Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award from Sunbelt Executive Director Chip Blalock (left) and Swisher International President J. Thomas Ryan (right).
Dasher named southeastern farmer of the year By Jay Stone ___________________________________
Tattnall County Vidalia onion grower Robert Dasher of G & R Farms was named the Swisher Sweets Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year during a lunch ceremony at the Sunbelt Expo Oct. 19. Dasher, who was among the first producers to use cardboard boxes for shipping Vidalia onions, is the third winner from Georgia. James Lee Adams of Mitchell County won in 2000 and Irwin County’s Armond Morris won in 2002. The award includes the year’s use of a Massey Ferguson tractor, gift certificates totaling $1,000 from Southern States, a custom-made gun safe from Misty Morn Safe Company, a special edition jacket, $500 in gift certificates and $500 in cash from the Williamson-Dickie clothing company. He was chosen from a pool of state winners from 10 states and succeeds 2009 winner Cary Lightsey from Florida. “I got to know the other guys and they’re great guys,” said Dasher, who in addition to onions grows corn, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, wheat, rye, pecans and hay on his 4,800-acre farm, where he also raises beef cattle. “I looked at the videos about all of them, and I thought I didn’t have a chance. I’ll cherish this the rest of my life.” The luncheon was partially sponsored by Georgia Farm Bureau and state Farm Bureaus from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, 14 / November/December 2010
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee. It featured a speech from Gov. Sonny Perdue. “Agriculture has had to change over the years tremendously,” said Perdue. “None of you do things the same way you did it even five years ago, much less 10 years ago, because we know that our numbers are dwindling but the responsibilities are greater. We need to have the pride and understanding that what we do in that row day by day and week by week affects someone’s life.” The Sunbelt Expo opened with 1,201 exhibitors, with a variety of displays ranging from cars customized to resemble fish to the always-popular farm machinery. “I like to see all the equipment at work in the fields,” said retired Carroll County beef cattle producer Doyal Shirey, who watched the cotton harvest demonstrations. “It’s amazing to see how big the tractors have gotten.” The Sunbelt Expo included the unveiling of a new permanent dairy building and the ribbon cutting for the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness (GCIA), a multi-agency cooperative devoted to expanding the agribusiness sector of Georgia’s economy. “People come to us with ideas and we put them in motion,” said Donnie Smith, director of the GCIA. “We help them make their ideas a success.”
Jesse Patrick has joined the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodities/ Marketing Department as a marketing specialist. He will be working with programs related to feed grain and soybeans as well as managing the department’s grain desk. Patrick graduated from the University of Georgia in May with degrees in animal science and dairy science. A 2006 GFB Scholarship winner, he served as a UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ambassador, was a presidential scholar and held memberships in Alpha Gamma Rho, the UGA Dairy Science Club, UGA dairy judging team, the Blue Key National Honor Society and the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society. A native of Eatonton, Patrick is the son of Dr. Robert and Marsha Patrick. He attends Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church in Eatonton.
Photo by Lili Davis
Photo by Jay Stone
Patrick joins GFB staff
Jaclyn Ford named to Ga. FSA Committee
The Obama administration has appointed Jaclyn D. Ford to the Georgia Farm Service Agency State Committee. Ford, who at one time worked in the Georgia Farm Bureau Legislative Department and is a member of the Berrien County Farm Bureau, is co-owner and co-manager of Dixon Gin Company Inc. She is actively involved in her family’s farming operation that produces cotton, peanuts, corn and pecans. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and serves on various civic and ag-related boards. Ronald C. Lee of Dawson, Dr. Fred Harrison of Winterville, Jerome Tucker of Valdosta and Peter Waller of Bloomingdale were appointed to the committee in February. Georgia Farm Bureau News
Ad hoc disaster assistance available for some Ga. farmers Some Georgia farmers may be eligible to receive ad hoc disaster payments from an agreement outgoing U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), struck with the Obama administration last summer to fund disaster aid administratively rather than through passage of a disaster assistance bill. The funds are available under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935. Lincoln, who chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee, was defeated by U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.) in her bid for re-election. Under the agreement, the USDA will provide $550 million in assistance to cotton, rice, soybean and sweet potato growers in counties declared disaster areas for 2009, $60 million for poultry growers affected by the Pilgrim’s Pride bankruptcy and $20 million for aquaculture producers affected by high feed costs in 2009. In Georgia, 130 counties received secretarial disaster designations due to excessive rain; the ones that did not were: Barrow, Butts, Camden, Charlton, Clarke, Clayton, Columbia, Dawson, DeKalb, Fayette, Forsyth, Glynn, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Jasper, Liberty, Lincoln, McDuffie, McIntosh, Richmond, Rockdale, Stephens, Taliafer-
FFA leader Johnson dies
Melvin Johnson Sr., who served as state FFA/FCCLA camp director and state director of Agricultural Education, died Oct. 28 after an extended battle with cancer. He was 74. Johnson’s 42-year career in ag education included service as director of the State FFA/FCCLA Center in Covington from 1979 to 1996. He was inducted to the Georgia Agricultural Education Teachers Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2007. Johnson was honored as the National Outstanding State Supervisor for Ag Education in 1999 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National FFA. In lieu of flowers, Johnson’s family has requested donations be made to the FFA Foundation, P.O. Box 237, Swainsboro, Ga. 30401. Georgia Farm Bureau News
ro, Warren, White and Wilkes. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is accepting applications until Nov. 24 from poultry growers who lost contracts resulting from the Pilgrim’s Pride bankruptcy. Growers’ contract terminations must have occurred between May 1, 2008 and July 1, 2010, to be eligible. For more information about the Poultry Loss Contract Assistance Program contact the Georgia Department of Agriculture Animal Industry Division at 404-656-3671. The GDA is accepting applications until Dec. 1 from aquaculture producers who suffered financial losses associated with high feed input costs during 2009. The GDA received $102,501 from the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation for the Aquaculture Grant Program funded through the ad hoc disaster agreement. For more information, call the GDA Grants Administration Office at 404-463-6851. The USDA is accepting applications through Dec. 9 for its Crop Assistance Pro-
gram (CAP) to provide financial assistance to producers of upland cotton, rice, sweet potatoes and soybeans affected by excessive rains in 2009. Producers will have to self-certify that they meet the 5 percent loss threshold for an eligible crop. The per-acre payment rates for eligible crops are $17.70 for upland cotton, $15.62 for soybeans and $155.41 for sweet potatoes. Eligible producers will receive 75 percent of their payment up front, and remaining payments will be determined after Dec. 9. For more information, contact your local FSA office. Georgia Reps. John Barrow, Sanford Bishop, David Scott and outgoing Rep. Jim Marshall were among a group of U.S. congressmen who wrote to the USDA asking that peanuts be included in the crop assistance program. The group asked that the agency compensate peanut growers at a fair, per-acre rate determined in the same manner the other eligible commodity rates were determined.
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November/December 2010 / 15
By Jennifer Whittaker ___________________________________ In an effort to get more cotton growers to use residual herbicides to fight glyphosateresistant Palmer amaranth, commonly called pigweed, Monsanto is increasing the rebate it offers farmers per acre through its Cotton Performance Plus Program in 2011 and is offering the rebate on a wider variety of herbicides than in previous years. Growers who plant any variety of cottonseed that contains Genuity® Roundup Ready® Flex (RF) technology and apply the following qualifying herbicides (Valor®, Reflex®, Cotoran®, Cotton Pro®, Caparol®, Diuron, Warrant TM, Dual Magnum® or Gramoxone Inteon®) according to recommended rates per acre, will qualify for a rebate of up to $20 per acre. The program will pay on two applications of Cotoran, Cotton Pro, Caparol, Diuron, Warrant or Dual Magnum. Monsanto announced the expanded rebate program during the 2010 Sunbelt Expo in October. This is an increase of $8 over the potential $12 rebate per acre offered through the program this year. Monsanto has offered the rebate program since 2005. “This program is about utilizing residual products to put a layer of weed control down and then overlap those residual herbicides through the season. Farmers would start early in the year and continue to follow up throughout the year,” said John Chambers, Monsanto’s cotton business strategy manager. “We’ll provide the rebate at the end of the season based on their herbicide purchases. To qualify for this program all a grower has to do is purchase a variety from any seed company that contains the Roundup Ready Flex trait. It can be any seed from any seed company as long as it carries the Roundup Ready Flex trait.” Beside Monsanto’s Deltapine varieties that include the RF technology, Chambers said PhytoGen, Stoneville, FiberMax, DynaGro and Cropland are among other seed brands sold in Georgia with some varieties that include the RF trait. According to the USDA report of cotton varieties planted for the 2010 crop, released Aug. 31, 58.4 percent of Georgia’s cotton acreage was planted in Deltapine varieties – 32.7 percent of this acreage was planted 16 / November/December 2010
in DP varieties that include the RF trait. According to the report, the percentage of Georgia’s cotton acreage planted in nonMonsanto cotton varieties which include the RF trait were as follows: 7 percent was planted in FiberMax 1740 B2F; 1.8% was planted in Stoneville 5458B2F; 8.4 percent was planted in PhytoGen 375 WRF; 0.1 percent was planted in PhytoGen 425 RF; 1.5 percent was planted in PhytoGen 485WRF and 2 percent was planted in PhytoGen 565 WRF. There are numerous other cotton varieties of assorted seed brands that also contain the RF trait that weren’t planted in Georgia this year. To collect the rebate money, farmers must submit a Performance Plus refund form along with their herbicide invoices to Monsanto postmarked by Aug. 31, 2011. Refund checks made out to both the retailer and the grower will be mailed to the retailer who sold the cotton technology. “The retailer can submit all of the paperwork to Monsanto. After we reconcile the amount of herbicide purchased with the amount of bags of cotton seed [purchased], then we’ll send a dual party check to the retailer,” Dave Rhylander, Monsanto’s marketing lead for the Cotton Belt, explained. “The check will be written to both the dealer and grower and sent to the dealer’s address. This will allow the local retailer and farmer to maintain flexibility on accounting. Farmers tend to have a range of financial options – perhaps the cash goes straight to the farmer, or perhaps they have a credit arranged earlier in the year this is applied to.”
Extension evaluation of program
University of Georgia Extension Weed Scientist Dr. Stanley Culpepper, who has been working to control glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth since it was first discovered in Macon County in 2004, says growers must use residual herbicides to combat the invasive weed. “We cannot control glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth without residual herbicides,” Culpepper said. “This program won’t work for all [growers] depending on the cotton variety they plant and herbicides
Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
Monsanto expands rebate program for use of residual herbicides
University of Georgia Extension Weed Scientist Dr. Stanley Culpepper inspects a glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth weed. Culpepper estimates 1.7 million acres of Georgia cropland are infested with the weed.
they elect to use, but it certainly offers a lot of our growers an incentive to use residual herbicides. The 2011 program includes enough herbicide chemistry and enough varieties to make it an effective program. There are one or two other products I’d love to have in the program, but I can only commend Monsanto for the flexibility that they’ve added in 2011.” Culpepper, however, warns growers that the use of residual herbicides alone is not the silver bullet that will stop the spread of pigweed. “Herbicides alone will not save us and by saving us I mean we will not manage this pest where all we have to do is spray herbicides. We’re going to have to develop an integrated type program and that program will vary from grower to grower.” For example, if a grower is using conservation tillage, Culpepper recommends the grower plant a rye cover crop to reduce the emergence of Palmer amaranth. Crop rotation, the use of irrigation to water in residual herbicides and rotating herbicides are other recommendations Culpepper suggests. Based on a survey of Georgia cotton growers the UGA Extension Cotton Team conducted this year, Culpepper estimates growers invested about $62.50 an acre in herbicides to combat pigweed. A 2009 survey of Georgia growers showed that at least 88 percent of Georgia’s cotton acres were treated with at least two residual herbicides. More than three-fourths of Georgia’s cotton growers are also spending money to hire laborers to hand pull the weed from their fields. (Continued next page) Georgia Farm Bureau News
Photo by Rick Treptow
(Continued) “As far as potentially returning $20 an acre back for very good residual herbicides, the program is certainly something every grower in our state needs to look at very carefully because $20 an acre is significant,” Culpepper said.
Rebate on hooded sprayers
In addition to increasing the rebate offered for residual herbicides, Monsanto is also partnering with Willmar Fabrication, LLC to offer growers a 30 percent discount on a redesigned hooded sprayer intended to let growers apply residual herbicides that can’t come in contact with cotton plants. Willmar’s redesigned hood is intended to let growers more safely spray pigweed during later stages of its and the cotton plant’s growth than older models of hooded sprayers allow. The Willmar 915 Hood is about one foot longer than traditional hoods to allow weeds to remain in the spray pattern longer. Three nozzles under the hood offer more even herbicide coverage while front and rear curtains and a reshaped front is intended to better protect the cotton plants from the herbicides. Growers must purchase the hood directly from Willmar to get the discount, Steve Claussen of Willmar said. “A hooded sprayer offers cotton growers a couple of additional options compared to what they traditionally do with a direct sprayer or lay by sprayer,” Culpepper said. “We can’t come into a cotton crop and apply products like Gramoxone or a Gramoxone-Diuron mix, but if you have a
Georgia Farm Bureau News
Pictured from right, GFB President Zippy Duvall discusses the problem Georgia cotton growers are having with glyphosate-resistant pigweed with Monsanto representatives Dave Rhylander, John Chambers and Mike Lindsey during Sunbelt Expo.
good hood and a good driver you can keep that spray from the cotton and it does allow us some more effective options in controlling the pigweed that’s in the row middle.” Culpepper says that Georgia is fortunate because many of its growers do use hoods unlike growers in other states that abandoned the use of hooded sprayers. “I’m not going to say there aren’t other hoods out there every bit as good as what Monsanto is helping our growers buy, but you need to look at the hood you use and look at it very closely depending on the [herbicide] products you apply,” Culpepper said. Growers who apply herbicides that can’t contact the crop need to use enclosed hoods that are completely enclosed, Culpepper said, adding that the most effective hoods will have at least two and preferably three nozzles to adequately cover weeds with the herbicide.
Why a rebate? Why not reduce tech fees?
Those familiar with the cotton industry know many Georgia cotton growers have long criticized Monsanto for charging Georgia farmers a higher technology fee for the Roundup Ready traits in genetically modified seed. For the past two years Georgia Farm Bureau has had numerous discussions with the St. Louis-based company to voice farmers’ frustrations and seek lower technology fees. In August 2009, Monsanto Executive Vice President of Global Commerce Brett Begemann spoke to the GFB Board of Directors and GFB Cotton Committee Chairman Michael Williams, GFB Feedgrain Committee Chairman Thomas Coleman and then GFB Peanut Committee Chairman Andy Bell. When asked why the technology fee differs for a bag of cottonseed sold in GeorSee MONSANTO page 29
November/December 2010 / 17
Farm-City Week celebrates agriculture’s growing story By Jennifer Whittaker ______________________________________________________
Photo by Lili Davis
C
ounty Farm Bureaus across the state worked hard in November to increase consumers’ awareness of agriculture by holding Farm-City Week events. Although the week is officially Nov. 19-25, events were held throughout the month as schedules allowed. Farm-City Week, which Kiwanis International began in 1955, celebrates the cooperative relationship between farmers and their urban colleagues who help process, market and retail the food farmers grow to the American consumer. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the annual celebration. “I’d like to thank all of the county Farm Bureaus that hosted Farm-City Week events or did anything to make their local community aware of the collaborative relationship consumers and farmers have,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “The theme for this year’s celebration was ‘Agriculture: A Growing Story.’ This is a conversation we can continue to have with our non-farming neighbors throughout the year by speaking to civic clubs, hosting farm days or supporting Ag in the Classroom in a local school.” Nationwide, agriculture employs more than 24 million workers including farmers, shippers, processors, marketers, retailers, truck drivers and inspectors who annually contribute more than $1.3 trillion to our gross domestic product, according to the National Farm-City Council. In Georgia, agriculture generated a total economic impact of $65 billion on Georgia’s $786.5 billion economy and created more than 351,000 jobs in 2008, according to the University of Georgia
GFB President Zippy Duvall (seated) signed a Farm-City Week Proclamation during the GFB October Board Meeting. Joining Duvall in recognizing the annual event were: (standing L-R) GFB 1st Vice President Gerald Long, GFB Middle Georgia Vice President Robert Fountain and GFB North Georgia Vice President Bernard Sims.
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. In 2009, the top 10 commodities grown in Georgia were broilers, cotton, eggs, timber, peanuts, horses, beef, greenhouse horticulture products, dairy and container nursery plants. Visit GFB’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaFarmBureau to view a photo album of Farm-City Week events held by county Farm Bureaus across the state. We’ll feature some of these events in the Jan./Feb. issue of the GFB News.
5th District Young Farmer tour
The GFB 5th District Young Farmers held a tour of farms and agribusinesses this fall. Stops included Milner Milling in Milner, Ga., where 1.5 million pounds of wheat are processed each day. The group enjoyed lunch at Smith’s Smokehouse in Griffin sponsored by Ag South. Ricky Grice spoke to the group about the many services Ag South provides farmers. The last tour stop was NewtonCrouch, which specializes in fertilizer and chemical application equipment, in Griffin, Ga. Owners Steve and Marty Crouch welcomed the group to their shop and showed how all of their equipment is made. The group saw products such as GPS monitoring systems and 18 / November/December 2010
actual application equipment. Those participating in the tour, pictured from left, are: Ricky Grice with Ag South, Leighton, Lawson and Brenda Cooley, Melissa, Olivia and Brian Ogletree, GFB 5th District YF Chairs
and GFB YF Chairman Matt and Melissa Bottoms, Brice Crawford, GFB 5th District Director Ralph Adamson, GFB 5th District Field Rep. Cliff Bowden, Josh Scaggs and Dilan Kikerly. Not pictured is Dave Bentoski. Georgia Farm Bureau News
Premise liability, 104
Does my GFB farm policy cover agritourism activities?
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and last in a series of articles the GFB News ran this year to address issues associated with premise liability. Previous articles ran in the May/June, July and August issues of the GFB News. These issues are archived on the GFB Web site at www.gfb.org. By Bryan Mitchell __________________________________________________________________________ The short answer to the question is it depends on the agritourism activity. As agritourism continues to evolve, activities are constantly increasing and changing to attract more people to the farm. Activities can range from pumpkin patches to paintball. While each farm’s agritourism attractions are unique, Georgia Farm Bureau’s farm liability policy specifically covers certain activities and excludes others commonly described as agritourism. The farm liability policy is a coverage part of the farm package policy. The farm liability section provides coverage when an insured has been negligent (or alleged to have been negligent) and another has suffered loss as a result. Farm liability coverage is provided in three areas: coverage H – bodily injury and property damage liability, coverage I – advertising and personal injury liability and coverage J – medical payments. All insurance policies have exceptions to the coverage, commonly referred to as exclusions. The exclusion in the farm liability policy most relevant to agritourism is exclusion “bb” under coverage H. Exclusion “bb” excludes bodily injury and property damage (1) arising out of retail or wholesale activities other than described in the farming definition, (2) processing operations which alter your product from its natural state or (3) agritourism. Based on the policy language, liability arising from a retail or wholesale activity would not be covered unless it meets the policy definition of farming. The policy defines farming as “the practice of agriculture that includes but is not limited to aquaculture or apiculture on farm premises owned, leased, rented, maintained or otherwise legally used by you for farm production of your farm product.” Under the policy, farming includes Georgia Farm Bureau News
“roadside stands and/or pick-your-own operations for the purpose of selling unaltered farm products produced solely by your farm operations.” Pick-your-own operations are a type of direct marketing system where the consumers harvest fruit or vegetables themselves. As long as the retail or wholesale activities consist of only selling homegrown, unaltered products, coverage exists. For example, a farmer selling strawberries picked from his fields would be covered for liability. However, if the farmer decides to alter the strawberries by making and selling strawberry jam then exclusion (2) processing operations which alter your product from its natural state would apply and coverage would be excluded. Exclusion “bb” includes a third exclusion for agritourism. The liability policy defines agritourism as activities “for a fee” that allow members of the public for recreational, entertainment or educational purposes to use, view or enjoy agricultural property, machinery, resources, goods, domesticated and wild animals, history or culture. The “for a fee” provision is crucial. For example, if a farmer provides a tour of the farm to a school group and includes a hayride or a take-home gift bag of strawberries, but does not charge the participants, the policy would provide liability coverage. However, if the farmer charges for any or all of the activities, coverage would not be provided. Coverage “I” provides the insured with liability protection against claims made for personal and advertising injury. Advertising injury would include claims made against the insured for slander or libel of a person or organization. The policy, however, does exclude coverage if the insured made the statement with knowledge that the state-
ment is false. In other words, coverage would not be provided if an insured claims his competition’s produce is shipped from California but he knows this to be untrue. Claims made against the insured for actions such as false arrest, detention or imprisonment and wrongful eviction are considered personal injury. At first these may sound outlandish but these coverages may be vital to a farmer. If you are operating a roadside stand and detain a suspected shoplifter or evict a rowdy student from a farm tour who refuses to follow safety guidelines, you may be accused of personal injury. Once again, there are exclusions to these coverages. One important exclusion is for business. The GFB farm owner policy defines business as “any activity other than farming engaged in for money or other compensation.” It is crucial to evaluate your operation and exposures to determine if the activity is farming and therefore covered or business and therefore excluded. The final coverage provided by the liability policy is medical payments. Coverage is provided to pay reasonable medical expenses incurred or medically ascertained within three years from the date of an accident causing a bodily injury. Guests who are injured while visiting your farm would have coverage up to the medical payments limit. Proof of negligence or fault by the insured is not required for the injured party’s medical bills to be covered. Those eligible for worker’s compensation coverage, farm employees and household residents are not eligible to receive medical payments coverage. If you have questions about coverage for your agritourism activities, please contact your local Farm Bureau agent. Your agent and the field underwriter will be happy to meet with you, inspect your farm and determine if a farm liability policy adequately covers your agritourism activities or if you need additional coverage. The Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Company or one of our brokerage companies can meet your insurance needs because… Helping you is what we do best! Bryan Mitchell is the 6th District field underwriter for the GFB Mutual Insurance Company. Mitchell holds the insurance designations of Associate in Claims and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter. November/December 2010 / 19
Taxing farm inputs would significantly affect the bottom line of every farm in Georgia and put many farms in jeopardy, Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and 10 other GFB members told the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians during a series of fact-finding meetings held across the state from Aug. 26-Oct. 27. “Subjecting farm inputs to sales tax would put a tremendous cash expense on a business that already operates on small margins,” Duvall said while testifying at the meeting held Sept. 9 at Gainesville State College. “It is no understatement to say many farms would be in jeopardy if farmers were forced to pay sales taxes on input costs.” The council, created by Georgia House Bill 1405 earlier this year, is charged with studying Georgia’s current tax structure and submitting its findings and recommendations for changes to the speaker of the house and lieutenant governor at the beginning of the 2011 legislative session. The following GFB members spoke at the other 10 sessions: Coweta County dairy farmer Bud Butcher spoke Aug. 26 in Atlanta; McDuffie County dairy farmer Mark Rodgers spoke Aug. 30 in Augusta; Toombs County row crop farmer Chris Hopkins spoke Aug. 31 in Savannah; Berrien County row crop, cattle and fruit producer Tim McMillan testified Sept. 1 in Valdosta; Crawford County cattle and poultry producer Leighton Cooley testified Sept. 2 in Macon; Floyd County diversified row
crop and cattle farmer John Lowrey testified Sept. 7 in Rome; Taylor County row crop farmer Mike Montgomery testified Oct. 6 in Columbus; Baker County row crop and cattle farmer T.E. Moye, Jr. spoke Oct. 7 in Albany; Fannin County apple grower Tim Mercier spoke Oct. 21 in Blue Ridge; and Whitfield County horticultural wholesaler Mary Redwine testified Oct. 27 in Dalton. Currently, farmers are not assessed sales tax on feed, seed, fertilizer, chemicals, equipment and certain uses of fuel or electricity. Duvall told the council that a Georgia State University study shows that in 2006 agriculture sales tax exemptions were less than $58 million. That’s roughly one-half of one percent of all sales tax exemptions in Georgia, which totaled $10.9 billion that year. “The important point is that while farmers received exemptions of $58 million, those same farmers marketed products worth more than $10 billion. That is a remarkable return on investment for the state,” Duvall wrote in his submitted comments. GFB members testifying at the meetings told the council that placing a seven percent sales tax on farm inputs currently exempt, such as chemicals, equipment, feed, fertilizer, fuel and seed would increase their total operating costs between $7,700 to as much as $91,000 a year. “If the state tax code is changed to charge sales taxes on the inputs to my dairy, that expense will be significant enough to jeopardize our operations,” Butcher told the council. “That number represents a cash expense for which there
RESTRUCTURE from page 11 production concerns. “This doesn’t mean that an agent can’t have his own county grower meeting if he chooses,” Brown said. “Although county operations will have a new look, we made a conscious decision not to abandon our county-level delivery system in favor of regional models that have been tried in other states. Cooperative Extension will continue to maintain our presence in all of Georgia’s counties.”
As the economy and state budget improve, Sparks says she hopes Extension will eventually be able to return to its previous level of staffing statewide but cautions that may take a while. “We’ve lost 88 agents in two years, and it will take a long time to recover from that,” Sparks said. More information about Extension and its resources is available at www.ugaextension.com or by calling 1-800-ASK-UGA1.
By Jennifer Whittaker ___________________________________
20 / November/December 2010
Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
GFB advises tax council against taxing farm inputs
Coweta County Farm Bureau Director Bud Butcher spoke at the fact-finding session the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians held in Atlanta, Aug. 26. Butcher, who operates a 300head dairy, told the council his annual cost of production would increase an average of $45,000 should the state decide to place a sales tax on the feed, seed, equipment, fertilizer and chemicals he uses.
is absolutely no corresponding return, no increased efficiency, no added value. I don’t have any way to recover that cost.” In his written comments, Duvall also voiced opposition to the council’s guiding principle that “taxes should be used to discourage behaviors that impose costs or burdens on others.” “It’s impressive what agriculture means to the state of Georgia. We’ve heard from farmers at every meeting, and the importance of tax exemptions to agriculture has been represented at every meeting,” Council Chairman A.D. Frazier told Duvall following his testimony. Frazier said the council will meet in late November to develop its recommendations to be presented to the Georgia General Assembly in January. He urged Georgians to visit the council’s Web site http://fiscalresearch.gsu.edu/taxcouncil/ index.htm to follow the process, read submitted comments or to submit comments. Georgia Farm Bureau News
Photo by Jay Stone
Producers share regulatory concerns with EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson shakes hands with Georgia Cattlemen’s Executive Vice President Josh White during her visit to Americus Sept. 10.
By Jay Stone ___________________________________
D
uring a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) town hall meeting on Sept. 10, representatives from various agricultural organizations, including Georgia Farm Bureau, questioned U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson about pesticide applications, air quality initiatives and other regulatory issues they say affect their bottom line and, in some cases, could
put them out of business. The meeting, part of the EPA’s Environmental Justice Tour, was held at South Georgia Technical College in Americus and drew stakeholders from agriculture and other industries. GFB Assistant Legislative Director Jeffrey Harvey told Jackson that farmers are concerned the EPA is out to get them. Harvey pointed out that while the United States Department of Agriculture is urging farm owners to maintain small and medium size farms, the burden of complying with regulations the EPA is issuing forces farmers to expand or go out of business. For example, the EPA will finalize in December its final rule for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permits for pesticide uses, many of which are already covered by permits under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This represents a departure from 35 years of EPA practice, Harvey said. The agency has never required an NPDES permit for the application of FIFRA-registered crop protection products. Harvey said it is redundant and could cripple emergency pest management efforts, hampering the ability to respond quickly to new pest infestations and increasing the risk of crop losses. Charles Hall of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association expressed concern over delays in EPA decisions, citing an instance where growers needed a ruling on use of a fungicide this spring and still
Environmental stewardship award applicants sought The Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness is seeking applicants for the 2011 Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Award, an annual award designed to recognize agricultural producers who are exceptional caretakers of the environment. Applicants will be judged on the environmental benefits derived from their conservation efforts, voluntary implementation and economic viability of conservation practices and leadership on environmental issues. One winner will be selected in each of five regions based on Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Districts and a state winner will be chosen from the five regional winners. The state winner will be announced during Ag Awareness Week in March 2011. The deadline to apply is noon on Dec. 17. Applications are available at http:// agribusiness.georgiainnovation.org. For more information, contact Sara Cook at 229-391-6882 or smcook@uga.edu. Georgia Farm Bureau News
had not received a decision at the time of the town hall meeting. Other speakers raised questions about EPA’s position on greenhouse gas emissions, soil fumigant regulations, the removal of numerous pesticides from use with little or no advance warning and rural dust as it relates to the agency’s air quality standards. “Farming and ranching are a way of life and are businesses that operate on very close margins,” said Edison rancher Ernie Ford, a Calhoun County Farm Bureau member and board member of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. “We cannot withstand intervention by government or any other entity that will add to our expenses but not our income.” Dr. Steve Brown, assistant dean for Extension with the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, asked for comments on pesticide drift regulations, noting that the regulations targeting droplet size are not the solution to the issue of pesticide drift.
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Photos courtesy of Ga. FFA
GFB President Zippy Duvall accepts his Honorary American Degree from National FFA Vice-President Alex Henry.
National FFA Secretary Bethany Bohnenblust (L) presents a membership increase plaque to Georgia FFA State Vice-President Kendall Singleton.
Ga. FFA wins national awards; Duvall honored By Jay Stone ______________________________________________________
T
he Georgia FFA Association had eight national winners and was recognized for having the third largest membership growth in the nation for the 2009-2010 school year – its 12th consecutive year of growth - at the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., in October. GFB President Zippy Duvall was one of eight Georgians recognized with the Honorary American FFA degree during the convention for his support of FFA and agricultural education. Thomas Burnham, Morgan Watt, Weslie Williford and Nick Wood from the Perry FFA chapter won the Floriculture Career Development Event (CDE), beating 44 other teams. Wood was the highest-scoring individual, Williford was second and Burnham 10th in the event, which included a written exam, a floral design exercise, a job interview and a team problem-solving activity. Each team member received a $1,000 scholarship. Ben Bennett of the Lowndes County FFA (Environmental Science), Colten VanMeter of the Pickens County FFA (Agriculture Sales - Placement) and Tye Wynn of the Colquitt County FFA (Swine Production - Placement) were each named national proficiency award winners for the success they achieved in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs. Bennett was also chosen to participate in an international agriculture tour of Costa Rica next summer. The Franklin County Middle School FFA chapter in Carnesville was named the nation’s most outstanding middle school chapter. The chapter earned this honor by completing a rigorous program of activities that was balanced in the areas of student development, chapter development and community development. The agricultural education teacher at Franklin County Middle is Anna Bellamy. Robin Studdard of the Jefferson County FFA was named the
22 / November/December 2010
top individual in the National Forestry CDE. In the National FFA Agriscience Fair, Trevor Correia and Josh Barron, of the Franklin County FFA, were named the national winners in Division 4 of the engineering category, and Amber Kay and Benjamin Northrup were named national winners in Division 4 of the botany category. In addition to the eight national winners, 15 Georgia FFA chapters received the national 3-Star ranking, the highest ranking offered in the National Chapter Award Program. They were: Berrien County High School, Colquitt County High School, Cross Creek High School, Early County High School, Eighth Street Middle School (Tift County), Fannin County High School, Franklin County High School, Franklin County Middle School, Jasper Middle School, Loganville High School, Lowndes High School, Madison County Freshman Academy, Oconee County Middle School, Pelham High School and Westside Middle School (Whitfield County).
2011 Ga. Ag Forecast Meetings Jan. 24 • Georgia Mountains Center, Gainesville Jan. 25 • UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton Jan. 27 • Nesmith Lane Conference Center, Statesboro Feb. 9 • Carroll County Ag Center, Carrollton Feb. 10 • Georgia Farm Bureau, Macon Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The seminar will be held from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. followed by a luncheon. UGA ag economists will give an economic outlook for agriculture and agribusinesses. The keynote speaker will discuss the locally grown trend, and local speakers will share what has made their farms successful. Registration is $30 per person or $200 for a table of eight. Call 706-583-0347 or visit www.georgiaagforecast.com for more information or to register. Georgia Farm Bureau News
Vilsack visits Ga., stresses energy security Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack got a first-hand look at the operation of First United Ethanol LLC (FUEL) in Mitchell County on Oct. 25 and used the visit to stress the importance of the United States generating its own fuel in the automotive and other sectors. Vilsack, who was accompanied by Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), also discussed his intentions to assist the retail distribution sector of the fuel supply chain to help in the conversion to higher levels of blended ethanol in automotive fuels. FUEL, which converts corn into ethanol to be blended with gasoline, served as the backdrop for Vilsack to discuss energy and job-creation initiatives the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is pursuing. “At the end of the day it’s about putting people to work, it’s about improving the bottom line for farmers and ranchers and producers in this country,” Vilsack said. “It’s about making this country energy secure, so we’re not relying on someone else for our own fuel and energy.” Earlier in the day, Vilsack and Bishop met with the South Georgia Regional Information Technology Authority to discuss the development of broadband access in rural communities. Prior to the tour of FUEL, Vilsack, Bishop and Krysta Harden, the USDA assistant secretary for congressional relations, met with FUEL Chairman Tommy Dollar and FUEL CEO Murray Campbell to discuss issues and opportunities within the ethanol industry. Campbell gave a presentation outlining the need for fuel alternatives to oil and the forecasts for ethanol production potential in the U.S. “I’ve been to a few ethanol facilities in my day, and it’s obvious that this is a team that understands the need to look ahead,” Vilsack said. Vilsack’s visit came two weeks after the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approval of increasing the ethanol content in gasoline to 15 percent for fuel to be used in vehicles from model years 2007 and newer. The EPA is waiting on the results of DepartGeorgia Farm Bureau News
Photo by Jay Stone
By Jay Stone ___________________________________
FUEL CEO Murray Campbell (second from right) shows Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (third from left) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (third from right) a point of interest in the FUEL plant as FUEL Chairman Tommy Dollar (far right) and FUEL General Manager Drew Gahagan (far left) listen.
ment of Energy studies before approving the 15 percent blend rate for model years 2002-2006. Because nearly half the vehicles on the road in the U.S. are from model years 2002-2006, some analysts believe the retail fuel industry will be hesitant to spend the money to add tanks or pumps to accommodate the greater ethanol content. Vilsack said that while companies
like FUEL are building production capacity, retail distribution also needs to be developed, and to that end he said the USDA needs to provide financial assistance to convenience store operators, petroleum marketers and others in the automotive fuel supply chain with the goal of adding 10,000 blender pumps over the next five years.
Chambliss hosts crop insurance listening session By Jay Stone ___________________________________ Ad hoc disaster payment programs are becoming harder to push through Congress, making it more important for growers to buy crop insurance, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, told farmers attending a crop insurance listening session he held in August. “Crop insurance is something that we historically in the Southeast have not purchased a lot of,” Chambliss said. “I can tell you that ad hoc disaster programs are getting harder and harder to come by.” The listening session, held Aug. 27 at the
University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, featured speakers from various commodity groups, including Georgia Farm Bureau Peanut Committee Chairman Wes Shannon, who runs a diversified farm in Tift County. The session was attended by Bill Murphy, administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), as well as Michael Moore, director of the RMA’s Valdosta Regional Office, and Jeanne Lindsey, a technician in the Valdosta RMA office. Moore noted that the planting deadline for peanuts would be moved back to June 5 for Georgia’s peanut-producing counties See SESSION page 25 November/December 2010 / 23
Photo by Roby Murray
GIPSA from page 9 What is Farm Bureau’s position on this proposed rule? Farm Bureau’s position is mixed because our policy supports some parts of the rule, but not others. American Farm Bureau submitted comprehensive comments (18 pages) on Nov. 4 addressing many provisions in the proposed rule. AFBF supports greater transparency in contracts, but also supports the ability of farmers to enter into marketing arrangements that will benefit them, such as marketing Certified Angus Beef, for example. AFBF suggested many changes to clarify GIPSA’s intent with the rule. Georgia Farm Bureau limited its comments to those provisions in the proposed rule for which there is clear, specific GFB policy. GFB and AFBF strongly supported the sections dealing with capital investment criteria and prohibitions and dispute arbitration. Both organizations also supported provisions related to sample contracts while suggesting clarifications to protect producer privacy. Neither AFBF nor GFB addressed tournament compensation other than to request that GIPSA clearly state in the regulations that tournament compensation is not prohibited.
About 75 farmers in the GFB 1st District attended a meeting held Oct. 21 at the Gordon County Farm Bureau to discuss the new rules the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has proposed. GFB 1st District Directors Henry West (seated front, right) and Louis Hunt (seated front, center) called the meeting. GFB Legislative Director Jon Huffmaster led the discussion by reviewing the proposed rules and answering questions.
What happens now? USDA must sort and read all of the comments received on this rule, make any changes they believe need to be made, resubmit the rule through USDA’s internal clearance process and resubmit the rule for clearance through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before the rule can be finalized. Based on
the number of comments that have already been received and the fact that clearance through OMB typically takes two to four months, we do not expect a final rule for another year. Visit http://www.gipsa.usda. gov to learn more about GIPSA. Jon Huffmaster is director of the GFB Legislative Department.
GFB submits water comments, Thoms named to water board Georgia Farm Bureau submitted comments in October to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District regarding its current draft plan for water conservation. GFB President Zippy Duvall wrote in his letter to Metro District Chairman Kit Dunlap that the district’s Action Item D-2, which would call for the adoption of policy making it illegal to waste water, is overly broad. Duvall questioned how wasting water would be defined and asked that the language in Action Item D-2 be amended or deleted. GFB applauded the Metro District for providing education on the use of alternative water sources such as gray water and other cost-effective mechanisms like leak detection and control. Duvall expressed concern with the Metro District encouraging the replacement of athletic surface sod with artificial turf, writing that such a measure would be costly for school systems and recreational parks. 24 / November/December 2010
He also noted that the green industry is a vital part of Georgia agriculture and the metro Atlanta economy, pointing out that statistics from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences show the horticulture industry’s farm gate value is $125 million annually. “The district should adopt policies that encourage and protect this important piece of the economy,” Duvall wrote. He suggested using the “right plant in the right place” approach to landscaping. In a related development, Fayette County Farm Bureau member Tim Thoms has been appointed to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Governing Board by Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge). Thoms, a registered landscape architect, is president and founder of Thoms Tree and Plants Inc., a plant and material consulting and brokerage firm in Fayetteville. He chairs the Flint Basin Advisory Council for the Metro District. Thoms has served on the Fayette
County Planning Commission since 2006, including serving as chairman for 2010. He also has held leadership positions on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Stakeholders, Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association, the Georgia chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Georgia Water Wise Council, the UGA School of Environmental Design Alumni Association and the Georgia Urban Forest Council. WE, THE FARMERS from page 5 stand us, which is why it is so important to continue to tell our story. Our neighbors are our extended family of God and in Proverbs 24:3 God tells us it is “Through wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established.” So share your story – you may be surprised at who listens. The holiday season is upon us. From our family farm to yours, Bonnie, our children and I wish you much happiness and good health. Georgia Farm Bureau News
2010 GFB district award winners During the fall, each of Georgia Farm Bureau’s 10 districts held its annual meeting to celebrate agriculture, enjoy fellowship and recognize achievements of its members. The meetings included the recognition of the following 2010 district award winners, who will compete for state honors at the annual GFB Convention in December. FIRST DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Chattooga County; Young Farmer Committee: Cherokee County; Legislative Committee: Chattooga County; Promotion & Education: Cherokee County; Young Farmer Achievement: James Dault, Cherokee County. SECOND DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Stephens County; Young Farmer Committee: Madison County; Legislative Committee: Madison County; Promotion & Education: Habersham County. THIRD DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Newton County; Young Farmer Committee: Newton County; Legislative Committee: Newton County; Promotion & Education: Carroll County; Young Farmer Achievement: B.J. & Kaci Marks, Newton County; Outstanding Secretary: Susanne Bell, Rockdale/DeKalb County. FOURTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Greene County; Young Farmer Committee: Barrow County; Legislative Committee: McDuffie County; Promotion & Education: Barrow County; Young Farmer Achievement: Lanis Adams, Greene County. FIFTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Butts County; Young Farmer Committee: Pike County; Legislative Committee: Coweta County; Promotion & Education: Harris County; Young Farmer Achievement: Brian and Melissa Ogletree, Spalding County. SIXTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Jones County; Young Farmer Committee: Laurens County; Legislative Committee: Washington County; Promotion & Education: Bibb County; Young Farmer Achievement: Jamie and Becky Tate, Jeff Davis County; Outstanding Secretary: Barbara Bridgers, Jones County. SEVENTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Wayne County; LegisGeorgia Farm Bureau News
lative Committee: Emanuel County; Promotion & Education: Tattnall County; Young Farmer Achievement: Stuart and Lauren Boykin, Screven County. EIGHTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Wilcox County; Young Farmer Committee: Wilcox County; Legislative Committee: Wilcox County; Promotion & Education: Turner County; Young Farmer Achievement: Steven and Tiffany Metcalf, Turner County; Outstanding Secretary: Zdenka Hollingsworth, Wilcox County. NINTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Brooks County; Young Farmer Committee: Tift County; Legislative Committee: Mitchell County; Promotion & Education: Brooks County. TENTH DISTRICT Women’s Committee: Berrien County; Young Farmer Committee: Bacon County; Legislative Committee: Berrien County; Promotion & Education: Bacon County; Young Farmer Achievement: Joey and Melissa Williams, Cook County; Outstanding Secretary: Jeanne Taylor, Bacon County.
SESSION from page 23 except Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Richmond, Treutlen, Washington and Wilkinson, which will remain at the current May 31 deadline. To determine the planting deadline date for each county, the RMA consulted with UGA Extension Peanut Agronomist Dr. John Beasley, who indicated that peanut maturation shuts down when there are three consecutive days of temperatures 45 degrees or cooler. Using decades’ worth of climate data, the agency arrived at the earliest fall date in each county when the probability of three consecutive days of 45-degree weather was 30 percent, then counted back 135 days – the length of time peanuts typically take to arrive at mid-grade maturity – to determine the planting deadline date. The late planting period in all Georgia counties for peanuts will end on June 15. The reduction to the insurance guarantee for late planting will be one percent per day. Shannon was one of several growers who made comments. He thanked RMA for supporting protection for honeybee producers under the Emergency Assistance
McCorkle named grower of the year
Nursery Management & Production Magazine has named Georgia Farm Bureau Environmental Horticulture Committee Chairman Donald E. McCorkle Sr. as its 2010 Grower of the Year. McCorkle is director of the rewholesale department of McCorkle Nurseries, a family-owned business in its 60th year that distributes plants to many stores along the east coast. He is a former president and Nurseryman of the Year for the Georgia Nursery Association. He has also served on the boards of the American Nursery and Landscape Association, the Georgia Nursery Association and the Georgia Green Industry Association. McCorkle and his wife of 53 years, the former Patricia Tilby, have two children, D.E. “Skeetter” McCorkle and Beverly McCorkle Welch. for Livestock, Honeybees & Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and for extending the peanut planting deadline. He also asked RMA to consider a cotton replant provision, a poultry repopulation provision and moving back the Feb. 28 deadline for purchasing crop insurance. “Cotton is the only major row crop that doesn’t have a replant provision available in the federal crop insurance program,” Shannon said. “Georgia is one of the nation’s largest cotton-producing states and it is vital to our farm gate. The replant provision should be implemented for cotton as it is for many other crops.” Moore responded that cotton organizations throughout the country are not in favor of it because it would increase premiums, which he said are already high in Texas and the Mississippi Delta. “From a fairness issue, Georgia premium rates are much lower than those areas,” Moore said. “I don’t know if we could ever do [a replant provision] in one part of the country and not cover another part of the country.” November/December 2010 / 25
AROUND GEORGIA News from County Farm Bureaus BRANTLEY COUNTY Ware County Exchange Club (WCEC) Program Chairman Gerald Johns (right) and WCEC President Ray Williamson (left) welcomed Brantley County Farm Bureau Director David Moody (center) as the guest speaker during one of the club’s August meetings. Moody described how he and his family produce organic, cagefree eggs for Eggland’s Best, a company headquartered in Pennsylvania. Moody told the Exchange Club that his family’s farm is home to about 19,000 chickens that lay about 18,000 eggs each day. Moody explained that producing cage-free eggs means the hens may roam around the chicken house. To meet organic qualifications, the hens eat only a certified organic version of Eggland’s Best’s patented feed. The farm is inspected regularly and the eggs are tested regularly. CLARKE COUNTY Clarke County Farm Bureau President Dr. Norman McGlohon (center) presents Harrison Skinner (L) and Adam Erickson (R) each a $1,000 scholarship at the Clarke County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Sept. 28. The scholarship supports students studying agriculture. Both young men are recent graduates of Clarke Central High School and are presently students at the University of Georgia majoring in poultry science and agricultural engineering. Athens Clarke County Manager Alan Reddish gave the keynote speech at the annual dinner. DAWSON COUNTY The Dawson County Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee, led by committee member Seth Stowers, helped organize an antique tractor show held Sept. 25 to benefit the Daw26 / November/December 2010
son County FFA. About 25 antique tractor enthusiasts participated in the show exhibiting antique Case, Farmall and John Deere tractors. DCFB President Pat Gober and DCFB staff manned a booth to educate event attendees about GFB member benefits. The event raised about $350 for the Dawson County FFA. FLOYD COUNTY Floyd County Farm Bureau partnered with the Pepperrell FFA last spring to sponsor an Ag Day attended by about 600 fourth grade students at the Coosa Valley Fair Grounds. FCFB and FFA volunteer leaders manned about 20 booths addressing a variety of ag topics that the students rotated through. The FCFB Women’s Committee gave out apple slices to the students. Each student received gift bags that included milk and ice cream donated by Mayfield Dairy as they boarded the buses to go back to school. Pepperrell High School FFA volunteer Dillan Harmon (far right) is shown talking to the students about goats. GREENE COUNTY The Greene County Farm Bureau Women’s and Young Farmer Committees joined forces with the Greene County Extension Service to sponsor a Farm Extrication Workshop in June attended by 32 farmers and 44 EMTs. Dr. Glen Rains from the University of Georgia Tifton Campus is pictured discussing the dangers of PTO shafts and how to extricate someone from farm machinery. Greene County Extension Director Jonael Bosques also helped present the workshop. GCFB provided lunch for all the participants. The EMTs received continuing education credits for their participation. HARRIS COUNTY The students in Patty Hindsman’s second grade class at Park Elementary are “apple wise guys” thanks to Harris County Farm Bureau volunteers who presented a lesson on apples this fall. Students learned that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” because apples have no fat, sodium or cholesterol, Georgia Farm Bureau News
are an excellent source of fiber and have only 80 calories. Students made brown paper bag puppets to share apple facts with each another. Each student had the opportunity to select an apple to smell, taste and enjoy from a North Georgia apple orchard. Student David Emfinger is pictured choosing a Cortland apple from HCFB Women’s Chair Chloris Weldon. HABERSHAM COUNTY Nicole Taylor explains the many uses of alpaca wool to Habersham County fourth graders during the Habersham County Farm Bureau Kids Farm and Fun Day. About 540 fourth graders attended the event. The students went through 13 different stations to learn about various areas of agriculture and its importance to every day life. HENRY COUNTY Henry County Farm Bureau members hosted their annual fish fry this summer. About 150 guests, including 17 political hopefuls who visited with the crowd and gave short presentations outlining their platforms, attended the event. Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall (standing at podium) spoke, urging the political candidates not to forget agriculture when elected. The Henry County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, Legislative Committee, Women’s Committee, Young Farmer Committee and Promotion and Education Committee all worked to make this a successful event. JONES COUNTY The Jones County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee celebrated National Eat Your Vegetables Day, June 17, by taking beanbag “vegetables” (similar to beanie babies) to the patients at the Children’s Hospital of the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon. The patients had a choice of broccoli, tomato, onion, potato, corn, squash, carrot, mushroom, cabbage, celery, pepper or cauliflower beanbag “veggies”. Georgia Farm Bureau News
Pictured from left, JCFB Office Secretary Madge Ruff, Women’s Committee Chair Teresa Chambers and Office Manager Barbara Bridgers deliver the “veggies”.
OCONEE COUNTY Oconee County Farm Bureau is re-energizing its Young Farmer Program and held its first young farmer meeting in August with 25 attendees. GFB Associate Director of Field Services Andy Lucas and GFB 4th District Field Representative Rick Hubert shared the exciting opportunities the GFB Young Farmer Program offers. GFB 4th District YF Chairs Charlie and Nancy Sanders attended. The Sanders discussed their experiences with the GFB Young Farmer Program, and Nancy shared her experience of winning the GFB YF Discussion Meet Competition. Brandon Wilkes is chairman of the OCFB Young Farmer Committee. OCFB Director Woodson Montgomery hosted the event that was supported by OCFB President Albert Hale and Secretary/Treasurer David Williams. ROCKDALE/DEKALB COUNTIES The Rockdale/DeKalb County Farm Bureau held an Ag Day in June at the local Farmer’s Market with the help of the local Cooperative Extension Office that was attended by local summer camp students and farmer’s market customers. RDCFB Women’s Committee Chairman Mimi Soileau (pictured) exhibited her llama, Curly, and the Georgia Milk Producers provided their mobile cow milking display. Other exhibits included milking goats. The RDCFB helped start the farmers market three years ago to provide a venue for local farmers, many of whom are RDCFB directors, to sell their produce every Tuesday and Saturday during the summer months. November/December 2010 / 27
women’s committee update Donna Rocker, Field Services Programs Specialist
F
GFB cookbook highlights legacy of Georgia Cooking
arming is not just about what we grow on our farms. It is also the preparation of our food and sharing that bounty with family, friends and neighbors. With that in mind, the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee wanted to give GFB members an opportunity to share recipes and memories through the publication of a cookbook, “A Legacy of Georgia Cooking.” “The recipes in this cookbook reflect years of excellent cooking you can find on almost any Georgia farm. They have been passed along with warm memories of families and friends gathered around the table sharing a meal,” said GFB Women’s Committee Chairman Cathy Barber. “These recipes were submitted by our members and have been shared at church suppers and Farm Bureau meetings.” “A Legacy of Georgia Cooking” is much
more than recipes and memories. Special features included in the cookbook are: • More than 460 recipes from some of Georgia’s best cooks • Special memories associated with many of the recipes • Beautiful artwork by Georgia artist Robbie Cook • GFB High School Art Contest artwork on section dividers • Tabs for easy access to categories • A glossary of cooking terms • Measurement equivalents • Information about Georgia agriculture • Georgia’s state symbols & other facts • Georgia harvest calendar • Georgia’s Seven Natural Wonders • Beautiful photos of Georgia The cookbook will be available for purchase during the GFB annual convention
at the GFB Women’s Committee booth. For information on purchasing the cookbook, contact your county Farm Bureau or the GFB Field Services Department at 478-4740679 Ext. 5231.
Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
2011 Food Check-Out dates set
Madison Co. Farm Bureau hosts GFB tailgate
About 100 county Farm Bureau leaders from Georgia Farm Bureau’s 2nd and 4th Districts attended a tailgate breakfast held by GFB President Zippy Duvall (standing, right) Oct. 1 at the farm of Madison County Farm Bureau Vice President Russ Moon (center, standing) and his father, Dennis Moon (not pictured). GFB members who attended the tailgate heard updates on action GFB has taken this past year regarding water issues, reducing biotechnology fees, defending animal agriculture and protecting existing sales tax exemptions for agricultural production inputs. Duvall and GFB Legislative Director Jon Huffmaster also answered questions about proposed new marketing rules regarding livestock and poultry production under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). 28 / November/December 2010
Farm Bureau will celebrate Food CheckOut Week Feb. 20-26, 2011. The theme for the event is “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food.” The event is designed to help consumers find ways to eat healthy while on tighter budgets, by providing tools to “shop smart” at the grocery store. Farm Bureau has developed educational materials to be distributed during Food Check-Out Week on the right amounts of food people should eat, understanding food labels and outlining the USDA’s My Pyramid. County Farm Bureaus are encouraged to continue to use the event to support charities such as the Ronald McDonald House and local food banks. For more information contact Donna Rocker at dhrocker@gfb.org or 478-474-0679, ext. 5365. Promotional materials (including brochures on nutrition and understanding food labels, a supermarket kit and posters) are available to order online from American Farm Bureau at http://fb-orders.com/afbf. Donna Rocker coordinates the GFB Women’s Committee and Ag in the Classroom Program.
Georgia Farm Bureau News
Chuck Berry elected GCTA president
Chuck Berry, Newton County Farm Bureau board member and former Young Farmer chair, has been elected to serve a twoyear term as president of the Georgia Christmas Tree Association (GCTA). Chuck and his family own Berry’s Christmas Tree Farm in Covington. Created more than 45 years ago, the GCTA is a 100 plus member organization comprised of mainly choose–and–cut Christmas tree growers in Georgia. For more information, visit www.gachristmastree.com. MONSANTO from page 17 gia and the same seed sold in other states, Begemann said, “We try to look at the value the technology brings to a farmer in their specific geographical area. What we’re trying to do is make the product available to as many farmers as possible instead of charging the highest price to everyone. Even if we priced all cotton the same, I don’t know that the price would change a whole lot here.” During the 2009 meeting, numerous GFB board members and the commodity chairmen voiced displeasure at paying a premium for the Roundup technology when they are fighting pigweed that has developed a resistance to Roundup. “We’re paying eighty dollars an acre for technology and still having to spray. That’s a hard pill to swallow. They are charging what they think the market will bear,” Williams, who grows 600 acres of cotton and is a crop consultant, told Begemann in the 2009 meeting. “I have growers who would rather have two-bale-an-acre cotton with no pigweed than two-and-a-half-bale cotton with pigweed. If another company can offer a variety with a comparable yield, I think growers will switch.” For the past year, GFB has continued to work to get Monsanto to bring the technology fees it charges Georgia cotton and soybean farmers in line with those charged growers in other areas of the country. GFB brought the issue to the attention of Gov. Perdue, who met with Monsanto officials this summer to express concern about the company’s pricing policies. Georgia Farm Bureau News
NRCS works to help Georgia farmers
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is working to educate underserved farmers in central and southwest Georgia about available NRCS funding. The first in a series of workshops will be held Jan. 13, 2011, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Macon State Farmer’s Market located at 2055 Eisenhower Parkway in Macon. The free workshop will discuss alternative farming, permaculture, aquaponics, urban gardening, sustainable farming, forestry management, grazing options and waste management for landowners interested in implementing these practices. Naomi Davis, executive director of Digging Roots Educational Farm, Inc., in Roberta, Ga., has received an NRCS grant to work with underserved farmers in Baker, Bibb, Bleckley, Brooks, Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Cook, Colquitt, Crisp, Crawford, Decatur, Dooley, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Harris, Houston, Lee, Marion, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Muscogee, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Tift, Talbot, Taylor, Terrell, Thomas, Turner, Twiggs, Webster and Worth counties. For more information about the workshop or NRCS, contact Davis at 478-8364564 via e-mail at davisfarmscsa@aol.com.
During Sunbelt, GFB President Zippy Duvall met with Monsanto representatives to learn about the company’s new weed management strategy that includes an increase in the rebate offered on more herbicides through its Cotton Performance Plus Program. “We would love to see a cut in the technology fee and then have this program on top of that, but that’s not the direction they’ve chosen,” Duvall said. “Am I pleased with the results of what we attempted to do? Not totally, but it is a step in the right direction, and we have gotten them to draw some attention to the issue we brought forward. The issue that needs to be addressed right now is this weed and using residual herbicides is what all the scientists are saying we have to do.” Monsanto representatives acknowledge that some growers would prefer the company decrease the technology fee rather than offer a rebate for residual herbicides that control a weed, which developed resistance to the company’s product. Dave Rhylander, Monsanto’s marketing lead for the Cotton Belt, said the company opted to increase the rebate and give growers an incentive to control the weed based on listening sessions with farmers and realizing that to successfully control pigweed more farmers are going to have to receive incentives to use residual herbicides. “A lot of farmers will tell us why don’t you just take this off the price, and to be very candid with you, that would be
the easiest way to do this, to take $20 off Monsanto’s price and pass that cost savings off to the farmer,” said Rhylander. “The issue we have with it though is that doesn’t create the behavior that we need to control this weed problem. So, what we’re trying to do is incentivize behaviors, reward farmers for taking the right actions by increasing the amount of the reward so more farmers will get involved in controlling this [weed]. The rebate is based on Roundup Ready Flex technology. A farmer can buy any Roundup Ready Flex technology seed whether it’s in a Deltapine bag or a PhytoGen bag or a Stoneville bag. Only one of the nine herbicides included in this program is a Monsanto product, so we’re rebating on products that aren’t associated with Monsanto. Most farmers in Georgia will plant about six acres out of a bag, so we’re actually giving them about $120 back in their technology fees that they’ve paid to us for them to use on these herbicides, but it’s still a farmer’s choice.” While Williams says Monsanto’s expanded rebate program “is a step” towards helping farmers in their fight against pigweed, he says he would still prefer to see Monsanto reduce the tech fees Georgia farmers pay, so they are in line with the fees farmers in other parts of the country pay. “If you’re going to give it back to me just knock it off the front end of the tech fee, and I can make interest on that money or use it to pay for my input costs like diesel, seed and fertilizer,” Williams said. November/December 2010 / 29
GFB hosts German farmers
German farmers touring farms in Georgia and other states came away impressed with the size of American farm machinery and saw a number of similarities between farming in the United States and their own country. Arno Billen of Kaschenbach, Brigitte Wenzel of Berlin, Henrik Wendorff of Lietzen and Werner Schwarz of Rethwisch visited Washington D.C., West Virginia, Georgia, Oregon, Minnesota and New York as a part of the John J. McCloy Fellowship, an exchange program designed to establish working relationships and awareness between young professionals in the U.S and Germany. “What we have in common is that we have a hard life to get our money,” said Billen, who has a dairy farm and grows wheat, barley and corn. “I think that’s the same here as in Germany. We have to have a lot of acres, and we have to do hard work to earn money. But I think as a farmer in Germany, as well as in America, you have a good life because you’re with nature. You
Photo by Andy Lucas
Compiled from staff reports ___________________________________
Pulaski County Farm Bureau Director Rodney Dawson (second from right) welcomed German participants in the John J. McCloy Fellowship program to his farm Oct. 25. Pictured from left, the German delegation consisted of: Henrik Wendorff, Brigitte Wenzel, Arno Billen and Werner Schwarz.
don’t have to be working for somebody else, so you’re the boss. That’s the same here as in Germany.” During a four-day visit in Georgia, Oct. 24-27, the German farmers made stops at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter and the offices of the Georgia Cotton Commission in Perry; the Heart of Georgia Peanut & Cotton Gin, Rodney Dawson Farms and Black Gold in Pulaski County; Gully Branch Tree Farm in Bleckley County; Robert Dickey Farm and Cooley Poultry Farms in Crawford County, the GFB home office; Southern Belle Farm in Henry County and the State Farmer’s Market in Clayton County. They also attended the GFB 6th
District Annual Meeting in Dublin. During a meeting with GFB President Zippy Duvall, the McCloy Fellows discussed American attitudes toward production of energy crops, similarities between the two countries’ poultry industries and international trade. “We enjoyed serving as one of the host states for the McCloy Fellows. It’s always good for us to exchange ideas from farmer to farmer, whether it’s across county lines or national borders,” Duvall said. “Programs like the McCloy Fellowship are beneficial because they allow us to connect with farmers from another country and learn how much we have in common and to hear a different point of view.”
Dec. 31 deadline to enter Monsanto donation giveaway $62,500 allocated for 25 Ga. counties
Farmers in 25 Georgia counties have until Dec. 31 to register a community charity of their choice to possibly receive a $2,500 donation from the Monsanto Fund through its America’s Farmers Grow Communities. Suggested charities include local 4-H or FFA chapters, community centers, fire departments, hospitals, libraries or schools. No purchase is necessary to participate. Eligible counties are: Baker, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Coffee, Colquitt, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Early, Grady, Irwin, Jefferson, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Screven, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Wilcox and Worth. The program is open to farmers, age 30 / November/December 2010
21 and over, who are actively farming a minimum of 250 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton or 40 acres of open field vegetables, or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers and/ or cucumbers grown in protected culture in an eligible county. One $2,500 winner will be drawn from each of the 25 eligible counties in Georgia. For every farmer who applies, $1 will go to their local United Way to help charitable organizations dealing with hunger. The Monsanto Fund will announce winning farmers and their recipient organizations
in February 2011. Visit www.growcommunities.com or call 1-877267-3332 to signup for the program. Eligible counties meet the following criteria: a total of either 30,000 acres of corn, soybeans and/or cotton, or 30,000 acres of vegetables (pepper; tomato; onion; broccoli; cucumber; melons; watermelons; spinach; squash; pumpkin; sweet corn; lettuce; peas; and garden beans), are planted per calendar year based on January 2010 USDA data; or the county was eligible to participate in prior Grow Communities programs. Georgia Farm Bureau News
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