Georgia Farm Bureau News Alert - October 1, 2014

October 1, 2014

www.gfb.org

Vol. 32 No. 39

FSA TAKING ACRE REALLOCATION, FARM BILL PEANUT PLAN UNVEILED Farm owners may now visit their local Farm Service Agency offices to update their yield history and/or reallocate their base acres for the 2015 crop year under the crop insurance programs established by the 2014 farm bill.

Updating yields and reallocating base acres are the initial steps farmers must take to participate in Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC), the 2014 farm bill programs replacing direct payments as protection against significant drops in crop prices or revenues. Farm owners have until Feb. 27, 2015, to update historic yields or reallocate their base acres.

Between Nov. 17 and March 31, 2015, producers will be able to make their election between PLC, ARC-County (which covers each commodity separately based on county production of that crop) or ARC-Individual (which applies to all covered commodities on a particular farm). ARC and PLC contracts are expected to be available in mid-April 2015.

The USDA has unveiled online decision tools developed by the University of Missouri, Texas A&M and the University of Illinois. Farmers can enter their specific information and the decision tool performs calculations to help them determine which program best meets their needs. To access the FSA’s information about ARC and PLC as well as the decision tools, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.

On Sept. 26 the USDA announced availability of the new peanut revenue policy, which was approved by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board of Directors. The peanut revenue policy, which offers revenue-based insurance coverage not previously available for peanut producers, will be implemented by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) and will be available for the 2015 crop year in all counties where yield-based insurance coverage is currently offered. The program will allow peanut producers protection against yield losses and reductions in revenue. Information about the peanut policy will be available on RMA websites later this fall.

The peanut policy was developed by the Georgia Peanut Commission and the Western Peanut Growers under section 508(h) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act, which allows private entities to design and submit crop insurance products to the FCIC board.

GFB News Alert page 2 of 7 NASDA MEMBERS CALL ON EPA, CORPS TO WITHDRAW WATER RULE At the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), members unanimously called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule. The action item, submitted by North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture Doug Goehring, also urges the EPA and the Corps to collaborate with state departments of agriculture and other stakeholders on the appropriate scope of federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction.

NASDA previously submitted comments expressing concerns about the highly controversial Interpretive Rule for Agricultural Conservation Practices.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, a NASDA member, warned that the rule would grant the EPA unprecedented power.

“This expanded authority would give the federal government the ability to dictate how people can use their personal property and farmland around these small, insignificant collections of water,” Black wrote in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. “The federal government should not be allowed to grossly overstep its authority and direct farmers on how to use their land. These broad definitions bring EPA authority into uncharted territory in regards to private property, and if not withdrawn would grant EPA the right to monitor everyday activities on our farms.”

For more information about the proposed water rule from the EPA and Corps of Engineers or to comment on it, visit http://www.gfb.org/ditchtherule. The deadline to submit comments is Oct. 20.

FORMER GFB 7TH DISTRICT DIRECTOR GENNIS FOLSOM DIES Gennis Folsom, who served as a Georgia Farm Bureau 7th District Director from 1992 to 2011, died on Sept. 25. He was 83.

A farmer who grew pecans and Vidalia onions, Folsom served in the U.S. Air Force and retired from civil service with the fire department at Fort Stewart. Folsom was a member of the Tattnall County Farm Bureau Board of Directors from the late 1960s until his death, including stints as TCFB president in 1967 and from 1984 to 1998. His service on the Georgia Farm Bureau board included work on the GFB Environmental Horticulture Committee, and he represented GFB as a voting delegate to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Folsom family,” said Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. “Gennis was a committed servant to agriculture Folsom and a valued contributor to our organization, and he will be truly missed.”

Folsom was born in Glennville on December 19, 1930, to Roy D. and Gertrude Hilton Folsom and lived in Tattnall County all of his life. He was a Mason and a member of the Alee Temple, a member and deacon of Ebenezer Free Will Baptist Church.

He was preceded in death by his second mother, Louise Lewis Folsom; brothers, James Folsom, Charles Folsom, R. D. Folsom Jr.; and a son, Dennis Steve Folsom.

Survivors include his wife, Edna Allen Folsom of Glennville; children Fran Folsom, Kelly (Karen) Folsom, Genise Folsom Pedrick (Jerry Combs), and Jeffrey (Jenny) Folsom; sisters Juliette DeLoach, Carolyn Silvers, Bobbie Jean (Earl) Conn and brother, Mike (Dianne) Folsom; 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

His family requests that remembrances be sent to the Ebenezer Free Will Baptist Church Youth Program, 1718 Ebenezer Church Rd. Glennville, GA 30427 or Affinis Hospice, 806 Maple Drive, Vidalia, GA 30474.

GFB News Alert page 3 of 7 UGA HOLDS OPEN HOUSE FOR IRON HORSE RESEARCH FARM The UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) held an open house Sept. 23 for its newly acquired crop science research farm located in north Greene County on Hwy. 15.

About 100 people – UGA employees, neighbors of the Iron Horse Plant Sciences Farm and members of the Oconee and Greene County ag communities, attended the event to learn about the crop research UGA will conduct at the farm.

“We’re going to make this farm a showcase for agriculture not only for our state, but for our country.

The only way we can grow more food is through new technology because we have no more land, so what goes on here is very important,” said Dr. Scott Angle, CAES dean and director.

UGA bought the 660-acre farm from the Curtis family, who grew row crops and cattle. The purchase was finalized in 2013 after selling the UGA Plant Sciences Farm where it conducted crop and forage research in western Oconee.

UGA researchers will grow soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, small grains hay and experimental crops on the new farm, said Dr. Dennis Hancock, an associate professor and forage Extension specialist in the CAES Crop & Soil Sciences Department.

Hancock is chairing the transition team charged with moving the research and facilities from the college’s former Plant Sciences Farm in Oconee County to the Iron Horse Farm. UGA must completely vacate the Plant Sciences Farm by December 2015, Hancock said.

“This is an A through Z process that we’re just getting started on. We’re probably on letter C,” Hancock said.

Dr. Bob Shulstad, CAES associate dean of research, told event attendees why the college opted to sell its former crop research farm in Oconee County and described the process the college went through to purchase the Iron Horse Farm.

“We sold the Plant Sciences Farm because we couldn’t sustain ag research at the level we like to operate because of the development that grew up around us. We would have needed to invest $4 million improving old structures,” Shulstad said. “We’re appreciative of the state legislature for backing us in this move because agriculture is the number one industry in Georgia, and we’re one of the top five colleges of agriculture in the country.”

“We’re ramping this farm up to help benefit the growers of this state,” said CAES Crop & Soil Sciences Department Head Donn Schilling. “Twenty to twenty-five scientists will be working on this farm at any one time, and their work will be directly transferable to Georgia and the Southeast.”

CAES students and Extension agents will also have the opportunity to participate in UGA crop research at the farm, Schilling said.

After a cookout, open house attendees enjoyed a tour of the Iron Horse Farm during which they saw the 220-acre soybean crop UGA researchers planted on the farm this summer.

Researchers have also planted an experimental plot of perennial sorghum and a plot of switchgrass. (continued)

GFB News Alert page 4 of 7 Iron horse, cont. – Iron Horse Farm Manager Josh Griffin showed tour participants where the farm’s headquarters building with classroom facilities will be built. The tour included a stop at the farm’s 56-acre lake that will provide water for the farm’s irrigation system. Work will soon begin to stabilize the lake and install the infrastructure for the irrigation system. The lake is fed

by Ellison Creek, which runs through the farm.

The farm also has a permit to pump from the nearby Oconee River but Hancock said they would only do that as a last resort and don’t anticipate having to use the permit.

The Iron Horse, the Curtis family and UGA have a rich history. Jack Curtis was a student at UGA in May 1954 when the sculpture was placed on the quad in front of Reed Hall dorm that stands on the hill above Sanford Stadium. Students, unaccustomed to modern art, vandalized the sculpture and set it on fire. UGA promptly removed the horse from campus and stored it off campus.

In 1958, after returning home from the Navy, Curtis asked his father, L.C. Curtis, who was a professor in the UGA College of Agriculture, what became of the horse. Father and son gained permission from UGA officials to relocate the sculpture to their farm where it has stood facing south since 1959.

Many jokes have been made through the years about the horse’s rear facing Athens, but in a 1997 interview Curtis told GFB media the placement of the horse happened by accident when the truck that brought it to the farm got stuck in the field.

The Curtis family retained ownership of the sculpture, the 400 feet around it and an easement from the highway to the horse to allow the public to visit it.

Visit http://www.cropsoil.uga.edu/info/farm/index.html to learn more about the farm.

BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM OFFERS FREE BQA CERTIFICATION For the third time, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) is supporting the checkofffunded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program by sponsoring all online certifications this fall for producers who enroll by Oct. 31.

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. will pick up the $25-$50 certification fee for beef or dairy producers who are interested in becoming certified or recertified during this period. Visit http://www.BIVI-BQA.com to take advantage of the open certification period.

The BQA program is important to the cattle industry as it gives producers a set of best practices for producing a safe and high quality beef product. For dairy producers, this offering is beneficial as a large percentage of dairy calves and cull cows make their way into the food chain.

The BQA certification modules are customized to fit the specific needs of each segment of the cattle industry – cow-calf, stocker, feedyard and dairy operations.

The program covers best management practices such as proper handling and administration of vaccinations and other products, eliminating injection site blemishes, and better cattle-handling principles.

More than 11,000 producers have taken advantage of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.’s BQA certification sponsorship. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.’s sponsorship also includes financial support of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, which developed the certification module.

GFB News Alert page 5 of 7 FEMALE LANDOWNERS FOCUS GROUP Researchers at Utah State University are seeking participants for a study centering on women who own agricultural land but are not actively farming. The study, coordinated by Dr. Peg Petrzelka at Utah State, includes a series of regional focus groups, including one for Georgia, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. The focus groups are designed to get input from female landowners about their experiences in renting out their land for agricultural operations. For more information contact Dr. Petrzelka at peggy.petrzelka@usu.edu.

GEORGIA FARM BUREAU DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Oct. 2 9th District Mitchell County Ag Center th Oct. 6 6 District Poplar Springs North Bapt. Church Oct. 7 1st District First Baptist Church th Oct. 9 4 District Greene County High School Oct. 16 8th District South Georgia Technical College Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information. Note: Farm Bureau members only and are not open to the general public.

7 p.m.

Camilla 7 p.m.

Dublin 7 p.m.

Calhoun 7 p.m. Greensboro 7 p.m.

Americus These meetings are for

25th ANNUAL GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR Oct. 2-12 Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter Perry The award-winning Georgia National Fair features livestock and horse shows, youth exhibits, home and fine arts competitions, family entertainment and midway rides and games. Major concerts include Jennifer Nettles and Lady Antebellum. For more information visit http://www.georgianationalfair.com.

GFB EQUINE COMMITTEE HOLDING RAFFLE TO BENEFIT 4-H The Georgia Farm Bureau Equine Advisory Committee will sell raffle tickets for a leather saddle during the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Oct. 2-12. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to fund scholarships for the Georgia 4-H Summer Horse Camp. Tickets will be sold in the Georgia Grown building at the booth co-hosted by the GFB Equine Committee and Georgia Equine Commission. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20.

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKET TRACTOR DAY Oct. 11 Downtown/Market Street Woodstock Vintage tractors will be displayed in the center of the market where visitors can view tractors, learn how they work, and vote for their favorite tractors. It’s not necessary to be a Cherokee resident to display a tractor and there’s no fee to enter. Prizes will be awarded for Best Tractor, Oldest Tractor and Ugliest Tractor. For information on how to enter a tractor in the contest contact Shirley Pahl via email at sfpahl@gfb.org or call 770-479-1481, Ext 0.

2014 SUNBELT AG EXPO Oct. 14-16 Spence Field Moultrie North America’s largest farm show features field demonstrations, the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year announcement, and more than 500 exhibitors. Tickets are $10 per person per day. Children under 10 are admitted free with a parent. Multi-day tickets are $20. For more information visit http://www.sunbeltexpo.com.

GFB News Alert page 6 of 7 NORTH GEORGIA FOREST LANDOWNER FIELD DAY Oct. 17 Arrowhead Lodge 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Elberton This field day features speakers from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the NRCS. Sessions will cover wildlife management, selling timber, wildfire mitigation planning, cost sharing and the farm bill, and forest health. Cost is $5 per person. For more information, contact Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Executive Director Frank Riley at 706-897-1676 or frank.ccrcd@gmail.com.

FARM TO TABLE WORKSHOP FOR HOME SCHOOL EDUCATORS Oct. 18 Buckeye Creek Farm (2115 Jep Wheeler Road) Woodstock During this free workshop that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., participants will review lesson plans and hands-on activities to do with students, harvest produce and prepare a meal in the farm's kitchen. Sponsored by Cherokee County Farm Bureau and Cherokee Farm to School Committee. To reserve a spot, contact Shirley Pahl via email at sfpahl@gfb.org or call 770-4791481, Ext 0. Limit 10.

EPA ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON WATERS OF THE U.S. RULE The comment period for the “Waters of the United States” rule proposed by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ends on Oct. 20. Farm Bureau is urging its members to submit comments calling for the rule to be withdrawn. For more information about the proposed rule and to submit comments, visit http://www.gfb.org/ditchtherule.

GFB ACCEPTING ENTRIES TO HAY CONTEST AND HAY DIRECTORY Georgia Farm Bureau is conducting its annual Bermuda grass Hay Contest and publish the GFB Quality Hay Directory for buyers and sellers of Georgia grown hay. Checks for both should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau and mailed to the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodities/Marketing Department. The cost for the contest is $15.00 per sample. Anyone entering the contest can receive a free listing in the hay directory. The directory will be distributed statewide. The cost for listing in the hay directory alone is $10. The deadline to submit entries for the contest and the directory is Oct. 31. For more information, please contact the GFB Commodities Department at 1-800-342-1196.

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKET GRITS & GREENS DAY Nov. 1 Downtown/Market Street Woodstock This season's corn crop will be served up as grits this day at the market. Yellow, white and speckled grits along with seasonal greens will be prepared by area restaurants and local cooks.

Market goers will vote for the best grits and greens! Donations will be accepted to benefit the Woodstock Farmers Market AG Scholarship Fund. To enter the grits or greens contests contact Liz Porter via email at lp1954@gmail.com or call 678-491-5843. Grits vendors welcome.

CENTRAL GEORGIA FARMERS LUNCH AND LEARN Nov. 19 Bleckley County Extension Office 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cochran This free event will feature discussions of issues affecting farmers. Speakers include Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, Fort Valley State Vice President for Land Grant Affairs Dr. Mark Latimore, Sen. Ross Tolleson, James Mitchel of Chaney Bush Irrigation and Cartrell Watts of Georgia Power. RSVP by Nov. 12 to Rhonda Fulford at rbfulfor@southernco.com or 800-891-0958.

GFB News Alert page 7 of 7 GEORGIA AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL HARVEST CELEBRATION Nov. 21 Cobb Galleria Center Atlanta Tickets are on sale for this annual event, which features platinum country group Diamond Rio scheduled to perform.

Visit https://connect.computility.com/f/fid.php?id=955559f0f92e71e5e95de669f5af3da0 to buy tickets. For more information about Harvest Celebration, please contact GAC’s Christy Page at cpage@ga-agribusiness.org or 800/726-2474.

AG SAFETY GROUP OFFERING GRANTS Jan. 7, 2015 Deadline to apply Grants of up to $10,000 are being offered by a national coalition of agribusinesses, producer organizations and safety professionals in order to foster new champions of agricultural safety and health. The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) has announced an application deadline of January 7, 2015. Information regarding eligibility, priorities, application instructions and frequently asked questions is available at http://www.ashca.org. The purpose of the ASHCA Safety Grants Program is to provide financial support to promote evidence-based safety/health strategies addressing farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers.