Georgia Farm Bureau's Leadership Alert - October 20, 2010

October 20, 2010

www.gfb.org

Vol. 28 No. 42

DASHER NAMED SOUTHEASTERN FARMER OF THE YEAR Tattnall County 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 Tuesday.

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, and a special edition jacket, $500 in gift certificates and $500 in cash from WilliamsonDickie 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 4,800acre 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, 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 featured the unveiling of a new permanent dairy building and the ribbon cutting for the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness (GCIA), a multiagency cooperative devoted to expanding the agribusiness sector of Georgia’s economy.

“People come to us with ideas and we put them in motion,” said Governor’s Ag Liaison Donnie Smith, director of the GCIA. “We help them make their ideas a success.”

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DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR TOBACCO TRANSITION PAYMENTS IS NOV. 1 Tobacco quota holders and producers not already signed up for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP) have until Nov. 1 to enroll in order to receive a 2011 TTPP payment. TTPP provides $10 billion in 10 annual payments to eligible tobacco quota holders and producers from 2005 to 2014. Enrollment must be done at the Farm Service Agency office in the county where the contract holder or producer’s farm records are kept.

Nov. 1 is also the deadline for contract holders who wish to sell their remaining annual payments to a successor in order to receive a lump-sum payment.

For more information, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/tobacco or call 202-720-7901.

GEORGIA CROP YIELDS DOWN FROM SEPTEMBER FORECAST – The USDA’s October Crop Forecast indicates Georgia’s 2010 cotton, peanut and soybean crops could have lower yields than the September forecast predicted. Although cotton and peanut production reported by Georgia farmers surveyed around Oct. 1 was down from the levels farmers reported around Sept. 1, their production levels are still ahead of 2009.

Georgia’s peanut crop is expected to produce 1.8 billion pounds this year, up 3 percent from 2009 (1.79 billion pounds) but down 3 percent from the September forecast. As of Oct. 1, peanut yields were averaging 3,300 pounds an acre, 7 percent lower than the yield of 3,560 pounds per acre in 2009.

Georgia’s cotton crop is forecast to produce 2.1 million bales, up 13 percent from last year's crop but down 9 percent from the September forecast. The crop is forecast to average 761 pounds of lint per acre, 16 percent lower than the 902 pounds of lint per acre produced last year. Cotton growers are expected to harvest 1.3 million acres, up from 990,000 acres in 2009, an increase of 34 percent.

Drops in acreage for soybeans and corn grown for grain account for production declines in these crops. Georgia growers are expected to harvest 250,000 acres of corn, down 32 percent from the 370,000 acres harvested in 2009. The corn crop is expected to produce 35 million bushels of corn for grain, a decrease of 32 percent from the 2009 crop and an 18 percent drop in production from the September forecast.

Georgia soybean producers are expected to harvest 255,000 acres of soybeans, down from 440,000 acres in 2009, a 42 percent decrease. Soybean production is expected to total 7.9 million bushels, a 27 percent decrease from the September forecast and a 50 percent decline from the 15.8 million bushels produced in Georgia last year.

Georgia’s 2010 pecan production is forecast at 75 million pounds, down 17 percent from last year's 90 million pounds.

Georgia’s 2010 hay production is expected to total 1.75 million tons, up 9 percent from 2009. Yields are forecast at 2.5 tons per acre, up 9 percent from 2009. Georgia farmers are expected to harvest 700,000 acres of hay, unchanged from 2009.

Georgia tobacco growers harvested 11,600 acres this year down from 14,000 acres in 2009. Production for the 2010 crop is expected to total 24.9 million pounds, a decrease of 11 percent from the 28 million pounds produced last year. Georgia tobacco yields are predicted to average 2,150 pounds per acre, 150 pounds more than the 2009 yield average of 2,000 pounds per acre.

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SENATORS ASK ADMINISTRATION TO INTERVENE ON CHINA TARIFFS Saying that China’s tariffs against the U.S. poultry industry violate that country’s international trade obligations, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) asked the Obama administration to initiate talks with the Chinese government to seek a remedy.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and Hatch, the next senior Republican on the committee, asked that administration officials communicate to the Chinese government the negative effects its international trade actions are having.

Further, they asked administration officials to request the withdrawal of antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of U.S. poultry.

According to the letter, Kirk has stated he is considering filing poultry cases with the World Trade Organization.

Last month the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced final punitive tariffs on U.S. poultry imports, duties that in some cases equal 105.4 percent of the products’ trade value.

The tariffs were criticized by the U.S. poultry industry, which says it is the focus of Chinese retaliation for an unrelated trade issue.

EPA APPROVES E15 FOR NEW VEHICLES – In what Farm Bureau calls a step toward strengthening America’s commitment to home-grown energy, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week approved the use of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol (E15) in vehicles from model years 2007 and newer. Currently, most gasoline is blended at a 10 percent blend rate (E10), and an EPA waiver is required for use of any ethanol blends greater than 10 percent, with the exception of E85 fuels.

The EPA granted an official waiver at the request of the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and other organizations based on testing by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other available data about E15’s impact on engine durability and emissions. Those organizations wanted to avoid the scenario where ethanol production exceeded the ability of the market to absorb it at the E10 level.

The waiver applies to approximately 43 million cars and light-duty trucks in the U.S. The DOE is continuing to test the use of E15 in vehicles from model years 2001 to 2006 and expects to complete the tests in November. The EPA will review the data from those tests before deciding whether to extend the waiver to include vehicles from those model years. That decision will apply to an additional 86 million vehicles, or 54 percent of all U.S. vehicles on the road today.

Because of the expense involved in installing separate tanks to store E15, some analysts believe most fuel stations will wait for the decision on 2001 to 2006 model year vehicles before making changes.

The EPA also announced that it is proposing labeling requirements for fuel pumps dispensing E15 in response to concerns from fuel vendors about their liability for situations where consumers use E15 in unapproved motors.

Under the proposed requirements, the fuel industry would have to specify the ethanol content of gasoline sold to retailers, and retail fuel stations would be surveyed quarterly to ensure their pumps are properly labeled.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 4 UPCOMING EVENTS GFB DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Oct. 26 6th District Poplar Springs North Baptist Church

7 p.m.

Dublin

Nov. 4

7 p.m.

Americus

8th District

South Georgia Technical College

Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information.

GEORGIA FARM BUREAU DEADLINE FOR COMMODITY DIRECTORIES Oct. 29 is the deadline to submit applications to be listed in the 2011 Georgia Farm Bureau Quality Hay & Poultry Litter Directory and the 2011 Georgia Farm Bureau Pollination Directory. Listings are limited to Farm Bureau members. Application forms for both directories are available at county Farm Bureau offices. Producers should complete the form and send it to the Georgia Farm Bureau office in Macon with a check for $10 for each listing. Checks should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau.

GEORGIA FARM BUREAU HARVEST FOR ALL DEADLINE Oct. 29 is the deadline for county Farm Bureaus to submit their donations to the GFB Field Services Department for the Harvest for All Campaign. GFB is collecting money to buy peanut butter grown and processed in Georgia. The peanut butter will be distributed to a network of eight regional food banks across the state that distribute food to more than 800 nonprofit agencies throughout Georgia.

One case (12 jars) of peanut butter costs $10. Donation forms are available at your county Farm Bureau office. Contact your county Farm Bureau office if you would like to make a donation.

FUMIGATION MANAGEMENT PLAN WORKSHOPS Oct. 26 Bulloch County Extension Office Statesboro Oct. 27 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Oct. 28 Decatur County Extension Office Bainbridge This series of workshops, organized by the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and the UGA Cooperative Extension, is designed to help familiarize growers with the EPA’s new soil fumigant regulations and create plans for their operations. Dr. Stanley Culpepper will be the principal speaker. All meetings will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 10:30 a.m. For more information call the GFVGA at 706-845-8200.

GEORGIA FARM BUREAU DISTRICT 2 CATTLE SHOW Oct. 29 – 30 White County Ag Center Cleveland Junior beef cattle exhibitors from Georgia Farm Bureau’s 2nd District will compete. The show begins at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29 and 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 30. For more information, e-mail Clay Talton at cstalton@uga.edu or Dennis Black at dlblack@gfb.org.

2010 GEORGIA AGRITOURISM CONFERENCE Nov. 3-5 The Dillard House Dillard This conference will cover all aspects of running an agritourism business and legal issues facing agritourism operations. There will also be tours of Rabun County agritourism venues. Early bird registration is $125 before October 22 and $165 after. Registration includes meals, tours and materials. Visit www.areg.caes.uga.edu to register or call Brandon Ashley at 800-342-1196 for more information. A special conference lodging rate of $89 per night is available by calling the Dillard House at 1-800-541-0671.

DIRECT-MARKETING LOCAL FOOD COURSE Nov. 8 Georgia Farm Bureau Building Macon Topics and panel discussions will include direct marketing of produce and value-added products, including selling directly to retailers, restaurants and school meal programs. The class costs $25 and includes lunch. For more information or to register visit www.areg.caes.uga.edu or call 706-583-0347.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Classes will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.