Georgia Farm Bureau's Leadership Alert - October 27, 2010

October 27, 2010

www.gfb.org

Vol. 28 No. 43

VILSACK STRESSES ENERGY SECURITY DURING TOUR OF FUEL FACILITY Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) 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 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 the 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 Department 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.

Leadership Alert page 2 of 5 UGA EXTENSION ANNOUNCES COUNTY TIER RANKINGS University 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.

Tier 1 counties include: Chattahoochee and Taliaferro. These 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 include: Brantley, Charlton, Clay, Crawford, Dade, Hancock, Heard, Long, Pickens, Quitman, Talbot, Towns, Twiggs and Wilkinson. 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 and Extension 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 include: Atkinson, Clinch, Dawson, Fannin, Franklin, Glascock, Jones, Lincoln, Pike, Marion, Meriwether, Rabun, Schley, Stewart, Taylor, Webster and White.

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 include: Baker, Baldwin, Barrow, Ben Hill, Brooks, Bryan, Butts, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cook, Dooly, Echols, Emanuel, Greene, Haralson, Harris, Irwin, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lamar, Lee, Liberty, McIntosh, Macon, Miller, Montgomery, Murray, Newton, Peach, Polk, Terrell, Treutlen, Troup, Upson, Warren, Wilcox and Worth. These 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 include: Bacon, Banks, Bartow, Berrien, Bleckley, Calhoun, Camden, Candler, Carroll, Cherokee, Clarke, Columbia, Coweta, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Douglas, Early, Effingham, Evans, Fayette, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Grady, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Lumpkin, McDuffie, Madison, Mitchell, Monroe, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pierce, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Screven, Seminole, Spalding, Stephens, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Toombs, Turner, Union, Walker, Walton, Ware, Wayne, Wheeler, Whitfield and Wilkes. 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 include: Appling, Bibb, Bulloch, Burke, Chatham, Clayton, Cobb, Coffee, Colquitt, DeKalb, Dougherty, Elbert, Forsyth, Fulton, Glynn, Gwinnett, Henry, Houston, Laurens, Muscogee, Richmond, Rockdale, Tift, Sumter and Washington. These counties will have a full-time coordinator with multiple agents.

Visit http://bit.ly/9QCfcw to read a more detailed article.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 5

NOV. 19 IS DEADLINE FOR EQIP, WHIP APPLICATIONS The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) through Nov. 19 for landowners who wish to be considered for funding under those two programs for Fiscal Year 2011.

WHIP is a program that provides financial incentives to landowners for the development and improvement of high quality habitat that supports wildlife populations of national, state, tribal and local significance. Participants implement a wildlife habitat development plan and the NRCS provides financial assistance for the initial implementation of wildlife habitat development practices. Assistance is available at 75 percent of the average cost of establishing WHIP management practice as determined by the NRCS. The EQIP program, originally established under the 1996 farm bill, provides technical and financial assistance to landowners who voluntarily address soil, water and related natural resource concerns on private lands. It provides funds for conservation practices based on state-identified natural resources issues, including forestry, grazing, soil erosion, water conservation and water quality. There are about 60 EQIP conservation practices, including pasture and hayland planting, heavy use areas, waste storage facilities, terracing, pest managment, tree planting, organic crop assistance and wildlife habitat management.

The list will vary according to locally prioritized conservation practices.

Applications for both programs can be filed at NRCS offices and USDA Service Centers.

For more information about NRCS conservation programs, visit http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov.

AFRICANIZED HONEYBEES BLAMED FOR DOUGHERTY COUNTY DEATH A Dougherty County man who died earlier this month after receiving more than 100 stings was the victim of Africanized honeybees, according to a release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA).

Curtis Davis, 73, disturbed a feral colony of bees while moving debris with a bulldozer, according to the GDA release. Because Africanized honeybees look the same as European honeybees, the GDA sent samples of the bees involved in Davis’ death to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the USDA to have them tested to confirm they were the Africanized strain.

European honeybees are the strain raised by most American beekeepers.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said the incident is the first record of Africanized honeybees in the state.

Africanized honeybees have previously been found in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. They are a hybrid of African honeybees and European honeybees. They have the same venom as European honeybees but are more aggressive and sting in large numbers.

The GDA is encouraging people to exercise caution when in areas where bees may be found, including sheds or outbuildings, and to examine work areas before using lawn mowers or other power equipment. For more information about honeybees, visit http://pubsadmin.caes.uga.edu/files/pdf/B%201290_2.PDF.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 5 UPCOMING EVENTS GFB DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Nov. 4 8th District South Georgia Technical College Nov. 9 4th District Greene County High School Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

Americus Greensboro

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.

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. Registration is $165 and 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.

SOUTHEAST DAIRY HERD MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE Nov. 3-4 GA Farm Bureau Building Macon The first session of the conference begins Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. and will include presentations covering dairy production and management issues. The Nov. 12 session starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. A registration fee of $80 per person or farm includes admission to both sessions, meals and a copy of the proceedings. Registration for one day is $50. For more information call 706-542-0658 or e-mail Dr. Steve Nickerson scn@uga.edu. A PCDART Workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Nov. 3.

Contact Dr. Dan Webb at 352-392-5592 or webb@animal.ufl.edu for more information about PCDART. There is no registration fee but workshop participants are asked to register.

20th ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN SHOWDOWN RODEO Nov. 5-7 Georgia Agricenter Reaves Arena Perry More than 500 high school-age cowboys and cowgirls from seven states are expected to compete in this event, which is one of the biggest rodeos east of the Mississippi. Rodeo begins at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and 6 and at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 7. Admission is $8. Children under 12 are free. For more information visit http://www.ghsra.com.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 5 UPCOMING EVENTS cont’d.

The Royal Alpaca Challenge Nov. 6 & 7 Georgia International Horse Park Conyers The Georgia Alpaca Association presents this free, family friendly event bringing participants from across the U.S. to compete in the show ring. Fiber artists demonstrate the many uses for the world's finest, natural fiber - alpaca Vendors will sell sweaters, hats and other items made of luxurious, hypo-allergenic, alpaca fleece. For more information visit www.RoyalAlpacaChallenge.com.

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.

FOREST LANDOWNER ESTATE PLANNING WORKSHOP Nov. 10-11 UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources Athens This continuing education short course will cover strategies for minimizing taxes on lifetime and death transfers within the family. The course will also provide a working knowledge of federal estate and gift tax laws and regulations to enhance communications with estate planning advisors. Strategies for addressing the uncertainty of current and proposed tax law changes to protect forestry assets will also be discussed. Registration is $445. To register or for more information visit http://conted.warnell.uga.edu/ or contact Ingvar Elle at 706-583-0566.