September 18, 2013
www.gfb.org
Vol. 31 No. 38
BIDEN VISITS PORT OF SAVANNAH, WATERWAYS BILL ADVANCING IN HOUSE In developments that could affect farmers’ ability to ship their products both domestically and abroad, Vice President Joe Biden visited to the Port of Savannah this week as a bill to upgrade U.S. inland waterways infrastructure is being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives. Biden visited the Port of Savannah on Sept. 16, accompanied by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Georgia Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, Rep. Jack Kingston, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson. In a speech at one of the port’s container berths, Biden called for expediting port improvement projects on the U.S. East Coast, noting that 75 percent of the world’s commerce relies on container ships and that the economic effects of modernized shipping capabilities trump other considerations. The state of Georgia has allocated $231 million toward the deepening of the Savannah port, which is needed to accommodate larger ships that will be coming through the Panama Canal after its expansion is complete in 2015. The deepening project is budgeted at $652 million. The Port of Savannah is the East Coast’s busiest port for containerized exports, which make up 62 percent of the port’s containerized tonnage. Major portions of Georgia-grown cotton, peanuts and poultry products are shipped overseas through the Port of Savannah. The Water Resources Reform Development Act (WRRDA) was scheduled for markup in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Sept. 19. The WRRDA, or H.R. 3080, will help modernize the lock and dam infrastructure on the inland waterways system while also making necessary investments in the nation’s shipping ports. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, upgrades to the marine transportation system will help ensure the reliability of the nation’s most affordable, energy efficient and environmentally sustainable mode of transporting agricultural products. AFBF noted that 41 states, including all states east of the Mississippi River and 16 state capitals are served by commercially navigable waterways. More than 60 percent of America’s grain exports move through the inland waterway system. “Farm Bureau believes having an efficient and reliable inland waterway system linked to competitive ports is vital to America’s ability to provide affordable agricultural products domestically and to compete internationally,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said in a letter to selected members of Congress. “Given their ability to move large amounts of cargo, the nation’s inland waterways are a strategic, economic and military resource.”
Leadership Alert page 2 of 5 FEDERAL COMMITTEE APPROVES SMITHFIELD SALE TO CHINESE FIRM On Sept. 6, the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved the acquisition of Smithfield Foods Inc. by Chinese-based Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd. The CFIUS approval clears the way for a vote on the transaction by Smithfield shareholders, scheduled for Sept. 24 in a special shareholders meeting. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, though a report in the Wall Street Journal indicated that hedge fund Starboard Value said it plans to vote against the deal while seeking alternative bidders. Starboard Value holds 5.7 percent of Smithfield stocks. Smithfield and Shuanghui announced their definitive merger agreement May 29 after unanimous approval by both boards of directors. Shuanghui International is the majority shareholder of Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., which is China’s largest meat processing enterprise and China’s largest publicly traded meat products company as measured by market capitalization. Shuanghui is buying Smithfield for $34 per share in cash. Upon completing the merger, Smithfield’s common stock will cease to be publicly traded and Smithfield will become a private company as a wholly-owned independent subsidiary of Shuanghui International Holdings Limited, operating as Smithfield Foods. According to a Smithfield release dated May 29, all current leadership and management will remain in place, the headquarters will remain in Smithfield, Va., and there will be no Smithfield plant closings as a result of the transaction. Current production practices, including the planned transition from gestation stalls to group housing, will be unaffected. BLACK AND HOWELL HONORED BY GEORGIA’S EGG INDUSTRY During its final meeting, the Georgia Egg Commission presented Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black with the Golden Egg Award and inducted commsission President Robert Howell into the Egg Hall of Fame. Black presented each member of the Egg Commission staff with a proclamation naming them as Ambassadors to Georgia Agriculture. Howell has served as the commission’s president for the last four years and as its executive director for some 34 years. He also directed the activities of the state’s egg trade group, the Georgia Egg Association. Howell has served as a state representative for the nation’s egg promotional agencies on the American Egg Board and as president of the Georgia 4-H Advisory Council and the Metro Atlanta AG Communicators’ Club. He was twice named as a Friend of Extension by the University of Howell Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Service, was made an honorary member of FFA, FHA, and AGHON (the University of Georgia’s Agricultural Honor Society). In addition, he was the recipient of the Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association’s Appreciation Award and the Georgia Egg Commission’s Golden Egg Award. Hall of Fame members have been chosen every three years; but, with the recent termination of the commission’s program, Howell will be the last honoree. Howell joins 11 other industry leaders who have been selected to the Hall since its formation in 1981. They are: Roy Martin Durr; Paul J. Davis Sr.; George Seaton; William G. “Bill” Owens Jr; Edward L. Houston; James E. Sutherland Sr.; Emerson Gay; Loyd Strickland; Vince Booker; Jerry Faulkner and Albert Pope.
Leadership Alert page 3 of 5 SOUTHERN SARE RELEASES CALL FOR RESEARCH GRANT PROPOSALS The Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program is seeking proposals for the 2013 On-Farm Research Grants and Producer Grants. The proposal submission deadline for both grant programs is Nov. 18. Announcement of funded grants will take place in late February 2014. The Producer Grants, intended for farmers/ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region, are used to conduct sustainable agriculture research projects that solve agricultural production challenges farmers face and to develop information on what works and what doesn’t so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same challenges can benefit from the results of the funded project. Projects may be funded for up to two years for a project maximum of $10,000 for an individual producer or $15,000 for a producer organization. Producer organizations should be comprised primarily of farmers/ranchers and must have a majority farmer representation on their governing board. The On-Farm Research Grants are intended for agricultural professionals throughout the Southern region. Agriculture professionals in Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, universities, and government and non-government organizations who regularly work with farmers/ranchers are invited to apply for a grant that affords them the opportunity to conduct on-farm research in sustainable agriculture. On-Farm Research Grants may be funded up to two years for a project maximum of $15,000. For detailed information about how to apply for an On-Farm Research Grant, download the Call for Proposals. For more information on how to apply for SSARE grants, visit http://www.southernsare.org/Grants/Apply-for-a-Grant or contact Candace Pollock at cpollock@uga.edu. NASS ADJUSTS FORECASTS FOR CORN, PEANUTS AND TOBACCO In its September Crop Production Report, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) adjusted the forecast production for corn, peanuts and tobacco grown in Georgia. According to the report, Georgia corn growers are projected to finish with yields of 183 bushels per acre, up from 181 bushels per acre in its August crop report. Overall, the state’s corn growers are expected to harvest 82.35 million bushels of corn in 2013, up from 55.8 million bushels in 2012, a jump of 48 percent. Georgia’s peanut production, already expected to be down significantly because of sharp reductions in planted area, is projected to decline to 1.66 billion pounds, down 15 percent from the forecast in the August crop report and down 50 percent from 2012. NASS adjusted its projected tobacco production from Georgia, down to 29.25 million pounds from 30 million pounds forecast in the August report but up 30 percent from 2012. The projected harvest for cotton in Georgia was unchanged from the August report to the September report, remaining at 2.5 million bales. Georgia’s decline in cotton production is consistent with a forecast decline in national cotton production. The U.S. production is expected to drop by 26 percent from 2012 to 2013. Georgia’s projected soybean production is expected to rise 10 percent from 2012 to 8.75 million bushels.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 5 GEORGIA FARM BUREAU DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Sept. 19 10th District Jamestown Baptist Church 7 p.m. Waycross Sept. 24 7th District First Baptist Church 7 p.m. Statesboro Oct. 8 9th District Mitchell County Ag Center 7 p.m. Camilla st Oct. 10 1 District First Baptist Church 7 p.m. Calhoun Oct. 17 8th District South Georgia Technical Coll. 7 p.m. Americus Oct. 28 6th District Poplar Springs North Bapt. Ch. 7 p.m. Dublin Oct. 29 4th District Greene County High School 7 p.m. Greensboro Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information. Note: These meetings are for Farm Bureau members only and are not open to the general public. GEORGIA MILK PRODUCERS FALL MEETINGS Sept. 19 Western Sizzlin' 7 p.m. Dalton Sept. 20 Ryan's noon Commerce Meetings will include election of officers, reports on industry issues and promotional efforts and upcoming events. Meals will be served at each meeting. To preregister, contact the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association at 1-800-343-4693. For directions to meeting locations contact Farrah Newberry at 706-310-0020 or visit http://www.gamilk.org. 2013 TRI-STATE PEANUT DISEASE TOUR Sept. 24-26 Multiple locations Tour stops include research plots in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The tour includes a stop at the UGA-Tifton Lang-Rigdon Farm on Sept. 25. Other stops include the University of Florida Citra Research Center on Sept. 24 and the Wiregrass Experiment Station in Headland, Ala., on Sept. 25. Meal will be served at the Georgia and Alabama stops, and advance notice of attendance is requested. For more information contact Albert Culbreath at spotwilt@uga.edu or call 229-386-3156. INTERNATIONAL AGRIBUSINESS CONFERENCE AND EXPO Sept. 25-26 Savannah International Trade & Convention Center Savannah This inaugural event will help farmers and businesses learn how to capitalize on the growing export market. Participants will be provided with information on the markets open to their products, how to export their goods and what exporting can do for their bottom lines. Participants will attend educational forums and workshops, learning from experts in agricultural importing and exporting and about the latest practices in processing value-added agricultural products. They also will have a chance to meet with international trade representatives. The conference’s main sponsor is Georgia Farm Bureau. For more information about the conference’s schedule, see http://www.iace.us.com. Registration is $190 in advance and $210 onsite. GEORGIA GROWN FARMER SHOWCASE Sept. 28 Park Market, Centennial Olympic Park 9 a.m. - noon Atlanta This family-friendly series features dozens of vendors from around the state, offering locally grown fresh Georgia produce and plant sales, meet and greets with local farmers and much more. For more information, visit http://www.georgiagrown.com or call 404-656-3689.
Leadership Alert page 5 of 5 VIDALIA ONION REFERENDUM UNDERWAY A referendum to determine whether Vidalia onion producers favor the continuation of the Vidalia onion marketing order will be held through Sept. 27. To be eligible to vote, producers must have produced Vidalia onions within the designated production area during the period from Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2012. For more information visit http://tinyurl.com/jw9jd66 or contact Corey E. Elliott or Christian D. Nissen in the Agricultural Marketing Service Southeast Marketing Field Office by phone at 863-324-3375 or by email at Corey.Elliott@ams.usda.gov or Christian.Nissen@ams.usda.gov. 5TH ANNUAL LUKE BRYAN FARM TOUR Oct. 2 Perry’s Field Claxton Oct. 3 Wild Wind Farm Athens Oct. 4 Culler Farms Gaston, S.C. Oct. 5 Midway at Central City Park Macon Oct. 9 V-Plex Villa Rica Oct. 10 Ingram Farms Opelika, Ala. Oct. 11 Tallahassee Automobile Museum Tallahassee, Fla. Oct. 12 Valdosta Wake Compound Valdosta Country music artist and Lee County Farm Bureau member Luke Bryan embarks on his 2013 Farm Tour a series of concerts to benefit students from farm families. Each venue is near a university, and Bryan’s organization is sponsoring a college scholarship at each of them for a student from a farm family. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will fund the scholarships. Tickets go on sale to the public on July 26. For more information, visit http://www.lukebryan.com/farmtour. BEYOND THE FARM GATE SOCIAL MEDIA SEMINAR Oct. 22 UGA CAES Activity Center 8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. Athens This free event, funded under a USDA Beginning Farmer & Rancher Grant, will help farmers gain the skills and knowledge they need to establish and maintain an effective online presence for their farm or ranch. To register, contact Chris Morgan at 706-542-7102 or acm@uga.edu. visit http://www.depts.ttu.edu/aged/beyondthefarmgate/events.html. GA. AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL TAKING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS The Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) for the William C. “Bill” Baisley “Sumpin' Big” Scholarships and the Dr. Joe B. Crane Memorial Classroom Grant program. Two Baisley Scholarship will be awarded to qualified college students or incoming college students who are majoring in an agriculture-related subject. At any accredited college or university in Georgia. Scholarship recipients will be selected by agricultural interest, leadership experience and financial need. Winners will be announced in November and publicly recognized at GAC's Harvest Celebration on Nov. 22. Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 25. The Crane Classroom Grant provides four $500 awards to Georgia educators for funding of special projects aimed at teaching agriculture in the classroom. The grants may be awarded to any Georgia teacher, public or private, regardless of grade level. Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 11 and the winners will be announced in November. To download the applications for both programs, visit http://www.ga-agribusiness.org/.