September 22, 2010
www.gfb.org
Vol. 28 No. 38
USDA TO PROVIDE AD HOC DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR 2009 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week announced a plan to provide $630 million in disaster assistance payments administratively under its Section 32 program for losses that occurred during 2009. Under an agreement between Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and the Obama administration, the USDA will provide $550 million in disaster 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 return, Lincoln agreed to remove from a small business bill her provision for $1.5 billion in disaster assistance for agricultural producers. To be eligible for the crop assistance, crop losses must be due to excessive rain and growers must show a 5 percent quality or yield quantity loss. In Georgia, 130 counties received USDA disaster designations in 2009 due to excess 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, Taliaferro, Warren, White and Wilkes. The payment rates are $17.70 per acre for upland cotton, $15.62 per acre for soybeans, $155.41 per acre for sweet potatoes, $31.93 per acre for long grain rice and $52.46 per acre for medium/short grain rice. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will establish regulations applying income requirements and payment limitations consistent with other disaster programs. Georgia Reps. John Barrow Sanford Bishop, Jim Marshall and David Scott were among a group of U.S. congressmen who wrote to the USDA asking that peanuts be included in the crop assistance program and that the agency do so at a fair, per-acre rate determined in the same manner the other eligible commodity rates were determined. To be eligible for aid under the Lost Poultry Contract Assistance Program, producers must have lost their contract with Pilgrim’s Pride between May 1, 2008, and July 1, 2010, and they must have been unable to enter into a subsequent contract. The USDA will provide a grant to all states with affected producers. Payments will be based on the producer’s most recent 12 months receipts multiplied by a payment factor to limit total payouts to $60 million and to ensure that no producer’s payment is more than 95 percent of their receipts from the previous 12 months. Average adjusted gross income and payment limitations consistent with other disaster programs will apply.
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GFB CONSIDERING COMMENTS ON PROPOSED GIPSA RULES The United States Department of Agriculture is taking comments on proposed marketing rules from the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) through Nov. 22. Farm Bureau is currently studying the proposed rules and plans to submit comments after considering their potential effects on livestock and poultry production. All livestock and poultry produced under contract could be affected by the GIPSA proposal. In Georgia, chicken production will be most impacted because virtually all chicken is grown under contract. Georgia is the number one poultry-producing state in the United States. Under provisions of the 2008 farm bill, the USDA was required to establish criteria to determine when a livestock or poultry contractor has engaged in activity that is unfair to growers. On June 22, GIPSA published its proposed rule, which has provisions pertaining to binding arbitration, the tournament system of compensation used by poultry integrators and capital investment requirements among others. Georgia Farm Bureau policy is generally supportive of efforts to allow growers more input in negotiating contracts. The binding arbitration provisions of the proposed GIPSA rules would give producers the option to decline the use of binding arbitration to settle disputes. The capital investment provisions would protect growers by stipulating that contracts be lengthened to allow growers to recover a significant portion of their investment. In both cases, GFB policy is favorable to those provisions. GFB policy does not directly address the tournament system of compensation. Farm Bureau comments will be based on the official 2010 GFB Policy ratified by the delegates at the 2009 GFB Annual Convention. American Farm Bureau is also expected to submit comments on the issue before the Nov. 22 deadline. The proposed GIPSA rules are available for review online at http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/GIPSA/webapp?area=home&subject=landing&topic=landing. Comments may be submitted by e-mail to comments.gipsa@usda.gov or via U.S. mail by sending them to Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA; 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Room 1643-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604. GEORGIA AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL SEEKING NEW PRESIDENT The Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) is accepting resumes for the position of president for the council. Resumes will be accepted until Tuesday, Oct. 12. Those interested in applying for the position should e-mail their resume to Christy Page at cpage@ga-agribusiness.org or mail to Georgia Agribusiness Council, Attn: Christy Page, P.O. Box 119, Commerce, GA 30529 and mark it as confidential. The position became open in April when Gary Black resigned to further pursue a political campaign. The GAC, a non-profit organization, represents Georgia’s agribusiness community. The Council’s mission is “To advance the business of agriculture through economic development, environmental stewardship and education to improve the quality of life for all Georgians.” Visit www.ga-agribusiness.org for more information about the organization or call Christy Page at 800-726-2474.
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GFB HARVEST FOR ALL CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY Georgia Farm Bureau is currently accepting cash donations in its 6th Annual Harvest for All Campaign to help feed Georgians in need. A USDA study released late last year showed that 14.2 percent of Georgia households were food insecure and 5.4 percent had very low food security in 2008. This year the campaign is being conducted differently so that donations can have the most impact possible. Instead of collecting staple food items, GFB will collect money that will be used to buy peanut butter grown and processed in Georgia and distribute it to a network of eight regional food banks across the state that distribute food to more than 800 nonprofit agencies throughout Georgia. “Peanut butter is a popular item for food banks because of its nutritional value, its popularity with kids and its long shelf life,” said GFB President Zippy Duvall. “Many food banks distribute peanut butter through programs aimed at children living in households that need food.” If you or your county would like to participate, donation forms are available at your county Farm Bureau office and should be returned to the GFB Field Services Department by Oct. 29. One case (12 jars) of peanut butter costs $10. To put this in perspective, 165 cases make a pallet and 3,960 cases fill up a truck. One-eighth of a pallet (20 cases or 240 jars) costs $200. Contact your county Farm Bureau office if you would like to make a donation. U.S. ESTABLISHES AG TRADE OFFICE IN CHINA In anticipation of increasing per capita income in China and in hopes of meeting President Obama’s National Export Initiative, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened a new Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Shenyang, China. It is the fifth ATO in China and the USDA’s 102nd overseas office. There are also ATOs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangshou and Chengdu. The ATOs are designed to assist in the promotion of U.S. agricultural products and the development of overseas markets, providing guidance to U.S. producers who pursue partnerships with markets in northeast China. The National Export Initiative aims to double American exports within five years. China has the world’s second-largest economy and is the second-largest importer of U.S. agricultural products. In 2009, China imported $13 billion worth of agricultural products from the U.S. GEORGIA AWARDED $1 MILLION IN SPECIALTY CROP GRANT FUNDS The Georgia Department of Agriculture has been awarded more than $1 million in by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Grant program. The program, administered by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), is designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. A total of 54 grants totaling $55 million were announced during the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture last week.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 4 UPCOMING EVENTS GFB DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Sept. 28 5th District Thomaston Civic Center Sept. 30 1st District 1st Baptist Church Oct. 12 9th District Mitchell Co. High School Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information.
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Thomaston Calhoun Camilla
DAWSON COUNTY FFA ANTIQUE TRACTOR SHOW Sept. 25 Tractor Supply Company 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dawsonville Antique tractor enthusiasts are invited to bring their tractors for this free show. Anyone interested in participating should contact Dawson County Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee Member Seth Stowers by Sept. 20 at 706-429-6469. Event will also include a “slow-boy” race and a “blind driver” race. Event is a fundraiser to send Dawson County FFA students to the national convention in October. The Dawsonville Tractor Supply Company is located at 6921 Hwy. 53 E, Dawsonville, Ga. 30534. TEAM AG GEORGIA FALL WORKSHOP Sept. 28 Krannert Center, Berry College Mt. Berry This free workshop for small, beginning and limited-resource farmers, begins with registration at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Workshop topics include forestry and wildlife management, farmers markets, organics, financing small farms, value-added products, farm succession planning, cost-share opportunities and a tour of the Berry College livestock facilities and longleaf orchard. For more information, contact Lauren Bush at 770-254-7374 or lbush@gfc.state.ga.us or visit http://www.teamaggeorgia.com. SOUTHEASTERN BARN CONFERENCE Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 The Historic Rock Barn Canton Participants in this conference, sponsored in part by Cherokee County Farm Bureau, will learn about barn adaptive reuse, land conservation and urban farms. Registration is $75 before Sept. 10 and $95 after. Register online at http://www.rockbarn.org or call 770-345-3288 for more information. 16TH ANNUAL MULE ROUNDUP Oct. 1-2 Guysie Community (Hwy. 32) Near Alma Experience yesteryear at this showcase of heritage farming, which features a pioneer village, barnyard animals, farm demonstrations, mule plowing, a log smokehouse, a grist mill and lots more. A free gospel sing begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 1. A horse and mule show will be held at 1 p.m. on Oct. 2. $50 cash will be awarded to the winners of the single and double mule plowing competition. Admission is $5 but is free for exhibitors and participants. For more information, call 912-632-1777. GIPSA WEBINAR Oct. 14 12 – 2 p.m. The National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas is hosting this webinar for poultry and livestock producers. Attorneys will provide an overview of the proposed rule changes the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration are suggesting for poultry and livestock production. The webinar will review the UDSA rule-making process, explain how to submit comments on the proposed rules and include a question and answer session. Before the webinar, visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect to the server: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/. The day of the meeting, visit the following web address: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/aglaw to participate in the webinar. Enter your name under the "Enter as a Guest" heading. Click on "Enter Room." Instructions that detail how to join the conference will be displayed. If you have questions about attending or connecting to the webinar, please contact Shannon Mirus at smirus@uark.edu or 479-575-2364.