09/10/2012

S P E C I A L

R E P O R T

‘Regional Issues: Midwest’ Drought devastates crops, livestock, waterways | 4

September 10, 2012 Vol. 91

‘Farm bill’

Needs of farmers, schoolchildren, families make passage urgent | 3

‘Photos’ Farm Bureau kicks off contest | 8

Broadband vital to farms, rural communities

By R.J. Karney High-speed broadband services have great potential to bring economic development opportunities to rural Americans.

No. 16 fbnews.org

Time is running out on the farm bill Members of Congress return to Capitol Hill this week with low expectations of getting much of anything done before the Election. One item of business they must deal with, however, is the farm bill, which will expire at the end of this month.

There are only about a dozen legislative work days before Sept.

30. Yet, in an interview last week with agricultural publication Agri-Pulse, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said that passing a farm bill through the House by then was “theoretically” possible.

The Senate passed its farm bill in June. The House Agriculture Committee approved its version in July. But House leaders—lacking consensus over spending levels for nutrition programs, among other issues —have not brought it up for a full House vote.

House leaders did attempt to pass a one-year extension, including extension of a few already-expired disaster programs, in late July, but the effort failed from lack of support by members and farm groups pushing for passage of a five-year farm bill, including the American Farm Bureau Federation.

While Lucas has vowed to continue working with the House leadership to get the five-year farm bill to the floor, others say the focus will center on another run at a one-year extension of the current bill. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has said in several news interviews that the short-term extension is more likely.

Members of Congress took advantage of the month-long August recess to travel their home states and hear voters’ concerns. Those from drought-stricken areas in Farm bill Continued on Page 8

Farmers, ranchers urge policymakers to ‘Stop the Flood of Regulation’

Continued on Page 2

photo courtesy of veronica nigh, AFBF

n e w s p a p e r

IF EPA MOVES FORWARD with its guidance document, ditches like this one on a Michigan farm could cost growers thousands for new permits and additional regulations. As part of the Stop the Flood of Regulation campaign, Farm Bureau members have sent nearly 7,000 messages to senators and administration officials urging them to halt implementation of the guidance.

The hazy days of August were vacation for many, but not for Farm Bureau members who turned the month-long congressional recess into an opportunity to tell lawmakers on their own turf to Stop the Flood of Regulation.

The American Farm Bureau Federation launched the Stop the Flood of Regulation campaign in June to prevent EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from significantly expanding EPA authority through a guidance document.

The guidance document would effectively remove the word “navigable” from the Clean Water Act, which would allow EPA to regulate even a roadside ditch

that holds water for only a few hours after a big rain. Both EPA and the Corps have been upfront about their intent to use the guidance process to increase their regulation of water bodies and lands that have been under the states’ regulatory authority.

As part of the Stop the Flood of Regulation campaign, Farm Bureau members have sent nearly 7,000 messages to U.S. senators and the administration.

In their messages to lawmakers, growers are urging them to support the Preserve the Waters of the U.S. Act (S. 2245), which would prevent EPA from using the guidance document.

The messages to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, USDA and others in the administration focus on how devastating this guidance document could be to farmers and ranchers.

Throughout August, state and county Farm Bureaus were talking up the issue while they had lawmakers’ attention at state and county fairs, town hall meetings and other local events. Some Farm Bureaus had computer kiosks set up at the fair so people could send an e-mail right then to Washington, D.C. At fairs across Montana, county Flood Continued on Page 3

Viewpoint

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September 10, 2012

The

Bob Stallman

President, American Farm Bureau Federation

Back to school = meals for hungry kids

I

am blessed. I have two children, now grown, and eight young grandchildren who have never known hunger. Sadly, that is not the case for many American parents, some probably living in your very own town.

According to the Agriculture Department, more than 16 million kids don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Many times, the only meals they receive are at school or in after school programs.

Head of the Class We’ve all felt that pang of hunger, the rumbling of our stomachs during a meeting or classroom lecture. And we all know how that feeling makes it that much harder to concentrate on the subject at hand. So, you can imagine how difficult it is for a child to focus on a math equation or learn a new spelling word while trying to ignore the persistent pangs of hunger.

Not surprisingly, research shows that hungry kids do more poorly in school and have lower academic success. Kids need proper nutrition.

It’s vital to their growth and development— both physically and mentally.

In 2010, more than 20 million low-income kids received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program.

This important program, funded by the farm bill, helps feed kids during the school week, but what happens during the weekend or summer months? According to statistics, only 2.3 million of those same children participating in the school lunch program took advantage of the Summer Food Service Program that same year.

This is where organizations like Feeding America come in. Through volunteer efforts, donations and financial contributions, Farm Bureau proudly partners with Feeding America and other hunger organizations to try to reduce childhood hunger. In the past nine years, Farm Bureau families have gathered more than 49 million pounds of food, logged nearly 60,000 volunteer hours and raised more than $1.8 million in donations for Feeding America and other hunger organizations.

Apples Aren’t for Just Teachers Feeding America serves nearly 14 million children. Through initiatives like the Backpack

Program and Kids Café, school kids can have access to food when school is not in session.

The Backpack Program helps kids get nutritious and easy-to-prepare food they need over the course of the weekend. Bags of food assembled by volunteers at local food banks are distributed to nearly 230,000 children at the end of each week throughout the year.

In March 2011, Virginia Farm Bureau members filled more than 1,400 backpacks for children who participated in school lunch programs.

The Kids Café program provides free meals and snacks to low-income kids during afterschool hours at facilities like Boys and Girls Clubs, churches and public schools. But, in reality, this program provides much more than nutritious snacks; it gives children an opportunity to escape from their daily lives of poverty for a while and just be kids.

So, as you and your children pick out new backpacks and lunchboxes for this coming school year, remember those kids who have nothing with which to fill a lunch sack. Contact your local Farm Bureau or food bank and see how you can help keep one less child from going to school hungry.

Broadband vital to farms, rural communities Continued from page 1 In today’s global economy, access to new emerging markets is critical to the success of many small businesses. It’s no different for farmers and ranchers. Highspeed broadband is a vital business operations tool for farmers and ranchers to communicate with their customers, follow commodity markets and gain access to new markets around the world.

However, farmers and ranchers are at a competitive disadvantage because not all farms have access to high-speed broadband service.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports only 62 percent of U.S. farms had Internet service in 2011, including 12 percent who still rely on dial-up Internet service. Attempting to manage a business with dial-up Internet service in today’s global economy puts that business at a severe competitive disadvantage.

As government agencies rely increasingly on information technology to disseminate and collect information, affordable, high-

FBNews

speed, home-based broadband connectivity is becoming a necessary tool for farmers and ranchers. Farmers and ranchers without access to affordable, highspeed Internet connections eventually might be unable to comply with government regulations, take advantage of government services or gain market information. That’s why affordable home broadband access is vital to keeping American agriculture competitive in the world marketplace.

The importance of high-speed broadband extends beyond the farm gate and includes rural communities. America’s farmers and ranchers need viable rural communities to supply the services needed to support their families and agricultural operations.

To thrive, rural areas need access to health care, government services, and educational and business opportunities. For many rural communities, access can only be gained by using broadband services and sophisticated technologies that require highspeed connections.

Don Lipton, Executive Director, Public Relations Lynne Finnerty, Editor Erin Anthony, Assistant Editor Phyllis Brown, Assistant Editor Sarah Bittner, Contributing Writer

September 10, 2012 Vol. 91

Rural business owners need access to new markets and welleducated employees for their businesses. Rural health care providers need access to health information technology. Rural students need access to educational resources and continuing education opportunities.

In an effort to provide farmers, ranchers and rural communities with more access to high-speed broadband, the American Farm Bureau Federation and many state Farm Bureaus have been engaging with organizations responsible for building the National Broadband Map (Connected Nation) and infrastructure buildout. These relationships provide broadband providers with information on who in the state wants broadband and where broadband is unavailable.

As the House of Representatives and Senate debate the fiscal 2013 appropriations bills, Farm Bureau maintains its support for funding the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). The RUS provides funding for loans and grants to increase

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rural broadband capacity and telecommunications services, and it funds the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.

Current and future generations of rural Americans will be left behind their fellow citizens if they are without affordable, highspeed broadband service to tap into health care and educational services, government agencies and new business opportunities.

RJ Karney is a director of congressional relations handling rural development issues at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

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September 10, 2012

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Politics, the farm bill, and your next meal

By Ben LaCross Parched and burnt cornfields, hayfields as yellow as the sun and chalky, dry soil are images we’ve seen from the record-setting drought of 2012. The farm bill is supposed to be the safety net for agriculture, especially in catastrophic disaster years such as this. But alas, chances of passing a new farm bill, which is set to expire Sept. 30, are wilting as fast as a Midwestern cornstalk.

Now, only a handful of days remain on the legislative calendar before the Election.

The farm bill was growing strong and steady through June. The Senate, under the leadership of Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), passed a strong, bipartisan bill. This bill showed real promise of reform and savings. The bill cut out the direct payment program, an antiquated system of risk management for farmers. Crop insurance was strengthened and expanded, ensuring that farmers would have to have “skin in the game” for their risk management needs.

The nutrition title, which makes up well over 80 percent of all farm bill spending, was also reformed. The days of lottery winners who still receive food stamps would be gone. Conservation would be strengthened, allowing farmers to partner with the federal government to grow their environmental stewardship.

Agriculture understands the importance of being fiscally responsible. Farmers are ready to do their part to reduce the national deficit.

In fact, this bill would have saved taxpayers more than $23 billion, compared to the previous farm bill.

The bipartisan House Agriculture Committee-passed bill, crafted by Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), would have saved taxpayers even more. But, like the fields that never benefited from timely rains to save their crops, House leadership dealt what could amount to a drought-like blow by not bringing up the farm bill for a timely vote.

Due to that lack of political urgency, farmers are now facing another potential disaster.

This time, though, we can’t blame Mother Nature. This catastrophe is man-made.

Northern Michigan experienced record warmth for more than seven days in the middle of March. While 85 degree temps were welcomed after a long winter, we fruit farmers knew we were in for trouble. The hot weather awoke our trees from dormancy, pushing flower buds to mature four to six weeks early. As the weather patterns returned to normal, so did the cold, freezing temperatures, and they froze out the majority of the fruit grown in Michigan, my cherries included.

Tart cherries, the fruit you enjoy in pie, and the crop my family relies on for the majority of our harvest, is not eligible for crop insurance. Our industry has been challenging USDA’s Risk Management Agency to expand crop insurance to our fruit, but the wheels of bureaucracy seem to have been stuck in the mud.

The Senate-passed farm bill contained provisions to expand crop insurance to help farmers like me manage risk when weather catastrophes are out of our control. Much of the proposed legislation would help farmers who’ve been affected by this year’s drought, as well. Yet the House still has not scheduled a vote on this bill.

Farmers certainly aren’t the only people affected by the delayed passage of the farm bill.

Twenty-three million people—one in every 12 working Americans—work in agriculture.

Agriculture expands foreign trade, and is the only industry with a positive balance of trade.

Think, also, of the millions of schoolchildren and families in need that this bill helps to feed. Last year, the Agriculture Department reported that one in six Americans was “food insecure.” At one point or another last year, these folks weren’t sure where their next meal would come from. If it weren’t for the farm bill’s nutrition programs many more might struggle to eat.

The droughts and other natural disasters may have done damage beyond repair to this year’s harvests, but the House could still breathe life back into this bill. It’s not too late.

Congress, it’s time to pass this Farm Bill now.

Ben LaCross is a fruit grower in Northern Michigan.

He is a member of the Michigan Farm Bureau board of directors and is immediate past chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.

Thanking the livestock producer

By Marsha Purcell Some days are suited for reflection and today is one of those. I am thinking of how grateful I am to members of the surgical team who replaced my husband’s aortic heart valve earlier this year. It is amazing to think that such an intricate surgery is considered commonplace, with about 80,000 adults in the U.S. having this procedure each year. I am also thinking of how grateful I am to the livestock farmer or rancher who raised the animal from which the valve came.

Livestock production is under a constant barrage of criticism from those who oppose eating meat. The farmers and ranchers who face that criticism—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—and continue to do their

jobs have my greatest admiration.

I have had opportunities to visit farms and ranches and to talk about livestock production with those who do it every day. They are caring, dedicated people who want their animals to be healthy.

They spend countless hours and dollars determining the proper care for their animals. They spend many sleepless nights helping a cow, ewe or sow through difficult deliveries or feeding baby animals when their mothers are unable to do so. They work with nutritionists to determine the best feed for the animals and with veterinarians who determine the best health care practices. They teach their children the value of producing an animal that will provide nutritious food and many other valuable products.

Initially, we did not know if my husband had a porcine (pig), ovine (sheep) or bovine (cow) valve. We joked about whether he would begin to oink, baa or moo. We later found that he has a bovine valve and we do know that his heart is stronger. We know that his long-term prognosis is very positive. And we know that in addition to thanking God and the surgical team, we owe a debt of gratitude to the livestock producer. There are probably thousands of people today who are alive and well because of a tissue valve from an animal. I am hopeful those recipients are appreciative of livestock production, rather than critical.

As for my family, we will always support animal agriculture, not only when we eat meat, but also

when we enjoy many more years together thanks to a new heart valve.

Marsha Purcell is director, membership and program development, at AFBF. Her husband, Bill Purcell, was long-time manager of AFBF’s Safemark tire program.

Farmers boost efforts to ‘Stop the Flood of Regulation’ Continued from page 1 Farm Bureaus encouraged fairgoers to sign a poster-sized letter to Sens. Max Baucus (D) and Jon Tester (D), as well as to Rep. Denny Rehberg (R), asking them to vote “yes” on the Preserve the Waters of the U.S. Act. In New York, Farm Bureau members were the driving force behind a resolution passed by the Oswego County Economic Development and Planning Committee that calls on EPA and the Corps to withdraw its proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. County Farm Bureau annual meetings will also be an opportu-

nity for members to send a strong message against EPA’s effort to expand its authority. New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton said he expects county Farm Bu-

said Cody Lyon, AFBF director of grassroots and advocacy. Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill now, but with the election looming, they won’t be there long.

reaus in his state will be ramping up efforts to the Stop the Flood of Regulation during their gatherings this fall.

It’s critical that farmers and ranchers keep sending their Stop the Flood of Regulation messages,

“Lawmakers, especially senators, cannot hear enough about how big a threat EPA’s guidance document is to farmers and ranchers,” Lyon said. “Even if time constraints don’t give legislators the opportunity to vote

‘yes’ on the Preserve the Waters of the U.S. Act, they could show their support with a message to the administration.”

The many messages Farm Bureau members have already sent to the administration are being heard, Lyon said.

“Now it’s time to turn up the volume.”

To send a message to Congress, go to the Action Center at www.fbactinsider.org. To share your story and concerns, use the #stoptheflood hashtag on Twitter and the campaign’s Stop the Flood of Regulation Facebook page. You can also follow StoptheFlood on Twitter.

Regional Iss Isaac’s rains too little, too late for corn Tropical Storm Isaac, once a hurricane, didn’t end the drought of 2012, but it did bring rain and relief.

Illinois averaged a little over 3 inches of rain from the storm. Central and southern areas of the state got more than 4 inches of rain over the Labor Day weekend.

Before moving north, the storm caused about $92 million in damage to row and tree crops such as sugarcane in Louisiana, according to preliminary estimates, and that number could go higher as more information comes in from the Gulf Coast. The storm’s rainfall was much needed in the Midwest, however.

The nation’s pasture and rangelands didn’t get much help from the storm. Despite the rains, pasture remained critically dry, according to USDA, with 59 percent rated in poor condition. The only areas of the country with good pasture conditions are parts of the South, the East and the far Northwest.

While the drought isn’t over, the chance to improve this year’s corn yield is. Ten percent of the corn crop in the nation’s biggest corn-producing states is already harvested, according to USDA’s Sept. 4 crops progress report, and about half of the crop has matured.

Illinois corn farmer Terry Entwistle says he chopped enough corn for silage to supply his 70-head cow-calf herd with feed until next spring.

Still, he welcomed the remnants of Hurricane Isaac and

has already seen some of his pastures turn a deeper green. His brother Allen Entwistle says their corn yield is up to 100 bushels an acre.

Corn yields so far in Illinois are all over the map, from zero in some areas to as high as 175 bushels per acre, depending on the area, according to Jimmy Ayers of Sangamon County in central Illinois, one of Illinois Farm Bureau’s volunteer crop watchers. The average, he estimates, is between zero and 120-130 bushels. The national average last year was 148.1 bushels per acre; the national record is 165 bushels per acre in 2009.

The concern at this point, he says, is whether soybean pods will fill out.

“Hurricane waters are not going to help,” he said. “A lot of them are turning already. Still some green beans that have the opportunity I think to plump up their seed a little bit.”

The condition of the nation’s corn crop as estimated in USDA’s Sept. 4 crop progress report was unchanged from a week earlier, showing that the rains came too late for corn.

The nation’s soybean crop improved minimally, with only 4 percent rated excellent, 26 percent rated good, 33 percent rated fair, 21 percent rated poor and 16 percent rated very poor.

In addition to poor crop yields, the drought is bringing another problem, aflatoxin. The grain mold disease, if it exists at high levels, can sicken livestock and possibly humans if they drink contaminated

Ranchers are feeding hay to livestock much earlier than usual, as pastures have dried up. milk, and it thrives in hot, dry weather. Iowa’s Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has started requiring testing of milk for aflatoxin indefinitely.

“We were well aware that aflatoxin could be an issue this year due to the historic drought conditions,” said Bill Northey, Iowa’s agriculture secretary. “Now that farmers are starting to harvest

silage, and corn in some cases, it is appropriate to begin this screening process to make sure our milk supply remains safe.”

Federal regulations limit aflatoxin levels to 50 parts-per-billion (ppb) in animal feed; 20 ppb, a tiny amount, in food for humans; 0.5 ppb for milk; and zero tolerance for any foods intended for infants.

 A field of corn in Iowa is chopped for silage to be fed to livestock, rather than grain. USDA estimates this year’s corn crop will be about 12 billion bushels, the smallest in five years.

 A corn field in Iowa shows the strains of the 2012 drought, the nation’s worst in more than 50 years.

photos courtesy of iowa farm bureau

September 10, 2012

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sues: Midwest

Drought challenges all aspects of agriculture

By Bob Stallman President, American Farm Bureau Federation One of the greatest attributes of a general farm organization such as Farm Bureau is that it represents farm and ranch families who raise all different types of food and fiber. At the same time, one of the biggest challenges facing a general farm organization is that it represents farm and ranch families who raise all different types of food and fiber.

This summer’s drought brought that fact clearly into focus.

For the third time in four years, corn prices have topped $7 a bushel. This year, the price has shot past $8. Livestock farmers and ranchers are painfully seeing their revenues melt due to lack of forage supplies and high feed costs. Compounding their pain are low prices in the short term due to more animals going to market so they do not have to be fed.

Feeling tremendous economic pressure, livestock producers are calling for relief. One highly visible target is our nation’s Renewable Fuels Standard. Many are calling for a waiver. In addition to the drought itself, they blame the government’s renewable fuels mandate for higher feed costs.

If Farm Bureau just represented

cattle, hog or poultry growers, it would be pretty easy to determine our position. Similarly, if all of our members grew only corn, our position would be steadfast.

American agriculture is a big tent. Farm Bureau policy supports livestock producers. It also supports expanding renewable fuels to the maximum amount possible. Therein lies the rub.

So, how does a general farm organization reconcile these two positions, which are both held as fundamental and vital, in a year like this?

The simple answer is with great difficulty and a lot of conversation. But the complexities of this issue trump simple logic. The economics behind renewable fuels reflect a new reality that goes well beyond the mandate. At today’s energy and livestock prices, a bushel of corn is simply worth more passed through a vehicle’s tail pipe than it is passed through a chicken or a hog’s stomach. In fact, one can make a strong case that a bushel of corn is worth close to $10 per bushel by extracting all the energy and leaving the protein for an animal feed.

Nearly the entire petroleum refining industry is set up to refine oil to an 84 octane content, with ethanol added to boost it to 87 octane. It is actually cheaper for

One of the biggest challenges facing a general farm organization is that it represents farm and ranch families who raise all different types of food and fiber.

This summer’s drought brought that fact clearly into focus. the refining system to produce 87 octane gasoline using ethanol than it is to refine oil to a full 87 octane.

It took the RFS mandate to convince the oil companies of that fact. It is fairly certain that oil companies would revert to a full oil-based fuel—and raise the price of gasoline—if the renewable mandate were removed.

Further, with oil in the $80-$90 per barrel range, one recent study suggested that waiving the RFS in the short term would only lower the price of corn by roughly 25 cents. Another suggested that corn prices next year would be affected anywhere between nothing and $1.30 per bushel.

What we are really facing is a problem of low grain stocks and of holding enough reserves to get through this temporary situation.

Let me be emphatically clear on this point: re-creating a govern-

ment stocks program does not work for any sector of production agriculture. History shows that significant price swings are a natural part of the marketing cycle—even before ethanol and exports were players in the agricultural sector. One must go back to the 1930s to find the last time we had a severe drought but did not have the dead weight of government stocks hanging over the market. And we saw price swings then very similar to what we are witnessing today.

As farmers and ranchers, whether a producer of crops or livestock, we know weather and markets are fickle, taking the shape of friend one minute and foe the next. Risk protection tools help smooth out those peaks and valleys, always with an eye toward a better tomorrow.

But there is no denying the fact that livestock producers are in a period of fundamental change.

The challenges they face cannot be minimized. As an organization, Farm Bureau will continue to have the internal discussion and work through our policy process as we always have. We are all of agriculture and will work toward finding the solution that represents the combined will and wisdom of our diverse membership. We are all in this together and we are in it for the long haul.

Low Mississippi River levels will cost Midwestern farmers Even the mighty Mississippi River is feeling the effects of the drought, with water levels approaching the record lows of 70 years ago. While the water levels are most problematic in the lower Mississippi, they’re causing trouble for growers as far north as Minnesota, where shippers are sending partly empty barges down the river and fewer vessels— and the critical farm inputs they carry—are coming up.

Veronica Nigh, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist, said the low water levels will cost Midwestern growers both time and money.

“More than $175 billion worth of cargo a year moves up and down the Mississippi River system,” Nigh explained. “Sixty percent of exported U.S. corn and 45 percent of exported soybeans go down the Mississippi. Coming back up, there’s a lot of fertilizer, coal, gas and oil.”

Shippers are dropping the size of southbound barge loads by about 25 percent, estimates Lonnie Lewis, president of the Pope-Hardin (Ill.) Farm Bureau, who operates a towing service on the Ohio River.

“We’ve got to load lighter here because (the barges) have to go down the Mississippi to get to

New Orleans,” Lewis said. “It’s going to cost (the industry).”

At the same time, the number of vessels heading north on the Mississippi in the week ending Aug. 25 was down 75 percent from the previous five weeks and 14 percent from the same time period in 2011, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data.

While some important farm inputs should have been well up the river by now, the delay in fertilizer shipments is not among Iowa growers’ biggest droughtrelated concerns, said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s Dave Miller.

At least not at the moment.

“We usually don’t put fertilizer down until around Thanksgiving time,” Miller said. “So, we’ve got time, but those materials are usually here by now or getting here.”

Hurricane Isaac provided a welcome additional 2 feet of water to the lower Mississippi. However, the storm’s initial wind and rain caused further problems on the river as grain bins going south, already delayed where only single shipping lanes were open, were held up with the close of the Port of New Orleans.

“It will take the whole month of September to straighten out

the logjam of empty barges stuck south of Memphis,” said Troy Lust, a senior risk manager for commercial grain at INTL FCStone Inc., a commodity brokerage. “We have starved the market for empty barges ahead of harvest. It’s a horrible combination that will increase demand for rail shipments that must compete

with ethanol plants and soybean processors for reduced supplies.”

Miller, too, said he wouldn’t be surprised if more shippers go overland this year.

“It could be a year that favors railroad over barges,” Miller said.

“Barges are cheaper than rail, but we do have the excess capacity in the railroads.”

The Mississippi River’s low water levels are forcing shippers in the Midwest to lighten their south-bound barge loads by about 25 percent. Going north, fewer barges are being sent up the river, delaying deliveries of critical farm inputs, like fertilizer.

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September 10, 2012

Streamlining biotechnology regulations to encourage research, meet food demand

By Emily Brundick Given ever-increasing fuel and fertilizer costs, the drought and other environmental and weather challenges, more and more farmers are looking to the latest seed technology to help manage risk and improve yield. Which raises the question: With demand for improved seed traits growing, is the U.S. regulatory framework capable of ensuring our farmers have timely access to safe, beneficial technology?

Three federal agencies—the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture—provide oversight of biotechnology products under the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology.

Adopted in 1986, the Coordinated Framework has helped bring biotech products to the marketplace for nearly two decades.

As a result, biotechnology has become widely adopted by farmers in the United States and in 21 other countries around the world.

In fact, approximately 90 percent of corn, soybeans and cotton grown in the U.S. are biotech varieties. And yet, there has not been a single documented incident of actual harm to human health or the environment. Due to the stellar performance of biotechnology products, the U.S. government, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association and the National Academy of Sciences have all embraced the safety and benefits of biotechnology.

Despite this impressive track record, cumbersome and duplicative regulations slow research, development and approval of biotechnology varieties. And even after they are approved, the ability of farmers to adopt new products is often vulnerable to attacks from anti-biotechnology activists using the judicial process to stymie innovation.

Opponents of biotechnology have been actively working to prevent the deregulation and use of biotech products. Groups have filed multiple lawsuits against USDA claiming that scientists did not adequately review

every conceivable market and environmental issue involved in a particular biotech product.

These activists have found procedural loopholes in the judicial and regulatory system that enable them to aggressively and successfully push their agenda despite the existing sound science and rigor of our regulatory framework.

They also have made it clear they will continue to use the court system to challenge regulatory approvals of corn, soybeans and other biotechnology-derived crops, and have openly stated their intention to use litigation as a way to impede the availability of new technology to growers and consumers. Their actions threaten the ability of farmers to grow and harvest approved varieties, and they create uncertainty for researchers and companies who are making the hefty investment to develop new products.

Activist lawsuits also put a tremendous burden on agency resources and have resulted in significant delays in the review and approval of new, groundbreaking products. A slow regulatory process creates uncertainty for farmers, researchers and seed companies. When it becomes too expensive and unpredictable to move a product through the regulatory system, it discourages innovation and development.

This results in fewer choices for famers seeking hardier varieties to plant and a chilling effect on investment in the research and development necessary for scientific breakthroughs in agriculture, such as the development of moredrought-tolerant crops.

Meanwhile, other countries that use biotechnology, such as Argentina and Brazil, are accelerating their regulatory processes while continuing to evaluate human and environmental safety. This puts U.S. growers at a competitive disadvantage.

What can be done to reassure farmers they will have access to new technology and continue to grow and harvest crops that have been safely developed through biotechnology?

Changes in current law are a good starting point.

A provision included in the fiscal 2013 House Agriculture Appropriations bill would protect farmers while court cases challenging the ap-

proval of their crops are pending. If passed, this condition would allow the secretary of agriculture to grant farmers temporary stewardship requirements so they could continue to grow and harvest previously approved crops during ongoing litigation. The provision does not restrict the ability to challenge the regulation of biotechnology; it simply clarifies that farmers have the ability to grow what has already been determined safe by USDA through its scientific review process.

Another solution aims to reduce vulnerability to unjustified legal challenges by reducing the problems plaguing the regulatory review process. If passed, farmers, researchers and seed companies that depend on biotechnology will benefit from provisions in the House Agriculture Committee’s version of the 2012 farm bill that will improve efficiency and predictability of the regulatory framework for biotechnology.

If these provisions become law, they will reaffirm the principles of the Coordinated Framework, help regulatory agencies prioritize resources and maintain a strong commitment to robust health, safety and environmental reviews, and provide a clear and predictable process for USDA to make and defend its regulatory decisions.

It is in the best interest of farmers and consumers to ensure the United States has an efficient, predictable and scientifically sound regulatory framework for biotechnology that encourages continued investment and research in biotechnology. Which in turn will stimulate economic growth, keep U.S. farmers and ranchers competitive, ensure a more affordable and plentiful supply of food, feed and fiber for consumers here and abroad, and promote more sustainable production through the implementation of cropping systems that put less stress on environmental resources.

It’s clear that farmers are committed to meeting the food, feed, fiber and fuel demands of the 21st century. To help meet this commitment, we just need to keep fighting for a regulatory framework structured on a sound science foundation that appropriately protects humans and the environment without impeding farmers’ abilities to safely and efficiently get the job done.

Emily Brundick is a senior studying agricultural economics at the University of Missouri. She recently was a summer intern in AFBF’s Public Policy Department.

News Briefs Farm Bureau calls for quick action on Russia PNTR With Russia a member of the World Trade Organization as of Aug. 22, lawmakers must act now to pass permanent normal trade relations for the country. Russia has about 142 million people and the world’s ninth largest economy, the American Farm Bureau Federation and six other business groups recently wrote to House and Senate leaders.

As a result of Russia’s admission to the global trade body, “the more than 150 WTO countries—except the United States—can now fully benefit from much better access to the Russian marketplace and important new WTO rights, including stronger intellectual property protections, greater transparency, and recourse to the WTO’s dispute settlement procedures if Russia fails to meet its commitments,” the organizations wrote. PNTR for Russia is Farm Bureau’s top legislative trade priority.

Agriculture leaders to emcee rally American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman and Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, have been announced as the masters of ceremony for the Sept. 12 “Farm Bill Now” rally in Washington, D.C. “We appreciate all of the work done to date by Congress and look forward to working with the House to get a farm bill passed and into conference as soon as possible,” said Stallman. “In light of the drought, it is imperative for America’s farmers that a farm bill is passed this year.” The “Farm Bill Now” rally is being held in an effort to raise public awareness

of the need for Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire on Sept. 30.

Farm groups file friend-of-the-court-brief in forestry case Stormwater runoff from tree harvesting and other forestry activities, like most agricultural activities, should not be subject to federal Clean Water Act permitting requirements, according to a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the Supreme Court by the American Farm Bureau Federation and other farm groups. Joining AFBF, the National Pork Producers Council and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives urged the Supreme Court to reaffirm Congress’ intent to exclude stormwater runoff from forestry activities requiring CWA permits. In 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit invalidated the Environmental Protection Agency’s Silviculture Rule, relied on by forest landowners for 35 years. In urging the Supreme Court to reverse the decision, AFBF and the groups explained that Congress confirmed in its 1987 Clean Water Act amendments that stormwater from both agriculture and forestry—whether harvesting crops, raising livestock or harvesting trees—has always been intentionally excluded from federal permit requirements. “Congress has never allowed EPA to be in the business of mandating particular forestry practices, any more than it allows EPA to regulate how crops are grown,” said Ellen Steen, AFBF’s general counsel.

September 10, 2012

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A buffalo wallow in the middle of a Garfield County, Okla., pasture was the setting for a late August event hosted by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau as part of its effort to “Stop the Flood of Regulation.” The buffalo wallow could fall under EPA’s regulatory umbrella if the agency is successful in redefining navigable waterways under the Clean Water Act. Stop the Flood of Regulation is a campaign launched by the American Farm Bureau Federation to stop EPA from moving forward with a guidance document that would significantly expand the agency’s authority. With this additional authority for EPA comes a likely deluge of regulations and permit-

ting requirements for growers.

“This boils down to the fact the EPA wants to control all of the water,” said Mike Spradling, OFB president. “This control would include imposing restrictions on how this land could be used, meaning the farmer would not be allowed to use best management practices. He could be prevented from using herbicides to control weeds or fertilizer to boost forage production. This type of unnecessary and burdensome federal regulations is a serious threat to our private property rights.”

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), minority ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined Sprad-

ling during the event and called for a stop to the federal government’s regulatory march.

“The over regulators are destroying this country,” Inhofe said. “This is not just agriculture. Manufacturers and energy producers are all having the same (regulatory) problems.”

Inhofe praised farmers for standing up to the federal regulators.

“Farm Bureau is our best ally in these types of issues,” Inhofe said.

 During Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Stop the Flood of Regulation event, Sen. Jim Inhofe joined the organization in calling for an end to the federal government’s regulatory overreach.

photo courtesy of Oklahoma Farm Bureau

Inhofe backs Okla. FB effort to ‘Stop the Flood of Regulation’

Kentucky FB Country Ham Auction raises $300,000 for charity is donated to a charity or charities selected by the winning bidder. Dr. Lynn announced at the ham breakfast that his charitable donation would be given to the University of Louisville, Visually Impaired Preschool Services and Eastern Area Community Ministries. He also indicated that the grand champion ham would go to Wayside Christian Mission.

Kentucky Farm Bureau has now helped raise more than $6.5 million for local charities and educational and philanthropic groups through the 49-year history of the auction.

“There are few events in Kentucky that can rival the excitement of the grand champion ham auc-

tion,” said Mike Tobin, Kentucky Farm Bureau’s commodity director and ham breakfast event coordinator. “The fact that we get to do all this to the benefit of local charities only makes it that much better.”

The auction’s humble beginnings—a respectable $124 winning bid at the first event in 1964—have grown exponentially in recent years. The average price

 Miss Kentucky, Jessica Danielle Casebolt, displays the Grand Champion Country Ham at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s 2012 Country Ham Breakfast.

State Focus

of the auctioned ham over the last 10 years is now nearly $535,000.

photo courtesy of kentucky Farm Bureau

At the Kentucky State Fair last month, nearly 1,600 people gathered for Kentucky Farm Bureau’s 49th annual Country Ham Auction, during which the state fair’s grand champion ham was auctioned live for a six-figure sum.

Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates of Louisville offered up $300,000 for the 17.62-pound ham, which was produced by Scott Hams of Greenville, Ky. The winning bid amounts to approximately $17,026 per pound of ham.

“We have been very, very fortunate in our life, we have been blessed, and it is time to give back,” said Dr. Lynn. “That’s what we chose to do here today.”

The money raised at the auction

AFBF announces staff changes

Arkansas FB applauds state emergency livestock program

N.Y. farmers say thruway toll hike would be a hardship for all

Ohio Farm Bureau voices concern about Issue 2

Arkansas Farm Bureau applauded Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe’s $2 million grant for an emergency livestock program, saying the statewide drought has pushed livestock producers into a crisis situation. Livestock producers struggling with high feed costs had until Aug. 29 to apply for grant money. “Any support for our livestock producers is meaningful,” said Randy Veach, ARFB president. “This is a year on par with no other, with more than 50 percent of our state in exceptional drought conditions.

This will provide some immediate relief for those who have been struggling, and they need some help right now. For the second consecutive year, forage production in our state has been severely limited because of drought. That has put our livestock producers in a position of having to reduce the size of their herds, or pay extremely high prices for feedstuffs.”

The program was administered by the Arkansas Agriculture Department. Assistance was provided on a per-head basis for qualifying livestock producers who applied before the deadline.

Many New York Farm Bureau members attended public hearings and testified about the hardships they will face if the Thruway Authority in New York passes its proposed 45 percent toll hike on larger commercial vehicles. The toll hike will also hit consumers, NYFB said. NYFB District 1 Director and egg farmer Hal Kreher explained how the projected hike will cost his business an additional $500 a month in tolls. He is also concerned about paying more for feed for his chickens since it is trucked in to his family farm. “Everything you get from a store got there on a truck. And if it passes through a warehouse in Buffalo, Rochester or elsewhere, it may take more than one trip on a truck. This is going to impact the cost of all goods,” Kreher told the Thruway Authority at the Buffalo hearing. Additionally, if this toll increase is approved, New Yorkers can expect to see more truck traffic on rural roads as some haulers look to avoid the thruway to cut costs, creating a safety concern for all motorists with a growing number of large trucks on two-lane roads, NYFB said.

Ohio Farm Bureau’s board of trustees voted at its August meeting to oppose Issue 2, which will ask Ohio voters in November whether or not to amend the Ohio Constitution to change the way congressional and state legislative districts are drawn. Under the proposal, new districts would be created for the 2014 election and then after each census. The proposed process includes a confusing and complicated application and selection procedure that lacks accountability to voters, OFBF says.

While OFBF believes that a better and more transparent redistricting process is needed, the board feels strongly that Issue 2 does not meet the standards of good government. “Ohioans deserve good government that is accountable to the public, subject to fiscal and ethical oversight, and ensures that rural Ohio continues to have adequate legislative representation. Issue 2 does not meet these criteria,” said Jack Fisher, OFBF’s executive vice president. OFBF is calling for a more thorough review of apportionment and redistricting.

Elaine Bristol has been promoted to director of program development within the American Farm Bureau Federation’s organization department. Bristol now works with the Women’s Leadership and Promotion and Education programs. She was previously a program assistant in the organization department.

Bristol earned her bachelor’s degree in agriculture and natural resource communications from Michigan State University.

Marty Tatman has joined the AFBF staff as director of program development working with the YF&R and Safety/ Health programs.

He was previously, for five years, the education specialist for Collegiate Programs for the National FFA Organization. He has a master’s degree in leadership education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary science from the University of Wyoming. He was raised on a ranch in southeast Wyoming. He also was active in 4-H and FFA.

Grassroots

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September 10, 2012

Protecting groundwater protects public health, the environment The American Farm Bureau Federation encourages the public to protect health and the environment by protecting groundwater on Protect Your Groundwater Day, Sept. 11, and every day.

Eighty-eight million Americans rely on groundwater supplied by community water systems, while another 42 million of us depend on individual household water wells.

For household water well owners, how they manage their well systems and property can make a difference in their water quality.

People who do not use household wells also can make a difference in groundwater quality in, for instance, how they store, use and dispose of hazardous household substances, or how well they maintain their septic systems.

Protect Your Groundwater Day is an occasion for every citizen to ACT: Acknowledge the issue, Consider how it applies to you, and then Take action. Here are a few action steps from the National Ground Water Association that you can take to protect

groundwater, health and the environment.

1. Acknowledge the causes of preventable groundwater contamination.

Everyone— • There are chemicals and other hazardous substances common to households.

• Most household water use occurs in a few areas around the home.

Well owners— • Wellheads should be a safe distance from potential contamination.

• Septic system malfunctions can pollute groundwater.

• Poorly constructed or maintained wells can facilitate contamination.

• Improperly abandoned wells can lead to groundwater contamination.

2. Consider which apply to you.

Everyone— • What specific hazardous substances are in and around your home?

• Where do you and your family use the most water?

Well owners— • Is your wellhead a safe distance from pos-

sible contamination?

• Is your well or septic system due for an inspection?

• Are there any abandoned wells on your property?

3. Take action to prevent groundwater contamination.

Everyone— • Modify your water use and conserve water.

• Install a water-saving device.

• When it comes to hazardous household substances, store them properly, use them according to manufacturer’s recommendations and dispose of them safely.

Well owners— • Move possible contamination sources a safe distance from the wellhead.

• Get current on your septic system inspection and cleaning.

• Get an annual water well inspection.

• Properly decommission any abandoned wells using a professional.

Want more tips about protecting groundwater and taking care of your well? Visit www.wellowner.org.

Farmers and ranchers know that few things are more important than the food we consume, and it’s the same for the water we drink. Will you ACT to protect groundwater?

Farm Bureau, AFB Foundation kick off photo contest The American Farm Bureau Federation and the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture are holding the 2012 Farm Bureau Photo Contest. The competition is open to all state and county Farm Bureau members and employees above 18 years of age at the time of entry, including professional photographers.

Submitted photos will be used to accurately portray today’s agriculture and safe practices of farmers and ranchers, and also for future use in AFBF, and related companies, publications and promotions. The competition guidelines state all photo submissions must exemplify safe

practices on the farm or ranch.

The competition is broken down into the following five categories: Safety and Health Photos submitted under this category should exemplify correct and safe practices around the farm.

My Scenic Farm/Ranch Photos submitted under this category should be dynamic and visually appealing. Photos can cover a variety of topics including, but not limited to: farm/ ranch house, barn, crops, farm animals, land, etc.

At Work on the Farm or Ranch Photos submitted under this

Time is running out on the farm bill Continued from page 1 the Midwest, the South and the West toured parched farm fields and pastures to see first-hand the importance of the risk management and drought assistance tools already in both versions of the new farm bill.

“We’re hopeful that the message members heard from their farmer and rancher constituents—that they need a farm bill to help them through this drought and provide long-term certainty on farm policy—will inspire them to get the farm bill done,” said Dale Moore, AFBF farm policy specialist. “We hope they’ll bring that message back and work with their colleagues to make it a top priority to complete the new farm bill before the current one expires.”

If the farm bill expires and there is no action, farm policy would for the most part revert to a 1949 farm law that all subsequent farm bills have, in effect, amended.

Those mid-century farm policies are ill-suited, to say the least, to today’s agriculture, says Moore.

“That would be disastrous,” he

said. “We’re talking about supply management and quota programs and things like that, designed for the days of big crop surpluses.

Clearly we live in a much different world today, with high demand and a short crop this year, due to the drought.”

Moore concedes finishing the farm bill within the few legislative days before the Election is a sysiphean undertaking.

“But if Lucas and the leadership can get a new, five-year farm bill passed in the House in the next couple of weeks, that will lay the foundation to come back and finish it up in the lame-duck session,” he explained. “That’s the plan Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups are focused on, and it can work. It has to.”

AFBF and other groups in the Farm Bill Now coalition will rally in Washington Sept. 12 to urge Congress to do just that.

The diverse coalition includes conservation, hunger, energy, consumer and rural development organizations, in addition to farm and livestock groups.

category can cover a variety of topics including, but not limited to: planting, harvesting, irrigating, animal care, branding, etc.

At Home on the Farm or Ranch Photos submitted under this category can cover a variety of topics including, but not limited to: my farm/ranch family, gardening, all ages and family members as well as generational groups.

Consumer Outreach Photos submitted under this category should exemplify farmer and rancher interactions with consumers/the public.

The contest runs through Nov. 30, 2012, with monetary prizes being awarded to the top three photos in each category.

First place winners will be awarded $200, second place $150 and third place $100. Competition winners will be announced at the AFBF Annual Meeting in January 2013 in Nashville, Tenn.

For more information on how to register and to view the contest’s rules and regulations please visit, http://www.fb.org/index. php?action=programs. photocontest.

Corner Post Generation OFRD Percent of principal farm operations (2007)

With the exception of agritourism farms, younger farmers (under 45 years old) are more likely to operate what USDA calls on-farm, rural development-related (OFRD) activities, such as organic farming, value-added agriculture, direct marketing and renewable energy production. Older farmers (65 and up) are more likely to operate agritourism farms.

Source: USDA, ERS and NASS, Agricultural Resource Managment Survey, 2007