December 2011, Volume 15, Issue 8

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Decmber 2011

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Farm Bureau Honors Veterans

Idaho Farm Bureau

Volume 15, Issue 8

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Farm Bill Negotiations Rush to Make Deadline

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Ag Groups Troubled

by New Farm Labor Regulations

Dust Regulations are Blowin’ in the Wind

The Ag Agenda

By Bob Stallman AFBF President

Dust is a fact of life in rural areas, from driving on unpaved roads, to plowing farm fields and moving cattle from one location to the next. Recently dust has even made its way to Washington, D.C. Coming under attack by activists, it has been made the focus of congressional hearings and legislation.

Rural dust is regulated by the En-

Antiquities Act Wrong Tool for Creating Wilderness

By Frank Priestley President Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

A report recently released by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar identifies central Idaho’s Boulder White Clouds region as deserving protec-

The Idaho Farm Bureau -

Unmistakable and Distinguished

By Rick Keller CEO Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

One of my most cherished responsibilities as executive of the Idaho Farm Bureau is to be the guardian and conserver of Farm Bureau history.

For many years, the earliest docu2

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

vironmental Protection Agency, but a bill currently pending in Congress would remove naturally occurring dust from EPA oversight and out of the bull’s-eye of activist groups.

A Dust Up Dust is no stranger to farmers and ranchers. In some parts of the country, like the arid West and Southwest, it’s as much a part of the ranch as the livestock tion as a national conservation area, wilderness or “other conservation designation.”

This information, coupled with former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus encouraging the Obama Administration to use the Antiquities Act to designate wilderness in Idaho, is cause for concern. In fact, it’s hard to understand why a former governor who should have Idahoans’ best interests at heart would support a federal government violation of state’s rights of this magnitude.

mentation we had of Farm Bureau in Idaho was a 1919 photograph of a Benewah County Farm Bureau picnic. In the photo appears a large circle of cars surrounding a mountain meadow, forming a perimeter for the picnic. The center of the meadow is where the members are concentrating. It appears they are playing a game of baseball.

We were aware that a group of Idaho farmers and ranchers joined with a similar group from Washington and Oregon in 1919 to form a

and hay.

Rural dust is regulated through the Clean Air Act’s National Ambient Standard. Areas, like in California and Arizona, that have a tough time meeting this EPA standard, are required to take further measures to reduce dust. But, unfortunately, a recent petition to EPA by activists has stirred up a dust storm in Washington.

See STALLMAN, page 26 During an interview with Idaho Public Television’s Marcia Franklin, seen here http://www. f a c e b o o k . c o m / v i d e o / v i d e o. php?v=10150354104911867&saved) Andrus admitted that he was wrong to support using the Antiquities Act to create nearly 80 million acres of wilderness in Alaska in 1978 when he was President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of Interior. To be precise, Andrus was referring to using the Act in 1978 “for a purpose other than what it was designed for.” FurSee PRIESTLEY, page 38 regional Farm Bureau organization patterned after the American Farm Bureau Federation, which also was formed in 1919. We had no prior knowledge of any other Farm Bureau activity in Idaho.

Until recently, we knew little of any other Idaho documentation prior to the photograph. This past September, former IFBF administrator Lynn Parke brought to my office in Pocatello a Fremont County newspaper, The Teton Peak Chronicle, See KELLER, page 27

Volume 15, Issue 8 IFBF OFFICERS President ....................................Frank Priestley, Franklin Vice President .................................. Mark Trupp, Driggs Executive Vice President ............................... Rick Keller BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bryan Searle ............................................................ Shelley Scott Bird ........................................................... Pocatello Chris Dalley ........................................................Blackfoot Dean Schwendiman ............................................Newdale Danny Ferguson ........................................................ Rigby Scott Steele ..................................................... Idaho Falls Gerald Marchant ................................................... Oakley Rick Pearson .................................................... Hagerman Mike Garner............................................................... Declo Curt Krantz ............................................................ Parma Mike McEvoy..................................................... Middleton Tracy Walton ....................................................... Emmett Marjorie French ............................................... Princeton Bob Callihan ......................................................... Potlatch Louis Kins ........................................................... Kootenai Carol Guthrie ......................................................... Inkom Austin Tubbs............................................................... Malad STAFF Dir. of Admin. Services ........................ Nancy Shiozawa Dir. of Member Services ................................... Ray Poe Dir. of Commodities ............................. Dennis Brower Commodity Assistant .................................. Peggy Pratt Membership Assistant ............................... Peggy Moore Market Information Assistant . ................ Dixie Ashton Dist. I Regional Manager ........................... Justin Patten Dist. II Regional Manager ....................... Kendall Keller Dist. III Regional Manager ................... Charles Garner Dist. IV Regional Manager ................... Russ Hendricks Dist. V Regional Manager ....................... Bob Smathers Director of Governmental Affairs ............ Kent Lauer Asst. Dir. of Governmental Affairs .... Dennis Tanikuni Range/Livestock Specialist........................... Wally Butler Director of Public Relations .............. John Thompson Video Services Manager ............................. Steve Ritter Broadcast Services Manager .................... Jake Putnam Office Manager, Boise ................... Julie Christoffersen Member Services Manager ........................ Joel Benson Printed by: Owyhee Publishing, Homedale, ID GEM STATE PRODUCER USPS #015-024, is published monthly except February, May, August and November by the IDAHO FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, 275 Tierra Vista Drive, Pocatello, ID 83201.

POSTMASTER send changes of address to: GEM STATE PRODUCER P.O. Box 4848, Pocatello, ID 83205-4848.

Periodicals postage paid at Pocatello, Idaho, and additional mailing offices.

Subscription rate: $6.00 per year included in Farm Bureau dues.

MAGAZINE CONTACTS: Idaho Farm Bureau Federation EDITOR (208) 239-4292 • ADS (208) 239-4279 E-MAIL: dashton@idahofb.org www.idahofb.org

Cover: VFW Post 735 of Pocatello performed a flag ceremony and posting of the colors during the Idaho Farm Bureau’s Salute to Idaho Veterans on November 10.

Photo by John Thompson

Idaho veterans performed a flag ceremony during the Idaho Farm Bureau’s inaugural Salute to Idaho Veterans on November 10 in Pocatello.

Farm Bureau Salutes Veterans Article and photos by John Thompson The Idaho Farm Bureau held its inaugural Salute to Idaho Veterans on November 10th. A large group of local veterans as well as company employees and the organization’s Board of Directors attended the event.

See VETERANS page 4 Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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VETERANS

Continued from page 3

After a flag ceremony and posting of the colors, Sgt. Richard Hollingsworth com-

mander of the Pocatello Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 735 spoke about his

military experiences and the tie that binds soldiers who have been in battle together.

“Veterans Day, the 11th day of the 11th month in the 11th hour is set aside to remember all those who served in the military,” Sgt. Hollingsworth said. “It’s a day to thank living veterans for their service and to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated.”

Hollingsworth, a Vietnam combat veteran, said when he returned from East Asia he had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. There was little recognition for soldiers returning from Vietnam and he said he carries a lot of vivid, battlefield memories with him every day. He said soldiers have a yearning for adventure, a desire to be where the action is and the curiosity to “live on a page of history.”

“On a battlefield when a man is scared and frightened yet he forces himself to stand steady in spite of the fact that every human tendency is to run, that’s when a man looks inside himself and discovers his true ingredients,” he said. “That’s when he becomes a hero to himself and to those who know him.”

Commander Hollingsworth said soldiers in battle form a bond that is difficult for anyone who has never experienced it to understand. “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do,” he said. “There is no courage without fear.”

He said there were terrible days when he had to say goodbye to fellow soldiers. “I have watched best friends die in horrible ways,” he said. “I wanted so much to be able to hold them aside and protect them but could not.”

In closing, Hollingsworth said he has a proud feeling in his heart when he sees the Stars and Stripes flying in the breeze. “I thank you for the tingling I feel down my spine when I hear the Star Spangled Banner being sung by free Americans,” he said.

Idaho Farm Bureau President Frank Priest-

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Veterans from the Pocatello VFW Post 735 retire the colors during a ceremony held at the Idaho Farm Bureau Home Office on November 10.

ley spoke of his experience of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. Throughout history many soldiers have died without their remains being identified. Following World War I a movement arose to commemorate these soldiers with a single tomb containing the body of one such unidentified soldier.

“What a privilege and honor that was and what a privilege and honor it is to see you all here today,” Priestley said. “So many times here in America we see people protesting for one thing or another. They have the right to do that because of soldiers like you all.”

In addition to speeches, the flag ceremony and posting of the colors, a slideshow and a luncheon, two Idaho State Uni-

versity musical ensembles entertained the crowd. The TwoThree Fifths Quintet, comprised of Danny Roberts from Menan playing trumpet, Kristen Counsell of Cedar Falls, Iowa playing the French horn, Blake French playing trombone and Chris Carroll from Blackfoot playing tuba, played the official songs of each branch of the U.S. military. Michael Helman, a faculty adviser and music instructor at ISU conducted the Quintet.

The second musical ensemble, a vocal quartet made up of Jared Johnson, Ethan McWilliams, John Primrose and Lakota Terrace also performed O Beautiful for Spacious Skies, The Lads in their Hundreds, Bring Him Home, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

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Proposed cuts to conservation programs could affect the livestock industry.

Photo by Steve Ritter

House, Senate Begin Farm Bill Negotiations

By John Thompson U.S. House and Senate conferees are working on a new Farm Bill that would cut $23 billion over ten years to submit to a super committee charged with overall deficit reduction.

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With regard to agriculture cuts, areas under consideration include cutting commodity programs by $15 billion, food stamps by $4 billion and conservation programs by $4 billion. Both House and Senate measures call for massive cuts of up to $1 bil-

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

lion to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The House bill also includes a provision prohibiting the rulemaking process of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA), while the Senate bill eliminates direct payments to farms

with an average adjusted gross income in excess of $1 million.

The budget control act of 2011, passed in August, increased the debt ceiling by $400 billion and requires the federal government to make $917 billion in spending cuts over a ten year period as a first installment. It also created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction tabbed the “Supercommittee” and charged it with presenting a spending cut package to Congress by November 23. Congress then has until December 23 to act on the plan. If they fail to reach the designated timetable, $1.2 trillion will automatically be cut from discretionary defense and nondefense spending through 2021.

The Supercommittee is charged with finding $1.5 trillion in overall cuts by November 23, which may include: revenue increases, including raising taxes; tax reforms, such as simplifying the tax code and eliminating some tax breaks and loopholes; military spending cuts; and measures to reform and slow the growth of entitlement programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

If cuts to the CSP program come to fruition, the effect will be felt here in Idaho. Last year the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funded 202 CSP contracts covering 351,000 acres of forest, crop and pasture land. The program paid out $4 million. Under present rules, CSP payments are capped at $40,000 per year with a total of $200,000 maximum over the five-year contract.

Regarding the House proposal to prohibit GIPSA rulemaking to commence, Wyatt Prescott,

executive vice president of the Idaho Cattle Association, said his organization has been working hard to change the Act, making it less burdensome.

Prescott said a lot could change over the next few weeks but presently the proposed changes to GIPSA are not acceptable.

ICA is opposed to funding the GIPSA rulemaking process.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union support moving ahead with GIPSA rulemaking and allowing USDA to act on more than a year’s worth of collecting public comment and studying ways to improve livestock marketing and limiting packer control of livestock.

Prescott said ICA is also concerned about potential cuts to conservation programs, mainly to funding of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). “We want to make sure we maintain the 60/40 livestock split that enables ranchers to be better stewards and to share those costs,” he said. ICA is also watching for any changes in dairy policy that could give dairy producers a competitive advantage in the marketplace with regard to purchasing feed, Prescott added.

AFBF has taken positions on a handful of other measures under consideration. AFBF opposes a provision in the Senate bill regarding the use of funds to provide direct payments to persons or legal entities with an average adjusted gross income (AGI) in excess of $1,000,000.

AFBF opposes a provision in the House bill that prevents appropriated funds from being used to provide payments to the Brazil Cotton Institute.

AFBF supports the broadband program provision in the House

passed bill and the Senate provision that adds $100 million to the Emergency Conservation Program and Watershed Protection Program for expenses resulting from a major disaster designation under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Farm Bureau also supports the Senate provision that would allow the U.S. Trade Representative to hire additional counsels for trade enforcement activities, such as filing WTO cases and other trade disputes, and negotiating with our trade partners to eliminate unfair market access restrictions.

Further, Farm Bureau supports the Senate provision that prevents any funds from being used to set maximum limits on

the frequency of serving vegetables in school meal programs and opposes the House provision which precludes USDA from providing fee-for-service inspection of horse processing facilities.

The Agriculture Appropriations Bill provides funding for a wide array of federal agricultural programs, mostly within USDA. These programs include: agricultural research; education and extension activities; natural resources conservation programs; food safety, marketing and inspection activities; rural economic and community development activities; telecommunications and electrification assistance; and various export and international activities of the USDA.

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Ada County Farm Bureau Honored at AFBF Annual Meeting in Hawaii

By Jake Putnam BOISE - Ada County Farm Bureau is one of 25 county Farm Bureaus from across the country recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation for innovative program ideas in this year’s County Activities of Excellence program.

The American Farm Bureau will honor the winners at the AFBF’s 93rd annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii Jan. 8-11.

“They call it the County Award of Excellence,” said Ada County Farm Bureau President Don Sonke. “They give each county $2,200 to set up a booth at the Convention and then we show our program with other Farm Bureau members, so we’re going to Honolulu to do just that.”

The awards honor innovative programs by county Farm Bureaus in five categories: Education & Agriculture Promotion; Leadership Development; Membership Services; Policy Implementation; and Public Relations & Information.

“Farm Bureau members attending AFBF’s annual meeting in Hawaii in January will see firsthand how these 25 action oriented programs do a great job in fulfilling Farm Bureau’s mission,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The winning entries will be on display at the trade show where county Farm 8

Bureau leaders from across America can discover what other county Farm Bureaus are doing to promote agriculture in their communities.”

About a year ago the Ada County Farm Bureau Board of directors set out to teach a new generation of Idahoans about agriculture. They installed a kiosk at the Zoo Farm exhibit at the Boise Zoo. The kiosk sports an innovative and eyecatching computer screen. By touching and dragging various items on the screen, participants can find the ingredients to make an apple pie, pick out products that come from cows, put pictures of a growing plant in proper order, and several other educational and fun activities.

“We noticed at the Western Idaho State Fair that more than 200,000 people walked by our booth, but were not engaged,” Sonke said. “At Zoo Boise over 300,000 people visit the exhibit, feed the animals and play the kiosk.”

Sonke says Idahoan’s are becoming detached from agriculture and need to know where their food is coming from. The game was developed by Pioneer Seed, a division of the DuPont Company along with input from the staff at the American Farm Bureau in Washington D.C.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

A kiosk at Zoo Boise’s farm exhibit earned the Ada County Farm Bureau national recognition.

Photo by Jake Putnam

This year’s county Farm Bureau winners come from Alabama, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The winners are: Crops Teaching Garden for the Big Oak Ranch, a place for children needing a chance, St. Clair County, Ala.; Blue Jacket Bonanza, Santa Barbara County, Calif.; Produced HD DVD about “Local Agriculture,” Santa Cruz County, Calif.; The Intermountain Ranch Rodeo, Shasta County, Calif.; Downtown Zoo and Park Adventures

in Agriculture, Ada County, Idaho; Liberty 5K Run/Walk, Grundy County, Ill.; SPROUTS (Spring Program of Reading Outreach to Urban Teachers and Students), Kane County, Ill.; Food & Family Farmer Exhibit, McLean County, Ill.; Farm Families: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You, Randolph County, Ill.; Reap What You Know, Clinton County, Ind. “It’s a big honor, no doubt,” said Sonke. We’re excited to show the other farm bureaus what we did.”

Proposed changes to labor regulations could cause major changes to the ability to employ people younger than 18 years on farms and ranches across the U.S. Farm Bureau file photo

Farm Groups Urge Caution on New Labor Regulations

By John Thompson In a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), a coalition of agriculture groups recently expressed serious concerns about the ability to educate and train a future generation of farmers.

The letter, which requested an additional 60 days for public comment on the proposed changes to DOL’s Child Labor Regulations, states that the proposed rules in current form entail sweeping changes in current agricultural practices, coupled with an increase in legal liability to farm and ranch families.

states. “We touch upon these specific items only to illustrate the sweep and breadth of what the department is proposing. We will provide more extensive comments before the close of the comment period. But it is critical for the department to understand what it is proposing and how its perspective will affect farming and ranching operations throughout the United States.”

The letter, endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation among others, states that DOL’s proposal calls into question several longstanding practices in agriculture and implicates the livelihoods of future farmers.

Specific concerns noted in the letter include changes in ownership patterns of farming operations, training and educating future farmers, working with livestock and harvest of fruits and berries. In addition, the letter seeks an additional 60 days of public comment due to the fact that the proposed changes were released during harvest when it is difficult for farmers and ranchers to make extra time to respond. The letter asks that the comment period be extended until January 2012.

“The department’s proposal is extraordinarily broad, touching upon ownership patterns and operations of family farms; calling into question current practices of educating and training future farmers; potentially threatening longstanding activities of youth in connection with livestock; and presumably attacking standard practices in the harvest of fruits and berries,” the letter

The DOL notice states that it is “clarifying” the family farm exemption which allows children of farm owners to work on family farms exempt of the DOL regulations spelled out in the Child Labor Regulations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The letter states that over recent decades farms have grown larger and consolidated.

Ownership patterns have changed as land

has passed from one generation to another.

Today it is common for siblings or other relatives to jointly own and operate farms.

This extended participation allows many families to remain in agricultural production. Proposed regulations would prohibit youths under 15 years to work for an aunt or uncle or a limited liability corporation (LLC) that their family has a relationship with.

In addition, proposed changes allowing youth to work near livestock is also troubling to the agriculture groups, according to the letter. Proposed regulations state that youth under 15 will not be allowed to work near sexually mature livestock. This would prohibit young people from performing many widely-used animal husbandry practices that pose no significant risk of injury.

Harvesting of fruits, berries and other crops is also on the table for increased regulations. The DOL is concerned about young people working outside in the sun all day. The agriculture groups are preparing extensive comments to counter many of the proposed regulations. Check future issues of Idaho Farm Bureau’s Gem State Producer Magazine for updates.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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Focus on Agriculture Farming Under the Midnight Sun

By Erik L. Ness

life.”

People in the news business like to see items that are offbeat and humorous to belay the serious headlines of the day.

They often run these “kickers” at the end of a television or radio newscast. Recently a kicker story about a bear cub running amok in the produce section of a family-owned grocery store in Ketchikan, Alaska, received a lot of attention. Folks who live in Alaska, or have spent time there, know things like this happen there, while citizens in “the lower 48” would be totally shocked at such an occurrence.

Barges move north and south daily through the Pacific waters and are supplemented by air and trucking networks that keep the state well supplied.

The little secret of the matter is such disruptions in food processing, supply and transportation can happen to any state in this nation under the right circumstances, according to Bryce Wrigley, Alaska Farm Bureau President, of Delta Junction. He recalls the lack of food in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina right on the edge of the Louisiana bread basket.

One of the things noticeable in the video footage of the cub was the sheer amount of colorful, fresh produce available in that store in a remote southeast Alaska grocery store. Ketchikan, like other towns along the “Inside Passage,” is reachable only by plane or boat, but it is a thriving lumber and fishery community with a rich history.

Most of the fresh produce, fruit, meat and dairy still comes in by ocean barge from “down south.”

Wrigley, who grows barley, wheat and field peas, said opportunities in Alaska start with the statistic that, “we import 95 percent of what we eat.” The Farm Bureau leader says he and his fellow Alaskan farmers are constantly looking for ways to improve their local and regional food security and processing possibilities. In fact, Wrigley Farms is currently building the only commercial flour mill in the state in order to provide Alaskan-grown grain products to local communities.

A couple of decades ago a cook on a commercial fishing boat in that port dare not miss the arrival of the fresh fruit and vegetables, which were vital while the crew was out to sea. Those items could sell out fast and a minor glitch in the long transportation chain could disrupt the supply line. One Alaska native noted, however, that the reliability of this supply chain of food and other items “is better today than at any time in my 10

Wrigley says Alaska is a “microcosm” of what’s happening in the other states as it tries to preserve its limited farmland and create an industry that attracts the next generation to the farm. Development pressures certainly exist in Alaska’s fertile areas. Rich with soil and sunlight, the Matanuska Valley boasts some 278 diversified farms covering 38,391 acres northeast of Anchorage.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Other commodities produced in the largest state are potatoes, hay, sod, nursery crops, grass-fed cattle, chickens, hogs, sheep and lambs. Native Alaskan Inuit tribal members run herds of reindeer for meat and hides. Some ranchers on Kodiak Island have switched to bison from cattle because they can stand up to bears. Other livestock operations raise elk or yak. All of these producers are proud of the strides they’ve made in a state that is rough and tough and beautiful as they come.

The result of Wrigley Farms’ new milling operation means more growers in the area can produce more barley and wheat,

which will be processed for large and small groceries stores in the state. Wrigley notes that consumer preference for locally grown food is an established cultural fact in his state.

He hopes this ramp up will provide enough additional income for local farmers to encourage their children to stay and continue to grow with the agricultural dream of America’s Last Frontier.

Erik Ness is a regular contributor to AFBF’s Focus on Agriculture commentary series. He is a media consultant and a retired staff member of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

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8/15/11 2:50 PM Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011 11

State Representative, Ag Leader Passes BOISE - State Rep. Patrick Takasugi, a Republican two-term state lawmaker from Wilder, died Sunday, November 6, at a Boise hospital after a three-year battle with appendix cancer.

He was 62.

Takasugi was a lifelong member of the Idaho Farm Bureau. In 1979 he was honored as an “Outstanding Young Farmer” by the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and also received the state Jaycees’ “Idaho Outstanding Young Farmer” award in 1980 and Canyon County Farmer of the Year in 2010.

He served in many organization leadership roles with the Farm Bureau, Food Producers of Idaho, Leadership Idaho Agriculture Foundation, Idaho Crop Improvement Association, University of Idaho Ag Consulting Council, Idaho Republican State Central Committee, Northwest Alfalfa Seed Growers Association, Idaho Alfalfa Seed Commission, National Council of Ag Employers, Canyon County Sheriff Reserve Unit and several insurance company boards of directors.

Takasugi was a proud College of Idaho graduate and went on to serve as an officer in the U.S. Army Special Forces. Governor Phil Batt named him director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture. He also farmed more than 1,500 acres near Wilder and Homedale.

Takasugi is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and three children.

Idaho farmer and agriculture leader Pat Takasugi recently passed away.

Idaho 4-H Hall of Fame Honors Eight Longtime Volunteers MOSCOW – The Idaho 4-H Hall of Fame honored eight longtime volunteers from across the state who committed their time and energy to helping young people through the University of Idaho Extension 4-H Youth Development Program.

Pat Ostrom of Nampa, Myrn Gosse of New Plymouth, LeeAnn Orcutt of Middleton, Maurine Johnson of Greenleaf, Gerald and Grace Ingle of Kendrick, Wolfe Delbridge of Bancroft, and Carol Grassl of Caldwell were inducted during the Idaho State 4-H Leaders’ Forum in Boise.

More than 33,000 children 12

and teens ages 5 to 18 participated in Idaho 4-H activities in 2010-11. They developed leadership, math, science and technology skills, and learned practical, life-long lessons in activities that benefit themselves and their communities. Through research-based, positive youth development programs, 4-H youths get the hands-on, real world experience they need to become leaders.

The University of Idaho Extension 4-H program Idaho drew on the talents and leadership of 4,200 adult and youth volunteers who helped 4-H members undertake an array of projects.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Idaho 4-H will celebrate its centennial during 2012. The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences became involved in 1912 when boys and girls clubs were organized statewide. They evolved into today’s modern 4-H program with clubs in all of Idaho’s counties served by University of Idaho Extension.

More information about the Idaho 4-H Youth Development Program is available online at http:// www.uidaho.edu/extension/4H .

The Idaho 4-H Hall of Fame was founded in 2002 with 100 honorees. Since then, 29 additional members have been honored.

The 2011 Idaho 4-H Hall of Fame honorees included the following:

Pat Ostrom of Nampa served as a leader in the Canyon County 4-H program for over 25 years of the Mustangers and Lone Star 4-H clubs. In that role she helped 130 children and teens on their journeys to becoming caring individuals and productive citizens.

Ostrom lent her considerable talents and experience to the county, district and state horse councils, including serving as president at the county and district level.

She helped train 4-H judges

and helped plan and oversee Horse Camp, a rare opportunity for 4-H members to camp with their horses.

Other contributions included serving as Canyon County 4-H Fair Aide for 13 years and as a Teen Conference chaperone on the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus.

Myrn Gosse of New Plymouth mentored an estimated 2,250 children and teens during her nearly 40 years as a 4-H leader in Payette County. Her Rawhiders 4-H Club, which mainly focuses on horse, also allows members to pursue swine, scrapbooking, quilting, small animals, beef, sheep goats and Legos projects.

Educated as a teacher, Gosse spent most of her career as a school bus driver, helping students focus on their homework as they ride home from school.

Her help led horse judging teams to district, state and national judging competitions.

As a result of her work to raise funds and promote the judging teams, 4-H members had the chance to travel around the country and take advantage of unique opportunities.

Maurine Johnson of Greenleaf has helped Owyhee County 4-H members gain skills and served in county, district and state leadership roles. Her 31 years of involvement in the University of Idaho Extension 4-H program includes 10 as a member and 21 as an adult volunteer.

In addition to leading sewing clubs in which she donated her time and talents in addition to materials, she advised the Owyhee County Teen Association.

Johnson also served as Owyhee County Fair superintendent for 12 years and contributed her time and leadership in county and district roles. She serves as the Treasure Valley American Sewing Guild president.

She provided a positive adult role model for members, one of whom recently became a 4-H volunteer.

The late LeeAnn Orcutt of Ada County was a longtime volunteer who believed in the 4-H program, serving as 4-H leader in Ada County for 13 years until she lost her life to cancer.

She made a significant impact to 4-H with her dedication to the program and as fair supervisor, mini forum presenter and fund raising chairman. She received a Distinguish Service Award in Ada County in 2005.

Orcutt encouraged youth in her 4-H club to seek out their own community service projects and to communicate easily with adults in the club and community.

During her last four years in 4-H and during her battle with cancer, she continued as sale committee secretary and in other roles.

The late Gerald and Grace Ingle of Kendrick were 4-H leaders in Latah County. They started the Big Bear Ridge Farm Boys and later Big Bear Ridge 4-H Club in 1946. They served as leaders for more than 30 years between them.

The Ingles continued to support 4-H financially in later years. Their Big Bear Ridge 4-H Club included nearly all the youth in the community.

The Ingles helped organize the Latah County Leaders’ Council and served as officers. After Gerald died in 1982, Grace established an annual cash award in his memory for three 4-H members for outstanding achievement, leadership and citizenship. An estimated 90100 youth have received the Gerald and Grace Ingle Memorial Award in the last 28 years.

Wolfe Delbridge of Bancroft has led the Pony Express 4-H Club in Pocatello for at least 40 years and others in Bannock and Caribou counties. The clubs focus on horse, veterinary science, teen leadership and other projects.

Pony Express club members focus on leadership have resulted in three being chosen as Miss Rodeo Idaho, one as Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho and another as Miss Idaho High School Rodeo.

His club members also graduated to work for University of Idaho Extension and American National CattleWomen, an agriculture group.

Delbridge ensured 4-H club members took leadership roles by conducting the clubs’ meetings, fundraisers and unique community service ideas. He also taught them to take individual responsibility for themselves and their animals.

Carol Grassl of Caldwell began serving as a University of Idaho Extension 4-H volunteer in 1969 when her daughter became old enough to join. She earlier joined 4-H in grade school after volunteering her mother to form a club.

Grassl’s first 4-H club catered to girls who wanted to

learn to cook and sew, then evolved when a boy joined.

She encouraged club members to pursue 4-H at the county, state and national level.

She also shared her expertise of being a professional photographer with a number of youth for nearly 15 years, stimulating creativity and interest in the profession. She received the Canyon County Distinguished Service Award. She serves on the Canyon County 4-H Endowment Board as treasurer.

Earlier this year, the National 4-H Hall of Fame inducted retired University of Idaho Extension professor Frankie Marler of Boise as one of 15 honorees chosen from across the U.S.

Beginning her Extension career in 1970 as area home economist in charge of the district Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in Boise, Marler oversaw hiring, training, and supervision of 20 nutrition aides in five counties. In 1977, she accepted a temporary position as the Extension home economist in Ada County.

She served in Ada County until she moved to Alaska in 1987 and later served in Washington’s Snohomish County.

In 1993, she returned to Ada County where she continued her career as Extension 4-H agent till her retirement in 1999.

More information about those honored by the National and Idaho 4-H Halls of Fame is available online at http://www.uidaho.edu/ extension/4h/awardsscholarshipscontests/asc/4hhalloffame .

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

13

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

15

There are approximately 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the U.S., which provide full- or part-time employment to over 100,000 people.

Real Christmas Trees – Made in America

By Yvonne Barkley Sleigh bells ring, carolers sing, and it’s time to deck your halls for the holiday season. And for 30-35 million American families, the centerpiece of their holiday traditions is a real Christmas tree.

The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), as well as other entities from all over the world, has officially recognized the year 1510 as the first recorded instance of a decorated real Christmas tree, a tradition born in the city of Riga, Latvia.

Since then people all over the world have brought live trees into their homes at this time of year to decorate and enjoy as part of their celebrations and traditions.

There is an on-going and lively 16

debate between folks that prefer real Christmas trees and those that prefer (gasp!) fake trees. Eighty-five percent of the 10 million fake Christmas trees sold worldwide are made in China from plastics and metals, and some with enough lead in them to warrant a warning label. Additionally, artificial trees are not biodegradable and usually end up in landfills a mere 6-9 years after they have been purchased, where they can leach harmful chemicals into the environment.

In this age of going green and worries about our economy, what better way to show your commitment than to chose a natural, renewable crop that is carbon neutral, supports local businesses, is biodegradable, and looks and smells good to

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

boot?

For more information please go to the following links: The National Christmas Tree Association - www.christmastree.org/home.cfm

Christmas Tree Farm Network - www.christmas-tree.com/

real/

And when all the carols have been sung and the fudge and eggnog is gone, know that there are over 4,000 local Christmas tree recycling programs throughout the United States. Call your local waste management center for information about a program near you.

Yvonne Barkley is an associate extension forester for the University of Idaho. She can be reached at yvonnec@uidaho. edu

Scotch pine is one of the most popular Christmas tree species in the U.S.

Choosing a tree Whether pre-cut and purchased from a lot in town or cut fresh from a local Christmas tree farm, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing this year’s tree.

Know what height and width you need before heading out.

Check the trunk to be sure that it is sufficiently straight and will fit your tree stand.

Do a freshness test. Green needles on fresh trees will break crisply when bent with the fingers while dry needles will come off in your hand. If there’s a shower of green needles when you gently shake the tree, it’s too dry.

Cutting your own Christmas tree from a local tree farm is a tradition for many American families.

Look closely at the needles; trees with less than desirable color can be painted green to help them sell better.

Christmas tree characteristics

There are many species of conifers to choose from when shopping for the perfect Christmas tree.

sharp needles; mild scent; naturally conical shape; sturdy branches; excellent for all sorts of ornaments.

retention.

White pine - soft, flexible bluish-green needles; good needle retention; little aroma; flexible branches not suitable for heavy ornaments.

Colorado blue spruce - sharp needles; green to silver-blue in color; not very fragrant; symmetrical form and good needle retention.

Noble fir - dark-green upturned needles; long-keeping tree; stiff branches for heavy ornaments.

Scotch pine - soft-flexible needles; bright green color; excellent needle retention; sturdy branches. Scots pine is the most common Christmas tree species sold in the U.S.

Fraser fir - dark, blue-green needles; pleasant scent; branches turn slightly upwards at the tips; good form and needleretention.

White spruce - short, bluish-green, very

Fresh Christmas tree care Trees on lots have probably been cut and transported in mid-November and because of this will not last as long as ones fresh cut at your local tree farm. When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water, so it should come as no surprise that keeping your tree well-watered is of the utmost importance. We go out to a local tree farm ever year and cut our real Christmas tree the last weekend of November. With diligent watering (especially the first few weeks) they always last into the New Year.

Displaying trees in water in a traditional reservoir-type stand

Concolor fir - small, narrow needles; pleasing shape and aroma; good needle

is the most effective way of maintaining their freshness and minimizing needle loss problems. Choose a sturdy stand that is large enough to hold your tree and has a deep reservoir. A general rule of thumb is that your stand should be able to supply one quart of water per inch of you tree’s stem diameter.

The outer layers of wood on the trunk are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed, so avoid whittling down the sides to fit a stand.

When you are ready to bring in the tree, make a fresh cut perpendicular to the stem axis and remove about a 1/2-inch thick disk of wood from the base of

Balsam fir - long-lasting, dark-green needles; pleasing fragrance.

Grand fir - bright green needles; long-lasting; very fragrant; not the best for heavy ornaments Douglas-fir - soft, green to dark green needles; sweet fragrance. One of the most popular Christmas trees species.

the trunk before putting the tree in the stand.

Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree - this is the most important thing you can do to ensure the longevity of your tree. With many stands, there can still be water in the stand even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged in water. Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.

And, as always, safety first Keep displayed trees away from sources of heat (fireplac-

es, heaters, heat vents).

Use lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, and always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set.

Do not overload electrical circuits.

Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.

Monitor the tree for freshness.

After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house.

Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

17

According to a nationwide price survey conducted by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of a Thanksgiving turkey increased this year by about 25 cents per pound. Cost of the entire meal increased by about 13 percent this year.

Farm Bureau file photo

Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Costing More in 2011 WASHINGTON, D.C — The retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 13 percent this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

ranches sets us apart from our contemporaries around the world. It is an honor for our farm and ranch families to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations.”

AFBF’s 26th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.20, a $5.73 price increase from last year’s average of $43.47.

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. There is also plenty for leftovers.

“The cost of this year’s meal remains a bargain, at just under $5 per person,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “The quality and variety of food produced for our dinner tables on America’s diverse farms and

The big ticket item—a 16-pound turkey— came in at $21.57 this year. That was roughly $1.35 per pound, an increase of about 25 cents per pound, or a total of $3.91 per whole turkey, compared to 2010. The whole bird was the biggest contributor to

18

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

the final total, showing the largest price increase compared to last year.

“Turkey prices are higher this year primarily due to strong consumer demand both here in the U.S. and globally,” said John Anderson, an AFBF senior economist.

In addition, “The era of grocers holding the line on retail food cost increases is basically over,” Anderson explained. “Retailers are being more aggressive about passing on higher costs for shipping, processing and storing food to consumers, although turkeys may still be featured in special sales and promotions close to Thanksgiving.

“Although we’ll pay a bit more this year, on a per-person basis, our traditional Thanksgiving feast remains a better value than most fast-food value meals, plus it’s

a wholesome, home-cooked meal,” Anderson said.

by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner is somewhat higher but still tracks closely with the organization’s 2011 quarterly marketbasket food surveys (available online at http://newsroom.fb.org) and the federal government’s Consumer Price Index for food (available online at http://data. bls.gov/).

promotional coupons or pur- for around $50 to $75. chase deals, such as spendThe AFBF survey was first ing $50 and receiving a free A gallon of whole milk inconducted in 1986. While Farm turkey. Shoppers with an eye creased in price by 42 cents Bureau does not make any scifor bargains in all areas of the per gallon, to $3.66. Other entific claims about the data, it country should be able to puritems that showed a price inis an informal gauge of price chase individual menu items at crease from last year were: a trends around the nation. prices comparable to the Farm 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie Bureau survey averages. An- A total of 141 volunteer shopmix, $3.03, up 41 cents; two other option for busy families pers from 35 states participatnine-inch pie shells, $2.52, up without a lot of time to cook ed in this year’s survey. Farm 6 cents; a ½ pint of whipping is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving Bureau’s survey menu has recream, $1.96, up 26 cents; one Farm Bureau volunteer shopmeals for up to 10 people, with mained unchanged since 1986 Below are pers arenote: asked to look for thetables with historical information about AFBF’s pound of green peas, $1.68, upPlease all the trimmings, which are to allow for consistent price 24 cents; a 14-ounce package of best possible prices, without available at many supermar- the comparisons.

Thanksgiving dinner survey.

A graphic illustrating cost of the AFBF cubed bread stuffing, $2.88, up taking advantage of special kets and take-out restaurants 24 cents; a dozen brownThanksgiving dinner over time, a podcast and a recipe will be posted to n-serve rolls, $2.30, up Yearly 18 cents; three pounds of Please http://newsroom.fb.org. note: Below are tables with historical information about AFBF’s Thanksgivsweet potatoes, $3.26, up ing dinner survey. A graphic illustrating the cost of the AFBF Thanksgiving dinner Averages 7 cents; and fresh cran- over time, a podcast and a recipe will be posted to http://newsroom.fb.org.

1986--$28.74 berries, $2.48, up 7 cents.

Item 2010 2011 Difference 1987--$24.51 A one-pound relish tray 1988--$26.61 Price Price of carrots and celery de1989--$24.70 clined by a penny to 76 16-pound turkey 17.66 21.57 +3.91 cents, while a combined 1990--$28.85 group of miscellaneous Milk, 1 gallon whole 3.24 3.66 +.42 1991--$25.95 items, including coffee 1992--$26.39 and ingredients necesPumpkin pie mix, 302.62 3.03 +.41 sary to prepare the meal 1993--$27.49 oz. (onions, eggs, sugar, flour, 1994--$28.40 evaporated milk and butWhipping cream, ½ 1.70 1.96 +.26 1995--$29.64 ter) decreased in price, to $3.10.

1996--$31.66 pint “Demand for U.S. dairy 1997--$31.75 Cubed stuffing, 14 oz.

2.64 2.88 +.24 products has been strong 1998--$33.09 throughout the year and Green peas, 1 lb.

1.44 1.68 +.24 1999--$33.83 continues to influence re2000--$32.37 tail prices, as demand for Rolls, 12 2.12 2.30 +.18 higher-quality food prod2001--$35.04 ucts grows globally,” AnSweet potatoes, 3 lbs.

3.19 3.26 +.07 2002--$34.56 derson said.

Fresh cranberries, 12 2.41 2.48 +.07 2003--$36.28 He noted that despite re2004--$35.68 tail price increases during oz. the last year or so, Ameri2005--$36.78 Pie shells (2) 2.46 2.52 +.06 can consumers have en2006--$38.10 joyed relatively stable Misc. ingredients 3.22 3.10 -.12 2007--$42.26 food costs over the years, particularly when adjust2008--$44.61 1-pound relish tray .77 .76 -.01 ed for inflation.

2009--$42.91 (carrots and celery) The 13 percent increase in the national average cost reported this year

2010--$43.47

TOTAL

43.47

49.20

+5.73

2011--$49.20

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

19

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20

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

21

County Happenings Discussion Meet Winners Listed left to right in the photo

District 5 - 3rd Nicola Elliot, 1st Erica Louder, Not pictured - 2nd place Tyler Johnson

District 1 - 3rd Sterling Hatch, 2nd Duke Mumford, 1st Jake Anderson

The Idaho County Farm Bureau recently invited State Representative Ken Roberts to speak during their annual meeting. Roberts talked about the positive and negatives of the healthcare exchange.

He feels that it is good in the sense that it gives consumers a website to go to where insurance companies will have their products and prices displayed. He said the problem with the healthcare exchange is the government vouchers that will be given to pay for this will be paid for by our grandchildren. He said vouchers will be available for people with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty level. He also indicated that 233,000 people in Idaho are currently on Medicaid, but under the new federal program, the numbers on Medicaid in Idaho will grow by another 155,000 people and the state of Idaho will have to come up with another $300 to $500 million to pay for it, which could overwhelm the state budget.

District 2 - 1st Wes Mackay, 3rd Jamie Little, 2nd Greg Risenmay

22

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Roberts added that PERSI, the state public employee retirement system, is not sustainable in the long term and there is a need to move forward with a defined contribution program or 401K for state employees.

The Idaho Farm Bureau Mobile Agriculture Classroom (MAC) was in Minidoka County recently. In this photo, Minidoka County Farm Bureau President Larry Johnson cooks pancakes for students at Paul Elementary School. In this part of the lesson the students learn how to make pancake batter after grinding flour.

Dave Barry to Keynote AFBF 93rd Annual Meeting WASHINGTON, D.C., – Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry will deliver the keynote address at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 93rd annual meeting, Jan. 9, 2012, in Honolulu.

More than 10,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather in Hawaii Jan. 8-10 to hear from distinguished leaders and participate in a grassroots policy setting process that will guide the American Farm Bureau Federation through 2012.

Barry, a 25-year journalism veteran, is best known for his syndicated work that appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

“We are excited to have Dave Barry as our keynote speaker,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “We will be working through some very important policy issues during our time in Hawaii, so it will be nice to take a break from our business at hand and share a lighter moment with Dave Barry.”

Barry is the author of 30 books, two of which were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom Dave’s World, which aired 1993-1997. In his spare time, Barry plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include authors Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom.

Farm Bureau members can register for the 93rd AFBF annual meeting through their state Farm Bureaus.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

23

American farm bureau federation news

Regulatory Burdens Threaten Family Farms WASHINGTON, D.C., – In just the last three years, the Environmental Protection Agency has set in motion a significant number of new regulations that will significantly change the face of agriculture.

The coming changes threaten the continued operation of family farms and ranches, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation Testifying recently on behalf of AFBF before the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade, Carl Shaffer, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, said EPA proposals to exert greater regulatory control over agriculture will drive up the cost of producing food, fiber and fuel.

“EPA proposals are overwhelming to farmers and ranchers and are creating a cascade of costly requirements that are likely to drive individual farmers to the tipping point,” Shaffer said. “The overwhelming number of proposed regulations on the nation’s food system is unprecedented and promises profound effects on both the structure and competitiveness of all of agriculture.”

“In contrast to EPA’s heavy-handed approach of issuing crushing regulatory burdens, agriculture and the Agriculture 24

Department have worked together over the last few decades to make enormous strides in agriculture’s environmental performance by adopting a range of conservation practices and environmental measures,” Shaffer said.

behalf of farmers and ranchers in his state.

Nelson raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa, cattle and hogs. He testified to the subcommittee regarding a new regulation, the Pesticide General Permit, that went into effect Nov. 1.

Shaffer owns and operates a wheat, corn and green bean farm in Columbia County, Pa., located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

“This new permit is a needless duplication of existing law. We do not need this entirely new permit program,” Nelson said, noting that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act has covered pesticide labeling and application very effectively since 1947.

The Chesapeake Bay is one area of concern to Farm Bureau, due to the burdensome and unlawful nutrient management plan EPA is taking steps to implement. Other areas of concern include EPA’s proposals to expand the scope of waters subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act, which require costly and duplicative permits for normal pesticide applications, proposed standards for regulation of dust, and unjustified attempts to collect data from livestock farms.

In his testimony, Shaffer said that “EPA is literally piling regulation on top of regulation, and guidance on top of guidance, to the point of erecting barriers to economic growth,” said Shaffer.

Philip Nelson, president of Illinois Farm Bureau, also testified at today’s hearing, on

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Further, the pesticide permit “doesn’t improve food safety, doesn’t add any additional environmental protection or benefit for society, and does nothing to improve my bottom line,” Nelson said.

Nelson also commented briefly on the potential impacts of proposed dust regulations on agriculture, urging support for legislation such as H.R. 1633, the Dust Regulation Prevention Act. The act would provide the certainty that farmers, ranchers and residents of rural areas need to ensure that normal activities that are essential parts of their farming operations are not unduly regulated by a standard for which there is no proven benefit to human health.

American farm bureau federation news

Tight Corn Stocks, Strong Demand Continue WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. corn market continues to be characterized by tight stocks and strong demand as farmers wrap up this year’s harvest and look to next year’s crop, according to economists with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The Agriculture Department recently released its November crop report showing a U.S. corn crop of 12.3 billion bushels, a 1 percent drop from the October estimate.

USDA also forecasts a further tightening of corn supplies at 843 million bushels in its November report, compared to 866 million bushels in its October estimate.

“USDA estimates that this year’s corn crop will be the fourth largest ever, and it is a big crop, but demand is very strong and the U.S. will need every bushel of corn pro-

duced this year to meet the need for food and fuel and to rebuild supplies to a more comfortable level,” said AFBF crops economist Todd Davis. “The story for 2012 will be the same as 2011. The U.S. will need more acreage, good yields and a bigger crop next year to meet demand and build supplies.”

based on harvest surveys conducted from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4 and does not represent the total U.S. harvest because farmers in the eastern Corn Belt are still harvesting their crop. USDA’s next and final estimate of the 2011 corn crop will be released in January and will include numbers on the total U.S. crop, according to Davis.

USDA forecasts an average U.S. yield of 146.7 bushels per acre in its November report, which would be the lowest average yield since 2003. Davis believes a factor in the yield decline was early frost in the northern tier of the Corn Belt, which reduced yields by 5 bushels per acre in Minnesota and 11 bushels per acre in North Dakota, compared to October.

“When USDA conducted its November survey, just 34 percent of the Ohio corn crop and 41 percent of the Michigan corn crop was harvested, so there is a good chance that yields and production will decrease from this month’s estimate,” Davis said.

“A smaller crop will place further strain on already tight stocks and support higher prices.”

Davis said USDA’s November estimate is

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

25

Stallman

Continued from page 2

The activist group WildEarth Guardians has targeted 15 areas in the U.S. as being in violation of EPA’s dust standard.

The group has given EPA 90 days to find the areas in violation of the law or it will take the agency to court.

EPA’s standard serves to protect public health, and consequently focuses monitoring to larger population centers. Yet, of the 15 areas that WildEarth Guardians are targeting, nine have populations with less than 20,000 people.

The group wants EPA to clamp down on dust in areas like Parachute (pop. 1,006), Pagosa Springs (pop. 1,591) and Lamar (pop. 8,659), all in Colorado.

These are hardly the population centers in which these standards are meant to focus.

By trying to meet additional regulations, these areas will literally have to limit driving on unpaved roads and plowing in fields, while hoping the rain falls and the wind doesn’t blow. Failure could result in loss of federal highway funds, among other consequences.

Bite the Dust Currently, rural dust regula-

tions are blowing in the wind, with many trying to determine which direction they may take. The Farm Bureausupported Dust Regulation Prevention Act (H.R. 1633 in the House and S. 1528 in the Senate) would help eliminate uncertainty of regulation once and for all.

The legislation would remove naturally occurring dust in rural areas from EPA oversight unless scientific evidence can establish a causal link between rural dust and health effects. EPA admits that scientific evidence at best only “suggests” possible short-term health effects from rural dust, and further admits there is “inconclusive” evidence to show any long-term effects.

Most importantly, passage of the bill would also give certainty to farmers and ranchers that activities, which are natural and integral parts of their farms, are not unduly restricted. They would be protected from being regulated as a result of blowing wind or a lack of rainfall or any other conditions from Mother Nature, over which they have no control.

Dust is no stranger to farmers and ranchers. In some parts of the country, like the arid West and Southwest, it’s as much a part of the ranch as the livestock and hay.

26

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

A Message For Our Dairy Farm Customers

At Idaho Power, our goal is to provide you with fair-priced electricity safely, reliably and responsibly.

We work hard to resolve electric service issues for the benefit of our customers and communities. Stray voltage may be one of these issues.

If you are concerned about neutral-to-earth voltage levels on or near your property, please contact your Idaho Power agricultural representative to arrange a free on-site investigation.

Blackfoot & American Falls Area Dennis Elison 208-236-7744 delison@idahopower.com Mini-Cassia Area Daniel Moore 208-736-3215 dmoore@idahopower.com Twin Falls, Jerome & Gooding Area Gerald Orthel 208-736-3430 gorthel@idahopower.com

Mountain Home & Boise Area Tim Fenwick 208-388-6366 tfenwick@idahopower.com Nampa & Caldwell Area Mike Liechty 208-465-8626 mliechty@idahopower.com Payette & Ontario Area Cortney Forsberg 208-642-6546 cforsberg@idahopower.com

Keller

Continued from page 2 printed in St. Anthony, Idaho, dated September 12, 1918.

The front page headline identified the results of the primary election in Fremont County nine days prior. Also on the front page of the county paper is the headline: “War Waged On Squirrels in Bannock” with a sub headline which stated: “by Fighting the Ground Squirrel in An Organized Manner and Work Done by the County Farm Bureau in Cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture.”

The article goes on to explain that in 21 counties in Idaho a campaign was waged to eradicate the varmints and “in 19 of these counties the work was carried on thru the Farm Bureaus in direct charge of the county (extension) agents.”

This 1918 newspaper article provided valuable new information not previously documented on county Farm Bureaus in Idaho.

In 1920, Farm Bureau membership in Idaho totaled 800 member families, but within the next three years, Farm Bureau ceased to exist in the Gem state and on a regional multi-state level.

The 1920’s were called the “Roaring Twenties” because of the economic boom time for many industries. The Roaring Twenties were not roaring for families in rural America.

World War I (1914-1918) had created an atmosphere of high prices for agricultural products as European nations’ demand

for exports surged. Farmers had enjoyed a period of prosperity as U.S. farm production expanded rapidly to fill the gap left as European combatants found themselves unable to produce enough food. When the war ended, supply increased rapidly as Europe’s agricultural market rebounded. Overproduction led to plummeting prices which led to stagnant market conditions and living standards for farmers in the 1920s. Barley prices fell because Prohibition restricted the distilling of beer and spirits. As man-made fibers became available, the price of cotton crashed. Mechanism was replacing unskilled workers, causing severe unemployment in the country. Unemployed people could not buy new consumer goods, including food and fiber. The Dust Bowl states suffered from dust storms, which blew away the topsoil and destroyed agricultural land.

Worse, hundreds of thousands of farmers had taken out mortgages and loans to buy out their neighbors’ property, and were now unable to meet the financial burden. The cause was the collapse of land prices after the wartime bubble when farmers used high commodity prices to buy up neighboring farms at high prices, saddling them with heavy debts. In the 20’s, one in four farms was sold to meet financial obligations and many farmers migrated to urban areas. From 1920 to the 30’s, the American population making their living on the land went from 27 percent to only one-

fifth or 20 percent of the American population; rural poverty was widespread. In 1935, the numbers dropped to only 5 percent of the nation’s workforce worked on farms.

It wouldn’t be until 1939, when a group of far-sighted agricultural leaders representing community Farm Bureaus from Tyhee, Murtaugh, and Filer met in Murtaugh for the purpose of organizing the Idaho Farm Bureau with the further goal of affiliating with the American Farm Bureau.

The Idaho Farm Bureau history may have gaps, but its pedigree is unmistakable and distin-

guished. Tomorrow’s history will be based on what we do today. What we do today builds upon the foundation Farm Bureau’s originators created. Farm Bureau continues with its chartered creed written in 1939: “to work for the well-being for farm and ranch families, their rights and interests whatever and wherever they may be.” It is a privilege to be part of this enduring history but equally exciting to join in the bright and optimistic future which lies before us and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation with the same enthusiasm and hopes our Farm Bureau progenitors had.

Idaho Farm Bureau Discounts

San Diego Adult $20 Off Other discount available for Orlando & San Antonio locations.

For member coupons to SeaWorld go to www.idahofbstore.com Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

27

Farm Bureau Members Pay Less For Propane

Farm Bureau members will be charged 10 cents less per gallon of AmeriGas Propane than residential tier regular customers with a supply agreement and equipment lease. Farm Bureau members currently receiving tiered pricing from Amerigas can still take advantage of this deal. This offers cannot be combined with AmeriGas’s “Price Lock Gaurantee” Program. For questions, call Joel Benson at (208) 239-4289.

Participating Amerigas Providers Jerome Pocatello St. Anthony Nampa Mountain Home McCall Sandpoint Coeur D’Alene Kamiah Tremonton

28

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

(208) (208) (208) (208) (208) (208) (208) (208) (208) (208)

324-2339 233-3535 624-7082 466-4674 587-5367 634-8181 263-1486 772-7521 743-9455 257-3310

Grain Marketing with Clark Johnston

Markets Setting New Floors

Clark Johnston

Recently I attended a meeting where one of the speakers talked about the prices that producers were receiving for the commodities they had produced were very good, and in fact they were good enough for them to be making a good profit on their farms were it not for the, “high cost of their inputs.” It seems like everywhere I go I hear talk of how we need to get the economy turned around and back on the right track and once we do we can then get things back to normal. Well, I hate to break it to you but, what we are experiencing right now could very well be with us for some time to come. In all reality, this is the new norm.

With every year we become more and more accustomed to the volatility in the markets.

Producers are getting better at living with this volatility and making plans accordingly. We are seeing more forward contracting of both inputs and production as the prices work into the budget. More producers are seeing the importance of spending more time on the computer crunching numbers or at least spending more time in planning and implementing their plan than in other areas of the operation. Now, having said all of this, it is time to get to work.

Let’s begin by looking at fuel and just where what we can do to help minimize the effect of higher prices as we move into the spring. Between 2000 and 2005 the heating oil futures markets were very volatile in both directions from the 1st of February to the end of June. Since 2006 the markets have moved into a more predictive trend during this time frame. The bad news is that the trend is higher. From the 1st of December to the end of January the futures trend is steady to lower then from the 1st of February through June the historical trend is higher in all of the past five years. Be prepared to fill your storage or at least buy some fuel during the end of January and 1st of February time frame.

With the high price of feed grain over the past few years the markets that once had disappeared are once again giving producers additional options for their production.

We are hearing more and more producers that have the ability to switch from one commodity to another seriously looking at doing just that for the upcoming growing season. Growers are switching from hard red winter and hard red spring wheat to soft white and barley. Most are considering the move based on their input costs, the market prices, and their ability to forward contract at a profit. In other words they have their budget in place for next year and are implementing their marketing plan. Another factor in the decision for some is simply their frustration in trying make minimum protein levels and the discounts that have been in place.

very well remain in place as we move into next wheat harvest. We are currently seeing bids for delivery in next April and May time frames. It will be good to keep these markets in mind when anticipating when and where to sell your production.

Hard white wheat is one commodity that is on the rise when we look at the demand side of the equation. The facts are that the millers like using hard white in their blends. Year after year the product is very consistent when it comes to quality and price. It competes with hard red winter wheat out of the Midwest in some applications giving the Idaho producers a definite advantage in the market. Locally there are also some very good opportunities to merchandise the wheat into some smaller niche markets.

We are also seeing some renewed interest in locally grown oats for the feed markets.

This doesn’t look at the current time to be a large market but at the same time there hasn’t been much of a market over the past few years for locally grown oats so any interest from the processors is welcome.

Clark Johnston is a grain marketing specialist who is on contract with the Idaho Farm Bureau. He is the owner of JC Management Company in Northern Utah. He can be reached at clark@jcmanagement. net

Currently the feed markets are very competitive bidding for low protein red winter and red spring wheat as well as milling quality soft white. With the corn crop being less than originally estimated and an ample supply of wheat these markets could Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

29

Farm Bureau Members Ski For Less This Winter

www.idahofbstore.com

208-239-4289

Farm Bureau Member Benefits

BootsOnline Boot Store

& Other Footwear

Through the

• Low Starting Prices!

•Save an additional $10 off using discount code "idahofb" • Free Shipping!

To place a Farm Bureau discount order go to www.onlinebootstore.com and purchase footwear online or call at toll free 1-888-824-3613 and use discount code "idahofb" for an additional $10 off already low prices.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

1-888-824-3613 www.onlinebootstore.com

A new pivot sprinkler along the Pahsimeroi River is part of a conservation project to help restore salmon habitat.

Ranchers Restore Fish Habitat in Pahsimeroi Valley

By Steve Stuebner Rancher Jim Martiny remembers his grandmother talking about the loud noise made by salmon spawning in the creek next to their ranch. Legend had it that Native Americans had speared salmon in the area as well. Clearly, Big Springs Creek had a strong history of supporting strong fish populations.

Conservation District and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, among other agencies, have worked with ranchers to restore water flows to Big Springs Creek.

“Now, the fish are back,” Martiny says, standing by the flowing stream. “It’s a pretty cool deal. It took a lot of effort from a lot of different people to get them back.

But it’s a huge success story.”

“She said it sounded like horses crossing the creek, there were so many of them,” said Jim Martiny, a fourth-generation rancher in the Pahsimeroi Valley.

In the summer of 2009, a major irrigation canal known as the P-9 Ditch was closed and about 10 miles of Big Springs Creek were restored. The fish responded quickly.

For the last 100 years, however, Big Springs Creek (also known as Patterson/Big Springs Creek) has been dried up in drought years during spawning season because ranchers diverted water (as per decreed water rights) to raise hay and other crops. After years of creative work, the Custer Soil & Water

“We got 10-20 cubic feet per second of water flow in the creek, and that ended up pulling a whole bunch of Chinook salmon in there, something like 68-69 redds that first year,” said Eric Leitzinger, fish habitat program coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “Pretty amazing.”

Fish habitat improvements in the Pahsimeroi Valley are part of endangered salmon and steelhead recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin. Plans focus on increasing fish survival through improving habitat, tweaking hydro system operations, hatchery production and controlling harvest.

More than 75 ranchers have been involved in improving fish habitat in the Upper Salmon River Basin, including the Pahsimeroi Valley area, in the last 15 years.

Life on the Range covered a similar story last year, focusing on projects in the Lemhi River Valley. See this web link: http:// www.lifeontherange.org/range-stories/upper-salmon-river-basin-modelwatershed-project.asp A big part of the success in the PahsimSee PAHSIMEROI page 32

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

31

Pahsimeroi

Continued from page 31

Riparian fencing along the Pahsimeroi River helps keep cattle out of the riparian area.

eroi Basin is that BPA fish-habitat funds paid for the capital costs of acquiring pivot sprinklers for ranchers to convert to pivot irrigation and for the cost of pumping water uphill to the pivots. Without those funds, ranchers wouldn’t be able to afford such expensive improvements to help fish.

Karma Bragg, District Manager of the Custer Soil & Water Conservation District, notes that a high priority of the district is to keep ranchers in production and ensure that there is no net loss in their water rights.

“We haven’t harmed the ranchers, and we haven’t reduced the water that they have available. From our perspective that’s good news in addition to having the fish come back,” she says.

Bragg and the Custer SWCD have been actively involved with the complex water conversion projects in the Pahsimeroi Valley from the start. It all started in 1994 with Doug Parkinson, owner of Parkinson Seed 32

Farm, whose property is located next to the area where the Pahsimeroi River flows into the Salmon River near Ellis. Parkinson expressed interest in shifting his water diversion from the P-9 Ditch in the Pahsimeroi Valley to pumping from the Salmon River.

BPA paid for a new pivot sprinkler, and the Idaho Water Resources Board approved the change the point of water diversion.

Up and down the Pahsimeroi Valley, Bragg and others worked with numerous ranchers to change their points of diversion from the P-9 ditch to the Pahsimeroi River and convert to pivot irrigation. One by one, the landowners made the switch.

The final leg needed to retire the 12-milelong P-9 ditch included four main landowners, River Valley Ranch, LLC, (Bowles and Lawrence families), Jimmie L. Dowton, Sr., Glenn Elzinga and Chuck and Claudia Charlton, Bragg says. Once the ditch was closed, it breathed life back into Big

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Springs Creek as well as Muddy Springs Creek and Duck Creek.

“The complexity of the historic irrigation systems, number of landowners, number of partners and funding sources, and the hurdles crossed to obtain water right transfers made this not only one of the most difficult but also most rewarding projects undertaken by the Custer SWCD,” Bragg says.

A key aspect of the water-conversion projects was to ensure that the water returned to the creeks would not be diverted by junior water rights holders. Idaho has a water transactions program that’s tailor-made for projects like Big Springs Creek, explains Helen Harrington, planning section manager of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

“The Idaho transactions program looked at keeping water in the stream while keeping the water right holder whole,” Harrington

A Chinook salmon spawns in Big Springs Creek, a tributary of the Pahsimeroi River. Salmon redds have increased dramatically since conservation measures were implemented.

says. “They changed the point of diversion from the creeks to the Pahsimeroi River and closed off the diversions so the fish could access the habitat all the way up from the Pahsimeroi River. It opened up a huge amount of habitat for them.”

By the Martiny Ranch, two flood irrigation ditches that were literally just feet apart were consolidated into one, and a fish screen was installed to keep resident and ocean-going fish out of the ditch. The landowners who participated in that project included Martiny, Kent Moen, Scott Whitworth and George Santee.

Martiny says the efficiency of sprinkler irrigation has increased his hay production by 30 percent. “We’re raising as much as hay as we ever did, if not more, and we’re doing it with less water,” he says. “So that puts more water in the stream for the fish, and it doesn’t take anything away from us.

So it’s a kind of win-win situation.”

In the summer of 2011, four bridges were installed near Martiny’s home to replace

old culverts that posed a barrier to fish passage. That means more fish can spawn upriver, a goal of Idaho Fish and game.

Each new redd, or salmon spawning area, is typically seeded with 4,000 to 5,000 eggs. New spawning areas should increase salmon populations. That’s good news for Idaho anglers.

“We’d like to see enough fish coming back to fully fill the hatchery, fully seed the habitat and have a surplus available for sport fishing,” says Leitzinger of IDFG. Idaho Fish and Game has been a key player in the Pahsimeroi Basin, installing more than 20 irrigation screens to keep fish in the creeks and rivers. Many miles of buck fence have been built along the Pahsimeroi River and Big Springs Creek to protect spawning beds.

“Through better spawning habitat up here, the survival rates are higher,” Martiny says. “The last couple of years they’ve had a salmon season in the river, hundreds of people come up and fish for the salmon,

so it wins for them, it wins for the people in town, economically it’s a good deal. It’s just a real good project.”

All of the water conversions and fish-habitat improvements have been voluntary, Bragg notes, but because the salmon spawning areas lie adjacent to private ranchland, she thinks it’s wise for ranchers to be proactive.

“There are environmental laws out there to protect endangered species and there’s bull trout in the system as well so we believe that moving ahead with these projects ahead of a take issue or an environmental issue is a protection for landowners, and I think the ranchers see that,” she says.

“None of this could be done without the help and cooperation of the landowners,” adds Leitzinger. “They’ve been really good to work with. Stay tuned, hopefully there’s more to come in the future.”

Steve Stuebner is the writer and producer for Life on the Range, www.lifeontherange. org.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

33

Potato Crop Valued at Record High

The final value of Idaho’s 2010 potato crop was $915 million, surpassing 2009’s record value of $855 million by $60.4 million. The market year average price received by growers was a record high $8.10 per cwt, up from last year’s $6.45 per cwt.

Fresh prices averaged $9.55 per cwt, a sharp increase from last year’s $4.25 per cwt. Market year average processing prices were $7.00 per cwt, down from last year’s record $7.70 per cwt.

Idaho’s growers sold 105 million cwt from their 2010 crop while using 878,000 cwt on the farm for seed, feed and household consumption. The remaining 7.10 million cwt was lost to shrinkage, decay and dumping.

Fresh market sales accounted for 33.1 million cwt of the 2010 crop, down 11 percent from the 2009 crop, and processing accounted for 62.5 million cwt, down 13 percent from the 2009 crop. Processors in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon used a total of 70.1 million cwt of 2010 crop potatoes compared to 79.4 million cwt used in 2009. Of the total processed, 62.5 million cwt were Idaho potatoes. Processing in Idaho and Malheur County accounted for 55.3 percent of Idaho’s production compared to 54.0 percent of the 2009 crop. Idaho’s 2010 production of 113 million cwt accounted for 31 percent of the entire U.S. Fall production of 367 million cwt. Production in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, collectively, totaled 221 million 34

cwt or 60 percent of the U.S. Fall production.

Idaho Onion Production

Onion acreage harvested in Idaho is estimated at 9,200 acres, a 2 percent increase from last year and a 5 percent increase from 2009, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Yield is estimated at 750 cwt per acre, down 10 cwt from last year but up 10 cwt from 2009.

Production increased 1 percent from last year to 6.90 million cwt. As of October 2, 80 percent of the state’s onions had been harvested. This is slightly behind the five-year average of 83 percent. Malheur County is expected to have an onion production of 8.48 million cwt, down 1 percent from last year.

The yield for Malheur County is estimated at 750 cwt per acre and acreage harvested is estimated at 11,300 acres.

Idaho Potato Production Up 12 Percent

Idaho’s potato production is expected to total 127 million cwt, up 12 percent from last year’s 113 million cwt, but 4 percent below the 2009 crop. Planted acres of 320,000 and harvested acres of 319,000 are up 25,000 acres from 2010. Statewide, yield is 398 cwt (field-run basis), up 14 cwt from last year.

Yield in the 10 Southwestern counties, at 530 cwt, decreased 15 cwt from last year’s record high for this area. Acreage for

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

the 10 Southwest counties, at 19,000 acres planted and harvested, increased 3,000 acres from last year. Because of the acreage increase, total production in the area is up 15 percent from last year at 10.1 million cwt. In Idaho’s “other counties,” yield is estimated at 390 cwt, compared to a 375 cwt a year ago. Other area production from 300,000 harvested acres is expected to total 117 million cwt, 12 percent above last year’s 104 million cwt.

Bacteria May Boost Ag Production

Remarkable bacteria that resist arsenic could greatly enhance cleanups of toxic environments and potentially boost agricultural production, according to a new University of Florida study.

The bacteria were isolated from arsenic-contaminated soil surrounding the Chinese brake fern, a plant known for its ability to remove arsenic from the environment.

The carcinogen contaminates soils around the world and is deadly to most organisms.

Arsenic levels above state-set minimum standards were reported in residential areas in Miami and Gainesville, according to a 2003 study co-authored

by Lena Ma, a UF soil and water science professor.

The new findings, published recently in an issue of Bioresource Technology, could lead to improved phytoremediation—the process of using plants to remove environmen-

tal contaminants—in which the bacteria are added around the roots of the Chinese brake fern to increase arsenic absorption.

Specialty Crop Block Grants

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently announced that the Agriculture Department will be investing in 55 specialty crop block grants that will fund 740 initiatives across the United States and its territories.

The grants will help strengthen the market for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

USDA Reduces Reports

Due to budget cuts, the Agriculture Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will reduce the frequency of its potato stocks report and fruit and vegetable crops estimates, the Packer reports.

The potato stocks report is scheduled to change from a monthly report to a quarterly report. Fruit and vegetable inseason forecasts and estimates are being reduced from monthly and quarterly to an annual report.

NASS also plans to eliminate reports on nursery production, bees and honey and hops production. Much of this data will be included in the five-year Census of Agriculture. The next census will be conducted beginning in January 2013.

Ada County Recognized for Excellence

A total of 25 county Farm Bureaus from across the country were recognized by the American Farm Bureau Federation for innovative program ideas in this year’s County Activities of Excellence program. The winners will be spotlighted during AFBF’s 93rd annual meeting in Honolulu, Jan. 8-11.

The purpose of the program is to recognize and share successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities. The awards honor innovative programs by county Farm Bureaus in five categories: Education & Agriculture Promotion; Leadership Development; Membership Services; Policy Implementation; and Public Relations & Information. And for the first time in the competition, this year’s awards are based on county Farm Bureau

membership.

“Farm Bureau members attending AFBF’s annual meeting in Hawaii in January will see first-hand how these 25 actionoriented programs do a great job in fulfilling Farm Bureau’s mission,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The winning entries will be on display at the trade show where county Farm Bureau leaders from across America can discover what other county Farm Bureaus are doing to promote agriculture in their communities.”

This year’s county Farm Bureau winners come from Alabama, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Funding for Anaerobic Digester Projects

ing anaerobic digester projects in eight states to encourage renewable energy production, reduce energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and farm-based pollution.

Funding for the biodigesters is provided through USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, which has created or saved an estimated 13.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and reduced almost 14.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the biodigesters announced will be constructed on Heller Farms near Alma Center in Jackson County, Wis. It is expected to produce 3.3 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year, enough to power 400 average Wisconsin homes per year. Digesters also will be constructed in Pennsylvania, Idaho, Iowa, Florida, Oregon, Ohio and Vermont.

The Agriculture Department on recently that USDA is fund-

Higher Fertilizer Prices Expected Next Year

The University of Illinois estimates that 2012 fertilizer budgets for high-productivity corn farms could run 35 percent more than two years ago. DTN reports that estimates showing the U.S. will need to plant a record 94.3 million acres of corn next spring to meet world demand, are fueling the price spikes.

“Since June, urea has added $100 per ton to its average retail price in DTN’s national surveys,” DTN reporter Russ Quinn wrote. “At $620 per ton, it even surpasses its 2008 Mount Everest-sized peak. Domestically produced ammonia and UAN [urea and ammonium nitrate] offer slightly more price stability, but even their average retail prices have jumped 23 percent to 34 percent in the last year.”

Cattle Outlook November 18, 2011 The World Trade Organization has determined that the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling rules (COOL) are “inconsistent with the United States’ WTO obligations” in part because they afford less favorable treatment to imported Canadian cattle and hogs. I assume this means the COOL regulations will change, eventually.

During September, U.S. beef exports were up 27% compared to a year earlier with every major foreign buyer purchasing more U.S. beef than in September 2010. Shipments to the top four destinations, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea, were up 8%, 13%, 16% and 20%, respectively. September beef exports equaled 10.6% of U.S. beef production during the month.

Beef imports during September were up 5% from a year earlier. The top three foreign suppliers, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, respectively shipped 13% less, 34% more, and the same amount of beef to the U.S. compared to September 2010.

September beef imports were equal to 7.4% of U.S. beef production.

During the first three quarters of 2011 beef exports are up 27% and beef imports are down 14% compared to January-September 2010. Through September, 2011 beef exports have exceeded beef imports by more than 500 million pounds.

Friday morning the choice boxed beef carcass cutout value was $195.55/cwt, up $4.54 from last week and a new record high. The select carcass cutout was up $6.55 from the previous Friday to $178.74 per hundred pounds of carcass weight.

The choice-select spread, $16.81, was down $2.01 from a week earlier.

Fed cattle prices this week were down from last week’s record. The 5-area average price for slaughter steers sold through Thursday of this week on a live weight basis was $120.78/cwt, down $3.18 from last week. Steers sold on a dressed weight basis averaged $194.94/cwt, $7.98 lower than the week before.

This week’s cattle slaughter totaled 636,000 head, up 1.8% from the week before, but down 6.6% compared to the same week last year. The average steer dressed weight for the week ending November 5 was 857 pounds, down 2 pounds from the week before and down 1 pound from a year ago.

Cash bids for feeder cattle around the country this week were mostly steady to $5 higher. Prices this week at Oklahoma City were steady to $3 higher with price ranges for medium and large frame #1 steers: 400-450# $170-$190, 450-500# $157-$176, 500-550# $155-$164.50, 550-600# $144-$157, 600-650# $136$153.75, 650-700# $135-$148.50, 700-750# $143-$147.10, 750-800# $137.50$148, 800-900# $137-$144.75 and one lot of 900-1000# at $127/cwt.

The December live cattle futures contracted ended the week at $119.70, down 85 cents from the previous Friday. The February contract settled at $121.77/cwt today and the April contract ended the week at $125.77, down $1.03 from last week’s close.

From University of Missouri

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

35

Farm Bureau Members Pay Less For Choice Hotels!

FARM BUREAU COMMODITY REPORT

GRAIN PRICES

Portland:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Corn

Ogden:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

A $40 room will be closer to

Pocatello:

$32 A $60 room will be closer to

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

Burley:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

Nampa:

White Wheat (cwt) (Bushel)

$48 A $90 room will be closer to

Lewiston:

White Wheat Barley

LIVESTOCK PRICES Feeder Steers

10/24/2011

11/17/2011

Trend

6.33 7.58-7.80 10.01 272.75-277.25

5.92 6.87-7.02 10.17 267-267.25

- .41 - .71 to - .78 + .16 - 5.75 to 10.00

6.35 6.51 8.60 11.70

6.00 5.82 8.75 11.40

- .35 - .69 + .15 - .30

6.00 6.35 8.59 11.95

5.65 5.91 8.81 10.41

- .35 - .44 + .22 - 1.54

6.15 6.35 8.42 10.25

5.85 5.67 8.71 10.25

- .30 - .68 + .29 Steady

9.17 5.50

8.67 5.20

- .50 - .30

6.10 198.50

5.64 194.50

- .46 - 4.00

10/24/2011

11/18/2011

Trend

130-194 122-158 101-137 105-120

Steady to + 5 + 2 to + 6 - 9 to – 1 + 10 to + 1

Under 500 lbs 130-189 500-700 lbs 700-900 lbs Over 900 lbs

$72 1.800.258.2847

Farm Bureau Discount Code

00800286

advanced reservations required

Feeder Heifers Under 500 lbs 500-700 lbs 700-900 lbs Over 900 lbs

Holstein Steers Under 700 lbs Over 700 lbs

Cows

Utility/Commercial Canner & Cutter

Stock Cows Bulls

Slaughter

BEAN PRICES: Pinto Pink Small Red

120-152 110-138 95-119

120-162 103-142 103-125 90-112

121-166 112-145 105-129 88-115

+ 1 to + 4 + 9 to + 3 + 2 to + 4 - 2 to + 3

65-104 65-97

65-94 65-100

steady to – 10 steady to + 3

43-69 35-61

40-71 44-62

- 3 to + 2 + 9 to + 1

625-1050

750-1325

+ 125 to + 275

50-75

45-75

- 5 to steady

45.00 45.00 45.00-46.00

45.00 45.00 45.00-46.00

Compiled by the Idaho Farm Bureau Commodity Division 36

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

Steady Steady Steady

IDaho Hay Report Fri Nov 18, 2011 USDA Market News Compared to last week, all grades of Alfalfa steady. Trade slow in pre-holiday trading with good demand for light offerings as many interests have sold out for the year. Retail/feed store/horse not tested this week. Buyer demand good with light to moderate supplies. All prices are dollars per ton and FOB unless otherwise stated.

Tons Price Wtd Avg Comments Alfalfa Large Square Supreme 410 210.00-250.00 231.71 Premium 120 225.00-225.00 225.00 Fair 4350 190.00-200.00 196.90

300 185.00-185.00 185.00 Rain Damage

500 185.00-185.00 185.00 Del Rain Damage

POTATOES FOR PROCESSING

November 15, 2011 IDAHO---Open-market trading by processors with growers was fairly active.

Open-market prices paid to growers for mostly Russet Burbank and a few Russet Norkotah potatoes, storage-run, bulk per cwt, less dirt, rot and green tare, F.O.B.

Wheat Straw Large Square Good Wheat Straw Large Square Good Fair

250

40.00-40.00

40.00

200 6,000

75.00-75.00 60.00-60.00

75.00 60.00

Del Del

Alfalfa hay test guidelines, (for domestic livestock use and not more than 10% grass), used with visual appearance and intent of sale Quantitative factors are approximate and many factors can affect feeding value.

growers storage unless otherwise stated: Direct-to-Dehydration Quality (storagerun) 7.25 plus haul, few fair condition 6.75.

5 Year Grain Comparison

Grain Prices................11/26/2007...................11/19/2008....................11/19/2009...................11/18/2010............................

11/17/2011 Portland: White Wheat.................... 10.48..............................5.38 ..............................4.85 ............................ N/A .......................... 5.92 11% Winter...................9.30-9.43.......................5.78-5.93 ...................5.68-5.72 ....................... N/A...........................6.87-7.02 14% Spring....................... 10.43..............................8.05 ..............................7.13 ............................. N/A ........................10.17 Barley (ton)........................N/A.................................N/A.................................N/A............................... N/A .......................N/A Corn.............................. 184-185.50 ...................174-176.25........................178.25...........................223.50................................

267-267.25 Ogden: White Wheat..................... 9.60...............................4.62 ..............................4.55 ............................5.95............................. 6.00 11% Winter....................... 8.57...............................4.94 ..............................4.58 ............................5.68 .......................... 5.82 14 % Spring...................... 9.22...............................6.83 ..............................6.00 ............................7.22 ............................ 8.75 Barley................................10.80.............................. 7.15 .............................6.03 ............................8.50 ...........................11.40 Pocatello: White Wheat..................... 9.50...............................4.60 ..............................4.40 ............................5.65............................. 5.65 11% Winter....................... 8.31...............................4.56 ..............................4.53 ............................5.60 .......................... 5.91 14% Spring........................ 8.97...............................6.77 ..............................5.76 ............................7.41 ........................... 8.81 Barley................................. 9.50 ..............................6.50 ............................6.04 ..........................7.81 ........................... 10.41

Burley: White Wheat..................... 9.00...............................4.05 ..............................4.42 ............................6.00............................. 5.85 11% Winter....................... 8.28...............................4.58 ..............................5.47 ............................5.35 .......................... 5.67 14% Spring........................ 8.76...............................6.34 ..............................6.98 ............................7.14 ........................... 8.71 Barley................................. 9.00...............................6.50 ..............................6.00 ..........................8.25 ......................... 10.25 Nampa: White Wheat (cwt)......... 15.58..............................7.08 ..............................7.30 ............................9.00............................. 8.67 (bushel)........... 9.35...............................4.25 ..............................4.40 ............................5.40............................. 5.20 Lewiston: White Wheat.................... 10.20.............................. 5.10 .............................4.60 ............................6.05............................ 5.64 Barley............................... 241.50........................... 114.50 .........................116.50...........................161.50........................ 194.50 Bean Prices: Pintos................................28.00.............................38.00.............................32.00.......................22.00-24.00...................... 45.00 Pinks............................26.00-27.00...................37.00-38.00.................. 30.00-32.00.................24.00-25.00...................... 45.00 Small Reds........................30.00....................... 38.00-42.00.................. 30.00-32.00.................24.00-28.00 ..........................

45.00-46.00 ***

IDAHO Milk production up 1.7 Percent November 18, 2011 Idaho milk production during October 2011 totaled 1.12 billion pounds, a 1.7 percent increase from the same month last year, and up slightly September 2011, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Average milk production per cow in October 2011 was 1,930 pounds, unchanged from last year’s level. The average number of milk cows during October was 582,000 head, up 10,000 from October 2010.

Milk production in the 23 major States during October totaled 15.2 billion pounds, up 2.5 percent from October 2010. September revised pro-

duction at 14.8 billion pounds, was up 1.9 percent from September 2010.

The September revision represented a decrease of 10 million pounds or 0.1 percent from last month’s preliminary production estimate. Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,787 pounds for October, 20 pounds above October 2010. The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.48 million head, 111,000 head more than October 2010, and 10,000 head more than September 2011.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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5 Year livestock comparison .....................................11/21/2007...................11/19/2008....................11/19/2009...................11/20/2010...................11/18/2011 Under 500 lbs................100-125..........................88-120 .........................95-125 ...................109-155 ................... 130-194 500-700 lbs.....................87-120...........................75-107 .........................84-121 .........................95-131 ...................... 122-158 700-900 lbs..................... 85-110............................75-96 ..........................79-94 .....................90-121 ...................... 101-137 Over 900 lbs................... 82-101............................70-93 ...........................73-87 ..........................85-101.........................105-120 Feeder Heifers Under 500 lbs.................90-120 .........................75-108...........................85-112 ...................107-138.........................121-166 500-700 lbs..................... 85-111 ...........................73-91............................77-101 ......................96-129 .......................112-145 700-900 lbs......................82-98 ...........................68-90..............................0-88 ..........................90-113......................... 105-129 Over 900 lbs....................78-97 ...........................65-86.............................60-82 ........................ 80-102.......................... 88-115 Holstein Steers Under 700 lbs..................55-81 ...........................39-58 ...........................49-67 .......................... 63-85 .........................65-94 Over 700 lbs.................... 51-75 ............................42-68 ...........................49-65 .......................... 55-80 .........................65-100 Cows Utility/Commercial...........28-48.............................25-50.............................30-56............................35-59............................40-71 Canner & Cutter..............12-44.............................21-38..............................27-43.............................35-52............................44-62 Stock Cows..........................N/A.............................400-845 ......................500-935 .................... 500-1300......................750-1325 Bulls – Slaughter............35-55.............................38-60.............................36-60............................45-71 .........................45-75

Idaho Cattle on Feed Up 2% from Previous Year November 18, 2011 Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Idaho from feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head on November 1, 2011 totaled 225,000 head, up 2 percent from the previous year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The cattle on feed inventory was up 2 percent from October 1, 2011.

Placements of cattle in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during October totaled 55,000 head, up 4 percent from October 2010 placements. Marketings of cattle from feedlots with 1,000 head or more during October totaled 48,000 head, 11,000 head more than a year ago. Other disappearance totaled 2,000 head during October.

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.9 million head on November 1, 2011. The inventory was 4 percent above November 1, 2010. This is the second highest November 1 inventory since the series began in 1996. Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.49 million, 1 percent below 2010. Net placements were 2.40 million head. During October, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 805,000, 600-699 pounds were 600,000, 700-799 pounds were 501,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 585,000. Marketings of fed cattle during October totaled 1.79 million, 3 percent above 2010. Other disappearance totaled 93,000 during October, 50 percent above 2010.

Priestley

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ther, Andrus said he supports using the Act as a political hammer or a threat that would bring opponents of the Boulder White Clouds wilderness, or “knot heads” as he called them, to the negotiating table.

The Antiquities Act, which gives the president the authority to establish national monuments on public land, was established in 1906 to protect objects of historic and scientific interest. Using the Act to establish monuments and wilderness areas is popular among environmental groups, but has proven extremely controversial for rural residents who live and work in the affected area. Using the Act to restrict use of public lands subverts the participation of the very people who are the most affected.

It also undercuts Congressional involvement and is viewed by our organization as an example of the very worst kind of top-down, ham-fisted, federal bullying of a state’s government and its residents.

Since 1906, 15 presidents have used the 38

Antiquities Act to establish 127 national monuments. In turn Congress has re-designated 32 national monuments as national parks. The only presidents who did not use the Act were Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

In 1978 when President Carter used the Act to regulate use on nearly 80 million acres in Alaska, the action caused wide protest across Alaska. President Carter was burned in effigy in Fairbanks, and local residents staged a protest known as the Great Denali Trespass. They went into the area and fired guns, made campfires and deliberately disobeyed the new federal regulations.

Even stronger actions of civil disobedience occurred and remain ongoing in southern Utah after President Clinton used the Antiquities Act to establish the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in 1996 to regulate access on 1.9 million acres of public land. Utah’s congressional delegation and governor were given notice only

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

24 hours in advance of the speech and ceremony wherein Clinton made his announcement. In addition, the ceremony wasn’t even held in Utah – it was held at the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona, a safe distance from Kane County, Utah, where conflict remains today between the County and federal government over use of roads inside the Monument.

Here in Idaho, we don’t want or need yet another federal government intrusion of our state sovereignty. Use of the Antiquities Act to create a wilderness here or anywhere else is an end-around of the established process. If the Boulder White Clouds is to become a wilderness area it should be supported by a majority of Idaho residents and go through the proper channels in Congress. The Boulder White Clouds Mountains are one of many spectacular wild areas of our state. But they won’t be made any more or less spectacular by the heavy hand of the federal government.

Classifieds Animals

Trailers

APHA Broodmares. Excellent bloodlines.

Great conformation. Super dispositions., Herd reduction. Great prices. Stallion Service Available-$400 fee LFG. Caldwell, ID. 208454-2454

Trails West Santa Fe II 3 horse slant load trailer. Carpeted walk-in tack room with saddle racks ect. Bearing buddies on all wheels. Stored inside most of the time. $3,800 OBO. Twin Falls Call 208-734-7640

Farm Equipment

Vehicles

Oliver Two Row Potato Digger on steel, barn stored, in excellent condition. $700. Wendell, ID 208-0536-6448

2006 F250 Ford 4 door XLT Lariat. Diesel, 4x4, 107,000 miles, loaded, power locks, seats leather heated, sunroof, 6 CD, auto transmission, tow package. Asking $23,995.

Pocatello, Id. 208-235-1903.

Balewagons: New Holland self-propelled or pull-type models/parts. Also interested in buying balewagons. Will consider any model.

Call Jim Wilhite at 208-880-2889 anytime

Household Restored Antique Oak Furniture; washstand, dressers, desks, tables, chairs, file cabinets, lawyer bookcases, hoosier, hall trees. Burley, Id. Call Don at 208-678-2036 or 208-4312036

Miscellaneous Semi chains, like new. Singles $80/pair, doubles $180/pair. Century 8 ft. shell. fiberglass, green, fits Dodge. Good condition. $600. 4 Firestone Destination A-T 235x75.

15 inches. 80%, mounted on Outlaw mag rims. Fits Ford Ranger $550. Boise area.

208-392-6057

Recreational Equipment Snowmobiles; 2002 Ski-Doo MXZX 440 $1,200, 2001 Arctic Cat Z440 $1,000, 1999 Ski-Doo Summit 600 $1,200, 1996 Honda 4-TRAX 300 ATV $1,200. Twin Falls, Id. Call Tim 208-731-7089

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR IDAHO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS

send to: dashton@idahofb.org

Wanted MGA parts/parts car. Also small 3 pt ditcher, post hole digger. Pocatello. 208-237-0119 Paying cash for German & Japanese war relics/souvenirs! Pistols, rifles, swords, daggers, flags, scopes, optical equipment, uniforms, helmets, machine guns (ATF rules apply) medals, flags, etc. 549-3841 (evenings) or 208-405-9338.

Old License Plates Wanted: Also key chain license plates, old signs, light fixtures. Will pay cash. Please email, call or write. Gary Peterson, 130 E Pecan, Genesee, Id 83832. gearlep@gmail.com. 208-285-1258

DEADLINE DATES:

ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY

JANUARY 20 FOR

NEXT ISSUE.

SEND US YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FREE TO IDAHO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS! send to: dashton@idahofb.org FREE CLASSIFIEDS Non commercial classified ads are free to Idaho Farm Bureau members.

Must include membership number for free ad. Forty (40) words maximum.

Non-member cost- 50 cents per word. You may advertise your own crops, livestock, used machinery, household items, vehicles, etc. Ads will not be accepted by phone. Ads run one time only and must be re-submitted in each subsequent issue. We reserve the right to refuse to run any ad. Please type or print clearly. Proof-read your ad.

Mail ad copy to: GEM STATE PRODUCER P.O. Box 4848, Pocatello, ID 83205-4848 or email Dixie at DASHTON@IDAHOFB.ORG Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________________________ City / State / Zip: __________________________________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________ Membership No. ___________________ Ad Copy: ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Idaho Farm Bureau producer / DECEMBER 2011

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