April 2012, Volume 16, Issue 3

April 2012 • Volume 16, Issue 3

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Guidelines for Antibiotic Usage

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Power County Family’s Prized Red Angus

®

Idaho Farm Bureau

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Grazing Permit Renewal

Update Our Ports or Miss the Boat

The Ag Agenda

By Bob Stallman AFBF President

Someone once said that it’s not leaving port, but coming in, that determines the success of a voyage.

While this has some truth to it, the port that one departs from is just as important to a successful endeavor.

It may surprise many that if the planned expansion of the Panama Canal was completed tomorrow, the United States, one of the world’s largest trading powers, would only

Legislation Disregards Private Property Rights

By Frank Priestley President Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

Legislation that infringes on or compromises the rights of private property owners is viewed by our organization as government over-

have six ports deep enough to handle the new larger ships that will pass. Yet, we are competing with all other parts of the world that are updating their ports. Since agriculture goods play a significant role in U.S. trade, modernizing our ports is extremely important for farmers and ranchers to be able to continue to thrive in the world market.

If You Build It, They Will Come

See STALLMAN, page 12

stepping its authority.

Private property rights are the bedrock of liberty and are central to the principles and beliefs we hold most dear. If the heavy hand of government is allowed to meddle in this area our democracy becomes uncertain.

Matters pertaining to private property rights are often overshadowed by more visible issues. Consider the proposed moratorium on wind energy development (H.B. 561) sponsored by Rep. Erik Simpson (R-Ida-

CEO Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

Supreme Court justices severely chastised the Federal Government in its totalitarian mentality that its rule is supreme and cannot be challenged.

In the waning weeks of March 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a North Idaho couple, the Sacketts, and against the unruly dictatorial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The

Justice Alito, in his concurring opinion wrote, “The position taken in this case by the Federal Government – a position that the Court now squarely rejects – would have put the property rights of ordinary

Private Property Rights of Americans at the Mercy of EPA

By Rick Keller

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Even more surprising than the U.S. only having six large ports is the fact that all these ports are isolated on the East and West Coasts. That’s right, Gulf Coast ports, including New Orleans, do not currently have the capacity to handle larger ships.

If upgrades to U.S. ports are not completed in time, for major trade leaving the U.S. Gulf, smaller boats ship our goods to ports like those

ho Falls). Some people may think windmills are ugly or distracting.

Others argue that wind energy isn’t reliable or that it may be contributing to rate increases. The two major electric utilities in southern Idaho have made it clear that they don’t like windmills because wind power makes managing energy transmission more difficult. All of these points are valid and they provide an illustration of the difficult politics of our time.

See PRIESTLEY, page 25

Americans entirely at the mercy of EPA…..In a nation that values due process, not to mention private property, such treatment is unthinkable.”

Justice Ginsburg concurred with Justice Scalia’s opinion of the Court by lamenting that the justices could not go beyond just reversing the decision of the earlier Court of Appeals and only remand the case for further review consistent with the High Court’s opinion.

See KELLER, page 12

Volume 16, Issue 3 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 Cody Chandler........................................................Weiser 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.

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Cover: Cattle branding on the Lowry Ranch in Owyhee County is a family affair, but friends and neighbors also show up to help. Pictured are Lisa Mackenzie, right, with syringe, Luisa Lowry, foreground holding calf, Patty Smith, background holding calf, and Tim Lowry. Antibiotic usage in livestock has become a hot-button issue for both consumers and government regulators. Read the article in this month’s Producer Magazine for more information.

Photo by Steve Ritter

Idaho farmers are gearing up for changes in antibiotic drug protocols just handed down by the Food and Drug Administration.

Farm Bureau file photo

New Livestock Antibiotic Rules Now in Effect

By Jake Putnam

Idaho Farmers and ranchers are looking at changes when treating sick livestock with antibiotics this spring.

Starting this month the Food and Drug Administration will enact the Extra Label Use rule, that modifies the use of the antibiotic Cephalosporin in cattle. The Agency thinks that high level uses of the drug pose a threat to the public.

“The FDA wants to make sure all antibiotic use is prudent including any extra label drug use,” said Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick, Kuna, a veterinarian for Pfizer Animal Health.

“Those rules haven’t been as tight previously as they should have been,” he said. Kirk-

Correction

See ANTIBIOTICS page 4

Thanks to several readers for pointing out an error on the cover of our March edition of Gem State Producer Magazine. The bird in the photo is a Columbian Sharp-tail Grouse while the article was about the potential Endangered Species Act listing of Greater Sage Grouse. We apologize for the error and for anyone interested in comparing the different characteristics of the two birds, a photo of a male Sage Grouse can be seen on page 2 of the same magazine.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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ANTIBIOTICS Continued from page 3 patrick pointed out that extra label privileges are only granted to veterinarians and this type of use should be the only exception; Vets should use extra-label use only when an animal’s life is in danger and no other labeled treatment is available. Then with, appropriate record keeping and calculation

of meat and milk withdrawal times.”

the label.

For farmers and veterinarians the most significant impact of the new FDA antibiotic rules will be greater accountability meaning that farmers and vets will have to document what they’re doing with the drugs, especially in ways not prescribed on

But the good news is that documentation can be as easy as keeping a dedicated spiral notebook that includes the animal ID, therapy dose, route, number of days treated, administration date and calculated withdrawal dates for both meat and milk.

Most Idaho farmers adapted the new drug use protocols last year, but new record keeping guidelines are going into effect.

Farm Bureau file photo

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

The major dairy record keeping companies have also stepped up to the plate with software that not only document details, but assists in providing information about the health of the herd and entering this data is simple.

“We’re doing what they ask, and always have,” said Mike Garner a Raft River dairyman. “Many of these rules have been in effect for the past two years. We’re already doing what the federal government is asking us to do. That said I don’t know what more we can do, we’ve been extremely cautious.”

“It does end up costing us more time and labor,” said Garner. “It’s squeezing our bottom line, but we’re doing all we can do.

People need to know that we’re using FDA approved antibiotics and protocols and we are doing this for the benefit of the animals at great cost to us. We don’t administer these drugs because we enjoy it, we’re doing it for health and safety of the animals.”

The Cephalosporin class of antibiotics are also used to treat sick people. The FDA thinks tighter controls are needed to help guard against increased bacterial resistance in livestock as well as humans. According to the FDA, doctors write more than 50 million prescriptions for cephalosporin antibiotics each year. The antibiotics are commonly used to treat pneumonia, strep throat and skin and urinary tract infections in humans. The antibiotics are also prescribed by doctors in the treatment of children.

“The FDA thinks there’s enough evidence of risk to human health because of extralabel drug use of cephalosporin antibiotics. They know that antimicrobial drugs are important for treating disease in both humans and animals. This new order takes into consideration all that public comment.

They just want to help preserve the effectiveness of cephalosporin drugs for treating disease in humans. So modifying extra label use in animals will reduce the risk of cephalosporin resistance in certain bacterial pathogens,” says Dr. Kirkpatrick The antibiotic ceftiofur is a cephalosporin

and a front-line antibiotic for doctors treating salmonella infections, according to the FDA. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a 14.5 percent increase in salmonella resistance to ceftiofur in cattle as well as a 4.2 percent increase for swine, 12.2 percent increase for chicken and 8.7 percent increase in turkeys.

“The USDA in partnership with the FDA has been surveying meat sources for antibiotic contamination for a number of years.

The detection system works very well, said Dr. Kirkpatrick. “The incidences of violations are rare, and in fact been trending dramatically downwards. Producers are doing a better job.”

The concern over potential contamination stretches to the far corners of the globe and farm practices impact foreign trade. To further understand potential risk the FDA has enacted nationwide random milk testing. This exercise is designed to understand potential risk, but to also address the recent European Union audit failure. A major issue is retention of our export markets.

“In a sense the FDA is investigating that on their own and also seeing how safe the US system is...it’s the best in the world and that’s good because we want to keep our export market open to the European Union,” said Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick has travelled the state since the initial announcement of the rule changes in January meeting with farmers and discussing farm use of antibiotics. Some producers have used drugs in an extra label manner in the past. Penicillin is one of the first antimicrobials that became available for the treatment of livestock. At least one Idaho dairy has been fined for extra-label use of antibiotics.

“Only a veterinary practitioner can exercise extra-label privileges, and the FDA is encouraging and requiring veterinarians to establish treatment protocols with farmers.

This process is not as onerous as it would seem as many veterinarians have become familiar with implementing this process.

The good news is that protocol creation and review tends to have the effect of reducing

therapeutic usage,” Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick says animals, just like humans get sick and need treatment. “The good thing is that I’m seeing tremendous precision from producers. They’ve adapted treatment protocols with little fuss. There is great precision that comes out of this. We are now able to monitor more causal relationships and prevent treatable conditions.

This has been a good thing for dairies.”

Jeff Windett, executive vice president of the Missouri Cattleman’s Association says he the new rules won’t affect farmers much while Idaho workshops have helped ease the transition.

“Through the Farmers National Diary Assurance program online, you can download the forms,” said Garner. “The vet signs off on everything we do, he approves our usage, it’s totally above board under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.”

Idaho Farmers say they’re diligent and careful, “It’s just like in humans, you use antibiotics for the betterment of health.

You use it wisely, with sound proper science with the betterment of health in animals and humans,” said Garner.

FIVE STEPS TO RESPONSIBLE ANTIBIOTIC USE: 1. Establish a valid veterinarian-client patient relationship 2. Use medication only with a veterinarian’s guidance and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

3. Administer all drugs properly and identify all treated animals.

4. Maintain and use proper treatment records on all treated animals.

5. Teach all employees that work around animals proper drug use protocols.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Russell Fehringer with a newborn Red Angus calf.

Power County Family Raises Top Red Angus Cattle

By John Thompson Drawing the top 3,500 cattle from all over the U.S. and Canada, the National Western Stock Show is like the World Series for cattle. If your cow, calf, heifer or bull wins an award there, it’s like hitting one out of the park.

It isn’t a place where you show up for the first time and walk away with a trophy. At least most competitors don’t.

A Red Angus cow at Lakeview Cattle Company in Power County. The Company’s cattle recently won a reserve champion award at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

But the Fehringer family of Power County wasn’t intimidated by the bright lights, the big stage, or the fact that they were rookies competing for the first time in an international show. Their pen of three Red Angus heifers won reserve champion at this year’s Denver Stock Show.

And after winning, they didn’t take off

for Disneyworld or buy a new Bentley. Instead, Russell, his wife Shawna and their 12-year-old daughter Payton loaded their cattle and traveled to South Dakota where they won two more reserve champion trophies at the Black Hills Stock Show. The cattle they sold in South Dakota, a young bull and a heifer fetched $8,000 and $8,750 respectively.

Although they may not live the life of professional athletes, the Fehringers, definitely have competitive spirit. In addition to the cattle mentioned above, they currently own four of the top ten Red Angus bulls at the Midland Bull Test in Columbus, Montana, in the average daily gain category, two of which are also in the top ten for weight per day of age. On top of that they are the only family in the history of the Midland Bull Test (48 years) to own the top Red Angus bull and top Black Angus bull for average daily gain in the same year.

Their new herd sire, Trooper 21Y, was purchased in Canada last fall. So far he has been recognized as Red Roundup 2011 Bull Calf Champion, Farm Fair 2011 Intermediate Bull Calf Champion, and Agribition 2011 Intermediate Bull Calf Champion.

That’s a fairly impressive resume considering they have only been in the purebred cattle business nine years and their base herd is only 30 mother cows. Russell explained that with the limited acreage base of their farm they knew they would never be in the cattle business at a scale where they would be able to ship a semi-load of calves to market each fall. So when an opportunity to purchase a small herd of red Angus cows came long, they added it to their farming operation.

“We don’t have the land base to support a large herd,” Russell said. “Our goal in this operation, we raise potatoes, wheat, silage corn, sugar snap peas and cattle, is to make

it a full circle operation.”

Helping keep the circle whole, they have four full-time employees, Payton has her own show cattle business (Rib Eye Ranch) and competes on the junior show circuit and Shawna does the accounting and marketing. Russell relocated to Power County from northeast Colorado in 1986 and worked for relatives for a few years before getting married and starting the Lakeview Cattle Company, Lakeview Ag, which is the farm portion of the family business and a potato seed cutting business. Although he has lived on farms all his life, he considers the Lakeview farm to be a first generation start-up.

The Fehringers diverse operation keeps them busy all year long. In the spring as calving begins they also cut potato seed for several Power County growers. After that See FEHRINGER RED ANGUS page 8

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Fehringer Red angus Continued from page 7

Reserve Grand Champion Pen of Three Heifers at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado - January 8, 2012. LAKEVIEW Lizabeth Taylor 117, LAKEVIEW Lucille Ball 111, and LAKEVIEW Sopia Loren 116.

they begin planning cattle breeding schedules utilizing artificial insemination and embryo transfer to surrogate cattle. From their 30 cows, and some surrogates borrowed from their veterinarian, they produce 60 to 70 calves per year. By late spring they are also in the midst of planting and tending crops. By summer they begin sorting out calves to prepare for show and which calves are best for certain shows. Payton and her cousin, Morgan Cortez, work with the show calves every day teaching them to lead, washing and grooming. It takes about an hour per day per calf.

bit complex. Shawna explained that when you own a show bull with the chance to win a championship at a national show you must be careful not to allow dilution of his gene pool to the point where he becomes “just another bull.” With Trooper they are considering selling his rights in Argentina where an interested buyer resides. If he shows well next year in Denver his semen could bring up to $500 per straw. Trooper’s father, Soldier, recently brought $20,000 for 20 units of semen which works out to $490 per straw. That’s the top of the market for beef cattle.

For Shawna, a lot of the time is spent marketing cattle. She put together a website lakeviewcattlecompany.com that is definitely worth a look for anyone interested in knowing more about their operation. They are also on Facebook and will be selling bulls at the Midland Bull Test on April 6 & 7.

“You have to make sure the semen from your top bulls doesn’t just go into commercial herds,” Shawna said. “That could cause his EPD (Expected Progeny Difference) numbers to be compromised. We want people to buy him for their high end cattle.”

For the layman, cattle marketing can be a 8

The main goals for Trooper are to use his genetics to improve the herd at Lakeview

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Cattle Co. and to get him ready to compete for a national championship. Russell said wins in the show ring generate name recognition and income from semen sales.

However, much like a professional athlete, a bull’s days at the top of the heap can be numbered.

“If he can win a national show and if someone wants to buy him, we may let him go,” Russell said. “After a couple of years everybody starts looking for the next new bull. It’s just like new pickups; they change body styles for a reason.”

To get their cattle ready to show Payton spends a lot of time teaching them to lead and getting their hair trained. The hair has to be groomed opposite of the way it grows so that it fluffs up. They are also put on strict feed rations that make the hair shiny.

They are walked on a hill and then washed every day to keep them in shape and to train the hair. It takes about an hour per calf to get them washed and dried using

Lazy MC Trooper 21Y - Intermediate Reserve Grand Champion Bull 2012

hair dryers.

“We like to get them not overly fat but looking good,” said Shawna. “We feed and exercise them just like you would an athlete so they walk out right when they go in the show ring.”

Payton is also active in youth programs sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Red Angus Association of America.

Programs sponsored by these organizations have given her chances to learn about marketing cattle and being an advocate for agriculture. She has learned about public speaking, public relations and much more.

What Payton decides to do with her cattle and her business are her decisions to make, Russell said. She owns about 10 head including one bull, PIE Code Red that is ranked third among

Red Angus bulls in average daily gain currently at the Midland Bull Test.

But taking care of the cattle and growing up on a farm also teaches important life lessons to Payton, their niece Morgan and other youngsters who the Fehringers employ.

“We are trying to educate our youth and give them responsibility,” said Russell. “She can sell her cattle if and when she wants and we hope she will set aside some money for college but we want her to be in charge of making those decisions.”

“Our goal is to raise kids in a successful agriculture operation and I believe if they can thrive in this lifestyle they can go out and do anything they want,” Shawna added.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Focus on Agriculture Groundwater: Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind

By Kevin McCray Some 44 percent of the U.S. population depends on groundwater, the water that fills cracks and other openings in beds of rock and sand, for its drinking water supply— be it from either a public source or private well. In rural areas, the number is about 96 percent. That fact alone justifies the need for National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 11-17. But groundwater is important to us in many other ways, as well.

Groundwater provides much of the flow of many streams; often lakes and streams are “windows” to the water table. Groundwater adds 492 billion gallons per day to U.S. surface water bodies. In large part, the flow in a stream represents water that has flowed from the ground into the stream channel.

Scientists estimate U.S. groundwater reserves to be at least 33,000 trillion gallons—equal to the amount discharged into the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River in the past 200 years.

The U.S. uses 79.6 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater for public supply, pri10

vate supply, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, mining, thermoelectric power and other purposes.

Groundwater is tapped through wells placed in water-bearing soils and rocks beneath the surface of the Earth. There are nearly 15.9 million of these wells serving households, cities, business and agriculture every day. Wells are constructed by the 8,100 contracting firms employing nearly 45,000 people dedicated to providing and protecting our nation’s groundwater supplies.

Irrigation accounts for the largest use of groundwater in the United States, about 67.2 percent of all the groundwater pumped each day. Some 53.5 billion gallons of groundwater are used daily for agricultural irrigation from more than 407,913 wells.

Irrigation is a major reason for the abundance of fresh produce and grains that we all enjoy.

One ton of groundwater used by industry generates an estimated $14,000 worth of output.

These facts help us connect with the important role we each play as stewards, or

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

protectors, of groundwater. Fortunately, there are simple steps that will help protect groundwater and the well systems that distribute it.

Always use licensed or certified water well drillers and pump installers when a well is constructed or serviced, or when the pump is installed or serviced.

Keep hazardous materials away from any well. Never dump such materials, motor oil, or anything else that could impact water quality onto the land surface, into a hole or pit, or into a surface water supply.

These tips and more are available from state groundwater or water well associations, NGWA, county agricultural Extension agents or state government agencies with responsibility for groundwater. Visit www.wellowner.org to learn more.

National Groundwater Awareness Week is not a celebration such as July 4th has become. Instead, we should use the week to reflect more deeply on groundwater’s value and its contributions to our lives.

Kevin McCray is the executive director of the National Ground Water Association.

The lifeblood of America.

They’re the humble heroes who rise before dawn and battle the elements. They put clothes on our backs and food on our tables. Their genuine values and tireless work ethic are an inspiration to us all. We appreciate all that America’s farmers do and invite you to join us in saying thanks at www.fbfs.com/SayThanksToAFarmer.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 20123:54 PM 11 3/12/12

STALLMAN Continued from page 2 in the Bahamas and Dominican Republic, where they would offload to larger vessels traveling to Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world. Similarly, goods coming from other countries would potentially have to go through the same routine in the Caribbean, offloading to smaller vessels to enter ports in the U.S. Gulf.

If you are scratching your head, you aren’t the only one. This process of loading and offloading ships costs a lot of money. Inadequate port size also leads to higher transportation costs because vessels may be loaded to less than capacity and more vessels may be required to ship the same amount of commodities.

In the meantime, our competitors around the world fare much better. Because their ports are deep enough, it is easier and less expensive to move products in and out. Further, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are all undergoing major new port projects or expansion of existing facilities.

Latin America, for example, is rapidly continuing with some of the world’s most sizable port development projects. The region

is catching up with other regions through larger port investments, which stand at almost $12 billion. This means China will have access to sell its farm products to Latin America, where Asia never had access before.

For Right of Way, Gross Tonnage Rules The expansion of the Panama Canal will allow significantly larger ships to move through the waterway. The project, expected to be completed in 2014, should increase cargo volume by an average of 3 percent per year, doubling the 2005 tonnage by 2025.

Currently, the largest ship able to pass through the canal can hold up to 3,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit, a measure used for capacity in container transportation). To maximize the canal’s new dimensions, shipbuilders are making larger vessels that are able to hold up to 12,000 TEUs and require 50-51 feet of draft.

These larger ships require deeper and wider shipping channels, greater overhead clearance, and larger cranes and shore infrastructure—all of which make the U.S. Gulf a non-trading player. Some U.S ports can accommodate the larger vessels. How-

ever, most cannot, including many ports that are very important to U.S. agricultural exports.

The U.S. exports approximately onequarter of the grain it produces. In 2011, more than 58 percent of our grain exports departed from the U.S. Gulf. This may significantly change as larger ships carrying grain from our competitors are able to access our trading partners. The Panama Canal could potentially shift world trade as U.S. exporters will be unable to pass on higher transportation costs when customers can purchase similar products from other countries.

As the saying goes, “For Right of Way, Gross Tonnage Rules.” This law, known as the rule of common sense on the water, is also common sense for international trade.

In other words, those with the biggest ships and ports to accommodate them will win every time. To maintain our competiveness in the world market, it is essential that the U.S. update and modernize its ports to accommodate larger ships. Without this investment in infrastructure, we will literally miss the boat.

KELLER Continued from page 2 Unhappy with the limits placed before them, Justice Alito stated: “The Court’s decision provides a modest measure of relief (for the Sacketts). At least, property owners like petitioners will have the right to challenge the EPA’s jurisdictional determination under the Administrative Procedure Act. But the combination of the uncertain reach of the Clean Water Act and the draconian penalties imposed for the sort of violations alleged in this case still leaves most property owners with little practical alternative but to dance to the EPA’s tune.”

Then Alito concluded: “Allowing aggrieved property owners to sue under the 12

Administrative Procedure Act is better than nothing, but only clarification of the reach of the Clean Water Act can rectify the underlying problem.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has limited Federal agencies many times on their application of the Clean Water Act, but the government refuses to yield. The agencies’ rejection of the Court’s rulings must be addressed by Congress, which is also inept in this issue.

In addition to the Federal government and Congress, a lion’s share of this matter lays squarely upon the incompetence of the Idaho District Court and the 9th Circuit Court

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

of Appeals. These two courts completely ignored the pleas of the property owners.

To have the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously and ceremoniously reprimand their decision should bring shame upon the two lower courts’ decisions.

Congratulation to the Sacketts for their hard fought fight for justice. Their battle is not yet over. They must now meet with their accusers and defend their property rights anew. At least now they can. Thank you, Sacketts.

Land Availability, Government Regs Concern Young Farmers WASHINGTON, D.C. – The latest survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program shows an even split when it comes to concerns about top challenges they face today. A total of 21 percent of young farmers surveyed ranked burdensome government regulations and “red tape” as a top concern; an additional 21 percent cited securing adequate land to grow crops and raise livestock as their top challenge today.

“Most young farmers and ranchers would like to stay on the farm or ranch their entire lives,” said Glen Cope, AFBF’s national YF&R committee chair and a beef cattle producer from Missouri. “One of the biggest challenges many of us have faced is getting enough capital to start farming. And then, once we are established, regulatory costs can be the wildcard that determines whether we can be successful enough to stay on the land,” he said.

Other issues ranked as top concerns included economic challenges, particularly profitability, 11 percent; availability of farm labor and related regulations, 8 percent; and willingness of parents to turn over the reins of the farm or ranch, 7 percent.

When asked to name the top three steps the federal government should take to help young farmers and ranchers, cutting government spending was the number 1 response, with 20 percent listing this as most important. Sixteen percent of those surveyed said the government should provide financial help to beginning farmers, while 12 percent indicated reforming environmental regulations should be first on the list.

“Cutting government spending will help reduce the nation’s mammoth government debt,” said Cope. “However, providing assistance to help beginning farmers get started in food production would be money well spent. And reforming burdensome environmental regulations will be good for all of agriculture and America.”

The 20th annual YF&R survey revealed that 94 percent of those surveyed are more optimistic about farming and ranching than they were five years ago. Last year, 87 percent of those surveyed said they were more optimistic about farming than they were five years ago.

The 2012 survey also shows 94 percent of the nation’s young farmers and ranchers say they are better off than they were five years ago. Last year, 90 percent reported being better off.

More than 96 percent considered themselves lifetime farmers, while 98 percent would like to see their children follow in their footsteps. The informal survey reveals that 92 percent believe their children will be able to follow in their footsteps.

The survey shows that America’s young farmers and ranchers are committed environmental stewards, with 61 percent using conservation tillage to protect soil and reduce erosion on their farms.

In addition, computers and the Internet are vital tools for the nation’s young farmers and ranchers, with 93 percent surveyed reporting using a computer in their farming operation. Nearly all of those surveyed, 99 percent, have access to the Internet. Highspeed Internet is used by 79 percent of those surveyed, with 20 percent relying on a satellite connection and just over 1 per-

cent turning to dialup.

The popular social media site, Facebook, is used by 79 percent of those surveyed who use the Internet. The most popular use of the Internet in the survey is to gather news and agricultural information, with 82 percent turning to it for that use.

Finally, the survey points out that 71 percent of YF&R members consider communicating with consumers a formal part of their jobs.

“Young farmers and ranchers are becoming more comfortable when it comes to reaching out to consumers to participate in conversations they are having about food,” Cope said. “It’s important that we as farmers continue to explore and use all available tools to connect with consumers, whether that means social media platforms, personal outreach through farm tours, agritourism, farmers’ markets, or some combination,” he said.

AFBF President Bob Stallman said the annual YF&R survey points out that the future of U.S. agriculture is in good hands.

“Our young farmers and ranchers have the know-how and tenacity to ensure that the best days are ahead for our country and agriculture,” Stallman said. “They are the future of American agriculture.”

The informal survey of young farmers and ranchers, ages 18-35, was conducted at AFBF’s 2012 YF&R Leadership Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., in February. The purpose of Farm Bureau’s YF&R program is to help younger Farm Bureau members learn more about agriculture, network with other farmers and become future leaders in agriculture and Farm Bureau.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Forestry, GPS, and Smartphones

By Chris Schnepf Forestry Tasks and GPS Data Global Positioning System (“GPS”) technology is becoming a more common part of our

lives every year. Most people are now familiar with GPS applications for navigation in a car or for hiking, hunting or fishing. But forest owners should also be considering ways to apply GPS technology to managing their forests. Generally, GPS information can be described as points, tracks, or areas . . .

Points. GPS can be used to identify specific locations (sometimes referred to as “waypoints”) on a forest that

you want to come back to later or share with others. Examples include: culverts; stream crossings; superior seed collection trees; springs and other water sources; centers of permanent forest measurement plots; and logging features, such as log landings or burn piles. For some of these points (e.g. a tree to collect cones from), elevation is also an important data feature, and GPS makes this easy.

Tracks. GPS can also be used to identify or record lin-

GPS can be used with online aerial imagery in forest management.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

ear data. Examples include: streams, roads, skid trails, timber sale boundaries, and game trails. GPS can also be used to measure the length of these features. For example, knowing the length of the road to which you want to apply crushed rock helps you determine the cost of doing so.

Areas. GPS can be used to delineate a specific area as well.

For management units that are square or rectangular, this is fairly simple without a GPS

- but forest management units are usually not square. Examples include timber sales, plantations, weed infestations, and wildlife habitat features. You can also use GPS technology to determine the acreages and perimeters of these units. For example, what is the length of the perimeter of the unit if you want to fence it (how many feet of fencing would you have to buy)? Or, if you want to plant 400 trees to the acre on a site, how many acres does it have and how many trees should you order?

This data can either be collected on the ground with a GPS receiver or you can identify features from a map or aerial photo, then load that data into the receiver you

plan to use to find those features. There will always be some error associated with GPS data, but currently, recreational grade GPS receivers can be accurate within 1025 feet, which is adequate for many forestry applications. If you want to get a legal delineation of a property boundary though, consult a surveyor.

GPS and Maps Many of these tasks can be accomplished entirely within a GPS receiver. But GPS data becomes more useful when you start pulling it into computer-based maps. Most receivers come with basic mapping software that allows you to bring GPS data to

and from a computer. You can then print out maps and use them with forest management plans, or give them to loggers or others you are working with on your property to help communicate about various management activities. This sort of communication becomes even more powerful with the advent of freely available aerial photography through Google Earth, Bing and similar sources. The photos on these sites are usually fairly recent (within the last few years) and their resolution has steadily improved. Some GPS mapping programs have relatively seamless integration with data from these sites. For example, when working in Garmin’s mapping program (MapSource), you can click on a dropdown menu to “View in Google Earth.”

The program then transfers the waypoints, tracks, and other data you collected to Google Earth, where you can view those features on an aerial photo.

And Along Come Smartphones Traditionally, we think of doing these activities with a hand-held GPS receiver. But GPS technology is being included in an ever broadening array of electronic tools.

For example, a growing number of foresters use electronic data loggers to collect timber cruise plot data. The data can then be loaded into a computer to generate volume estimates or other information. Many of these devices now include integrated GPS, which allows the plot data to be “georeferenced” (tied to a specific location).

Most forest owners are not going to purchase this kind of specialized technology, but many of us have or are thinking about purchasing smartphones. A smart phone essentially combines a computer with your cell-phone service. Most smartphones include satellite-based GPS technology – you can use your phone just like a GPS receiver. But since smartphones can easily use spreadsheet programs, you can also use your phone as a field data recorder – storing forest data and GPS data with the same device! There is at least one smartphone application (or “app”) designed specifically for this purpose (“Plothound”). Many of us are naturally reluctant to use our smart-

Forest owners can use GPS to locate culverts and other important waypoints.

See UI FORESTRY page 29 Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Robert Blair is one of the foremost authorities in the United States on precision farming and remote sensing. In Brazil he demonstrated remote sensing using an unmanned aerial vehicle. He’s shown here with Brazilian agriculture representative Santi Piazze.

Kendrick Farmer Reflects on Eisenhower Fellowship Nez Perce County Farm Bureau President Robert Blair was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow for 2012. He spent last fall touring South America and just got back from Europe; The Producer’s Jake Putnam interviewed Blair following are the questions and answers: The organization’s mission statement is as follows; “Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and links outstanding leaders from around the world, helping them to achieve consequential outcomes across sectors and borders. EF provides a transfor-

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mational experience leading to a lifetime engagement in a global network, where dialogue and collaboration make the world more prosperous, just and peaceful.”

Each year EF brings two groups of approximately 20 outstanding mid-career Fellows (aged 32-45) drawn from 47 different countries to the U.S. for an intensive, individually designed program in the Fellow’s professional field. Fellows are identified by high-level in-country nominating committees and selected by a committee at Eisenhower Fellowships headquarters in

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Philadelphia.

Did you think you could win the fellowship when you applied?

I guess it boils down to confidence. Yes, it’s a reach but could I do it? That’s the attitude I had and if you don’t try something you’ll never get a thing. So I filled it out and ended up going in and was a finalist. I went in for an interview, did well and was selected in the fall of 2010.

Tell us about the application process, was it difficult?

The process really was an examination of my life, things I did, my highlights, organizations I was involved in, community involvement, family, farm operations. I had to ask for letters of reference. But, you know, it’s not a difficult process, it takes time to get the applications right. It’s always a challenge. I had friends and even a former English teacher help me, along with my wife whose opinion and judgment I trust very much.

It’s extraordinary to think that of all the farmers and agriculture professionals in the nation that an Idahoan, a Farm Bureau member from Kendrick was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow. But people that know you know you as someone who has been involved in extraordinary things. What far reaching things sealed the deal for this fellowship?

Through the fellowship I travelled to South America last October and November. I spent two weeks in Argentina, a week in Uruguay and two weeks in Brazil. We studied precision agriculture and remote sensing which is basically utilizing images from above that allow you to make decisions on the farm from unmanned aerial vehicles. I had a presentation in Uruguay in front of a thousand farmers and agribusiness men.

It was at that point that I finally realized that I was a leader and an expert in precision agriculture. It’s hard sometimes to see yourself as being an expert, but it hit home.

I’m glad that pushed the envelope and having a vision where agriculture is heading is something that helped me with the fellowship and helped the operation. So I’m now looking at getting unmanned aerial vehicles into the commercial marketplace.

There have been some positive things that have happened recently. The biggest is that the U.S. Senate has asked the Administration to support new commercial rules for UAV’s by the year 2015.

What are the biggest challenges for agriculture going forward?

During my fellowship I had to have an area of study, of course for me it was precision agriculture and unmanned aerial vehicles

(UAV’s.) I originally wanted to go to Europe that’s where much of the new technology is being utilized. But, I was asked to go to South America and now I’m glad I did. The reason being that when you look at agriculture and not just on our farm but globally, we have the challenge and responsibility to feed the world, that’s 9.5 billion people by the year 2050. We have an astonishing challenge to meet. We have to increase production to feed those people on decreasing acres especially here in the U.S. We have pressures from housing developments and land taken out of production. It’s increasing pressure on developed agriculture to pick up that slack. We need to preserve our resources, water, nitrogen, phosphorus and other things we use in everyday agriculture. It has to be conserved on a large scale. By utilizing technology, not only hardware and software, but biotech that should help us meet that challenge head on. Still, we run into the fact that just 20-percent of farmers nationwide are fully utilizing technology available to them. We have just a 3-percent adoption rate in this country. The big question is how do we embrace technology and change the impression that it’s just for big operations.

That’s a challenge we have, locally, globally.

Gas prices are through the roof right now, our farmers need to find a margin to beat the high cost of doing business, and can technology immediately help?

There are financial advantages why as far as variable rate nitrogen zones, you’re looking at 20-25 percent savings, those aren’t my numbers but numbers from experts from around the United States. Then there’s auto-steer guidance, you’re looking at up to 12 percent savings on cost per acre.

When you take a look at auto-boom you’re saving 10-15 percent per acre cost especially depending on the shape of the field.

When you add those all together, the savings to the operation is quite significant.

In 2008 when fertilizer prices skyrocketed to level we’d never seen before, I ended up varying the rate of nitrogen and saved around $22-dollars an acre. That pays for

equipment in less than a year. But still the issues we run into is the fact that technology is not being adopted. Some still see it as a novelty and not a capital purchase.

You can’t look at it like ‘cash out of pocket’ expense. Instead you got to see it as a 3-5 year payoff like they would a tractor or a combine.

What do you say to those who might think they could never be chosen an Eisenhower Fellow?

I would encourage everyone to go through the process. Filling out the applications helps a person reflect on themselves as a person and on the operation also your family and your life. In doing the paper work you get the perspective on ‘have I done everything to better myself and operation that I can?’ Also am I doing my farm justice, have I been a volunteer, have I given back to my community? There are people who helped me along the way that shaped me into the person I am today. It helped me understand who I was and what type a person I am. We don’t take that time as farmers to reflect, to all those considering applying, I say nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Are there any other Eisenhower Fellows in Idaho?

The other Fellow is a Duane Grant from Minidoka County.

The 2013 USA Eisenhower Fellowship is now accepting applications. The Fellowship selects at least one farmer or rancher a year to travel abroad to meet small and commercial farmers, farm organizations, and university researchers as a USA Agriculture Fellow. For more information follow this link: http:// www.efworld.org/index.php

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Polaris would like to congratulate Jake Andersen the winner of this year’s Young Farmer and Rancher Discussion Meet as well as Greg and Gwen Andersen for being presented with the Idaho Farm Bureau’s 2011 Young Farmer and Rancher Achiever Award. We hope you enjoy your new Polaris Trail Boss 330 and RGR 400 and thank you for your continued contributions to the Idaho Farming and Ranching Community.

A big thank you to those Idaho Polaris dealers who continue to support the Idaho Farm Bureau and Young Farmer and Rancher Program:

Vehicles shown with optional accessories. Avoid operating Polaris RANGERs on paved surfaces or public roads. Riders and passengers should always wear helmets, eye protection, protective clothing, and seat belts.

Always use cab nets. Drivers of RANGER vehicles must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license.

Warning: ATV’s can be hazardous to operate. For your safety: Avoid operating Polaris ATV’s on paved surfaces or public roads. Riders and passengers should wear helmets, eye protection, protective clothing, and seat belts. Polaris ATV models are for riders aged 16 and older. Be sure to take a safety training course.

For safety training information in the U.S., call the SVIA at (800) 887-2887, see your dealer, or call Polaris at (800) 342-3764. In Canada, see your local dealer. ©2011 Polaris Industries Inc.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

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County Happenings

The Twin Falls County Farm Bureau recognized Yanelli Ilyana Ekins as their Ag Baby this year on March 8 as part of the National Ag Day celebration.

Several gifts were donated by the county and Magic Valley Safe Kids donated an infant car seat. The baby’s parents are Gustavo and Sabrina Ekins of Hazelton.

Southside Elementary in Bonner County recently hosted the Idaho Farm Bureau MAC Trailer. The school’s 2nd and 3rd graders got to spend some time learning about agriculture and milking Maggie the cow.

Photo Courtesy of Lucas Miller

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Grain Marketing with Clark Johnston

Do Homework Before Marketing Crops on the horizon for any opportunities that may come our way this spring. For the most part the crops that are planted in the spring are delicate and often times Mother Nature doesn’t always help us out all that much. She doesn’t necessarily give us a catastrophe to overcome but, rather small inconveniences that hamper the crop from reaching its full potential.

Clark Johnston

By Clark Johnston The month of April is both good and bad at the same time. The good part is the fact that you are able to once again get out in the fields working the ground, planting your crops and are for the most part, optimistic about the upcoming crop year.

There are many challenges at this time of the year with all pointing to the fact that there doesn’t seem to be enough time to accomplish all that we need to do. Therefore we make adjustments and we prioritize he tasks that are before us.

The one constant that I hear year after year is, I am so busy right now, and I just don’t have time to think about merchandising the commodities I’m planting. Now, I know that some commodities are forward contracted each and every year before you even get close to planting. But, that doesn’t mean we should forget about the others.

There are twelve marketing months in every year and it is important to keep an eye

Each spring is the same and I wouldn’t think that this year will be any different.

We are going to experience some weather related strength in the commodities markets in the months ahead. They may not be as large as in some recent years but they will happen and usually these market moves are fast and short lived.

We should be looking at just where we need to be in the market as far as our potential to be profitable this upcoming year. If we have our merchandising levels in place ahead of time and if the market does hit our objective we can feel good about selling because we have done our homework ahead of time. And by the way, I really like it when a plan comes together.

Now let’s visit for a minute about some of the factors that may affect the crops this spring. We have already heard of the potential for reduced wheat production in some of the European countries due to dry conditions. We are also hearing from some private forecasters that feel the wheat acreage in the US will be closer to 56.6 million acres compared to the 58 million projected

by USDA. There is still concern over the crop in the southwest part of the HRW belt.

There was enough moisture to give the crop a good start but, the jury is still out on the amount of subsurface moisture.

than answers. Just exactly how many acres will be planted and if we do get all of the additional acreage projected the question still remains, just how good are these acres.

Some in the industry feel that the yields have a better opportunity to be in the area of 155 bushels per acre rather than the trend line yield of 160 plus. Recently we also had a report from the International Grains council indicating the even though they estimated corn production in the world to be up this year, production still wouldn’t reach the level of estimated demand.

These next few months could give us some opportunities to contract grain at good levels for this next year. When we look at the carry that is in the Chicago wheat market at least part of our marketing strategy should be in contracting our wheat for delivery in the deferred months.

If you are on the other side of the fence from the producers I wouldn’t be waiting for all the stars to line up looking for lower prices. Continue to work your averages and when the market does correct itself buy some feed, even if it’s only a small percent of your usage.

Remember, as I’ve mentioned before, only one person gets to pick the last cherry on the tree.

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

In corn there are still far more questions

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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American farm bureau federation news

Farm Bureau Favors Strong, Fiscally Sound Farm Policy WASHINGTON, D.C. — National farm policy must strike a balance between the need for a strong, effective safety net to protect farmers and ranchers against catastrophic revenue losses and fiscal soundness for the nation, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress today.

“The new farm bill must be a fiscally responsible package that meets spending reduction targets and assures taxpayers that America’s farmers are making wise use of tax dollars,” AFBF President Bob Stallman testified at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on risk management and commodities in the 2012 farm bill.

“Continuation of a multi-legged stool remains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net,” Stallman said. “This should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the current marketing loan provisions and a catastrophic revenue loss program.

“The challenge we all face is how to draft a farm bill that provides a strong, consistently viable safety net that protects farmers against crippling revenue declines, whether caused by falling markets or Mother Nature, while at the same time remaining cognizant of budget deficit challenges and changing public sentiment,” Stallman said.

“While ours is a ‘deep loss’ program and would not provide producers with payments as often as other proposals contemplated, it would provide more coverage in times of catastrophic losses when assistance is most critical,” he explained.

In addition, “As a general farm organization, we place high priority on ensuring the new farm bill benefits all agricultural commodity sectors in a balanced, coordinated manner,” Stallman said. He urged coverage for five fruits and vegetables – apples, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes and sweet corn – in new national farm policy.

“The challenge we all face is how to draft a farm bill that provides a strong, consistently viable safety net that protects farmers against crippling revenue declines, whether caused by falling markets or Mother Nature, while at the same time remaining cognizant of budget deficit challenges and changing public sentiment,” 24

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

“Conceptually, our proposal can cover all specialty crops that have crop insurance available, but we decided it was best to learn to walk before we run,” Stallman explained.

Stallman also expressed Farm Bureau’s support for the concepts included in a bill introduced by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) that would reform and improve the dairy program.

After outlining AFBF’s key farm bill principles, Stallman said Farm Bureau recognizes that developing a new farm bill requires flexibility from all participants.

“The AFBF board has indicated an openness to discussing an approach that would combine the current crop insurance and marketing programs with a supplemental group or area insurance program that sits ‘on top’ of individual crop insurance,” he said. “But, I want to be clear that we have a number of concerns about this type of approach,” he concluded.

e e y r F tar o N At all county Farm Bureau offices for Idaho Farm Bureau members.

Family of Member Services

TM

PRIESTLEY Continued from page 2 In our opinion, the bottom line on development of wind energy is if the legislature decides to enact a moratorium, it will have taken away the rights of private property owners to lease or sell their land for wind development. The problems this legislation proposes to solve are evident but it remains an example of a government entity meddling where it shouldn’t.

Legislation that would provide uniform, statewide oversight of oil and natural gas development in Idaho is in a similar situation. In our opinion, regulations should be set and overseen by the state to enable development of natural resources and to allow landowners to manage private property to its fullest potential. Yet, some legislators, county commissioners, and others believe regulating oil and gas development should fall under local control. While a valid argument, local control of resource development would likely result in regulations

that are inconsistent from one county to the next. Another concern is some counties could make regulations so onerous it would effectively ban development of oil and gas.

Oil and gas are state resources much the same as water, wildlife and other minerals.

Inconsistent regulations will cause oil companies to seek more business-friendly states to do business in. And, more importantly, changes to this legislation will diminish opportunities for private landowners to allow development of these important natural resources.

Legislation prohibiting the use of eminent domain to develop a recreational path along the Portneuf River in Pocatello is another important, yet controversial matter that should be handled carefully. A community non-profit organization is bent on condemning private property along the Portneuf River to complete a bicycle / walking

path. Yet several landowners along the river don’t want a path through their yards.

Eminent domain is a tool that government entities commonly use to construct needed public infrastructure projects such as fire stations, schools or utility corridors. While we don’t disagree that the city of Pocatello would benefit from a recreation path along the river, it’s a clear violation of private property rights to condemn land for recreational purposes. The use of eminent domain, in this case, is yet another example of government overstepping its authority.

A clear difference exists between needs and wants, and when private property rights are in the crosshairs, our organization will always come down on the side of landowners retaining their autonomy and making decisions with regard to development of their property.

Tracy Walton of Walton Farms (right) in Emmett with his Farm Bureau Insurance agent, Stu Barrett.

As a company founded by Idaho farmers and ranchers over 60 years ago, we understand that each farm and ranch is unique. That’s why our agents visit you at your farm or ranch in person every year. This firsthand look at your operation can help us tailor a policy to fit your particular farm or ranch. Visit www.idfbins.com to have your local Farm Bureau Insurance agent or Crop Specialist (listed at right) visit your farm or ranch.

ARDEN ANDERSON EAST IDAHO PHONE: 208-569-7708

TORY BAILEY SOUTH IDAHO PHONE: 208-678-0431

RON BAUNE EAST IDAHO PHONE: 208-520-2635

KIM BORGEN NORTH IDAHO PHONE: 208-791-2126

BENJI GRAYBEAL We know Idaho. We grew up here. facebook.com/fbmidaho twitter.com/fbmidaho

WEST IDAHO PHONE: 208-994--2864

SEAN YOUNG WEST IDAHO PHONE: 208-587--8484

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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FWS Reopens Comment Period on Selkirk Caribou The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced recently that the public will have an additional 60 days to submit comments regarding the agency’s proposed critical habitat designation for the southern Selkirk Mountains woodland caribou, an endangered mammal known to occur in Idaho, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.

Idaho’s Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and Boundary County, Idaho, asked for an extension to the comment period and additional opportunities for citizens to participate in public processes regarding the proposal.

“We recognize the public’s interest in this issue and will work together to help citizens fully understand our proposal to des26

ignate critical habitat for caribou,” said Brian Kelly, the Service’s State Supervisor for Idaho. “We also seek to gain as much information as possible from all interested parties which we will use to inform our final decision.”

The Service is re-opening the public comment period on the caribou proposal for 60 days, until May 21, 2012.

Interested citizens are invited to attend a Service-hosted information meeting on Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Citizens will have an opportunity to learn more about the proposal by talking with Service biologists and managers at this information meeting.

The same day, a public hearing will be held from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. so that citizens will

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

be able to provide formal oral comments for the Service to review and consider for its final decision. Speaker registration will begin at 1:00 p.m.

The information meeting and hearing will be at Bonners Ferry High School, 6485 Tamarack Lane, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805. The Service and Boundary County worked together to determine an adequate date and location to accommodate most citizens’ schedules, which is the reason for a weekend event.

The Service will continue to work closely with Idaho’s Boundary and Bonner Counties, and Washington’s Pend Oreille County, to coordinate information-sharing with citizens on this proposal, including why we are designating critical habitat for the

species and what this means for land-use activities in the area.

Similarly, the public will be able to provide us with data, as well as share their concerns on the proposal, which will be used in forming our final decision.

All oral comments will be entered into the official public record. If time does not permit full oral testimony, the public is encouraged to bring written testimony for incorporation into the record.

The Service will open an additional 30-day public comment period during the economic analysis phase of the proposal, which will occur later this spring. When the final details are arranged, the Service will notify the public about this comment period, and information meeting and public hearing details.

A Message For Our Dairy Farm Customers

In all, the three comment periods will provide citizens a total of 150 days to engage in public processes.

The Service is proposing to designate 375,565 acres of critical habitat in Idaho and Washington for the caribou. These lands are all currently considered to be occupied by the species and no exclusions or exemptions are proposed.

Please submit comments and other information only by one of the methods listed below.

• Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// www.regulations.gov. In the Keyword box, enter Docket No. [FWS–R1-ES-2011-0096], which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then, in the Search panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click on the Proposed Rules link to locate this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on “Send a Comment or Submission.”

Please note that if you are using the Federal eRulemaking Portal, the deadline for submitting an electronic comment is 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time on the closing date.

• By mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R1ES-2011-0096; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042– PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.

We will post your entire comment – including personal identifying information – on http://www.regulations.gov. You may request at the top of your document that we withhold personal information, such as your name, street address, phone number or e-mail address from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting documentation we used in preparing this proposed rule, are available for public inspection at http://www.regulations.gov, or by appointment during normal business hours at the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office (208-378-5265 or 509-893-8014). The proposed rule, maps and other information about the southern Selkirk Mountains woodland caribou will also be available online at http://www. fws.gov/idaho.

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

If the quality and reliability of your electric service fails to meet your expectations, or if you have questions or concerns about stray voltage, please contact your Idaho Power agricultural representative.Idaho Power’s agricultural representatives have the skills and resources to address your concerns. If necessary, they can arrange for an on-site investigation so that we can resolve any electric service issues quickly.

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

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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UI FORESTRY Continued from page 17 phone in the rain or otherwise harsh conditions outdoors, so expect to see more “ruggedized” smartphones over time that can take a little more abuse out in the woods.

The possibilities are even more exciting if you are working at a site where you can access the internet (“data service”) from your smartphone. This allows you to use a phone’s internet and the GPS abilities simultaneously. One of the best applications of this kind that I have seen is called “SoilWeb”. When you launch this app, it uses GPS features of the phone to determine your location, then goes to the internet to determine the soil type of the site you are standing on and gives you the soil properties for that spot. It is like having the soil survey booklet that fits in the palm of your hand, but you don’t have to sort through pages of maps to determine your location!

There are also some impressive mapping applications for smartphones (e.g. Google Maps) that allow you to see where you are on a map or on an aerial photo of the site. Some of these applications do not work without an active data connection, while others (e.g., BackCountry Navigator) allow you to download the maps or photos you may need ahead of time so that you don’t require a data connection on site.

More forestry-friendly applications are probably being developed as you read this. Smartphone apps are typically either free or relatively inexpensive (usually less than $25). A more difficult obstacle may be the

cost of data plans and where you have data service. Costs for different types of data plans can be as little as $20 per month or as much as $100, depending on how much data you plan to download to your phone. If that seems like a lot, consider the extent to which you can use the data capabilities for other uses. For example, if you are in a store contemplating the purchase of something, you can use the smartphone to scan the item’s barcode and access the internet on the spot to compare prices.

Smartphone use in the woods also depends on access to data.

While cell-phone access to data is steadily improving, it still ends to be more limited than access to basic cell phone service, especially as you use it in more rural locations.

We are offering several classes this spring and summer to give forest owners more hands-on experience with applying these technologies, including four “Using your GPS” classes and a new program titled “Free Computer Mapping Tools for Forest Owners”. For more details, see the ‘Calendar of Events” on the UI Extension Forestry web site at http://www.uidaho.edu/extension/forestry.

Note: Mention or a display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture or University of Idaho Extension, and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firm.

Farm Bureau members pay 20% less off of “Best Available Rate”.

Farm Bureau Discount ID# 61810 Call Toll-Free: 877-670-7088 For Super 8 call 800-889-9706 Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

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Grazing Permit Renewal Becoming More Challenging Article and Photos by Steve Stuebner Many ranchers in Idaho have base property where they typically graze cattle or sheep on the home ranch in the winter and provide shelter for calving and lambing operations. In the summer, ranchers move their livestock to graze on public lands grazing allotments managed by the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service.

Public grazing allotments are critical to the overall grazing operation -- they’ve been an integral part of ranching in the West since the turn of the century -- but nowadays, ranchers are finding that the renewal process for BLM grazing permits is becoming much more extensive and timeconsuming.

To qualify to graze livestock on public lands, ranchers must first obtain a special use permit. Grazing permits have to be renewed every 10 years, as required by federal law.

Codie Martin, assistant field manager for the BLM in the Twin Falls District, explains the multi-step grazing permit renewal process, which can take well over a year or more.

“It starts with an application when the permit has expired,” Martin says, “And then the next step is we go out to the field with an interdisciplinary team comprised of a rangeland resource specialist, botanist, archaeologist, wildlife biologist, hydrologist, and they go out and do a rangeland health assessment to determine the condition and see if it’s functioning properly.”

All of the information from the BLM specialists is summarized in a land health assessment report. “Basically, the report indicates whether that grazing allotment is meeting Idaho standards and guidelines, or not, and if it’s not, whether that was caused by livestock grazing,” Martin says.

The next step in the renewal process is a

Producers who monitor and manage range conditions are likely to have an easier time renewing permits.

more detailed report called an environmental assessment (EA), a report required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

“Basically, in the environmental assessSee GRAZING PERMITS page 32

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

31

GRAZING PERMITS Continued from page 31

Teams of BLM employees evaluate range conditions as part of the grazing permit renewal process.

ment, we analyze a range of alternatives, from existing use to less use or no grazing, and it analyzes the impacts of livestock grazing on all of the other resources out there on BLM land,” Martin says.

The EA recommends a course of action based on staff input and public comment, and then the BLM field manager makes a final decision to renew the grazing permit, modify it or recommend some other action.

At this point, the EA can be appealed by any interested party, including environmentalists, livestock permittees or other public interest groups.

If there is no appeal, the decision becomes final. But nowadays, that is a rarity. Many BLM grazing permit renewal decisions are getting appealed or taken to court by antigrazing groups. The increased scrutiny has 32

caused the BLM to take more time evaluating grazing permit renewals.

In the last two years, 27 BLM grazing permit decisions have been appealed in Idaho.

Plus, 12 lawsuits were filed in federal court in the last four years over BLM grazing decisions or BLM management plans.

“Because of the litigation, our process takes longer, we have to gather better data, and we have to do a better job of measuring cumulative effects,” says Mike Courtney, manager of the BLM Field Office in Burley. “We’re kind of in a box, with regulations, laws, policy and case precedent being the sides of the box, and every time we get sued and win or lose, the shape of the box changes a little bit. And lately, it’s been shrinking.”

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Carey Rancher John Peavey said the lawsuits and appeals are preventing the BLM from improving land management. The lawsuits and appeals force BLM staff to spend more time in the office, rewriting grazing plans and BLM management plans, instead of spending more time in the field collecting data and working to improve rangelands.

“The people who are dragging the BLM into court are wasting a lot of time and money, and they’re accomplishing nothing,” Peavey says, while providing a tour of his ranch. “They’re an impediment to good grazing practices, really.”

Peavey explains. “Range conservationists that the BLM hires are college graduates, and they’re trained in how to improve the range and how to create a rangeland that

can sustain itself,” he says. “We’ve lost all of that. Because the BLM is tied up in court, they don’t have the money to fight the lawsuits and do the monitoring. Even if you have a situation where you have a bad grazing practice, you can’t change it.”

The BLM checks on the health of native plant communities, too. “We’re looking for a healthy, diverse plant community with multiple structures, diverse age classes, that the native plants are producing seed and look vigorous.”

BLM officials agree that appeals and lawsuits are slowing the process down with permit renewals. But asking Congress for more money to fix those issues isn’t going to happen, Courtney says. “We could always say we need more staff and budget, but we’re not going to get it.”

The BLM also does plant transects to document rangeland health. “One of the things we do is a point intercept transect,” Martin says. “We usually do 100 points. We drop the point down and we measure the height of grasses, forbs. We want to make sure we have enough habitat for nesting sage grouse, and winter habitat for sage grouse.”

Peavey says that ranchers can help their own cause and that of the BLM by monitoring range conditions on their own. “We’re going to start doing our own monitoring, by hiring credible people who have gone to school in range science to see how the land is reacting from year to year,” Peavey says.

Courtney encourages ranchers to do monitoring work, particularly with photos. “I think the biggest help is photos,” he says.

“We can collect a lot of data and argue about what it means, but when you’re looking at a photo of a place that’s bad and a photo of the same place that’s good, and you can say, here’s how I changed my management to get here, that’s hard to argue with. And I think we’re doing a better job of using those photos in our documents.”

BLM range conservationists regularly review grazing systems with permittees to look for ways to improve management, Martin says. “It might be things like changing the season of use, rest rotation, moving water away from a resource of concern, or installing new range improvements such as fences, water facilities for better distribution, things like that,” he says.

Martin has seen a lot of improvements occur in his career. “I feel like I can come out here and make a difference,” he says. “I can work with a permittee, these guys who are making a living off this land, while still trying to maintain natural ecosystems and

make sure things are being taken care of for future generations and other users.”

The BLM’s Mike Courtney believes the BLM can defend its decisions by doing a thorough job. “If you look back at case precedent and where we’ve won and where we’ve lost, we have an ability to maneuver through the NEPA process and write decisions that we can defend. And that’s why it takes so long.

“I think we gather data in a scientifically sound way; we process that data in a sound way. In litigation there’s always a debate about how that data was used, but by and large, I think we do a pretty good job,” Courtney continues. “From what I see, we have pretty healthy rangelands. The permittees are more astute and aware because of all the litigation, and I think they do a better job. Their livelihood depends on the health of their allotments. So I think, long term, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Steve Stuebner is the writer and producer for www.lifeontherange.org, a public education project sponsored by the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission (www. idahorange.org). A video of this story can be viewed at http://www.lifeontherange. org/range-stories/grazing-permits.asp

Codie Martin shows what kinds of monitoring data that the BLM collects in the field, starting with riparian vegetation along the Little Wood River. The thrifty vegetation growing along the Little Wood is an example of healthy rangeland condition, he said.

“What we’re wanting to see is riparian vegetation that’s controlling erosion, stabilizing the stream banks, shading the water areas and reducing water temperature.

This also stabilizes the shoreline and filters sediment,” Martin says.

“We want to make sure that the surface and ground water on Idaho public lands comply with Idaho water quality standards,” Martin says. “To do that we’ll take water samples, take them into the lab, and make sure Water testing is another part of the grazing permit renewal process. don’t exceed any water quality standards.”

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

33

Morrill Act’s 150th Year

The University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is still fulfilling the original intent of state and federal leaders who created the University of Idaho in the late 1800s to teach Idaho’s youth, conduct critical local research, and share research results with citizens statewide who would, in turn, help Idaho prosper.

UI research and extension centers near Salmon, Idaho Falls, Kimberly, Twin Falls, Caldwell, Parma, and Moscow still work year-round to support Idaho communities, families, businesses, and agriculture by tackling issues and extending researchbased results to the public.

As a land-grant university, that mission reaches back to 1862 when Congress and President Abraham Lincoln passed the Morrill Act so every state’s children could be educated and each state’s citizens would have a way to keep up with research supporting key industries. Responding to that act, Idaho’s territorial leaders created the University of Idaho in 1889, a year before statehood.

The University of Idaho’s Board of Regents created the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station120 years ago, on Feb. 26, 1892, to launch the university’s scientific enterprise.

Today, more than 300 researchers and staff members work in the UI CALS centers and in University of Idaho Exten34

sion offices in 42 counties.

“Without the collective efforts of our great team of people in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, vital scientific discoveries and crop and livestock advancements would not be possible,” said Kelly Olson, Idaho Barley Commission administrator. On a committee advising the college’s operation of research and extension centers, Olson added, “Without question, our human capital is our most important resource and absolutely critical to agriculture’s economic success.”

The challenge ahead will be to ensure the college keeps both the capacity and the capability to help the state’s families and communities and to keep Idaho agriculture as the state’s No. 1 industry, said CALS Dean John Hammel. Capacity means updating facilities to support advanced research and retaining researchers skilled to do the work. “Without this capacity, CALS’ capability to establish partnerships and non-appropriated funding sources is critically weakened,” Hammel added.

Research to help Idaho farmers, communities, youth, and families stretches beyond the R&E centers. UI Extension educators and specialists sponsor programs in communities statewide that address local needs. Programs range from developing disease-resistant and healthier potatoes and grains and finding more waterefficient irrigation methods to designing and running 4-H youth development programs, and helping towns and busi-

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

nesses thrive via coaching, workshops, and UI student-faculty collaboration. Contact Bill Loftus at bloftus@uidaho. edu

120 years of UI CALS research goes online

The University of Idaho Library and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences joined forces to put a collection of nearly 120 years of agricultural and family sciences publications online.

The digital collection spans the broad arc of the University of Idaho’s history in serving the state’s agricultural industry and all of Idaho’s citizens on topics ranging from food preservation to helping older relatives battle depression. Some 1,500 publications are accessible, with the rest to come.

The collection begins with Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin No. 1, published in September 1892 (see next story).

In February 1912, the college published Idaho Potato Culture Clubs, a booklet that planted the idea for boys and girls ages 12 to 18 to grow potatoes. The clubs grew into University of Idaho Extension 4-H Youth Development, now celebrating its centennial.

That first 1892 bulletin also launched the college’s publishing efforts. Today CALS and UI Extension researchers publish findings on some 20 topics including business management, community development, livestock and crops management, family and consumer issues, forestry, gardening, water quality, and small-acreage farming.

Most of the college’s current 800-plus publications can be downloaded for free.

Find them at http://www. cals.uidaho.edu/edComm/.

See the new UI library archive http://www.lib.uidaho. at . edu/digital/uiext/index

Idaho station serves citizens since 1889 Created In 1889 By Idaho’s Territorial Legislature one year before statehood, one of the University of Idaho’s first actions was to establish the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station (IAES).

It reflected the mission of the 1862 Morrill Act “to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts.”

Before the university’s classes first met in October 1892, the station was already operating on donated land at Grangeville, Nampa, and Idaho Falls, and that same year IAES published its first bulletin. Bulletins became the way to distribute research to Idaho citizens.

They have been accessible through county extension offices and now are also online.

That first bulletin, published in September 1892, outlined IAES progress and goals: “to provide relevant research throughout the state.” It also set the stations’ priorities:

“The work of the stations belongs exclusively to the farmers of Idaho. In this work, the authorities of the station have one end only in view, and that is the rendering of definite, practical assistance to the farmers of the state. To this end we solicit your cooperation and assistance.”

Today’s R&E centers partner with USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. At Aberdeen, ARS runs the National Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit. At Parma, ARS scientists seek best wine grapes for Idaho. At Kimberly, ARS operates the Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory.

See more at http://www.uidaho.edu/cals/iaes

2012 Census of Agriculture

Surveys are arriving in mailboxes around the nation to help identify all active farms in the U.S. The National Agricultural Classification Survey, which asks landowners whether or not they are farming and for basic farm information, is one of the most important early steps used to determine who should receive a 2012 Census of Agriculture report form.

The Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years by the Agriculture Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them.

“We are asking everyone who receives the NACS to respond even if they are not farming so that we build the most accurate and comprehensive mailing list to account for all of U.S. agriculture in the census,” said NASS’s census and survey director Renee Picanso. “The census is the leading source of facts about American agriculture and the only source of agricultural statistics that is comparable for each county in the nation. Farm organizations, businesses, government

decision-makers, commodity market analysts, news media, researchers and others use census data to inform their work.”

NACS is required by law as part of the U.S. Census of Agriculture. By this same law, all information reported by individuals is kept confidential. NASS will mail the 2012 Census of Agriculture later this year and data will be collected into early 2013. For more information about NACS, the Census of Agriculture, or to add your name to the census mail list, visit www.agcensus.usda. gov.

New TV Network to Focus on Farm News

A new television channel aimed at farmers, ranchers and rural families was launched in February by the Nashville-based Rural Media Group, which owns RFD-TV. The new RURAL TV channel will broadcast agricultural market reports, live telecasts of farm and livestock auctions, farm policy reports and live coverage of agricultural and rural events such as conventions, farm shows and horse shows. The channel recently aired a live, town-hall meeting with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

For now, RURAL TV can only be seen on Dish network’s channel 232; however, Rural Media Group is in talks with DirecTV, the nation’s largest satellite television provider, and cable television companies about adding RURAL TV to their lineups. The company has launched a companion website, MyRuralTV.com.

Twitter Feeds on Food Recalls Launched

The Agriculture Department’s

Food Safety and Inspection Service has launched a series of Twitter feeds that will provide state-specific, food safety alerts to consumers. Followers of these Twitter accounts will receive alerts about recalls of meat, poultry and processed egg products in their state, as well as information on how to protect the safety of their food during severe weather events.

Twitter feeds for all U.S. states and territories were officially launched during the first week of March. A list of all FSIS state food safety alert Twitter feeds is available. Here is the Idaho link http://twitter.com/#!/ ID_FSISAlert.

“These new Twitter feeds provide yet another mechanism for us to provide consumers with critical updates and relevant information they need to protect their families from foodborne illness,” said Elisabeth Hagen, USDA’s undersecretary for food safety. “The immediacy of information-sharing through social media is unparalleled and we believe these timely, targeted updates will better protect public health.”

Southern – fried, processed meats, and sugar-sweetened beverages Traditional – Chinese and Mexican food, pasta dishes, pizza, soup and other mixed dishes including frozen or takeout meals Healthy – mostly fruits, vegetables and grains Sweets – large amounts of sweet snacks and desserts Alcohol – proteins, alcohol and salads The researchers also found clear differences in dietary patterns across demographic and socioeconomic groups: Blacks were more likely than whites to eat a Southern dietary pattern.

Men and people making less than $35,000 a year and those who weren’t college graduates were more likely to follow the Southern pattern of eating than women, those who made more money, or those who were more educated.

Blacks tended to not eat the alcohol dietary pattern.

People ages 45 to 54 tended to eat a traditional dietary pattern.

Adult Diets are Based Those 75 years and older were on Demographics Scientists say they have identified five eating patterns for U.S. adults that are strongly influenced by age, race, region, gender, income and education.

Presenting their findings recently at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions, the scientists said the five dietary patterns are:

likely to not eat the traditional dietary pattern.

College-educated adults tended to not eat the Southern dietary pattern.

The research is based on questionnaires of 21,636 black and white adults ages 45 and older.

The 110-food-item questionnaire was designed to estimate the usual and customary intake of a wide array of nutrients and food groups.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

35

Paying Less Is Down Right Fun!

FARM BUREAU COMMODITY REPORT GRAIN PRICES

Portland:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Corn

Ogden:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

Pocatello:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

Burley:

White Wheat 11% Winter 14% Spring Barley

Nampa:

White Wheat (cwt) (Bushel)

Lewiston:

White Wheat Barley

2/21/2012

3/20/2012

Trend

7.00 7.25-7.32 N/A 271-272.25

7.00 7.39-7.41 9.42 276.50

Steady + .14 to + .09 N/A + 5.50 to + 4.25

6.20 6.17 8.02 10.80

6.30 6.25 7.94 10.55

+ 0.10 + 0.08 - 0.08 - 0.25

5.90 5.83 7.78 9.27

6.15 6.07 7.86 9.38

+ + + +

5.95 5.97 7.96 9.50

6.10 6.08 7.82 9.50

+ 0.15 + 0.11 - 0.14 Steady

10.17 6.10

9.87 5.92

- 0.30 - 0.18

6.70 186.50

6.70 196.50

Steady + 10.00

0.25 0.24 0.08 0.11

LIVESTOCK PRICES 2/20/2012

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

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

See 2012 Farm Bureau discount pricing at www.idahofbstore.com

Stock Cows Bulls

Slaughter

BEAN PRICES: Pinto Pink Small Red

3/20/2012

155-226 137-199 125-160 95-140

170-220 137-193 121-154 116-141

+ 15 to - 6 steady to - 6 - 4 to - 6 + 21 to + 1

140-210 132-186 115-162 110-119

142-200 135-179 115-149 103-120

+ 2 to - 10 + 3 to - 7 steady to - 13 - 7 to + 1

75-129 75-110

75-128 75-114

steady to - 1 steady to + 4

61-84 55-81

65-82 58-73

+ 4 to - 2 + 3 to - 8

800-1600

950-1550

+ 150 to - 50

62-107

70-98

+ 8 to - 9

50.00 45.00-46.00 45.00-46.00

50.00 45.00-46.00 45.00-46.00

Steady Steady Steady

Compiled by the Idaho Farm Bureau Commodity Division 36

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

Trend

Alfalfa Large Square Premium/Supreme Good

IDaho Hay Report Mar 16, 2012 USDA Market News Tons: 3760 Last Week: 22,650 Last Year: 10,685 Compared to last week, Alfalfa for domestic use steady on old crop. No contracting of new crop reported this week. Trade slow to moderate. Demand remains moderate in spite of lower milk futures prices. More feeder type hay is showing up on the market due to mild and open winter. 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 760 3000

Price 230.00-240.00 200.00-200.00

Wtd Avg

Comments

230.79 200.00

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.

Supreme Premium Good

Fair

Utility

ADF <27 27-29 29-32 32-35 >35

NDF <34 34-36 36-40 40-44 >44

RFV TDN-100% TDN-90% >185 >62 >55.9 170-185 60.5-62 54.5-55.9 150-170 58-60 52.5-54.5 130-150 56-58 50.5-52.5 <130 <56 <50.5

CP-100% >22 20-22 18-20 16-18 <16

POTATOES FOR PROCESSING March 20, 2012 IDAHO---Open-market trading by processors with growers was fairly slow. Openmarket prices paid to growers for Russet Burbank potatoes, storage-run, bulk, per cwt, less dirt, rot and green tare, F.O.B. growers storage unless otherwise stated

French-Fry Quality 12.50. 2012 CROP UPDATE: If the weather cooperates, southwestern Idaho growers expect to start planting current week

5 Year Grain Comparison Grain Prices................03/26/2008...................03/23/2009...................03/23/2010..................03/23/2011..................03/20/2012 Portland: White Wheat......................N/A................................5.55 ..............................4.72 ............................7.10.............................. 7.00 11% Winter........................N/A............................6.24-6.34.......................4.95-5.05 ..................8.20-8.30..................... 7.39-7.41 14% Spring........................N /A .............................7.99................................6.83 ...........................11.22..............................9.42 Corn...............................240-241.75.......................174-177.......................166.75-1.68 .....................276.00.......................... 276.50 Ogden: White Wheat..................... 9.00 ..............................4.64 ..............................4.14 ............................7.00............................. 6.30 11% Winter.......................11.85...............................5.37 ..............................3.90 ............................7.10 ........................... 6.25 14 % Spring......................13.19...............................6.84 ..............................5.66 ............................9.84 ........................... 7.94 Barley................................ 10.30..............................6.49 ..............................6.12 ...........................10.20............................ 10.55 Pocatello: White Wheat..................... 8.75 ..............................4.55 ..............................4.15 ............................7.20.............................

11% Winter...................... 10.74...............................4.93 ..............................3.77 ............................6.54 ..........................

14% Spring....................... 13.34..............................6.77 ..............................5.59 ............................9.81 ...........................

Barley.................................8.00 ...........................5.58 ............................5.94 ..........................9.90 ...........................

6.15 6.07 7.86 9.38

Burley: White Wheat..................... 8.95 .............................. 4.17 .............................3.95 ............................6.70.............................

11% Winter...................... 10.24.............................. 5.16 .............................3.80 ............................6.90 .........................

14% Spring........................11.15...............................6.56 ..............................5.45 ............................9.74 ...........................

Barley................................. 9.05...............................6.00 ..............................5.50 .........................10.25............................

6.10 6.08 7.82 9.50

Nampa: White Wheat (cwt)......... 15.83..............................7.38 ..............................6.50 ...........................10.17............................ 9.87 (bushel)........... 9.50 ..............................4.43 ..............................3.90 ............................6.10............................. 5.92 Lewiston: White Wheat..................... 8.85 .............................5.30 ..............................4.20 ............................6.80............................. 6.70 Barley...............................236.50...........................106.50 ........................111.50...........................211.50......................... 196.50 Bean Prices: Pintos................................32.00...............................N/A..........................30.00-31.00.................28.00-30.00....................... 0.00 Pinks.................................32.00........................37.00-39.00...................30.00-31.00.................29.00-30.00..................45.00-46.00 Small Reds...................40.00-42.00.................. 38.00-40.00...................30.00-31.00........................ N/A.........................45.00-46.00 ***

IDAHO Milk production up 4.7 Percent March 19, 2012 Idaho milk production during February 2012 totaled 1.04 billion pounds, a 7.9 percent increase from the same month last year, but down 6 percent from January 2012, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, adjusting production for the additional day due to leap year causes February milk production to be up 4.1 percent on a per day basis. Average milk production per cow in February 2012 was 1,800 pounds, up 110 pounds from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level. The average number of milk cows during February was 580,000 head, up 7,000 from February 2011.

Milk production in the 23 major States during February totaled 15.2 billion pounds, up 8.3 percent from February 2011. However, adjusting production for the additional day due to leap year causes February milk production to be up 4.6 percent on a per day basis. January revised production at 15.8 billion pounds, was up 3.9 percent from January 2011. The January revision represented an increase of 24 million pounds or 0.2 percent from last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preliminary production estimate.

Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,782 pounds for February, 117 pounds above February 2011. The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.51 million head, 102,000 head more than February 2011, and 8,000 head more than January 2012.

Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

37

5 Year livestock comparison

Market Recap March 20, 2012

.....................................03/26/2008...................03/23/2009...................03/22/2010................. 03/22/2011..................03/20/2012 Under 500 lbs................. 97-131 ........................90-129 ........................110-140 ....................132-175 ....................170-220 500-700 lbs.....................89-146 .......................85-119 ..........................95-137 ........................121-170........................ 137-193 700-900 lbs..................... 87-119 ...........................77-98 .........................87-110 ......................93-135 .......................121-154 Over 900 lbs....................80-96 ...........................77-93 ............................84-95 ..........................95-125..........................116-141 Feeder Heifers Under 500 lbs................. 98-119 .........................88-116............................97-132 ...................116-160........................142-200 500-700 lbs.....................92-120 .........................79-107 ..........................90-119 .....................115-145........................ 135-179 700-900 lbs.....................82-107............................74-90 ..........................84-104..........................95-132..........................115-149 Over 900 lbs....................80-94 ..........................76-78 ..........................78-89 .........................93-107......................... 103-120 Holstein Steers Under 700 lbs..................50-75 ...........................42-65 ...........................65-79 ..........................65-117..........................75-128 Over 700 lbs.................... 51-70 ............................52-65 ...........................55-79 .......................... 65-94 ........................ 75-114 Cows Utility/Commercial...........35-62.............................32-55.............................43-65........................... 57-80............................65-82 Canner & Cutter.............. 21-50.............................31-48.............................33-57............................ 40-75............................58-73 Stock Cows......................490-885 .....................680-1000.......................650-1125...................... 685-1500......................950-1500

Cattle: Futures following the other markets lower. Last week’s sales were $126 to $126.50 and $202 in the dressed. Feeder cattle at the Oklahoma City auction were higher for stocker steers/heifers and steers/heifers calves.

Feeder heifers were steady to lower.

The dollar is higher and competing pork is lower. Estimated slaughter for Tuesday is 126,000 head versus 129,915 head a year ago. Feeder futures are falling as speculative traders hit the exits following the pink slime stories and little liquidity.

Wheat: Futures under pressure again with weather conditions improving along with the corn market moving lower. The Texas state crop report showed improved wheat conditions, with 38% rated p/vp and 34% rated good/ex. In Oklahoma 3% of the wheat is jointing vs 36% a year ago and 31% for the five year average. Kansas reported 12% of the crop jointed, vs. 6% average for this date.Wheat futures hitting some technical support during the session.

Bulls – Slaughter............44-67.............................42-68.............................49-80........................... 65-97 .........................70-98

Cattle Outlook March 16, 2012 Beef imports exceeded exports during January for the first month since August 2010. Beef exports during January were the lowest of any month since April 2010.

January exports were down 8 million pounds (4.4%) compared to a year ago, largely because Hong Kong purchased 7 million pounds less U.S. beef than in January 2011.

January beef imports were up 43 million pounds (28.8%) compared to a year ago and the highest since June 2011.

In total, 8.6% of January beef production was exported. Beef imports equaled 9.0% of January production.

January domestic retail beef demand was up 8.1% compared to a year earlier; but export demand for U.S. beef was down 1.9%. Packer demand in January for fed cattle was up 3.8% compared to January 2011.

Fed cattle prices were steady this week with moderate sales volume.Through Thursday, the 5-area average price for slaughter steers sold on a live weight basis was $126.34/cwt, down 43 cents from last week, but up $12.05/cwt from the same week last year. Steer prices on a dressed basis averaged $202.23/cwt this week, up 41 cents from a week ago and up $17.45 from a year ago.

Beef cutout value was sharply lower this week. On Friday morning, the choice boxed beef carcass cutout value was $189.92/cwt, down $5.90 from last week. The select carcass cutout was down $5.77 from the previous Friday to $187.94 per hundred pounds of carcass weight. The choice-select price spread is only $1.98/cwt. A year ago, steer dressed prices were $2/cwt under the choice cutout value. This week dressed prices are $12/cwt above the choice cutout value.

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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / April 2012

This week’s cattle slaughter totaled 619,000 head, down 1.9% from the week before, but the same as a year ago. The average dressed weight for slaughter steers for the week ending on March 3 was 850 pounds, down 4 pounds from the week before, but up 21 pounds from a year earlier. Weights have been above year-earlier for eight straight weeks.Year-to-date beef production is down 3.7%.

Feeder cattle prices this week were generally steady to weak with more auctions lower than higher. Oklahoma City prices were mostly steady with the ranges for medium and large frame #1 steers: 400-450# $208-$217, 450-500# $204-$210.50, 500-550# $177.75-$204, 550-600# $179-$196.50, 600-650# $167-$182.75, 650700# $161.50-$171, 700-750# $155-$166, 750-800# $149.25-$164.35, 800-900# $140-$154.75, and 900-1000# $133.50-$142/cwt.

The April live cattle futures contract settled at $125.30/cwt today, down 72 cents compared to last Friday.The June contract closed at $122.70/cwt, down 90 cents for the week. August fed cattle settled at $124.52 and October at $129.87/cwt.

March feeder cattle futures lost 52 cents this week to settle at $153.40/cwt. The April contract ended the week at $154.30/cwt, down $1.55 from the previous Friday.

From University of Missouri

Classifieds

Animals

Help Wanted

Real Estate/Acreage

Wanted

3 year old Blk/white paint gelding. Has 30 days of training, very gentle and riding good. Cow-bred. Pictures upon request. $2000. Sandpoint, Id. 208-263-5549

Earn $75,000/yr Part Time in the livestock or equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required. Classroom or home study courses available. 800-488-7570.

ASCA registered Australian Shepherd pups.

Working line since 1968. Full satisfaction guaranteed. All four colors available. Boise, Id 208-484-9802

Household

Log home, 20 acres, overlooks lg. cattle ranch, near Blackfoot reservoir, Nat’l forest, 1 hour from Jackson. 2200 s.f., 2 bedroom, 2 bath, huge loft, 2 story rock fireplace, trex porches, radiant heat, wood floors, builtin vac, all appliances. 350K. 970-764-4343

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.

1974 Marlette 14x70 Tip-out. Near new furnace. $6,500. 1973 Academy 14x60 $3,500. Good Condition. Upgrades required

by State before moving. Sold AS IS Condition.

Shelley area. For more details call 528-5337.

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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

Team Haflinger Mares, Team Golden Palomino Mares. Hitch wagon on rubber, Covered wagon on rubber. Blackfoot, Id. 208-6849326 or 681-2261 Fiber producing alpacas for sale. Produce small acreage income, easy care, enjoyable livestock. Hand spinners grow your own fiber source. Females and males available.

Herd animals so minimum of 3 / pasture.

Sandpoint, Id. 208-265-2788 Morgan horses for sale, saddle trained. Stallion service offered. www.creamridgemorgans.com or 208-476-7221

Farm Equipment Two Round Bale Feeders $150 each. Gooding, Id. 208-934-4117 Hay head, 10 bale, fits F-11 Farmhand loader. $900. Homedale, Id 208-337-3360 Pull type hay stacker for big bales on edge with baleturner or baler, stack 500 bales per day. $9,500. Weiser, Id. 208-550-4619 or 208-549-1232 Balewagons: New Holland self-propelled or pull-type models. Also interested in buying balewagons. Will consider any model. Call Jim Wilhite at 208-880-2889 anytime

Hay and Feed High quality hay for sale in 3x4 bales, Blackfoot. Call 785-3434 or 680-6883 500-600 lb round bales. Orchard and Timothy. $24 per bales or $90 per ton.

Harrison, Id. 208-689-3390

Monarch Wood Cook Stove $450.00, Antique Dresser $250.00. Gooding, Id. 208-9344117 Antiques – Oak furniture dresser, washstand, square and round tables, file cabinets, chairs, stacking bookcases, treadle sewing machine, oak fireplace mantel. Burley, Id. Call Don 208-678-2036 or 208-431-2036

Miscellaneous 16” light weight microfiber western saddle.

Indian blanket design Comfortable. Used 1/2 hr. Sold horse. $200 Star Id. Call Pam 208-286-9821 Top quality cedar fence posts. Lewiston, Id. 208-798-8802 cc 1895 Minneapolis Moline Plow Co. Extension top Surrey (carriage) with rubber on wheels. Call Jack. New Plymouth, Id 208278-5548 Angle Iron 6inX6inX3/8inX8ft., 6inX4inX5/16inX8ft. $4.00/ft. and up. Trench Box 6ftX16ft with 2ftX16ft top skirt. 20 used gluLam beams 20 to 32ft lengths, 20in to 30in depth all are 9in wide $16-$20.00 per ft. Rigby, Id. 208-745-8988

Real Estate/Acreage Build Your Dream Home Here. 10 acres on gentle rolling land. County paved and maintained roads. Views Of CDA Lake. Close to Cave Bay Public Marina. Easy Drive To CDA Casino, CDA And Spokane. Can Be Subdivided. $125k. Call Dennis@208-771-4524

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS

Beautiful, small southeast Idaho ranch near Lava Hot Springs. Abound with wildlife, springs and ponds. Modern, well appointed ranch house, surrounded by groomed parklike outdoors and patios. Nice set of outbuildings and fences. Call Jeff 208-254-3331

Recreational Equipment Winnebago Adventurer 2002. 32 ft. 2 slide outs, 33,100 miles, gas. Ford – V10 Triton. $36,500 obo. Chester, Id. 208-709-5732

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May 20 FOR

NEXT ISSUE. 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. ___________________

FOR IDAHO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS

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send to: dashton@idahofb.org

_______________________________________________________________________________ Idaho Farm Bureau producer / APRIL 2012

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