Georgia Ag News September Edition

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AG News

Inside Composting Page 3 Flu safety Page 5 Dove season Page 7 Egg allergies Page 10

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September 2012

North Georgia’s Agricultural Newspaper

Drought affects Georgia’s agricultural industry

By Barbara Olejnik Georgia Ag News Staff bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

Associated Press photo/Nati Harnik

Drought: Drought-damaged corn stalks seen near Brownville, Neb. The widest drought to grip the U.S. in decades is getting worse with no signs of abating.

GAINESVILLE — Agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry, accounting for more than 15.7 percent of the state’s economy in terms of sales and output and represents 11.2 percent of the state’s value added production.

Georgia agriculture has an annual impact of $68.9 billion on the state’s economy and provides 380,000 jobs to citizens of the state.

However, the severe drought that has enveloped the majority of

the state is predicted to have an adverse effect on several of Georgia’s agricultural commodities.

The poultry industry alone accounts for more than $20 billion in annual economic impact and an estimated 98,000 jobs are directly or indirectly related to poultry.

But chicken feed is mainly corn and the corn crops, particularly in the Midwest, have been devastated by the drought, increasing the cost of available stocks.

A University of Georgia report states that the state’s poultry producers are spending $1.4 million extra per day on corn due to the

drought as well as pressure on corn prices caused by demand created by the federal demand to add ethanol to gasoline.

Gov. Nathan Deal, in a recent petition to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, called on the EPA to waive the ethanol requirement.

The governor stated, “It is abundantly clear that substantial evidence exists now within the existing reports of USDA regarding expected crop yields and within

See Drought, Page 6

Meeting highlights agriculture’s importance

By David B. Strickland Georgia Ag News Staff

dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

GAINESVILLE — Agriculture is essential to most aspects of our lives.

This point was made clear by Georgia state Rep. Tom McCall (RElberton), chairman of the Georgia House’s Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, recently when he noted that there are really just five things you need to survive in this world — food, clothing, shelter, air and water.

“Three of them come from agriculture and the other two are free,” he told the attendees of the 76th

annual meeting of the Georgia Poultry Improvement Association in Gainesville on Aug. 15. “So if someone tells you ag’s not important, name them the first three items and see if they can get by without them.”

Continuing with the theme of the importance of agriculture, Billy Skaggs, chief operating officer of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, provided an update from the department.

He noted that the department has been working hard on staff development, customer service and tech-

See Meeting, Page 6

Photo by David B. Strickland

GPIA annual meeting: Among the speakers and officials attending the Georgia Poultry Improvement Association’s 76th annual meeting in Gainesville on Aug. 15 were, left to right, Billy Skaggs, chief operating officer of the Georgia Department of Agriculture; Dr. Louise Dufour-Zavala, executive director of the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network; state Rep. Tom McCall (R-Elberton); Abit Massey, president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation; state Sen. Butch Miller (R-Gainesville); and Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation.

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Plan ahead and preserve Summer’s Bounty

By Steven Thomas

Special to Georgia Ag News

GAINESVILLE — At farmers markets across Hall County our local farmers are supplying us with an immense amount of vegetables.

This time of year we have a lot of yellow squash and zucchini, eggplant, onions, green beans and southern beans, cucumbers, okra and tomatoes available.

In another month or so, the markets will empty as most farmers finish their harvest. By canning, drying, pickling and freezing, we can enjoy summer’s bounty until harvest season begins again.

Tomatoes were made for canning. Farmers sell tomatoes by the box and, if you’re lucky, you can get the ones that have bruises and blemishes at a reduced price.

Homemade tomato sauce is a big favorite, as are plain canned tomatoes for soups and stews during the cold months. If the only ketchup you’ve had comes from the store,

try making your own.

Yes, you can just grab a bottle, but for a special treat make some once and you’ll be hooked. (See recipe link at the end of this Thomas article.)

Caponata is a mixture of tomatoes, eggplant and black olives cooked down into a paste that can be spread on toast, added to pasta or scrambled eggs.

Canning some of this makes a great present to give at the holidays.

Canning works well with green beans, too.

Here’s a hint: don’t throw out the liquid; use it as vegetable stock for soup.

Freezing green beans maintains more nutritional value than canning, and if space is available is

much quicker. Throw the green beans in boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes; plunge into an ice water bath to stop the cooking, pat dry and package in two-serving sizes.

Pickling is really easy and you can make the pickling liquid in a big batch, divide it for different recipes and get a lot done in a day or two.

Squash, zucchini, eggplant, onions, green beans, southern beans, cucumbers and okra are great for pickling. You can do them separately or in combos. (See the link below for recipes and information from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.)

Shelled southern beans, like cowpeas and lady peas, are perfect for drying or freezing and make a great addition to soups, stews and baked bean dishes.

Peach season is coming to a close in the next month. Do yourself a favor and grab a bushel. Peel and slice them, lay them on a plastic wrap covered tray and freeze them. Once frozen, place the slices into bags in

portions big enough for pie filling.

Come December and January, you will be able to make peach cobbler and peach pie. What a treat!

Like many of the folks who come to the market, I used to go home with enough fruit and vegetables for the week, thinking it only had to last until next Friday. When the market season ended, it was back to the grocery for produce from other states and other countries. Not any more!

While our local farmers are growing, I’m buying and stocking up. It’s better for my family and its good for the farmers, too. It’s easy, much easier than I thought it would be. Not only that, but it’s something that the family can do together.

So, before all the fresh goodness goes away until next year, buy a bunch of produce and get into preserving the harvest. It’ll be good for you and your family, too.

For information about canning, freezing or drying foods, check

out The National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, which can be accessed online at www.homefoodpreservation.com.

They have a free, self-paced, online course for those wanting to learn more about home canning and preservation: “Introduction to Food Preservation.” (http://nchfp.uga. edu/how/can4_vegetable.html).

For information about The Historic Downtown Gainesville Market On The Square, and the other Hall County markets, go to www. hallfarmers.org; and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hallfarmers.

The ketchup recipe can be found on www.hallfarmers.org in the “Recipe” section.

Steven Thomas is market manager of the Historic Downtown Gainesville Market on the Square. He can be reached at 678-943-4442; by email at steve@hallfarmers.org; or the website www.hallfarmers.org.

UEP details egg legislation status at area meeting

By Barbara Olejnik Georgia Ag News Staff bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

ATLANTA — Egg producers received a status update on the federal egg legislation, which has stalled in Congress, at a recent United Egg Producers area meeting here.

The legislation, which is supported by UEP and the Humane Society of the United States, would

set national standards for egg layer housing.

Under the proposed legislation, egg producers would transition from traditional cages to enriched cages with greater space for the hens, along with perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas.

The egg industry seeks to add the egg legislation — officially termed the Egg Products Inspection Amendment Act — to the

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Farm Bill still under consideration in Congress.

The egg bill has 142 co-sponsors for the legislation (H.R.3798) in the House of Representatives and 18 co-sponsors in the Senate for its bill (S. 3239).

The status of the legislation when Congress adjourned for its August recess was:  House Agriculture Committee passed Farm Bill and sent it to the floor for a vote. The full House has not taken up the legislation.  Senate passed its Farm Bill without the egg legislation amendment. Senator Dianne Feinstein (DCalif.) sponsored the egg legislation in the Senate and was expected to propose it as an amendment to the Farm Bill. However, under Senate rules, if one senator opposes an amendment, the amendment cannot be offered. There was one senator in opposition.  If the House leaders bring its

Farm Bill to the full House for a vote, once Congress re-convenes, and allows amendments to be presented, the egg legislation could still be proposed as an amendment.  The next step would be conference committee to resolve House and Senate differences in the two Farm Bills.

If both branches of Congress go immediately to a conference committee, without the House allowing amendments, the egg legislation would probably be lost for the current Congress.

UEP member producers recently testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee headed by Senator Feinstein, to promote the legislation. They also urged area meeting attendees to contact their representatives to urge passage of the legislation.

David Lathem, UEP chairman, noted that “We need help with producers.We need a level playing

field. It’s going to tough without it.”

The UEP-HSUS agreement to work together to secure the legislation — set to expire June 30 — has been extended to Dec. 31, 2012.

The two organizations had previously been at odds over how layer hens should be housed. HSUS was opposed to the traditional cages and had worked to get states to enact legislation that would have banned such cages. They were successful in six states and were targeting six others. This would have created a patchwork of legislation that egg producers would have to adhere to in each separate state.

Under the UEP-HSUS agreement, HSUS said it would not continue to seek such legislation as long as the agreement was in effect and would also seek a similar stance from other animal activist groups.

See UEP, Page 15

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

For a fall project, try building a compost pile

By Michael Wheeler

Special to Georgia Ag News

GAINESVILLE — If you have ever called the office and talked to me about plant health, you know that I am a huge fan of using compost.

Look around this fall while in the woods when you are scouting for deer sign or just taking in all of the autumn beauty; Mother Nature has figured out that compost has been all the rage, even since Wheeler thousands of years ago.

In good forestland, the top few inches of soil is composted leaves, twigs and acorns.

Compost is the result of broken

down natural materials. These materials can be leaves, twigs, vegetable-based kitchen scraps and grass clippings. Things to avoid are animal grease, bones, milk products and plants that have died but still have seed heads attached.

You know you have a good pile of compost when you can no longer tell what was put in the pile. Everything should look earthy and have a good earthy smell. Many times I have heard people refer to compost as black gold because there are just so many ways to use it in and around the garden.

When building the pile, plan on making the pile about a cubic yard in size (3-foot x 3-foot x 3-foot).

This will insure there is enough material to begin the composting process.

Try to maintain the size of the pile to less than 5-foot x 5-foot x 5-foot.

Anything can be used to make a composting structure. Some suggestions are old pallets or fencing. I like to use about a 10-foot section of

fence and make a hoop. That much fence will give you a slightly larger 3-foot diameter hoop space.

The process itself is a great example of biology at work. There are few things that you need in order to make compost.

One is the source of carbon. You will need a lot of this material and it is sometimes referred as the brown component of the mix. Then you will need a source of nitrogen, also known as the green component. In order to have a good balance you should have the pile made up of two-thirds browns and one-third greens. The rest of the ingredients are more dependent on how well you are able to manage the pile.

Build the pile with a good layer of brown material about 8 to 12 inches thick at the base, and then add a layer of green material with either old compost or a couple shovels of soil. Sandwich it off with another layer of brown material. Continue this pattern working your way up, but be sure to add a little bit of water

Gov. Deal requests ethanol waiver ATLANTA — “It is abundantly clear that substantial evidence exists now within the existing reports of USDA regarding expected crop yields and within private sector forecasts of crop yields that current and futures pricing of corn will result in severe economic harm in the poultry and livestock sectors,” wrote Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (R) in a petition sent Aug. 20 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Georgia is experiencing severe economic harm during this crisis, and important economic sectors in the state are in serious economic jeopardy. This harm is precisely of the type, character and extent that Congress envisioned when it granted EPA authority to waive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) applicable volumes…”

Deal becomes the fifth governor, and first Republican, to request that EPA waive the RFS, joining the governors of Maryland, Delaware,

North Carolina and Arkansas.

“It can also be reasonably projected that this harm will continue well into 2013, if not beyond 2013, and that the decreasing availability of stocks of grains Deal will only be eased when a new crop season provides an abundance of supply,” Deal continued.

As Georgia’s largest industry, agriculture accounts for more than 15.7 percent of the state’s economy in terms of sales and output and represents 11.2 percent of the state’s value added production. Georgia agriculture has an annual impact of $68.9 billion on the state’s economy

and provides 380,000 jobs to citizens of the state. Poultry and livestock are important components of the state’s economy, representing more than 50 percent of Georgia’s farm gate value, while broilers alone account for more than 40 percent of farm gate value. From a national perspective, Georgia ranks first in broiler production and third in value of eggs produced. For Georgia, the poultry industry alone accounts for more than $20 billion in annual economic impact, and an estimated 98,000 jobs depend on poultry directly or indirectly.

Deal’s petition notes the University of Georgia has reported that the state’s poultry producers are spending $1.4 million extra per day on corn due to the drought and the upward pressure on corn prices caused by the demand created by the RFS for ethanol. This translates

See Waiver, Page 8

at each completed layer. You do not want the pile to be soggy, but definitely moist like a rung out sponge.

During the next few days you will feel heat coming up from the pile. This is great and it means that you are managing your pile correctly. The heat is the by-product of fungi and bacteria breaking down the “groceries” you provided them.

Over time the heat output will decrease and that will be your cue to turn the pile.

Turning the pile introduces air to the mix and activates the process again. If you feel like the pile has gotten too dry, add more water.

After turning the pile a few good times, you will begin to see your final product, black gold.

That black gold, like I said earlier, will have an earthy smell and the color will be a dark brown to black and the feel will be crumbly.

Compost can be used anywhere you want to enhance the soil. Compost adds nutrients, increases soil drainage and promotes a healthy environment for all the critters that live in the soil like fungus, bacteria and earthworms.

It also is a quick and cheap way to change the entire physical characteristics of your soil. Plants are able to become established more easily and grow faster and healthier in composted amended soil.

This fall take advantage of the falling leaves and begin a compost pile that will be ready to be put to use this spring.

Michael Wheeler is the Hall County Extension Coordinator and agricultural Extension agent. He can be reached at 770-535-8293; e-mail at wheelerm@uga.edu; or www.hallcounty.org/extension.

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

AG News

Viewpoint

Drought costing Georgia poultry producers big bucks

By Dr. Michael P. Lacy Special to Georgia Ag News

ATHENS — Severe drought in the Midwest corn-belt is driving up poultry feed costs in Georgia. Economists and poultry industry experts predict corn costs will increase 50 percent in 2012 compared to typical years.

Some economists say corn prices could double by the end of the summer.

Corn Corn is the single largest ingredi-

ent in poultry diets and usually makes up 60 percent of the total weight of a poultry ration.

Consider this — Each year, Lacy Georgia produces 1.3 billion broiler birds. Each bird eats 10.45 pounds of feed. In a nondrought year, corn is about $5 per

bushel. The cost of corn as a result of the drought: $7.50.

A $2.50 rise in corn prices will cost the Georgia poultry industry more than $430 million per year in higher feed costs. These higher prices will cost the typical Georgia broiler complex $1.1 million in additional feed costs per month equaling more than $13 million per year.

On an individual broiler farm, the annual increase in feed costs would exceed $155,000. A broiler breeder farm would pay $63,000 more.

The uptick in prices is intensified by the demand for corn to make ethanol. Biofuel plants now buy more

corn than poultry and livestock producers combined.

In spite of last year’s particularly strong corn harvest, corn reserves hit historic lows this spring.

Experts are concerned the lack of corn reserves, continuing ethanol mandates and the current drought will lead to severe grain shortages and unprecedented price spikes in the coming months.

Soybeans Soybean is the other major component of poultry diets. It’s still

too early in the season to tell if the drought will affect the 2012 soybean harvest as severely as the corn harvest.

However, experts expect soybean prices, which typically rise in step with corn, to be higher this year than usual, serving Georgia poultry producers a second helping of price increases.

Dr. Michael P. Lacy is head of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Poultry Science Department in Athens, Ga.

Agriculture’s fate does not lie with Mother Nature alone

By Blake Hurst

Special to Georgia Ag News

WESTBORO, Mo. — History has a way of finding us, even if we would like to decline the honor.

And this summer will go down in history.

We’ve passed the drought of 1956 and are closing in on 1936.

My grandfather, who has passed on, would never accept a summer worse than 1936, the formative event of his long life. He’d never again be able to start a sentence with “Back in ’36,” because we’d answer that 2012 was just as bad.

In fact, I’m planning on using this summer as the main evidence for the proposition that the younger generation hasn’t got what it takes.

I’ll say things like: “Well, yes, it’s been a tough year, but you’re too young to remember the summer of 2012.”

We can do everything right, make the best of plans, have a perfect Blake Hurst, of Westboro, Mo., is the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.

stand with high fertility and excellent weed control, but Mother Nature has plans of her own.

Here in Missouri, I’ve visited with hog farmers who are facing losses as far as the eye can see and cattle farmers who will have a short calf crop next spring because it’s too hot for cows to breed. I’ve heard from ranchers forced to liquidate a cow herd that is the sum total their life’s work. Farmers in the Missouri Bootheel are reaching the end of their financial and physical endurance, as they work around the clock to irrigate their crops.

Crop farmers across Missouri are faced with no crop at all. Many of them are worried about meeting forward contracts when they have no crop to deliver. Feed prices are skyrocketing, and we all are suffering from the stress, both physical and mental, that the summer of 2012 has brought.

This summer’s disaster will influence food prices not just over the next few months but for years. We take reasonably priced and plentiful food supplies for granted, and although this summer’s drought ab-

solutely will not threaten that blessing, it is a reminder that agriculture is important.

This is why we should worry about the future. We can’t control the weather, but policy mistakes are self-inflicted. As consumers deal with high prices caused by this year’s drought, voters and consumers need to ensure we don’t legislate, litigate or regulate ourselves in a permanent short crop.

Think I’m overstating the case?  A court case recently filed would, if the plaintiffs are successful, limit fertilizer application in the Mississippi Basin. It might mean some land in the Midwest would lie idle each year.  If the Humane Society of the United States meets its goals, modern livestock production practices will no longer be used. That would mean, among other things, that it would take more grain to produce the same amount of meat.  The recent clean water guidance written by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would triple the amount of farmland regulated by the agency. Farmers would

need permits to follow normal farming practices. It isn’t difficult to envision a future when permits would be denied and land would leave production.

Corporate Headquarters

 Anti-genetically modified organism (GMO) groups are fighting

See Hurst, Page 5

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

State officials urge safety for protection against flu ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Department of Public Health encourage the public to exercise proactive safety measures while attending state fairs and agricultural events this fall due to confirmed human infections with H3N2v — an influenza virus normally found in swine (pigs).

Most cases in the U.S. so far have been identified as swine to human transmission.

Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black urges hand washing after being in the presence of, or touching, swine.

“There is no reason to stay away from fairs,” Black said. “Our state’s fairs and agricultural expositions play a major role in Georgia and this year we need to ensure we’re staying safe.”

“Georgia has not had a confirmed human case of H3N2v, and I’d like to keep it that way,” said Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “There are simple measures — like hand washing — everyone can take to stay safe.”

On Aug. 17, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced that 225 cases of H3N2v infection had been reported in the U.S. during 2012.

Cases have been reported in Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsyl-

vania, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois. There have been no deaths as a result of H3N2v.

Most infections have occurred in children and have been mild with very few hospitalizations.

It is recommended that anyone experiencing flu symptoms after exposure to swine call their health care provider, the departments noted. Certain people including young children, elderly persons, pregnant women, and people with long term medical conditions are at greater risk than others. Common sense prevention methods should be observed including washing hands, covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and staying at home when you are feeling ill to protect others.

This is not a food safety issue, and influenza is not spread through eating pork and pork products.

“While the risk is minimal, we want young people participating in youth livestock projects this fall to be mindful and remember the ‘common-sense’ training they have received from their 4-H & FFA advisors,” Black said.

All animals at a state fair are required to have a current certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) by a licensed and accredited veterinarian. At the Georgia State Fair and at all Junior National Shows, Georgia agricultural veterinarians are onsite to ensure the health of all animals presented.

Protective steps There are steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of influenza between people and pigs:  Wash your hands frequently with soap and running water before and after exposure to animals.  Never eat, drink, or put things in your mouth while in animal areas, and don’t take food or drink into animal areas.  Children younger than 5, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems and neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions) are at high risk for serious complications if they get influenza. People with these risk factors should consider avoiding exposure to pigs and swine barns this summer, especially if sick pigs have been identified.  If you have animals — including swine — watch them for signs of illness, and call a veterinarian if you suspect they might be sick.  Avoid close contact with animals that look or act ill, when possible.  Avoid contact with pigs if you are experiencing flu like symptoms.

More information about the virus can be obtained from the CDC at www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/h3n2voutbreak.htm.

cally modified crops.

The goal of these groups is to turn back the clock on science. If they are successful, crop yields will shrink.

Any of these measures will allow man to accomplish every year what nature only does once every

50 years. While Mother Nature has her plans, we can avoid bad ideas that will increase hunger and food prices.

We’ll survive this drought, as my grandparents did the summer of 1936. I’m not sure we can survive those who would create a manmade drought every summer.

•Hurst (Continued from page 4)

the use of modern seed technology.

Some counties in Oregon are moving to outlaw the technology, and California has a ballot initiative that would demand labeling for any food item produced using geneti-

Photo by David B. Strickland

GPIA chairman award: Joel Williams, left, Mar-Jac, was presented an award in recognition for his service as chairman of the Georgia Poultry Improvement Association for the past year during the group’s 76th annual meeting on Aug. 15, in Gainesville, Ga. Presenting Williams with the award is Brad Harp, Cagle’s Inc.

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

•Meeting (Continued from page 1)

nology improvements to enhance how the GDA does business with the state’s farmers.

One such improvement has been the department’s website (www. agr.georgia.gov).

“We have made some tremendous strides in our online capabilities,” Skaggs said.

“One of the big things we have been working toward is trying to make it easier to do business with the department, and specifically, online licensing and being able to do business through our website as opposed to having to write checks and send them into the department and then having to wait several weeks to get your license,” he noted. “We really want the department to be easy to do business with.”

Skaggs added that through strategic planning efforts, the department has developed an approach it defines as, “educate as we regulate.”

“We are really trying to take that approach to our enforcement actions and our compliance efforts,” he said, adding that, “It should not be our job to simply put people out of business. That is not what the Georgia Department of Agriculture should be about. Rather we think that our focus should be to help farmers and producers stay in compliance, do what they need to do to meet the rules and regulations and laws of the state of Georgia, and help them stay in business.”

The agricultural sector is vital to

the state’s economy and involves thousands of Georgians who are employed in this business sector. To help promote agriculture, Skaggs noted that the department has relaunched and rebranded the “Georgia Grown” program. He also added that many of Georgia’s poultry integrator companies are using the “Georgia Grown” logo on their packaging.

“Through these types of efforts, we believe that the department is now poised to help promote Georgia products, to expand Georgia agriculture’s reach here in this country and around the world,” Skaggs said.

“We want to continue to promote agribusiness and help businesses grow, and bottom line, put more Georgians to work. We are really trying to make a concerted effort in this area.”

Lab’s efforts Skaggs also recognized the work that is done by the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network.

“One of the most positive experiences I’ve had over the last 19 months has been working with Dr.(Louise Dufour-) Zavala and everyone at the (Georgia) Poultry Lab,” Skaggs said.

“I continue to be impressed with their commitment to safeguarding the poultry industry. Dr. Zavala and her entire team work hard every day, day-in and day-out, to try to protect and safeguard this very important industry and we certainly respect that,” he added.

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USDA

Drought designations: This Aug. 22 map from USDA shows the parts of the U.S. designated as disaster areas due to drought conditions. Farmers and ranchers in these areas are eligible for various federal assistance.

•Drought (Continued from page 1)

private sector forecasts of crop yields that current and futures pricing of corn will result in severe economic harm in the poultry and livestock sectors.

“Georgia is experiencing severe economic harm during this crisis, and important economic sectors in the state are in serious economic jeopardy,” Deal added.

Nearly 80 percent of Georgia is experiencing conditions that are at least abnormally dry, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center’s U.S. Drought Monitor.

A recent drought report stated that 24 percent of the state was facing exceptional drought conditions, the highest measure of drought reported by the center.

With the drought causing a decrease in the corn crop, expectations are that anything associated with corn can go up in price. Cattle farmers, particularly in the West, have been selling off their herds because of less corn available and little or no grass to feed the cattle.

It will take time to rebuild a herd so in following years, beef prices will rise because there will be a shortage of beef.

Chicken prices will also likely be affected by the drought because of

the decrease in the corn crop. The Georgia Department of Agriculture has noted that poultry prices could begin rising this fall by as much as 3 percent.

The drought is also putting Georgia’s timber industry at risk. The drought is making pine trees more susceptible to disease and insects.

Pine beetles feed on trees that are left in bad shape as a result of dry weather.

The bark beetle bores through the outer bark and lays eggs on a inner layer of the tree. The larvae then eat that layer and that will kill the tree.

Timber in Georgia is valued at more than a half-billion dollars a year.

While the drought has affected a large portion of Georgia agriculture, some late-season thunderstorms have proven beneficial for another crop. Due to the thunderstorms and irrigation, USDA figures show this year’s peanut crop in Georgia could break records.

Peaches are another crop that hasn’t been adversely affected by the drought. The drought has resulted in a smaller, sweeter peach.

This year’s peaches are full of sugar because of the lack of rain, the lack of water. Too much water and rain can hurt the fruit because it promotes rot.

USDA has designated 1,821 counties in 35 states as disaster areas — 1,692 due to drought.

Because the drought has been so wide-spread, the federal government has stepped in to provide assistance to farmers, ranchers and businesses impacted by the drought.

These include USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), which manages and operates the Federal Crop Insurance Corp., intent to file special provisions statements to allow haying or grazing of cover crops without impacting the insurability of planted 2013 spring crops; Farm Service Agency changes to the emergency loan program that will help producers obtain the loans earlier in the season; the National Credit Union Administration’s increased capacity for lending to customers including farmers; the U.S. Department of Transportation’s emergency waivers for federal truck weight regulations and hours of service requirements to get help to drought-stricken communities; and the Small Business Administration’s issuance of 71 agency declarations in 32 states covering 1,636 counties More information on USDA’s drought response can be found at www.usda.gov/drought.

7

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Hunters are gearing up for dove season on Sept. 1 SOCIAL CIRCLE — The longawaited opening day of the statewide dove season traditionally is considered the beginning of the fall hunting season, notes the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

With numerous wildlife management area (WMA) hunts scheduled, it is the perfect opportunity to introduce children and grandchildren to the sport, DNR added.

The Georgia dove season opens at noon on Saturday, Sept. 1.

“Dove hunters will not lack for fantastic public hunting areas. In fact, many WMAs provide fields managed specifically for dove hunting opportunities,” said John W. Bowers, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s assistant chief of Game Management. “Opening day typically is fun-filled, as many hunts involve cookouts and lots of activity, making it a great time to introduce family and friends to hunting.”

Many WMA public dove fields are reserved solely for quota hunts on opening day. Review dove hunting rules and regulations to ensure the availability of the field you plan to visit.

Seasons The official 2012-2013 dove seasons are Sept. 1-16, Oct. 13-21 and Nov. 22-Jan. 5. Shooting hours are noon until sunset on opening day (Sept. 1) and one-half hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season dates.

Sunrise and sunset times for each day are found in the 20122013 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations Guide or online at www.georgiawildlife.com.

The daily bag limit is 15 doves per hunter. White-winged doves may be harvested, but count toward the daily bag limit of 15.

Any autoloading or other repeating shotgun must be plugged to hold no more than three shotshells while hunting doves.

As always, hunters must obtain permission from landowners before hunting on private property. Please respect the land by cleaning up spent shells, leaving gates the way they were found and removing all trash.

Dove hunters 16 years of age and older must possess a Georgia hunting license and a free Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) Permit. When hunting on a WMA, you also must possess a

WMA license.

Hunters may purchase licenses online at www.georgiawildlife. com, by phone at 800-366-2661 or at more than 800 license agent locations (list of agents available online).

Updated and accurate harvest rate estimates facilitate the successful management of doves. In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Research Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with several states, including Georgia, initiated an ongoing dove banding project. Hunters can participate in this conservation effort by examining harvested doves for leg bands and reporting band numbers to the USFWS by calling 800-327-2263.

More information For more information on dove hunting rules and regulations, public dove fields and conditions, or adult/child dove hunts, hunters should review the 2012-2013 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations Guide, available at www.gohuntgeorgia.com or at any Wildlife Resources Division Game Management office.

Springer Mountain announces ‘Chef’ winner BALDWIN — Springer Mountain Farms has selected Chef Asha Gomez, executive chef of Cardamom Hill restaurant, as the August/ September 2012 winner of its “Celebrate The Chef” award.

“Cardamom Hill offers unique, wonderfully delicious cuisine expected from a truly world class establishment. Chef Gomez delivers not only great food, but a terrific dining experience as well; all done with a pleasing twist making her Kerala cuisine very different from the traditional Indian that you expect,” said Springer Mountain Farms Marketing Manager Dale Faunce.

Springer Mountain Farms selects a “Celebrate The Chef” award winner each quarter based on the chef’s commitment to premium food, quality customer service and superior attention to food safety. Cardamom Hill offers many Georgia grown and produced products, including Springer Mountain Farms antibiotic free, Certified Humanely Raised chicken.

The “Celebrate The Chef” award recognizes food industry leaders to help encourage excellence, the company noted.

“Being selected by Springer Mountain Farms as their chef of the

month is a complete honor,” Gomez said.

Gomez has become known for her critically acclaimed and highly celebrated fried chicken, the company noted. Recently, she announced that she perfected a gluten-free version of her famous Kerala-style fried chicken that still boasts the exciting South Indian-inspired flavor profile of the original recipe.

“The quality, taste and overall care put into their (Springer Mountain Farms) product resonates in our food,” Gomez added. “We love it!”

Wendy VanDyk Evans, Bugwood.org

Dove season: The mourning dove is among the most commonly hunted game birds in the country, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources noted, adding that, doves are the number one game bird in Georgia.

“In fact, more doves are harvested than all other migratory game birds combined,” Georgia DNR said.

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

USDA to purchase meat to aid drought-stricken farmers WASHINGTON — USDA has announced its intent to purchase up to $170 million of pork, lamb, chicken and catfish for federal food nutrition assistance programs, including food banks, to help relieve pressure on U.S. livestock producers during the drought.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “President Obama and I will continue to take swift action to get help to America’s farmers and ranchers through this difficult time.

These purchases will assist pork, catfish, chicken and lamb producers who are currently struggling due to challenging market conditions and the high cost of feed resulting from the widespread drought. The purchases will help mitigate further downward prices, stabilize market conditions, and provide high quality, nutritious food to recipients of USDA’s nutrition programs.”

Vilsack said USDA intends to purchase up to $100 million of

pork products, up to $10 million of catfish products, up to $50 million in chicken products and up to $10 million of lamb products for federal food nutrition assistance programs, including food banks.

Through the Emergency Surplus Removal Program, USDA can use Section 32 funds to purchase meat and poultry products to assist farmers and ranchers who have been affected by natural disasters.

The pork, lamb and catfish purchases are based on analyses of current market conditions. A major factor affecting livestock producers is the value of feed, which is currently running high because of the drought.

National Chicken Council President Mike Brown expressed appreciation for the Agricultual Marketing Service program that will make a special purchase for chicken products for needy families and other worthy recipients.

“At this very difficult economic time for chicken producers due to the severe drought and impending corn shortage that will unfortunately continue well into the future, I am grateful to USDA for working promptly and effectively with NCC to have a special bonus purchase program for chicken,” Brown said.

“By providing chicken through this program, USDA will help feed many economically-stressed Americans while at the same time helping to stabilize the chicken market.

NCC looks forward to continuing to work with AMS to help ensure full success of the program.”

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service purchases a variety of highquality food products each year to support the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. USDA also makes emergency food purchases for distribution to victims of natural disasters. AMS purchases only products of 100 percent domestic origin.

In Washington recently, President Obama convened his White House

Rural Council to review Executive Branch response actions and to develop additional policy initiatives to assist drought-stricken Americans.

Following the meeting, the White House announced a number of new measures the administration is taking, including USDA’s assistance for livestock and crop producers, the National Credit Union Administration’s increased capacity for lending to customers including farmers and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s emergency waivers for federal truck weight regulations and hours of service requirements to drought-stricken communities.

USDA also noted that within the last month it has opened the Conservation Reserve Program to emergency haying and grazing, has lowered the borrower interest rate for emergency loans and has worked with crop insurance companies to provide more flexibility to farmers. USDA has also announced the following:  Authorized $16 million in existing funds from its Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to target states experiencing exceptional and extreme drought.

 Authorized the transfer of $14 million in unobligated program funds into the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to help farmers and ranchers rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.  Authorized haying and grazing of Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) easement areas in droughtaffected areas where haying and grazing is consistent with conservation of wildlife habitat and wetlands.  Lowered the reduction in the annual rental payment to producers on CRP acres used for emergency haying or grazing from 25 percent to 10 percent in 2012.  Simplified the secretarial disaster designation process and reduced the time it takes to designate counties affected by disasters by 40 percent.

During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,821 unduplicated counties across 35 states as disaster areas — 1,692 due to drought — making all qualified farm operators in the areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans.

sional delegation in Washington,” said NCC President Mike Brown.

“As Governor Deal noted, it is now abundantly clear that severe economic damage has occurred, and will continue, as a result of the RFS’ strain on the corn supply that has been exacerbated by the worst drought in more than 50 years.

Again, I call on EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to implement the law and grant a full, one-year waiver for the corn-ethanol mandate,” Brown concluded.

Deal’s petition comes on the heels of an Aug. 20 announcement from EPA that the agency is issuing a Federal Register notice opening

a 30-day public comment period on requests from the governors of Arkansas and North Carolina to waive the RFS requirements.

The statute provides the agency with 90 days in which to make a decision.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 updated renewable fuel volume targets.

Congress has also given EPA the authority to include provisions that allow the EPA administrator to grant a full or partial waiver if implementation would severely harm the economy or environment of a state, region, or the entire country.

•Waiver (Continued from page 3)

to more than $516 million per year if these market conditions continue.

“These additional input costs are not sustainable, and I urge you to consider all options available to the agency to provide some relief in the coming year,” Deal urged.

The National Chicken Council voiced strong support for Deal’s petition and leadership on this critical issue.

“I am very pleased that Governor Deal has joined the many other voices and requests that EPA has received in recent weeks to waive the RFS for ethanol, including 14 of 15 members of Georgia’s congres-

9

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Research shows cover crops may deter wilt virus

By Donn H. Cooper

Special to Georgia Ag News

ATHENS — USDA-sponsored research at the University of Georgia campus in Tifton is looking into the potential of using a cover crop system to improve soil and prevent tomato spotted wilt virus.

According to Stuart Reitz, a research entomologist with the USDA, tomato spotted wilt virus is one of the most devastating insecttransmitted vegetable diseases. In the Southeast it affects everything from peppers to peanuts and can cause complete crop failures in the field.

“You certainly can’t grow tomatoes in this part of the country without trying to take some kind of management method to try to reduce the tomato spotted wilt incidence,” Reitz said.

In fact, after being in the Southeast for about 25 years, it’s becoming a global problem. The vectors for the disease are tiny, moisturesucking insects called thrips. The primary culprits in the Southeast are Western flower thrips and tobacco thrips.

Cover crops Reitz is investigating the potential of a cover cropping system to deter these species of thrips. Cover cropping is also used to build soil fertility, limit erosion and suppress weeds.

Reitz is partnering with University of Florida Extension specialist Steve Olson and UGA entomologist Rajagopalbabu Srinivasan.

Funded by the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE), their research focuses on a cover crop rotation of lupin, bidens and sunn hemp.

These plants are tested for their effect on thrips and the virus in

tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers growing nearby.

According to Reitz, for unknown reasons cucumbers are not as susceptible to the virus in the Southeast, although feeding damage by thrips can lower their marketability and consumer appeal.

“We’re interested in developing some sustainable, noninsecticide based management methods for controlling thrips and thrip-transmitted viruses in these crops,” he said.

With these particular cover crops, the research is directed toward farming systems in the Southeast.

But Reitz believes, with the right plants, the cover cropping system can be adapted elsewhere.

Nonpest thrips Early returns in the first year of this three-year trial are intriguing, to say the least.

There are a number of different thrips that live in the Southeast, some of them closely related to Western flower thrips. These related species don’t seem to damage crops to the same degree as their cousins, and they don’t transmit the virus.

“Not all thrips are created equal.

Some of them can actually have beneficial effects,” Reitz said. “In a sense we regard them as nonpests.”

More importantly, according to Reitz, when these nonpest thrips are in the farming system, research shows they outcompete Western flower thrips and suppress their population — essentially limiting their problem as a pest.

Insecticide care By disrupting the balance between pest and nonpest thrips, insecticides can actually increase the incidence of tomato spotted wilt

Donn Cooper/UGA

Cover crops: Bidens growing at the University of Georgia campus in Tifton as part of a SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) trial researching cover crops as beneficial companion plants.

virus, Reitz said.

“The nonpest competitor species are much more susceptible to virtually all insecticides than Western flower thrips,” he said. “So when they’re taken out of the system, Western flower thrips are freed from that competition, and their populations can build up.”

Reitz encourages growers and crop scouts to identify which thrips are in the field.

“We’re saying to look at which species are present, and if you have these nonpests, then let them stay.

They’re not going to do the crop damage that the Western flower thrip will do,” Reitz said.

In addition to the UGA-Tifton campus, the experiment is currently being conducted at the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, Fla., and is scheduled to run for two more years.

After next year, there will be a demonstration trial on farms in Georgia and Florida to assess it on a commercial scale.

Donn H. Cooper is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Doctors use eggs to reverse egg allergies in kids The Associated Press

BOSTON — First peanuts, now eggs. Doctors have reversed allergies in some children and teens by giving them tiny daily doses of problem foods, gradually training their immune systems to accept them.

In the best test of this yet, about a dozen kids were able to overcome allergies to eggs, one of the most ubiquitous foods, lurking in everything from pasta and veggie burgers to mayonnaise and even marshmallows. Some of the same doctors used a similar approach on several kids with peanut allergies a few years ago.

Don’t try this yourself, though.

It takes special products, a year or more and close supervision because severe reactions remain a risk, say doctors involved in the study, published in the July 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“This experimental therapy can safely be done only by properly trained physicians,” says a statement from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the federal agency that sponsored the study.

It didn’t work for everyone, and some dropped out of the study because of allergic reactions. But the results “really do show there is promise for future treatment” and should be tested now in a wider group of kids, said the study’s leader, Dr. A. Wesley Burks, pediatrics chief at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

More than 2 percent of young children have egg allergies, suffering wheezing and tight throats or even life-threatening reactions if they eat any egg, Burks said. Many will outgrow this by age 4 or 5, and more will by the time they are teens, but 10 percent to 20 percent never do.

The big worry is that these kids will eat eggs as an ingredient in a food they don’t realize contains them, and have a severe reaction.

Training a child’s immune system to tolerate even small amounts of

egg to prevent this was the goal of the study.

It enrolled 55 children ages 5 to 18. Forty were given tiny daily amounts of powdered egg white, the part that usually causes the allergy.

The other 15 were given cornstarch — a dummy treatment — for comparison. The amounts were increased every two weeks until kids in the treatment group were eating about one third of an egg each day.

They periodically went to their doctors to try eating eggs. They failed the test if a doctor could see any symptoms such as wheezing.

At about a year, none receiving the dummy treatment passed the egg challenge. Those on the egg white powder fared better.

“At the end of the year, half of them passed. At the end of two years, 75 percent of them passed,” Burks said.

Next, he went a step further, to see if participants could maintain tolerance without the daily powder.

Those who passed the second test stopped using the powder, avoided eggs entirely for four to six weeks, then tried eating eggs again as they wished. Eleven of the 30 kids were able to do this with no problem.

The treatment worked for 10year-old Nicholas Redmond of Huntersville, N.C., near Charlotte.

Avoiding eggs has been “a huge problem,” said his father, Chris Redmond. Now Nicholas has some egg nearly every day to maintain his tolerance, which his father finds terribly ironic.

“You spend 2 1/2 years avoiding eggs” and now have to make sure he gets some, Chris Redmond said.

Nicholas said the hardest part of his allergy was turning down birthday treats at school.

“I would say ‘no thank you’ and I had this little treat box with stuff filled for class parties,” he said.

Now, “I can have eggs in cake and cookies” — if they don’t contain peanuts, he said. He’s also allergic to those, and will soon start sensitization therapy for peanuts.

American Egg Board

Applications sought for Clean Water Awards TUCKER — The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is accepting applications for the 2013 Clean Water Awards.

The awards recognize outstanding water treatment plant performance in the poultry industry, and the winners will be announced at USPOULTRY’s 2013 Environmental Management Seminar.

“Poultry companies are committed to environmental stewardship and do a great job with their water treatment operations. They reclaim most of the water used to process poultry and return it to the environment in excellent condition. We are pleased to sponsor this annual competition to spotlight poultry operations and their environmental management programs that protect our natural resources,” said Mark

Waller, Ingram Farms, Cullman, Ala., and chairman of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

There are two categories for the award.

One category is for full treatment facilities, which are those facilities that fully reclaim their wastewater prior to discharge into receiving water or a final land application system.

The other category is for pretreatment facilities, which are those facilities that discharge pretreated effluent to publicly-owned full treatment facilities. Any USPOULTRY member company is eligible to submit one nominee in each category.

Facilities which have previously won the award may not be re-nominated for five years.

The deadline for submitting applications is Nov. 15, 2012.

An evaluation committee will review the applications and select two semi-finalist facilities in each category.

The committee will then visit the semi-finalist facilities to select the award recipients.

The committee includes university personnel, industry engineers and managers and state regulatory officials.

Award recipients will receive a trophy, be profiled on the USPOULTRY website and receive assistance from the association in publicizing the award on a local, regional and national level.

For the application form, go to www.uspoultry.org/environment/.

11

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Nutrient in poultry dark meat may have cardiovascular benefits NEW YORK — A nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with high cholesterol, according to a study by researchers at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

Study The study, published online in the European Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the effects of taurine, a naturally-occurring nutrient found in the dark meat of turkey and chicken, as well as in some fish and shellfish, on CHD. It revealed that higher taurine intake was associated with significantly lower CHD risk among women with high total cholesterol levels.

The same association was not

seen in women with low cholesterol levels, however.

There is very little information available about taurine, said principal investigator Dr. Yu Chen, associate professor of epidemiology at the NYU School of Medicine, part of NYU Langone Medical Center.

While there have been some animal studies that indicate taurine may be beneficial to cardiovascular disease, this is the first published prospective study to look at serum taurine and CHD in humans, she explained.

Findings “Our findings were very interesting,” Chen said. “Taurine, at least in its natural form, does seem to have a significant protective effect in women with high cholesterol.”

Coronary heart disease is a lead-

ing killer of American men and women, causing one in five deaths.

Also known as coronary artery disease, it is caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries to the heart.

Large prospective epidemiologic studies have provided evidence that nutritional factors are important modifiable risk factors for CHD. Chen and her colleagues conducted their study using data and samples from the NYU Women’s Health Study.

The original study enrolled more than 14,000 women, 34 to 65 years of age, between 1985 and 1991 at a breast cancer screening center in New York City.

Upon enrollment, a wide range of medical, personal and lifestyle information was recorded and the data and samples continue to be utilized for a variety of medical studies.

For the serum taurine study, funded by the American Heart Association, the researchers measured taurine levels in serum samples collected in 1985 — before disease occurrence — for 223 NYUWHS participants who developed or died from CHD during the study follow up period between 1986 and 2006.

The researchers then compared those samples to the taurine levels in serum samples collected at the same time for 223 participants who had no history of cardiovascular disease.

Comparison The comparison revealed serum taurine was not protective of CHD overall. However, among women with high cholesterol, those with high levels of serum taurine were 60 percent less likely to develop or

die from CHD in the study, compared to women with lower serum taurine levels.

If future studies are able to replicate the findings, taurine supplementation or dietary recommendations may one day be considered for women with high cholesterol at risk for CHD.

Future studies “It is an interesting possibility,” Chen said. “If these findings are confirmed, one day we might be able to suggest that someone with high cholesterol eat more poultry, specifically dark meat.”

The researchers are currently using NYUWHS data to evaluate the effect of taurine on the occurrence of stroke in another study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

12

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Healthier lunchbox fillers are often the cheapest

By Constance C. Crawley Special to Georgia Ag News

ATHENS — The prepackaged lunch kits and snacks that often end up in children’s lunch boxes not only contain too much sugar, salt and fat, but they also can be quite expensive.

Most of the time, packing a healthier lunch can also save parents money.

One tip that can help curb the costs of packed lunches while boosting their nutritional quality is to remember to pack plenty of fruits and vegetables.

The USDA’s MyPlate nutrition guidelines recommend that nearly half of every meal should be made up of fruit and vegetables.

Most kids love fruit, but vegetables may be a more challenging sell.

Children will usually eat cut-up,

raw carrots and celery, so why not add in some raw broccoli pieces, cauliflower or cherry tomatoes?

Just one-half cup counts as a full serving of vegetables.

Add a low-fat dip made with low-fat ranch dressing mixed with an equal amount of nonfat plain yogurt, and your child will be happily chomping away.

Also, many children enjoy homemade vegetable soup. Add some alphabet macaroni, and they will enjoy making words as they eat.

Fresh fruit is less expensive if you buy it in bags instead of by the piece. You can peel and section citrus fruits ahead of time for younger children and place them in reusable plastic containers or aluminum foil.

It is better to have the child eat his or her fruit rather than drink juice since the fruit has more fiber. However, if you do send juice, buy the

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larger bottles of 100 percent juice and pour smaller portions into reusable juice boxes found at discount stores.

For many kids, a sandwich is the cornerstone of a well-packed lunch box.

Parents may find that building a scrumptious sandwich is less expensive if they buy a beef roast, ham or whole chicken and cook and slice it at home, instead of buying salty and expensive lunchmeat.

This meat can easily be packaged in smaller portions to freeze until you need them.

If tuna salad is a favorite, parents can save some money by using store brands of mayonnaise and pickles.

The constant crowd pleaser, peanut butter and jelly, can be made less expensively and more healthful by using your store’s brand of lowsugar fruit spread instead of regular jelly or jam.

Parents should always choose bread that is whole grain or at least multigrain.

Again the least expensive loaves usually are store brands, but for variety, try whole wheat wraps, pita bread, English muffins or bagels.

Some kids also like whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese instead of a sandwich.

Making extra of a favorite dinner dish, like baked ziti or macaroni, and sending it heated in a thermos for lunch the next day is also a good way to cut the cost of lunches.

Sending leftovers saves time and money and ensures that you know how much fat and salt went into your child’s meal.

For an extra nutritional kick, parents can add some cooked vegetables — either pureed in the sauce or just added to the dish — to sneak in an extra serving.

Plain nonfat or low-fat milk is the best beverage.

If your child insists on chocolate milk, make your own with chocolate powder. You can then control how much is added.

Commercial chocolate milk has the equivalent of 3 added teaspoons of sugar.

Yogurt is also a good substitute for milk. To save money, buy 32ounce size containers and divide into smaller amounts.

Remember to keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Freeze the sandwiches and the milk, juice or yogurt to keep the entire lunch cold (they should thaw by noon) or use ice packs in the lunch box.

Constance C. Crawley is a nutrition and health specialist with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.

USDA is forecasting sharply reduced corn and soybean crop numbers WASHINGTON — The USDA’s first survey-based measure of crop yield potential for 2012 lowered production forecasts for both corn and soybeans dramatically, due to the continuing drought. Economists with the American Farm Bureau Federation said the report is a harbinger of volatility in global grain markets.

“There is an old saying in commodity markets that small crops tend to get smaller,” said Todd Davis, AFBF economist. “If this holds true, then future reports will show declining projected production for corn and soybeans and further reductions in projected demand. This will also mean higher projected prices and great volatility in the commodity markets as demand is rationed and more supply is encouraged worldwide.”

Corn USDA forecast corn production

at 10.8 billion bushels, down 13 percent from 2011 and the lowest production since 2006. The average yield for corn was forecast at 123 bushels per acre this year, reduced by 23 bushels per acre from the July prediction and 24 bushels lower compared to 2011.

Soybean Soybean production is forecast at 2.69 billion bushels, down 12 percent from 2011 and the lowest production since 2007. The average yield for soybeans was forecast at 36 bushels per acre, reduced by 5 bushels per acre from both the July prediction and compared to 2011.

Corn ending stocks for the marketing year are pegged by USDA at 650 million bushels, which represents just 21 days of supply.

The situation for ending stocks is similar for soybeans, projected to be 115 million bushels (about a

15-day supply), down 15 million bushels compared to USDA’s July projection.

South America With these dismal U.S. projections becoming reality, the corn and soybean planting season in South America, which begins soon, is likely to be the subject of much attention and speculation.

“A bountiful South American corn and soybean crop should ease the pressure for exports from the U.S. and will help relieve concern over tight stocks,” Davis said. “As always, weather will be the focus both in the North American crops as well as in South America.”

USDA is planning to conduct producer surveys and field analysis throughout the fall which will provide information about the drought damage done to the 2012 corn and soybean crop, according to Davis.

13

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

USDA awards $26M in conservation grants

Photo by David B. Strickland

Lonestar: Country music group Lonestar entertained the crowd at the Georgia Poultry Federation’s Night of Knights event Aug. 25, in Atlanta, Ga.

Gardening tips for Aug.-Sept.

GAINESVILLE — Fall months are an ideal time to prepare flower gardens, landscapes and shrubbery for colder weather. The following tips from the Lebanon Seaboard Corp.’s Preen brand provide a checklist of gardening activities.  Keep newly established shrubs, trees, perennials, ground covers and grass well watered during dry spells. New plants should receive an inch of water every seven to 10 days.  Don’t fertilize woody plants now. It stimulates green growth that will not have time to harden off before winter.  Scout for pest problems and treat as needed. August is prime time for bagworms on evergreens, budworms on annual flowers, a second generation of scale on euonymus, webworms on fruit trees, spider mites on spruce and other evergreens, scale on magnolia and lace bugs on azaleas and pieris.  Pull any straggler weeds that pop up in beds and lawns.  Do one last shearing of the evergreen hedges. Growth will be tapering off soon, and they probably won’t need attention again until next spring. Don’t prune them in fall so you don’t risk encouraging

new tip growth that’s susceptible to browning when the temperatures dip below freezing.  Sow seeds for biennials, such as hollyhocks or foxgloves, or transplant seedlings for blooms next year.  Dig and repot herbs growing outdoors, or take cuttings to pot up and grow indoors.  Bring houseplants that spent the summer outdoors back indoors before night temperatures fall below 55 degrees. Some tropicals begin to suffer even when nighttime temperatures dip into the 40s, so don’t wait too long. Gradually decrease light to acclimate plants and help reduce leaf drop. Check for insects and disease before putting them with other plants.  Begin stocking up gardening supplies before they are removed for the season from retailers’ shelves.

Pots, potting mixes, fertilizers and other products may be harder to find later in the season.  Dig and divide perennials that are growing beyond their assigned spaces — or ones that are dying out in the middle. Discard the dead centers and replant divisions from around the perimeter. Fist-sized pieces are fine. The exception: pe-

rennials that bloom in fall, such as mums, sedums and asters.  Don’t be alarmed if evergreens, especially white pine and arborvitae, drop needles. All evergreens shed needles at some time, but not all at once like deciduous plants do.  Plant container-grown or balled-and-burlapped nursery stock. Keep newly planted stock well watered until the ground freezes.  Continue watering gardens, shrubs and trees if rainfall doesn’t reach an inch or more every week or 10 days. It’s important for plants to go into cold weather with adequate moisture.  Plant, transplant or divide peonies, daylilies, poppies, iris, phlox and other summer-blooming perennials.  Order spring-flowering bulbs or purchase locally. Begin planting them at the end of September. Planting too early can cause top growth to sprout before winter; allow four to six weeks for good root formation before ground freezes.  Dig tender bulbs, such as cannas, caladiums, tuberous begonias and gladiolus, before frost. Air dry and store in dry peat moss or vermiculite.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Aug. 24 announced $26 million in Conservation Innovation Grants awarded by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to entities across the nation for projects that test and prove innovative approaches to conserving America’s private lands.

The grant winners will demonstrate innovative approaches to improving soil health, increasing pollinator and wildlife habitat, protecting water quality and producing on-farm energy savings.

“We’re announcing 59 grants today in 47 states that will help some of America’s top agricultural and conservation institutions, foundations and businesses develop unique approaches to enhancing

and protecting natural resources on agricultural lands,” Vilsack said.

“The grants will help spur creativity and problem-solving to benefit conservation-minded farmers and ranchers. Everyone who relies on our nation’s natural resources for clean water, food and fiber, for their way of life, will benefit from these grants.”

Twelve of the awarded grants are for development of water quality trading markets to demonstrate how farmers and ranchers can help municipalities, utilities and others overcome high pollution control costs.

“These grant awards will help develop projects that create new revenue streams for farmers and ranchers while they are helping to improve water quality,” Vilsack said.

Whelchel’s Barber Shop The best little barber shop in Georgia

Go back to the past

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Harold Whelchel started trend by owning 1st Barber College in Gainesville. (photo left) Son Buddy Whelchel continues the trend by opening the Thompson Bridge shop in 1970.

Celebrating 50 years in business

Walk-ins welcome

770-536-4939

Wilard Burke, Clyde Dacus Thompson Bridge Road, Robert Columbo & Kathy Gainesville, GA 30506 Stone are among the other Hours: Mon. Wed. Thurs. Fri. 8AM-5PM; barbers in the shop.

Saturday 8AM-12PM Closed on Tuesday

14

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

IPPE pre-registration for 2013 Expo now open ATLANTA — Attendee and exhibitor pre-registration and hotel registration for the 2013 International Production & Processing Expo is now open.

Online is the only way to pre-register for the discounted price of $40 through Jan. 11, 2013.

After Jan.11, the registration fee will increase to $60.

IPPE The International Production & Processing Expo is comprised of three integrated tradeshows, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s International Poultry Expo, the American Feed Industry Association’s International Feed Expo and the American Mean Industry’s International Meat Expo.

The new IPPE landing page, www.ippe13.org, provides links to the IPE, IFE and IME websites,

which focus on important attendee information including attendee registration, hotel reservations, a video describing the upcoming IPPE experience and a schedule of 2013 educational seminars offered during the Expo.

The global poultry, feed and meat industry trade show is scheduled Tuesday through Thursday, Jan. 29-31, 2013, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

M2A Resuming for 2013 is the popular “Members to Atlanta” (M2A) program, which waives the registra-

tion fee for attendees from member companies of all three associations engaged in the production of poultry, eggs and meat for consumption, and feed and pet food manufacturers.

The program is supported through the sponsorship of elite Expo exhibitors. They include Agranco Corp.

USA, Alaso, Alltech, Aviagen, Ceva, Cobb-Vantress, Diamond V, Dupont, ISI-Incubator Supply, Jamesway, Jefo, Marel Stork Poultry Processing, Kemin, Mosaic, Myuang and Pfizer Poultry Health.

“We recognize, appreciate, and thank these elite exhibiting companies for participating in the M2A program. M2A played a significant part in increasing attendance and contributing to the success of the 2012 Expo. We expect M2A to continue to generate excitement through the support of these

elite sponsors,” said Mark Waller, Ingram Farms, Cullman, Ala., and chairman of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

The Expo will highlight the latest technology, equipment and services used in the production and processing of poultry, meat and feed products.

The week of Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2013, has been designated as “IPPE Week” and will feature education programs addressing current industry issues.

The education program schedule includes the annual line-up of the International Poultry Scientific Forum, Pet Food Conference, Animal Agricultural Sustainability Summit and AFIA International Feed Education Program.

New in 2013 New for 2013 are the following

educational programs: Improving Food Safety, Sanitation and Maintenance; Animal Handling: Focus on Poultry Processing; Antibiotic Conference — Current Issues for the Poultry & Egg Industry; USPOULTRY/United Egg Producers Conference on the Future of the U.S. Egg Industry; Meat & Poultry Research Conference; Processed Meats Workshop; Consumer Trends — Best New Meat and Poultry Products; Operations: Risk Management & Lifestyle Analysis; and International Regulatory Topics for Meat.

Back by popular demand is the National Renderers Association’s International Rendering Symposium and the Poultry Market Intelligence Forum, organizers noted.

More information about the 2013 IPPE can be obtained at www. ippe13.org.

CMYK

15

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

Building a backyard flock takes some thought

By Judith Wojcik Ashley Special to Georgia Ag News

MONROE — If your family is one of the many considering raising a flock of backyard chickens, there are a few things you may want to consider before you bring the birds home to roost.

Whether it is the increased desire to know more about where our food is coming from, or the inner yearning to get back to our rural roots, backyard flocks are on the rise.

I know my family has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of our six hens. In this day and time when young people think our food originates from the fast food window, my boys have gained an appreciation for what it takes to raise animals.

If you are thinking about starting a flock of your own, there are some things may want to ask yourself.  Am I allowed?

First you need to find out if your property is zoned to allow poultry.

Make sure you’re legally allowed to keep chickens in your backyard.

Your local county or city planning and zoning office should be able to tell you what zone you are in and if that zone allows backyard chickens.

The rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but some counties and cities don’t allow any farm animals — including a small flock of chickens — on residentially-zoned areas.

Some cities and counties have

had their code enforcement officials issue warnings, citations or even confiscate chickens if they find them in an area where they are not allowed.

Regardless of your zoning, you may also want to make sure your neighbors are fine with your decision to “get back to the farm.” Of course, sharing a few fresh eggs on occasion always seems to sweeten the smell of a few Henny Pennies running around.  Should I get a rooster?

There’s a common misunderstanding out there that your hens will not lay eggs unless you also keep a rooster in your flock. You only need a rooster if you want fertilized eggs and eventually baby chickens.

Not having a rooster will also cut down on those irate calls from your neighbor when Roscoe the Rooster decides that everyone in the vicinity of his crow should wake up at 5 a.m.  Where will my birds live?

Free range chickens pecking around the yard sound quaint, but only until your neighbor’s dog decides he wants chicken for dinner.

An enclosed pen is much safer.

Pens should provide each bird with at least 3 square feet of living space so they have adequate room to stretch out and move around.

Mobile pens are becoming a more popular option for backyard chickens. Often referred to as “chicken tractors,” these pens usually are on

skids and can be pulled around your yard or pasture, providing the birds a fresh patch of grass and insects as it’s moved.

Whether going for a mobile or fixed structure for your chicken coop, access to fresh water, feed and roosting bars are a necessity. Roosting bars elevated off of the ground give the birds a sense of security from prey at night. In addition, hens need nesting boxes to have a safe comfortable place where they can lay their eggs. One nesting box per every four to five hens is adequate.  When will I start getting eggs?

At a little under 6 months old, your hens will begin providing your family with delicious, fresh eggs. Each hen will lay an egg about every 24 hours. When you’re planning your new flock, take in to consideration the size of your family and how many eggs your family needs.

If you’re feeling industrious and want to sell your excess eggs, remember that you have to have a state Candling License if you decide to sell them at your local farmers market or produce stand. If you want to sell them or give them to people who come to your home or farm, you do not need a license.

The egg legislation would require:  Every layer — four years from enactment — be provided at least 67 square inches for white and 76 for brown. Transition for hen space will be in five three-year increment to culminate with a minimum of 124 square inches for white hens and 144 for brown hens.  Existing equipment has 15-

18 years to convert to enriched colony.  All new equipment, staring Jan. 1, 2012, has to be at least enrichable.  Egg cartons must carry labels informing consumers of the method used to produce the eggs: “eggs from caged hens,” “eggs from hens in enriched cages,” “eggs from cage-free hens” and “eggs from free-range hens.”

Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Backyard flock: Raising a small, backyard flock of chickens can be successful, but be sure to use careful planning and thought.

Transform the yard you have into the yard you’ve always wanted...

Judith Wojcik Ashley is the University of Georgia county Extension coordinator in Walton County.

•UEP (Continued from page 2)

Chad Gregory, UEP presidentelect, noted that the 12 states represented 26 percent of the egg industry. If this trend continued, Gregory said, enough states would have passed laws restricting egg production that producers would go out of business and consumers would be buying eggs from overseas.

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CMYK

16

GEORGIA AG NEWS, September 2012

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