News Update
January 7, 2013
Statement by American Farm Bureau Federation President Regarding Fiscal Cliff Package and Farm Bill Extension
“While much work remains on addressing the spending side of the ledger, the fiscal cliff package that was just approved injected a good dose of certainty into our nation’s tax policy. That is a major achievement. The measure restored the $5 million exemption level for the estate tax, which was in danger of falling to just $1 million. On the minus side, the top estate tax rate increased from 35% to 40%. Permanent capital gains tax provisions that retain lower rates was a positive point, as was the inclusion of enhanced expensing provisions for businesses.
“Extension of the 2008 Farm Bill, however, is little more than a stop-gap measure. We are glad that a measure is in place for most of this year, but we are disappointed that Congress was unable or unwilling to roll a comprehensive five-year farm bill proposal into the fiscal cliff package. Now, it will be up to the new 113th Congress to put a new farm bill in place, and we will continue to insist on the kind of reforms that were included in the proposals approved by the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee during the 112th Congress.
“As the new Congress punches in, members already face a huge work order. While the fiscal cliff package addressed the revenue side of the equation, it did not do enough to cut federal spending in a meaningful way. Without progress on the spending side, we are on a one-way road to fiscal disaster. It is our hope that the new Congress will exercise the leadership needed to put our nation on a path toward fiscal responsibility and agricultural innovation and prosperity.”
Farmers and Ranchers Cow-Calf College at USMARC Jan. 22
The annual Farmers and Ranchers Cow-Calf College “Partners in Progress — Beef Seminar” will be Jan. 22 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center, Neb.
Registration will be from 9-9:50 a.m. with coffee and donuts. The program will start at 9:50 a.m. and conclude around 3:45 p.m. This year’s theme will center on recovering from the 2012 drought and preparing for the potential of a 2013 drought.
This program is sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Extension’s Farmers and Ranchers College and will feature several outstanding speakers discussing issues and management strategies that can affect the profitability of all beef producers, said Dewey Lienemann, UNL Extension educator in Webster County.
“The seminar is packed with experts in climate, forages, animal nutrition and reproduction and will provide information that should help in planning for the upcoming year,” Lienemann said.
There is no cost for the event and the public is invited. Preregistration is required by Jan. 18 to ensure a seat, lunch and proceedings for the day.
The Cow-Calf College will kick off with a 9:50 a.m. welcome by John Pollak, director of the USMARC. He also will give a short overview of research at the center.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Should Crop and Livestock Farmers be Concerned About Food Safety?
Food safety should be on the radar of all farmers and agribusiness professionals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48 million, or one in six, people in the United States are sickened, annually, by food. Vegetable and fruit farmers regularly address food safety issues through buyer audits and implement interventions to improve food safety. Crop and livestock farmers need to be aware of how their business may be impacted by food safety control measures, now and in the near future.
The Growing Michigan Agriculture Conference hosted by Michigan State University (MSU) Extension on Jan. 24, 2013, at the Lansing Center is designed to bring cutting-edge information to farmers and professionals in agriculture. New and reemerging food safety issues will impact Michigan agricultural businesses now and into the future. Julie Funk, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at MSU and food safety expert, will discuss those issues with attendees. She will update attendees on changes in the food industry structure that will increase scrutiny and provide opportunities for how our food is produced, distributed, processed and prepared.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Excel Workshops Planned for Farm, Ranch Business Operators
Kansas State University (K-State) will host 2013 Excel Workshops in three locations around Kansas in January and February.
“Many farmers and ranchers grew up learning how to repair equipment or calculate proper fertilizer rates, but not everyone grew up knowing how computers and particularly, the latest Excel tools can help them in their businesses,” said Rich Llewelyn, extension assistant in K-State’s Department of Agricultural Economics. “This training will be helpful to both the beginner and the more experienced Excel user, and includes hands-on activities so each participant will be able to create his or her own spreadsheets.”
Dates, locations and contact information for the workshops, which are hosted by K-State Research and Extension, include:
- Jan. 9 – Kingman — Kingman County Activity Center, 121 S. Main St. – Matt Clark, 620-532-5131 or mkc@ksu.edu;
- Jan. 25 – Wamego — Highland Community College, 500 Miller Drive – Austin Sexten, 785-457-3319 or ajsexten@ksu.edu; and
- Feb. 21 – Troy — Doniphan County 4-H Building, 211 N. Boder St. – Mindy Young, 785-985-3623 or myoung5@ksu.edu.
Each workshop begins with registration at 9 a.m. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. The agenda varies slightly by location, but generally includes an introduction to Excel; spreadsheets for estimating machinery costs; crop budgets; principal and interest payments; adjusted weaning weights; and an introduction to tools on K-State’s extension agricultural economics website AgManager.info. Time is built into the workshops for questions and answers.
More information is available at Excel Workshops or by contacting Llewelyn at rvl@ksu.edu or 785-532-1504.
The Livestock Marketing Association Would Like Your Opinion
On Jan. 1, Mark Bittman, New York Times food columnist shared his ideas for “Fixing Our Food Problem.” Please visit the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) Facebook Page and share your thoughts on his article. Here’s an excerpt:
“Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes kill more than a million people a year — nearly half of all deaths — and diet is the root cause of many of those diseases. And the root of that dangerous diet is our system of hyper-industrial agriculture, the kind that uses 10 times as much energy as it produces.
“We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system. It’s been a major contributor to climate change, spawned the obesity crisis, poisoned countless volumes of land and water, wasted energy, tortured billions of animals…”
For Bittman’s full article, click here.
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