News Update
January 17, 2013
HSUS President to Speak at CSU about National Farm
Animal Welfare
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), will speak to Colorado State University (CSU) students Jan. 30 about current issues in animal welfare around the nation, with a focus on farm animal welfare.
The university’s Department of Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts will sponsor the free event, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Pacelle has been president and CEO since 2004 after serving for nearly 10 years as the organization’s chief lobbyist and spokesperson.
“As the head of the largest humane organization in the United States, Mr. Pacelle is the leading voice for animal welfare and has launched more than two dozen initiatives and referenda, including measures to phase out extreme confinement of farm animals on large operations,” said Bernie Rollin, one of only 15 University Distinguished Professors at Colorado State and one of the world’s leading animal ethicists.
For the full news release, go to www.news.colostate.edu/release.aspx?id=6612.
Feral Hog Management Workshop Set for Feb. 5
in Luling, Texas
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in cooperation with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, will conduct a Feral Hog Management Workshop beginning at 8 a.m. Feb. 5 at the Luling Civic Center in Luling.
Texas has one of the largest feral hog populations of any state,” said Jared Timmons, AgriLife Extension wildlife associate at San Marcos. “AgriLife Extension estimates that the destructive habits of hogs cost the Texas ag industry about $52 million in damages annually.
“Feral hogs are also significant contributors of pollutants to creeks and rivers across the state. As they congregate around water sources to drink and wallow, their fecal matter is deposited directly into streams, adding bacteria and nutrients to the water. Extensive rooting by groups of feral hogs can cause extreme erosion and soil loss.”
Individual preregistration is $20 by Feb. 1 and $30 thereafter. For more information and to preregister, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Caldwell County at 512-398-3122 or caldwell@ag.tamu.edu.
Information on controlling feral hogs is available at http://plumcreek.tamu.edu/feral-hogs/ or http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/.
Ag Census Forms Due Feb. 4
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack continued to remind producers to complete forms for the Census of Agriculture. All farmers and ranchers should have received a Census form in the mail by early January. Completed forms are due by Feb. 4, 2013. Farmers can return their forms by mail or online by visiting a secure website, www.agcensus.usda.gov. Federal law requires all agricultural producers to participate in the Census and requires USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which conducts the survey, to keep all individual information confidential.
Speaking Jan. 14 to thousands of American farmers and ranchers in Nashville, Tenn., Vilsack said the Census of Agriculture is one of the most important tools for providing certainty to producers and sustaining the unlimited economic potential of rural America.
“It’s important for farmers and ranchers in America today to stand up and be counted by participating in the Census of Agriculture,” said Vilsack. “By participating in this survey, producers help provide a snapshot of the current state of agriculture in our country, which helps policymakers make better decisions about farm safety net programs and policies.”
The Census collects detailed data covering nearly every facet of U.S. agriculture. It looks at land use and ownership, production practices, expenditures and other factors that affect the way farmers do business and succeed in the 21st Century.
Census information helps USDA monitor trends and understand the needs in agriculture to better align its products and services.
For more information about the Census, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call 1-888-4AG-STAT (1-888-424-7828). The Census of Agriculture is your voice, your future, your responsibility.
AFBF Delegates Call for Flexible, Insurance-Based Farm Bill
Voting delegates to the 94th annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) expressed support for a bipartisan, reform-minded farm bill crafted around a broad, flexible, crop-insurance-based program, including risk-management protection for peanuts, rice, forage and specialty crops.
“After ending a long year of policy uncertainty culminating with an extension of the old bill, we will push hard, in cooperation with our congressional and administration allies, for a five-year farm bill that provides our farmers certainty and extends much-needed risk management tools across more acres and more crops,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas.
Delegates said AFBF would not only support a farm bill with a strong safety net and risk management programs to protect farmers from catastrophes, but they also would work for programs that provide emergency assistance for livestock and tree producers not covered by federal crop insurance programs.
Delegates reaffirmed policy supporting changes to the dairy safety net, consistent with the margin insurance programs included in versions of the farm bill approved by the House and Senate Ag Committees.
On another dairy issue, delegates approved a new policy that states only pasteurized milk and milk products should be sold for human consumption. Delegates approved the measure in light of the potential risks to public health and food safety posed by consumption of raw milk.
On national fiscal policy, delegates reaffirmed the importance of a sound budget process with a priority on spending restraints rather than tax increases.
Delegates also voted to support streamlining or replacement of the H-2A seasonal and temporary agricultural worker program in addition to allowing experienced, undocumented agricultural workers to adjust to legal status.
“Only comprehensive immigration reform through legislation can solve the agricultural worker problem,” Stallman said.
Recognizing the important role played by agricultural biotechnology and rapid developments in the industry, delegates expressed continued support of a private-sector industry accord to govern how biotech traits are managed when patents expire. They also reiterated support for the continued implementation of an industry solution that promotes investment and marketability of new technologies.
On regulatory policy, delegates said that “all federal agencies shall be held to the strictest interpretation of law when setting regulations” and “no federal agency shall be allowed to legislate through their regulatory power.” They also said that “no regulatory action should be taken against landowners based on satellite or aerial imagery.”
Delegates expressed concern about the advantage that Internet retail sellers have over local merchants when it comes to charging sales tax. They noted that in addition to lost revenues that affect rural communities’ budgets, the resources those communities have for economic development activities also are reduced.
Delegates voted to support greater flexibility within the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Specifically, they voted to oppose mandatory limits on calories and serving sizes for lean meats, protein-rich foods and dairy products, believing that local school districts are best able to determine how to meet the nutritional needs of their students.
At the AFBF annual meeting, 362 voting delegates, representing every crop and livestock sector in the 50 states and Puerto Rico, deliberated on policies affecting farmers’ and ranchers’ productivity and profitability. The policies approved at the annual meeting will guide the nation’s largest general farm organization in its legislative and regulatory efforts throughout 2013.
Farm Bureau Elects Grassroots Leaders
Delegates newly elected three state Farm Bureau presidents to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) board of directors at the organization’s 94th annual meeting: Richard Bonanno of Massachusetts (Northeast Region), Jimmy Parnell of Alabama (Southern Region) and Don Shawcroft of Colorado (Western Region).
Fourteen other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to represent their regions on the AFBF board of directors:
- Midwest Region – Craig Hill of Iowa, Kevin Paap of Minnesota, Don Villwock of Indiana and Wayne Wood of Michigan;
- Southern Region – Ronnie Anderson of Louisiana, Kenneth Dierschke of Texas, Zippy Duvall of Georgia, Mike Spradling of Oklahoma, Lacy Upchurch of Tennessee and Larry Wooten of North Carolina;
- Northeast Region – Dean Norton of New York and Carl Shaffer of Pennsylvania; and
- Western Region – Perry Livingston of Wyoming and Paul Wenger of California.
Zach Hunnicutt, a crop farmer from Nebraska, was elected the new chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, which also makes him a member of the AFBF board of directors during his one-year term.
Terry Gilbert of Kentucky was re-elected to serve a two-year term as chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee and on the AFBF board of directors. Vice-chair Sherry Saylor was re-elected to a two-year term on the committee. Sue Billiot of Arkansas, Marieta Hauser of Kansas, Vicki Malloy of Washington and Debbi Tanner of Connecticut were elected to two-year terms on the committee.
Farm Bureau members will gather for the 95th AFBF Annual Meeting, Jan. 12-15, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.