News Update
February 20, 2014
USDA Announces Fiscal Year 2015 Farm to School Grants to Continue Efforts to Increase Local Foods in Eligible Schools
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Feb. 19 the release of a request for applications for the third round of USDA’s Farm to School grants, including the addition of a new funding track. These grants help eligible schools improve the health and well-being of their students and connect with local agricultural producers.
“Connecting American farmers and ranchers with the National School Lunch Program provides schoolchildren with daily access to locally sourced, healthy foods,” said Vilsack. “These Farm to School grants will help schools respond to the growing demand for local foods and increase market opportunities for many types of food producers.”
Three different kinds of grants will be available, as well as a separate funding track to support trainings and events. Planning grants are intended for schools just getting started on farm to school activities. Implementation grants are available for schools seeking to augment or expand existing efforts. Additionally, eligible nonprofit entities, Indian tribal organizations, state and local agencies, and agriculture producers or groups of producers may apply for support service grants in order to conduct trainings, create complementary curriculum, or further develop supply chains, among other activities. Proposals are due at 11:59 p.m. EST, April 30.
New in FY 2015, USDA funds will be made available to support meetings, trainings and events intended to strengthen farm-to-school supply chains or provide technical assistance. The Training and Event funds range from $15,000-$50,000. USDA expects to distribute approximately $500,000 in additional funds to support at least one statewide or regional meeting in all seven FNS regions and at least one national conference. Letters of Intent are due at 11:59 p.m. EST, April 2.
For more information, please view the full release here..
Preparing Youth for a Meat Judging Contest
As you bite into a really good steak, chances are you have thought about the process of how the steak got to your table, but have you thought about what makes the steak taste so good? According to Michigan State University (MSU) Extension specialist Sarah Wells, being able to identify meat products and their quality differences are important skills people will utilize throughout their entire life as they prepare meals or shop for groceries.
In an effort to help youth develop those skills, there are numerous opportunities to learn at home, local meat packing facilities or MSU. These resources will help improve identification of cuts and evaluation of products including carcasses, wholesale and retail cuts of beef, lamb and pork. In addition, youth can show off their meat judging skills at the state contest that is now in July.
With practice at home, visits to the local businesses and learning from the MSU Collegiate Meat Judging Team, you may be ready to compete in the state contest. Individual 4-H or FFA members or teams of four can compete in the state contest. The Michigan 4-H Meats Judging Contest/FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology Career Development Event is a collaborative effort between Michigan 4-H and Michigan FFA. By participating, contestants show their ability to evaluate carcasses and identify meats. Contestants perform individually, with their scores contributing to an overall team score.
The contest will include three beef classes, three pork classes, identification of 20 retail cuts, and yield grade and quality grade three beef carcasses. Additionally, each participant will answer ten questions about a beef or pork class. 4-H members will also give one set of oral reasons and FFA members will complete a multiple-choice test. The contest will take place July 25. Entries should be postmarked by July 1. Visit the event page for contest rules and registration.
For more information, please view the full release here..
Awareness Can Help Prevent Grain Bin Engulfments,
Increase Grain Bin Safety
With many grain bins statewide full of stored grain this time of year, safety experts with the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are reminding farmers to be aware of safety precautions to prevent grain engulfments and to have an overall awareness and understanding of grain bin safety.
The issue is significant considering that every year, an average of 26 Ohio farm workers lose their lives to production agriculture, said Dee Jepsen, state safety leader for OSU Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.
“Flowing grain and grain storage is one of the contributing factors,” she said. “In the past 10 years, we’ve had three deaths to Ohio farmers caused by engulfments in grain bins.
“We’ve had five deaths due to entanglement with equipment including grain bins, silos and silo unloaders. And we’ve had four deaths due to famers being struck by equipment or falling from large heights.”
The ultimate goal, Jepsen said, is to work to prevent farm deaths and injuries, and one way to do that is through education and awareness of grain bin safety. To that end, members of the college’s agriculture safety team are promoting Grain Bin Safety Week Feb. 23-March 1 to raise awareness to help protect farm families and farm workers from farm-related injuries and deaths.
The weeklong communication efforts, she said, include daily promotions via social media of grain bin safety-related topics. More information on agriculture safety and Grain Bin Safety Week can be found at http://agsafety.osu.edu.
For more information, please view the full release here..
New 2014 Farm Bill Legislation Discussed
at Blackland Income Growth Conference
It’s decision time for farmers under the new 2014 Farm Bill, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist who discussed details at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco, Texas.
Jason Johnson, AgriLife Extension economist in Stephenville, said farmers have a one-time irrevocable decision to choose either price loss coverage (also known as PLC) or agricultural risk coverage (also known as ARC) as a revenue protection plan.
The ARC program offers either a county level or an individual loss benchmark. “It’s very possible to have different crops or commodities enrolled in different programs. If you decide you want to go with agricultural risk coverage, you could go county level or individual level. If you go individual level you are making that election for your entire farm. If you don’t make that choice, the price-loss coverage option is the default.”
Using the county level benchmark, different crops may be enrolled in different programs, Johnson said.
“One crop could be enrolled in PLC and others could be enrolled in ARC.”
Johnson advised all producers to give each option thorough analysis and determine how they apply to their particular option, risk level and management plans.
Overall, he said, the new farm bill should not be relied upon as the producer’s only source of a safety net — individual crop insurance selection and marketing plans will be counted on heavily to fend off potential losses.
Price loss coverage payments occur if the U.S. average market price for the crop year is less than the crop’s reference price, he said.
For more information, please view the full release here..
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