News Update
March 11, 2014
NFU Members Hear
from Farm Bill Insiders
Attendees of National Farmers Union’s (NFU) annual convention on March 9 heard from a panel of congressional, USDA and media experts on the 2014 Farm Bill.
Bart Fischer, chief economist, House Committee on Agriculture; Joe Shultz, chief economist, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and Alexis Taylor, chief of staff, USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, described the farm bill conference process from their respective viewpoints. Sara Wyant, president, Agri-Pulse Communications, moderated the panel.
The panelists discussed the compromises farm bill conference committee members made when negotiating the differences between the House of Representatives and Senate versions of the bill, particularly on commodity programs, country-of-origin labeling (COOL), crop insurance, payment limitations, changes to base acres allocations, and the new dairy program.
Panelists focused on the new commodity programs, the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, as well as enhanced risk-management tools, including the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and improved options for non-insured crops and beginning farmers. Emphasis was also placed on the importance coalition-building efforts played in farm bill passage.
Taylor discussed the long-term implementation timeline, with emphasis on timely enactment of the livestock disaster programs, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s top priority. USDA also plans to host listening sessions in Washington, D.C., and across the country to ensure farmers and ranchers have the opportunity to provide input on program implementation.
When posed with a question on COOL, the panelists each said they would be watching the World Trade Organization’s decision closely.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Promoting Agriculture Every Day
At the Michigan 4-H Beef, Sheep and Swine Teen and Adult Leaders Workshop Feb. 23 at Kettunen Center in Wexford County, 106 attendees from 24 counties across Michigan shared their ideas on how they promote agriculture every day. Michigan State University (MSU) Extension staff set the stage for the need for agriculture education and how 4-H exhibitors are also considered agricultural producers. This explanation included sharing resources found on the Breakfast on the Farm webpage to help expand ideas and provide resources for youth and adults participating in their local fair and other public events.
The staff and 4-H volunteers facilitated small group discussions and challenged the participants to think about how their actions might be perceived by others who do not interact with agriculture on a daily basis, other than through the food they eat. This process resulted in not only ideas, but education and awareness for both the adult and youth groups.
The workshop participants had a diversity of experiences with agriculture education and agreed it was important to educate others and promote agriculture every day. For more information and ideas, visit the Breakfast on the Farm agricultural literacy resources page or contact MSU Extension agriculture literacy educators, Nancy Thelen at thelenn@anr.msu.edu or Mary Dunckel at dunckelm@anr.msu.edu.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Don’t Let Pond Issues Become Major Problems
Managing ponds is a lot like doing laundry in the sense that if you do not keep up with it, you could be overwhelmed.
“The answer to managing a pond weed problem is not finding the right herbicide to kill the weed,” said Marley Beem, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension aquaculture specialist. “The key is staying ahead of a weed problem so you aren’t blindsided.”
Knowing the common plants in the pond is the first step to staying ahead of potential problems.
“Keep track of the amount of the pond that is covered by each plant and how much it is increasing each year,” Beem said.
Also, ponds that are too shallow are vulnerable to plant growth, so knowing the shape and depth of the pond bottom is essential.
“Most ponds will benefit from having deeper edges and 3:1 slopes on their shorelines,” said Beem. “Shallow areas less than 3.5 feet will naturally grow up in emergent aquatic plants.”
Droughts can be good opportunities to deepen the shallow areas. Finally, Beem suggests getting to know the pond’s watershed. If there are sources of nutrients in the area that fills with rainfall runoff, pond owners can expect excess plant and algae growth.
“The most common nutrient sources are overfertilized lawns and livestock holding areas. Work to reduce the amount of lawn fertilizers being applied by having soil tests done to determine actual nutrient need,” said Beem. “Relocate livestock holding and feeding areas, or see if it’s practical to build a diversion terrace to direct runoff away from the pond.”
The frustration of a weedy pond can be avoided if you catch the problem in the early stages and take action before the problem is full blown. Fact sheets are available at www.osufacts.okstate.edu.
Pond owners also can contact their local county extension educator with questions or concerns.
Iowa MarketReady Trains Local Food
Producers to Reach Beyond Local Consumers
There is significant opportunity for farmers to build on the demand for local products in local markets. However, many farmers are hesitant or unprepared to meet the transactional requirements required by institutional, wholesale and restaurant buyers to manage food safety, insurance, product quality and traceability risks.
Iowa MarketReady, a new value-added agriculture program from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, addresses these issues with education to help food suppliers succeed in today’s markets and continue to be profitable, while using a new marketing stream. The training is based around best business practices identified by buyers in these markets who are actively seeking local suppliers. Iowa MarketReady will help farm vendors who sell dairy, fruits, meats and vegetables to design a better business strategy to succeed.
This training will be April 10, from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dubuque County Office, 14858 West Ridge Lane, Dubuque. The program will start with registration at 7:30 a.m. and includes lunch.
Topics to be covered include communications and relationship building, packaging, labels, supply and delivery, postharvest handling for produce, grading, insurance, regulatory and marketing.
The workshop costs $55 per person or $90 per couple or two employees from the same farm. Fees include training materials, light lunch and refreshments.
Preregistration is required. For more information or to register, call or email Christa Hartsook at 515-294-4430 or hartc@iastate.edu. Please give names of registrants, address, phone number, email address and indicate whether you are a produce or livestock/poultry/egg producer.
Sponsors of the program include ISU Extension and Outreach Value Added Agriculture Program, the Dubuque County Extension Office and the Buy Fresh, Buy Local River Bend Chapter.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Denton County Feral Hog Abatement
Demonstration Set for March 22
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in Denton County and the Denton County AgriLife Extension agriculture committee will host a feral hog abatement and predator control field demonstration from 9 a.m. to noon March 22 at the Greenbelt Unit Elm East Park on Farm-to-Market Road 455, just south of Lake Ray Roberts Dam.
Adam Henry, Texas Wildlife Services damage management biologist, Fort Worth, will discuss and demonstrate the most cost effective methods of control, said Brandon Boughen, AgriLife Extension agent for Denton County.
The demonstration is free and open to the public.
“We all know that feral hogs are a nuisance in Denton County; that they destroy crops and pasture, and impose huge economic hardships on producers,” Boughen said. “Our intention is to show landowners and producers how they can build a trap and capture these destructive animals — even with limited funds. Henry will also discuss using snares, as well as control of coyotes, bobcats and vultures.”
Boughen said as the spring calving season is beginning and feral hogs may prey on newborn calves, it’s important to be proactive in learning control methods.
“Most producers do not have a threshold for the number of calves they can lose and still breakeven, so no loss is acceptable,” he said.
For more information contact Boughen or Pamela Hill at 940-349-2894.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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