News Update
November 4, 2014
NFU Says Congress Should Ignore Scare Tactics of Recent Anti-COOL Letter
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson urged Congress on Oct. 31 to ignore a recent letter signed by groups who are using scare tactics to derail country-of-origin labeling (COOL), a law popular with both consumers and family farmers alike.
“This letter was organized by groups who have opposed COOL from day one and demonstrates that they understand they have lost the battle over this issue in the public arena,” said Johnson. “We urge Congress to ignore the overblown rhetoric of the letter and stay the course on COOL,” he said.
The letter comes on the heels of a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the implementation of the law remains unbalanced between consumer information and production costs and will need further changes. “The WTO has already ruled that the COOL law is compliant and this ruling shows that USDA’s current rule is one more step in the right direction, but may not have gone far enough in providing sufficient information to consumers,” he said. Johnson noted that talk of retaliation is premature and the WTO process required to even consider such actions would likely be a year from concluding. “There is simply no rush to take rash action,” he said.
Importantly, “the list of letter-signers included many commodity groups, but it did not include the two largest general farm groups,” noted the Hagstrom Report yesterday. Johnson pointed out that the so-called “COOL Reform Coalition,” is actually a Trojan horse with the mission of torpedoing the popular labeling. “American consumers have been crystal clear that they want to know where their food comes from and farmers and ranchers are proud to provide it,” said Johnson. “USDA and USTR (United State Trade Representatives) should appeal the WTO decision,” he added.
Johnson urged Congress — which voted to support COOL on three separate occasions during the 2008 Farm Bill — to resist any attempts to make changes to the law during the upcoming lame duck session after next week’s elections. “Given the length of the WTO process and the variable outcomes that are possible for COOL, there is no reason for Congress to be stampeded into rash action based on fear mongering,” he said.
Four-state Cattle Conference set Dec. 10 in Texarkana
Helping livestock producers take advantage of historically high markets and rebuilding herds will be just two of the presentations at this year’s Four States Cattle Conference set for Dec. 10 in Texarkana, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agent.
As in past years, the programming is designed specifically for the four-states region, which encompasses the contiguous corners of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, said Brian Triplett, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources in Bowie County.
“This is a conference that brings together speakers from four different universities in one location, where producers can gain valuable information in one day that they would have to travel to four states to get otherwise,” Triplet said. The conference will be hosted at the Four States Fairgrounds, 3700 East 50th St., Texarkana, Ark.
Registration is $30, whether paid in advance or at the door and includes a barbecue brisket lunch. Though there’s no discount for early registration, Triplett said those preregistering by Dec. 1 will be entered into a drawing for a VetGun, a $250 device for delivering insecticide-filled gel capsules to control horn flies and lice on cattle.
To register, send your name, organization, mailing address, phone number and email along with a check or money order payable to Clark County CES, 640 South 6th St., Suite B, Arkadelphia, AR 71923.
Speakers will include: Temple Grandin, a designer of livestock handling facilities and an animal science professor at Colorado State University; Paul Beck, University of Arkansas beef cattle nutrition researcher; Brian Freking, Oklahoma State University regional livestock specialist; Ryon Walker, Louisiana State University assistant professor of beef cattle at the Hill Farm Research Station in Homer, La.; Stan Bevers, AgriLife Extension economist, Vernon, Texas; Jason Banta, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist; and Ron Strahan, Louisiana State University weed management specialist.
Early morning presentations will include “How to Reduce Stress on Cattle During Handling,” by Grandin, and “Making Sense Out of Cattle Markets,” by Bevers.
After a mid-morning break and refreshments, concurrent breakout sessions will include: “Heifer Selection and Development: Which Ones Will Be More Profitable?” by Banta; “Managing Winter Annual Pastures for Stocker Cattle,” by Beck; and “Weed Management in Southern Pastures,” by Strahan.
Following lunch and a trade show, the concurrent sessions will be repeated and then followed at 2 p.m. by demonstrations on heifer selection by Banta and a processing and branding demonstration by Freking.
The event will conclude at about 4 p.m., Triplett said.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
NFU’s 2015 Women’s Conference Registration Now Available
NFU Nov. 3 announced the opening of registration for the 2015 NFU Women’s Conference, a conference for farm and rural women. The national event, set for Jan. 17-21, 2015, in Clearwater, Fla., will provide participants with tools and information to confidently manage business risks on their farm or ranch operations and improve their rural leadership skills.
“This conference builds on our experience in providing adult education classes specifically designed for women in agriculture,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “It will also help women find new ways to balance the demands of family, community and professionalism within the agricultural community.”
NFU and Annie’s Project — a ten-year educational program dedicated to strengthening women’s roles in the modern farm enterprise — are teaming up to provide women across the country with a conference experience that will include brief presentations and extended discussions with women agriculture professionals on topics of importance to their future.
Attendees will learn about decision-making resources and practice management principles through hands-on activities. Topics to be covered include financial ratios, communication styles, estate planning, marketing information, break-even price points, farmland leasing and USDA programs. A strong emphasis will be on learning new skills for women leaders in agriculture and peer-to-peer networking.
The conference will be hosted at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Clearwater, Fla. The $175 registration fee will cover most meals and conference materials. Those interested in participating are urged to register early, as capacity is limited. Full payment must accompany registration and be received by Jan. 2, 2015. More information and registration details are available at www.nfu.org/education.
The conference is sponsored by Farm Credit, CoBank, the FUI Foundation, NFU Foundation and USDA.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
2014 Farm Bill, Online Decision Aid Training Event Nov. 10 in Salt Lake City
A one-day 2014 Farm Bill overview and producer decision-aid demonstration and training is scheduled Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, 255 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.
There is no cost to attend the training, but registration is required. To register, visit http://goo.gl/forms/tuI9ja9CAs. The training is open to USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff, crop insurance professionals, consultants, credit institutions, Extension educators and farmers.
The training is one of four regional meetings funded by the USDA FSA and co-sponsored with the National Association for Agriculture and Food Policy, a coalition co-led by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri–Columbia, and the National Coalition for Production Education, a coalition led by the University Illinois.
The 2014 Farm Bill introduced two new safety-net programs. Those are Price Loss Coverage, which offsets price shortfalls, and Agricultural Risk Coverage, which addresses revenue declines. These programs will be discussed as well as two web-based decision aids developed to help producers choose which program is best for their operations, according to organizers. The National Association for Agriculture and Food Policy decision aid can be accessed at https://usda.afpc.tamu.edu. The decision aid also assists farmers in updating payment yields and reallocating base acres.
During the morning sessions, national farm policy experts will discuss provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill. After lunch, the online decision aid will be demonstrated and attendees will be shown several example scenarios for educational purposes.
For more information, contact the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M at 979-845-5913.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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