General Assembly updates are back! The GR team hit the ground running this week! Watch Andrew and Stefanie break down Week 1.

The market continues to be volatile and this has been a week of so many influences on grain prices. Today, Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division recommends sorting through all the noise and making wise decisions. March corn is up 13 cents at $6.06. March soybeans are at $14.10 and July wheat is at $7.57.

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced he has chosen Andrew Wheeler as the next Secretary of Natural Resources and Michael Rolband as the next Director of Environmental Quality.

“Virginia needs a diverse energy portfolio in place to fuel our economic growth, continued preservation of our natural resources and a comprehensive plan to tackle rising sea levels. Andrew and Michael share my vision in finding new ways to innovate and use our natural resources to provide Virginia with a stable, dependable and growing power supply meeting Virginia’s power demands without passing the costs on to the consumer,” said Governor-elect Youngkin. “Together, we will address Virginia’s ongoing environmental, energy and natural resources challenges, including protecting the Chesapeake Bay, fully funding our best management practices, solving longstanding stormwater management issues and establishing a Coastal Virginia Resiliency Authority. Finally, David Paylor should be commended for his decades of service to DEQ. He has been an invaluable public servant, and I wish him well in his next adventures. I’m sure he will continue to make significant contributions to the Commonwealth.”

The Honorable Andrew Wheeler, Secretary of Natural Resources
Andrew brings extensive experience and passion to the administration, dedicating his career to advancing sound environmental policies. He completed his law degree at Washington University in St. Louis, his MBA at George Mason University, and his undergraduate work at Case Western Reserve University in English and Biology.

In 2019, the U.S. Senate confirmed Andrew as the 15th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He was previously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the EPA deputy administrator in 2018. He began his career during the George H. W. Bush Administration as a special assistant in EPA’s Pollution Prevention and Toxics office as a career employee.

He served as a principal and the team leader of the Energy and Environment Practice Group at FaegreBD Consulting, as well as Counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels law firm, where he practiced since 2009. He also served as the co-chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Industry team across the entire firm.

Prior to his work with the firm, Andrew served for six years as the majority staff director and chief counsel, as well as the Minority Staff Director, of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Before his time at the full Senate EPW Committee, he served in a similar capacity for six years for the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, Wetlands and Nuclear Safety.

Andrew is the past chairman of the National Energy Resource Organization (NERO) and a Stennis Fellow. He is also an Eagle Scout.

Michael Rolband, Director of Environmental Quality
Mike Rolband comes to the administration with an abundance of knowledge and hands-on experience, known as an environmental expert by colleagues across the United States, the team is grateful to have him as part of the administration. A graduate of Cornell University, Mike has a B.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering along with an MBA and Master of Engineering Degree.

Mike founded Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), and grew the company from a one-man firm to a multi-disciplinary natural and historic resources consulting firm where he managed and led more than 160 regulatory and compliance specialists, scientists, engineers, surveyors, GIS specialists, archeologists, ecosystem and restoration specialists and arborists. Over nearly 30 years, his company provided services and permit approvals on more than 8,000 projects across 300,000 acres in the region, including data centers, major transportation infrastructure, master planned communities and office and industrial developments. He founded WSSI to assist economic developers in navigating the Clean Water Act, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and local environmental regulations.

Mike and WSSI started Virginia’s first wetland mitigation bank in 1991 (approved in 1994, fourth in the U.S.). Virginia’s first mitigation bank to provide stream credits (2001), and Virginia’s first urban stream bank in 2006. He has received numerous industry achievement and civic engagement awards and is frequently invited by public and private sector entities to conduct seminars on storm water management, mitigation, wetland and stream regulatory policy, and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act regulations.

Mike established the Resource Protection Group, Inc., a 501(c) 3 non-profit that has awarded more than $5.4 million in grants to date, advancing the science of wetland and steam restoration and funding the graduate school education of dozens of students over the years through these research projects. From 2017 to 2020, Cornell University appointed him a Professor of Practice where he taught Wetlands and Stream Restoration. Mike is a registered Professional Engineer, Professional Wetland Delineator and a Professional Wetland Scientist (Emeritus).

This week, Virginia Farm Bureau participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, with USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffitt, and USDA Rural Development Acting State Director for Virginia Terry Rosta. The officials led a conversation with local cattle producers and processors and agriculture organizations on the challenges associated with expanding meat processing capacity.

Fueled by a high consumer demand for local meat, farmers across Virginia are experiencing extreme backlogs at local slaughter and processing facilities, with most completely booked for six months to a year or more. While this may seem like an opportunity for new businesses, the roundtable discussion highlighted barriers to entry, including the difficulties in securing capitol for high upfront investment costs, finding specialized labor, competing with market concentration, dealing with unfavorable local zoning ordinances and gaining access to technical assistance to navigate regulatory hurdles.

This event was related to the recent announcement of the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program, part of USDA’s Build Back Better initiative to strengthen critical supply chains and our food system. The program guarantees loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders to finance food systems projects, specifically for the start-up or expansion of activities in the middle of the food supply chain. Of note, of the $100 million allocated to the program, 19% is specifically reserved for meat and poultry processors. This new program was inspired by legislation introduced earlier this year by Congresswoman Spanberger and co-patron Congressman Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, called the Butcher Block Act.  Interested borrowers should discuss the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program with their preferred lenders. 

In addition, in July 2021, USDA announced $500 million for expanded meat and poultry processing capacity as part of efforts to increase competition, level the playing field for family farmers and ranchers and build a better food system. For processors interested in expanding, this included over $55 million for Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants to help facilities come in compliance with federal and state inspection standards. While the initial application period has passed, a second grant round is expected.

The USDA announced a new program to assist hog producers who sold hogs through a negotiated sale during the period in which these producers faced the greatest reduction in market prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP) is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative and addresses gaps in previous assistance for hog producers. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications through February 25, 2022.   

SMHPP provides assistance to hog producers who sold hogs through a negotiated sale from April 16, 2020 through September 1, 2020. Negotiated sale, or negotiated formula sale, means a sale of hogs by a producer to a packer under which the base price for the hogs is determined by seller-buyer interaction and agreement on a delivery day. USDA is offering SMHPP as packer production was reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to employee illness and supply chain issues, resulting in fewer negotiated hogs being procured and subsequent lower market prices.  

“Previous pandemic assistance used flat rates across the hog industry, and this didn’t take into account the various levels of harm felt by different producers,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We worked closely with industry partners and USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to target assistance to hog producers who were hit the hardest during the pandemic. This is one more example of our efforts to provide new, broader, and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers.”  

The Department has set aside up to $50 million in pandemic assistance funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for SMHPP. 

SMHPP Program Details  

Eligible hogs include hogs sold through a negotiated sale by producers between April 16, 2020, and September 1, 2020. To be eligible, the producer must be a person or legal entity who has ownership in the hogs and whose production facilities are located in the United States, including U.S. territories. Contract producers, federal, state and local governments, including public schools and packers are not eligible for SMHPP.  

SMHPP payments will be calculated by multiplying the number of head of eligible hogs, not to exceed 10,000 head, by the payment rate of $54 per head. FSA will issue payments to eligible hog producers as applications are received and approved.  

Applying for Assistance  

Eligible hog producers can apply for SMHPP starting December 15, 2021, by completing the FSA-940, Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program application. Additional documentation may be required. Visit farmers.gov/smhpp for a copy of the Notice of Funds Availability, information on applicant eligibility and more information on how to apply.  

Applications can be submitted to the FSA office at any USDA Service Center nationwide by mail, fax, hand delivery or via electronic means. To find your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator. Hog producers can also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.