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From the Field: Thanksgiving in Good Times and In Bad

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From the Field is a bi-monthly column written by Mark Campbell, Farm Bureau Field Services Director for the Central District. He writes about Farm Bureau member benefits and County Farm Bureau activities.

Ann Slemp
President of Lee County Farm Bureau
Thanksgiving is next week. The First Thanksgiving lasted three days and the feasting of the bountiful harvest was accompanied by thanks to God for His blessings.  Thanksgiving continued in an informal and sporadic fashion over the centuries, but was recognized as an official holiday or national day of thanksgiving and praise by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.  Interestingly enough, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg battle of the Civil War (July 1-3), Gettysburg Address (November 19) and President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day proclamation (October 3).
Lee County Farm Bureau (LCFB) and president, Ann Slemp, are recognizing prayer and Thanksgiving as a way to help improve the quality of life in the county and the country.  Ann said that “the coal mines are closing because EPA won’t renew permits, the local hospital closed, and a call center closed.  The cost of living is expensive with increased taxes, more regulations, and increasing costs of daily goods.  Something has to turn things around.”  So the LCFB started a Prayer Guard to pray for the farmers, Lee County, and the entire country.  They are very concerned about the future.  The Prayer Guard started this month and is held at the LCFB office every Thursday night, and will conclude on Thanksgiving night.  Nine ministers, several members, and people from the community have been involved.  The purpose of the Prayer Guard is to pray for improvement of the current situation and have our country turn back to God.  

Ann has been president of LCFB since 1981.  In addition to leading LCFB, Ann was awarded Virginia Farm Bureau FarmWoman of the Year in 2012.  She has spearheaded several initiatives over the years.  When the hospital closed, the next closest hospital became an over one hour drive.  Ann’s concern for the Farm Bureau members and the community caused her to seek a solution.  She secured Air EVAC Lifeteam, a medical aircraft carrier for emergency hospital deliveries.  This is a paid service, but LCFB was able to negotiate discounts for Farm Bureau members.  Air EVAC was present at the 2013 LCFB annual meeting, and members waited in line to sign up. 
Another service to the community that is provided by LCFB is a weekly radio program.  The radio program provides agriculture and community news and has advertisements for Farm Bureau.  Regular news comes from Farm Bureau, FSA, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.  The program runs every Monday on WSWV, 105.5 FM from 8:00-9:00pm.  The radio program is playing gospel music this month in conjunction with the Prayer Guard.
LCFB has been a significant benefit to Lee Countycitizens.  As we approach Thanksgiving Day, let’s all be thankful and say a prayer for all of the county Farm Bureaus and their leaders across this country.  They not only help agriculture, but in many cases they hold the fabric of the community together to make a better place. 
Until next time,

Mark 

2014 VFBF Critical Legislative Issue #3: On-Farm Activities

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Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff believe will be at the forefront during the next year’s General Assembly.  These issues are also discussed at Senatorial District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across the state during November and December. Each critical issue will be highlighted on Plows and Politics every day this week. If you are a producer member and would like to attend your region’s Senatorial District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and locations.
Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to:
  • Support compromise legislation to set a baseline for the regulation of on-farm activities on agricultural operations

Why is “On-Farm Activities” a critical issue for VFBF?
In the 2013 General Assembly, legislation was defeated that would have expanded the Right-to-Farm Act to include a broad range of on-farm activities.  The bill was introduced as a result of a dispute between a landowner and local government officials in Fauquier County.  Farm Bureau expressed concerns of adding the proposed language (HB1430) to this specific Code section as it is intended to protect production agriculture from being deemed a nuisance by localities. 
Wasn’t there a Working Group held in the summer of 2013 to discuss these issues?

Yes.  As a result of these discussions, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) convened the On-Farm Activities Working Group (OFAWG) in 2013 comprised of private citizens, local government representatives and agricultural stakeholder groups, including Virginia Farm Bureau.  While this group had no authority to change current policy or regulations, the group did convene with the stated purpose of facilitating discussions and, if possible, formulating legislative recommendations for consideration by the 2014 Virginia General Assembly.  This final report documents the efforts of the On-Farm Activities Working Group, and is being provided to members of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.   It is available online.  Following the final meeting of the OFAWG, a consensus was reached among the majority of the participants to present a compromise bill in the 2014 General Assembly.  This compromise “On-Farm Activities” bill is being promoted by Farm Bureau at the 2013 Senatorial District meetings between our producer members and legislators.
What will this legislation do?
This compromise legislation would add a new part to the appropriate local government Code section (§15.2) allowing agritourism activities at an agricultural operation to be permitted unless there is a substantial impact on the health, safety or welfare of the public.  The legislation would further allow the sale of agricultural or silvicultural products and the preparation and sale of food products, as long as those food products currently comply with state law.  It would also allow the sale of agricultural-related items incidental to the agricultural operation, similar to what farm wineries have the ability to do now.  This brings the rest of the industry up to par with this particular segment.
Our hope is that the 2014 General Assembly will support the compromise language developed by the On-Farm Activities Working Group.  If you have any further questions, e-mail Trey Davis, VFBF Assistant Director of Governmental Relations, at trey.davis@vafb.com. 

2014 VFBF Critical Legislative Issue #2: GMO Labeling

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Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff believe will be at the forefront during the next year’s General Assembly.  These issues are also discussed at Senatorial District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across the state during November and December. Each critical issue will be highlighted on Plows and Politics every day this week. If you are a producer member and would like to attend your region’s Senatorial District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and locations.


Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to:

• Not support legislation requiring the mandatory labeling of GMO food products

We support the continued use of technology by farmers to produce a safe healthy and abundant food supply.  Mandatory labeling of GMOs would be costly to the consumer and farmer, hinder market development and create obstacles in getting food to the market.  There is no need for mandatory labeling in the U.S. because biotech food has been deemed safe to eat by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

The following VFBF News Lead was sent to news outlets across the state at the end of October:

More than 1,700 scientific studies find GMO foods are safe 

The consensus of a research review of 1,783 scientific studies of genetically modified crops has determined that those foods are as safe as, or safer than, conventional or organic foods. 

“Anti-GMO proponents claim that genetically modified crops have not been tested or that the research has been done only by the companies that produce the seeds. But this review of scientific research proves that GM crops have been analyzed numerous times and ways,” said Lindsay Reames, assistant director of governmental relations for theVirginia Farm Bureau Federation.
Although there has been considerable research conducted regarding crop biotechnology, it had never been catalogued until recently. A team of Italian scientists decided to summarize 1,783 studies on the safety and environmental impacts of GM foods. 

They couldn’t find a single credible example demonstrating that GM foods pose any harm to humans or animals. “The scientific research conducted so far has not detected any significant hazards directly connected with the use of genetically engineered crops,” researchers concluded. 

The research review was publishedin Critical Reviews in Biotechnology in September and spanned the past decade. 

Leigh Pemberton, a Hanover County farmer who grows GM corn to feed his dairy cows, said he has always believed that genetically modified crops are safe, but he’s glad there is now unbiased scientific evidence to back that up. “I see no problems with the seed industry continuing to offer more GM technology, and I think it’s a good thing, especially if we’re going to continue feeding a growing population,” Pemberton said. 

In 2012, roughly one-quarter of the world’s cropland was used to grow biotech crops. “Many farmers rely on GMO seeds to grow their crops, and without them farmers won’t be able to continue increasing their yields so they can help feed the world’s ever-growing population,” Reames said. “GMOs not only increase yields but also have been able to change gene traits in products to make them more appealing to consumers. For example, certain apple varieties that have been enhanced through biotechnology don’t turn brown.” 

The Italian scientists found “little to no evidence” that GM crops have a negative environmental impact on their surroundings. The team also found no evidence that approved GMOs introduce any unique allergens or toxins into the food supply. All GM crops are tested against a database of known allergens before commercialization, and any crop found containing new allergens is not approved or marketed. 

Biotech crops currently available on the market are the same from a compositional and nutritional standpoint as their non-GM counterparts. For example, GM corn is the same as non-GM corn, Reames explained. Testing has shown, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews have confirmed, that GMOs are nutritionally equal to non-GM crops and have the same levels of key nutrients like amino acids, proteins, fiber, minerals and vitamins. 

In short, Reames said, “genetically modified foods are among the most extensively studied scientific subjects in history. The paper’s conclusion is unequivocal: There is no credible evidence that GMOs pose a threat to the environment or the public’s health.”


2014 VFBF Critical Legislative Issue #1: Funding for Ag BMPs and Soil and Water Conservation Districts

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Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff believe will be at the forefront during the next year’s General Assembly.  These issues are also discussed at Senatorial District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across the state during November and December. Each critical issue will be highlighted on Plows and Politics every day this week. If you are a producer member and would like to attend your region’s Senatorial District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and locations. 

Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to:
  • Adequately fund the Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program in order for farmers to meet Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan goals by 2017 to avoid mandatory agriculture best management practices requirements
  • Adequately fund operational support and technical assistance for Soil and Water Conservation Districts to:
    • Administer Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program
    • Assist farmers in developing Resource Management Plans
    • Track voluntary agriculture best management practices to help document water quality improvements for input into the Chesapeake Bay computer simulation model

In total, the General Assembly directed evaluation concluded that $51. 7 million is needed in FY15 and $72.6 million in FY16.
Why is it so important to fund Agriculture Best Management Practices and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts?

 On October 4, 2013, Virginia Farm Bureau along with other agriculture and forestry groups in Virginia made a direct plea to Governor McDonnell to fully fund the agriculture best management practices cost share program as well as the operational and technical assistance support for the 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts.  Governor McDonnell will unveil the budget for the two years on December 16, 2013.  He will need to include $51.7 million for fiscal year 2015 which begins on July 1, 2014 and $72.6 million for fiscal year 2016. 
Where might the money come from?

The Commonwealth ended the 2013 fiscal year with $585 million.  Most of these dollars are already designated for specific purposes in the Appropriations Act that the Governor signed last spring.  Some of the funding obligations include $313.9 million for the Commonwealth’s Rainy Day Fund, $21.7 million to the transportation trust fund as repayment, $34.5 million to cover the state’s obligation resulting from some natural disasters, $22.5 million for the fund to help the Commonwealth deal with federal downsizing.  In the designated amounts, the Water Quality Improvement Fund will be given $31.5 million.  Because the General Assembly passed a bond measure to assist the waste water treatment plants with their funding last year, the majority of these funds is expected to be allocated to Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost Share.  In addition, $9.1 million is anticipated from the fee on the recordation tax that Governor Kaine included in his outgoing budget that remains as a source of funding.  It is anticipated that the Agriculture Best Management Practices may get around $35 million from these sources of funding for FY 2015 – it could be more or less depending on the Governor’s actions.  While this keeps stability in the program, it falls short of fully funding these needs identified of $51.7 million. We may or may not have a surplus at the end of FY 2014 in order to fund the FY 2016 need other than the $9.1 million in the fee on recordation tax.

 If you wonder why it is so important to fund the needed amount?  


The reason is that under the Commonwealth’s water quality commitments in the Chesapeake Bay region that it must achieve a 60% reduction in nutrients overall by 2017 or federal sanctions or additional state regulations may need to be enacted as a penalty.  Farmers already feel over regulated.  The system of the public private incentive based conservation practices can work if the funding is provided.  This is why is so important for farmers to continue educating their legislators as to how this program helps them and the Commonwealth achieve its water quality goals.

Breaking News: FSA Advises Producers to Anticipate Payment Reductions Due to Mandated Sequester

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USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is reminding farmers and ranchers who participate in FSA programs to plan accordingly in FY2014 for automatic spending reductions known as sequestration.  The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) mandates that federal agencies implement automatic, annual reductions to discretionary and mandatory spending limits.  For mandatory programs, the sequestration rate for FY2014 is 7.2%. 
Accordingly, FSA is implementing sequestration for the following programs:
·                  Dairy Indemnity Payment Program;
·                  Marketing Assistance Loans;
·                  Loan Deficiency Payments;
·                  Sugar Loans;
·                  Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program;
·                  Tobacco Transition Payment Program;
·                  2013 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payments;
·                  2013 Average Crop Revenue Election Program;
·                  2011 & 2012 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program;
·                  Storage, handling; and
·                  Economic Adjustment Assistance for Upland Cotton.
 Conservation Reserve Program payments are specifically exempt by statute from sequestration, thus these payments will not be reduced.

 “These sequester percentages reflect current law estimates; however with the continuing budget uncertainty, Congress still may adjust the exact percentage reduction. Today’s announcement intends to help producers plan for the impact of sequestration cuts in FY2014,” said FSA Administrator Juan M. Garcia.  “At this time, FSA is required to implement the sequester reductions. Due to the expiration of the Farm Bill on September 30, FSA does not have the flexibility to cover these payment reductions in the same manner as in FY13. FSA will provide notification as early as practicable on the specific payment reductions. ”

For information about FSA programs, visit your county USDA Service Center or go to www.fsa.usda.gov/.

USDA Threatens to Cut Private Commodity Payments

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USDA is considering withholding millions in PRIVATE DOLLARS owed to Virginians as part of the landmark tobacco buyout settlement. USDA has wrongly identified the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP), a temporary, contractual program, as a direct payment program and thus subject to FY2014 federal budget sequestration. The analogy to this action for nontobacco farmers is if USDA cut funding paid by producers into national check-off programs by reclassifying the funding as part of USDA’s budget.  Therefore, this action could be precedent setting as it applies to other commodities in the future.

The American Jobs Creation Act contained the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act of 2004 (Act) which ended federal production, marketing and pricing restrictions and price support loans for tobacco in exchange for 10 annual payments to producers from 2005-2014. The Act established the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP) to help tobacco producers transition to the free market.

The Act eliminated the tobacco quota and price support system. The “assets” once held by farmers and quota holders were replaced by legally binding contracts with USDA, which manages the collection and distribution of TTPP funds. Unlike direct payments provided for other crops, tobacco producers and quota holders enrolled in the TTPP in exchange for a concession, the transition of tobacco into the free market. Where TTPP payments differ from most other federal programs appropriate for sequestration is that:

    • These payments are not taxpayer funded; rather, they are funded through fees that are assessed to tobacco companies.
    • USDA’s only role is to pass along the fees collected from tobacco companies and distribute them to contract holders.
    • Unlike direct payments, TTPP payment recipients were eligible to receive a lump sum payment from a private third party in exchange for TTPP payment assignment or successor-in-interest contracts. Only the 2014 payment is outstanding for completion of TTPP contracts. This could hurt rural lending institutions such as Farm Credits because they would have to take this as a loss.

USDA’s FY2014 budget includes a mandatory appropriation of $960 million for TTPP nationwide.  The proposed 7.2% cut would reduce TTPP payments by $69 million.  In Virginia the FY2014 TTPP payments should total nearly $51 million.  The proposed sequester cuts would reduce TTPP payments in Virginia by an estimated $3.7 million.

Virginia produced 53.6 million pounds of tobacco in 2012 (NASS) valued at nearly $109 million.


These cuts will affect payments scheduled for January 2014!

Virginia Farm Bureau has asked its producer members to send letters to the Virginia members of the House of Representatives, Senators and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking them to oppose TTPP payments as a sequestration cut. 

If you’re a producer member and interested in receiving Action Alerts, please contact Kelly Pruitt at kprui@vafb.com or 804-290-1293. 

Many Veterans Turn to Farming Post Duty

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Vocational training programs have sprung up across the country for post-9/11 veterans, and some of them focus on agriculture as a way to help them re-adjust to civilian life. Veterans learn farm skills as they discover ways to get past the battlefield’s aftermath.

In honor of Veteran’s Day yesterday, below is a video news story Virginia Farm Bureau Communications Department’s Norm Hyde did on veteran farmers in Virginia Beach in May 2012. Thank you to all who have served and sacrificed for our beautiful country!



http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/C8Q6KkHP3xs&source=uds

GMO Labeling Measure Fails in Washington

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From FarmFutures.com:

Washington voters in all but four of the state’s counties Tuesday rejected a measure to label genetically modified foods and foods made with GM material.
According to the Washington Secretary of State, 986,806 of the state’s nearly 4 million voters turned out to cast their ballots, with 45% entering a yes vote and 54% voting no.

The measure, which would have made Washington the first state to implement GM labeling, sparked a heated debate in the state, garnering huge campaign contributions on both sides of the discussion. Nearly $30 million was spent advertising and other public messages between the two campaigns, according to an Oct. 30 analysis by Maplight.
Yes on 522, a group that collected nearly $8 million to support the initiative, Tuesday said the race was too close to call.

“Due to Washington State’s vote-by-mail system, we don’t have a final tally of the votes,” Delana Jones, campaign manager for Yes on 522 said in a statement. “Please stay tuned for more information in the following days.”

The group, which argued that consumers had a right to know what is in their food, said the initiative originated from a petition that more than 300,000 Washington residents signed. Key donors included Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Center for Food Safety Action Fund, and Mercola.com.

On the other side of the argument, No on 522, supported by top contributors Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and PepsiCo, said the labeling measure would have significant costs to industry and agriculture, as well as consumers.

“This is a clear victory for Washington consumers, taxpayers and family farmers,” Dana Bieber, spokesperson for No on 522 said in a statment. “Washington voters have soundly rejected this badly written and deceptive initiative.”

The No campaign took issue specifically with exemptions that appeared in the initiative. For example, foods purchased at restaurants and meat and dairy products from animals fed GE grains were not required to be labeled.

The campaign did face a misstep earlier in the year as one of the lead sponsors, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, was hit with a money laundering lawsuit by the Washington State Attorney General.

The suit alleged that GMA – which represents more than 300 food and beverage companies – had collected and spent more than $7 million on the campaign while shielding the identity of its contributors.

Despite the setbacks, and no vote on the measure, it’s likely that the fight is not over. Similar measures have been introduced in several state legislatures and a ballot initiative for labeling was narrowly defeated last year in California.

Now, groups in Oregon are preparing for a similar battle in the next election cycle, according to U.S. Sen. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., backing up a campaign that has in previous years been introduced nationally but failed to materialize.

Tech Student Chosen as 2013-2014 FFA President

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Brian Walsh, an agribusiness major at Virginia Tech, was elected 2013-2014 National FFA President at the 86th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky. last week. The Woodstock native and FFA, 4-H member grew up raising and showing hogs and lambs. He also sells show hogs and lambs to 4-H and FFA members throughout Virginia.
It was eventually that enterprise that Walsh adopted as his FFA supervised agricultural experience.

“That tie to production agriculture is one that’s very valuable to me and one that I continue to use and expand on in the future,” said Walsh.

Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, six students are elected by delegates to represent the organization as National FFA officers. Delegates elect a president, secretary and vice presidents representing the central, southern, eastern and western regions of the country.
National officers commit to a year of service to the National FFA Organization. Each travels more than 100,000 national and international miles to interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of FFA members and teachers, corporate sponsors, government and education officials, state FFA leaders, the general public and more. The team will lead personal growth and leadership training seminars for FFA members throughout the country and help set policies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy. 

“For this new national officer team, it will be a year of hard work, long hours, lots of travel and major advocacy for FFA and agricultural education,” said 2012-13 National FFA President Clay Sapp, who delivered his retiring address today before the new team was named. “It is a year of profound experiences that will change their lives and thousands of lives their service will touch.”

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 579,678 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,570 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Candidates Share Final Thoughts on Ag and Forestry Before Election

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The Virginia Prosperity Project (VA P2), a cooperative effort of Virginia employers to help educate employees and associates about important economic issues and engage them in the political process, recently released a series of candidate questionnaire videos featuring all the candidates running for statewide office discussing the major sectors of Virginia’s economy.

The last set of videos reveal how the candidates plan to support the major sectors of Virginia’s economy such as tourism, agriculture and forestry.

Key takeaways from the videos include:

Ken Cuccinelli – “I’ll continue as Governor to fight federal overreach that invades the agriculture and forestry ability…to do business.”

Terry McAuliffe – “As Governor my primary responsibility to Agriculture and forestry is to help open markets on a global basis.”

Robert Sarvis – “I trust the Virginia farmers, not the state or federal government, to decide how best to run their lives and their business.”

To see the videos in their entirety, visit http://www.virginiap2.com/. 

And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5!