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VFBF Ag PAC Board of Trustees Meets at West Creek

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Virginia Farm Bureau Federation AgPAC is a political action committee set up by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation to further its legislative effectiveness by conveying issue messages, supporting political candidates with endorsements, and encouraging more organized political involvement by farmers.  VFBF AgPAC is non-partisan and will support candidates who best support agriculture, forestry, and Farm Bureau issues.
VFBF AgPAC uses a set of criteria to determine support of candidates running for state elected offices.  The Virginia AgPAC Board of Trustees is comprised of 19 producer members from across Virginia who ultimately will make the final determination based on the recommendations of our members.  Virginia Farm Bureau has always developed its positions through its grassroots process.  The endorsement process maintains our grassroots-based philosophy in determining support for political candidates.
Some criteria used to evaluate candidates is a questionnaire and an interview or a “get to know you” meeting with a county Farm Bureau’s Local Election Committee (or LEC) made up of producer members occurring statewide.  These interviews are a critical part of our evaluation process. Today, members of the VFBF AgPAC Board met at the West Creek office to approve the information that will be used in this year’s process.
In the past, this process has proven to be very valuable for both the candidates and our membership.

LEC interviews with candidates start in July. If you are a producer members interested in participating in your county Farm Bureau LEC and are a contributor to VFBF AgPAC, please contact your county president 

Former Virginia Farm Bureau Ambassador Shasta Sowers named 2013 Outstanding Graduating Senior in VT College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Shasta R. Sowers of Floyd, Va., has been named the Outstanding Graduating Senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech for the 2012-13 academic year.
Sowers, who is pursuing a major in agricultural sciences with minors in international agriculture, animal and poultry sciences, and Appalachian studies, is expected to receive a bachelor’s degree in May.
Sowers was also the 2011 Virginia Farm Bureau Ambassador.
She has received numerous awards and scholarships including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Scholarship, the Henry C. Groseclose Scholarship, the Marion and Annie W. Williams Scholarship, the State Fair of Virginia Scholarship, and the William Hackman Scholarship.
Sowers was selected for the 2012 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership program in Southeast Asia and has taught farming techniques in Nicaragua. As a researcher for the Appalachian Teaching Project, she volunteered at a local farm and the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market and presented her findings to the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Outside of the classroom, Sowers was a college ambassador and a member of the Dairy Club and Collegiate Future Farmers of America (FFA). She served as state secretary for the Virginia FFA Association and participated in The Big Event and Relay for Life.
She is the daughter of Curtis and Loyce Sowers.
Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. Co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class, the award recognizes outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (a minimum of a 3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.
Nationally ranked among the top research institutions of its kind, Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences focuses on the science and business of living systems through learning, discovery, and engagement. The college’s comprehensive curriculum gives more than 3,100 students in a dozen academic departments a balanced education that ranges from food and fiber production to economics to human health. Students learn from the world’s leading agricultural scientists, who bring the latest science and technology into the classroom.

Orr Family Farm Begins Rebuilding; Animal Agriculture urges members to donate to Oklahoma disaster relief

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Oklahoma this week, especially our farmer friends. 

Here is an article about the Orr Family Farm: a southwest Oklahoma City farm, which for the past decade has been a place of memory making for families, was in the direct path of Monday’s monster tornado http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-orr-family-farm-begins-rebuilding/article/3828529

Shortly after the devastating tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma, Dr. Rod Hall, state veterinarian for Oklahoma, extended a formal invitation to American Humane Association’s (AHA) Red Star Animal Emergency Services to officially deploy to the disaster in Moore.   

The tornado, reported to be EF-5 strength and two miles wide, touched down in the Oklahoma City area on Monday killing at least 24 people.
 

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the people in Oklahoma as they begin recover and rebuild.  Just as people are adversely affected by a natural disaster, so are our animals–both those we keep as pets and those on our farms and ranches,” said Animal Agriculture Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith. “The Alliance is encouraging its members to donate to worthy causes which will be on the ground in Oklahoma helping in this devastating storm’s aftermath.”

AHA’s Red Star Animal Emergency Services in Oklahoma will include two large “Big Rig” rescue vehicles which serve as mobile veterinary hospitals and triage centers for animals and also transport crates and medical supplies. The “Rigs” also provide lodging for AHA’s staff and first responders.

Other groups that will be instrumental in helping ensure animal care and wellbeing in the storm’s aftermath include the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) and the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter. Both these groups, as well as AHA, are accepting donations to aid in their relief efforts.

According to a recent press release issued by the AVMF, there are certified American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) veterinary teams standing by to assist in Oklahoma in caring for both large and small animals. The AVMF encourages any Oklahoma veterinarians in need of help in order to continue to provide critical health and sheltering care, to contact them directly.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this disaster, their families and those on the ground helping to assist with the ongoing clean-up efforts,” said Johnson Smith. “We hope our membership and others will be generous in donating to those organizations caring for both humans and animals in Oklahoma.”

For more information, please contact Emily Meredith, Animal Agriculture Alliance Communications Director.

Batteries, Chainsaws Included in Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday May 25-31

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Stock up on items for your farm during Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, which runs May 25-31. The holiday allows you to shop tax-free for many items you may need in an emergency. 
The holiday exempts 22 categories of smaller items, including batteries, flashlights, bottled water, tarps, duct tape, cell-phone chargers, smoke detectors, and first aid kits.  As long as each item costs $60 or less, it is exempt from sales and use tax.  Portable generators and inverters priced at $1,000 or less are also exempt during the holiday.  

For a full list of tax-exempt products, answers to frequently asked questions, and guidelines for consumers and retailers, visit http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=HurricanePreparednessEquipmentHoliday.
During this seven-day period, retailers may also choose to pay the sales tax themselves on any nonexempt items and pass the 5 percent savings onto customers.
The 2013 General Assembly agreed that, beginning with the 2014 hurricane sales tax holiday, chainsaws selling for $350 or less, and chainsaw accessories selling for $60 or less per item would be included in the list of tax-exempt items.  Taxpayers can look forward to this next year.

Farm accident report website to help track farm accidents, fatalities

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Virginia Farm Bureau recently launched a website for reporting farm accidents. The site at FarmAccidentReport.com, allows anyone to report accidents they witness on Virginia farms.

“We wanted to make it easier for first responders and others to report farm accidents to us so that we could gather the most accurate information possible,” said Jimmy Maass, Farm Bureau safety manager. The organization offers farm safety inspections to its members and farm safety presentations to interested organizations and has compiled unofficial farm accident stats since 1994.

“We encourage anyone who knows of a farm accident to go to the website and fill out the form,” Maass said. “It will help us to make sure we account for as many farm accidents as possible, which will help us determine which areas to target in our education and warning efforts.”

This project was surfaced by the Virginia Farm Bureau Rural Health Advisory Committee.

According to Farm Bureau findings regarding farm fatalities since 1994, 107 people have died when their tractors overturned; 61 were involved in unspecified tractor or equipment mishaps; and 49 were run over by tractors or other farm equipment. Sixty-one other farm deaths were attributed to operating farm equipment on public roads and to incidents involving animals or all-terrain vehicles.

In 2012, 10 lives were reported lost in Virginia in farm work-related accidents. Tractor runovers accounted for four deaths; unspecified tractor or equipment incidents resulted in three; tractor overturns accounted for one; an all-terrain vehicle accident resulted in one; and an animal-related incident accounted for another. More than 50 people were injured while working on Virginia farms in 2012, and nearly 630 have been injured on farms since 1994.

For more information on safety topics from Farm Bureau, visit FarmBureauAdvantage.com/Safety.

From the Field: Farm Bureau Programs Save Members Lots of Money

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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.

It pays for itself.  It’s worth the money.  Can’t do without it.  These are just some of the phrases that members would use to describe their Farm Bureau membership.  Virginia FarmBureau offers an array of membership benefit and discount programs.  
Many members use our discount programs.  But I am disappointed when I hear members tell me they didn’t know we had such programs.  We promote our member benefit programs through the website, brochures in county Farm Bureau offices, county newsletters, and the magazines.  So I must say that I am surprised when members don’t know what we offer.  Please let me or any Farm Bureau employee know of any ideas that you may have for us to better reach the membership on these valuable programs.
As we approach summer and vacation season, you may be interested in some money savings programs through your Farm Bureau membership.  Our two most utilized programs are the General Motors (GM) discount and the hotel discount.  The GM discount offers a $500 discount on the purchase or lease of any eligible new GM vehicle.  Just about all vehicles are included, except Cadillac and Chevy Volt.  This program was first offered in July 2012, and has been widely utilized.  From July to December 2012, members purchased 818 vehicles with the discount for a total savings of $409,000.  With that short history in 2012, it is realistic to project that members could save over $1 million in 2013.

The hotel discount is up to 20% for the Choice and Wyndham groups for a total of 24 hotels to choose from.  The Choice group alone was utilized by members for 7,546 room nights in the year 2012.  Figuring an average savings of $15/night, results in over $113,000 in savings.
This year, we are offering three new programs.  They are discounts with Case-IH, Life Line Screenings, and Access Development.  Case-IH discounts range from $300 to $500 on new tractors and implements.  Life Line Screenings will offer four vascular screenings plus an osteoporosis screening at a discounted rate.  Access Development will offer discounts that will be accessible through mobile phone or Internet, to everyday shopping and dining businesses.  Look for more information on these three new programs in the next few months.
To get more information, please visit our website at www.vafarmbureau.org  You will need to register, located in the top right corner, to get access to member only information.
I only covered a few of the membership benefits.  But when you think about the lobbying efforts of our state and national staff, monitoring, educating, and advocating on local issues by the county Farm Bureau board of directors; your membership has additional value.  This additional value is hard to assign a dollar value, but the peace of mind knowing that people are working on your behalf in the legislative arena is priceless.
I hope that you will utilize the membership benefits available to you.  Please share the good news with your family, friends, and neighbors.  A larger membership and more people using the benefits will only make the organization stronger and we will be able to save you more money.  Thanks for your being a member.  If you are not a member, I urge you to join today.  Membership pays for itself. 
Until next time,
Mark

BREAKING NEWS: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Immigration Reform Bill

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The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a balanced immigration reform bill on Tuesday that includes a fair and workable farm labor provision. In a statement, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said the bill will provide ample labor for farmers and ranchers and an increased level of surveillance along our country’s borders. 
“The success of American agriculture depends on the workers who show up every day and work in partnership with our nation’s farm and ranch families to tend our crops and livestock,” said Stallman. “Agricultural labor reform is not about whether foreign workers will grow and harvest our food. That is a matter of fact. It is about whether those foreign workers will tend crops here in the United States, or in their home countries. We believe American food grown on American soil is the best option.”

Below is Stallman’s full statement:
“The time is long overdue for our nation to have a comprehensive agricultural labor plan that works for all sectors of agriculture and across all regions of our nation. The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed a balanced immigration reform bill today that included a fair and workable farm labor provision that sets the stage for Senate action beginning next month.
“The success of American agriculture depends on the workers who show up every day and work in partnership with our nation’s farm and ranch families to tend our crops and livestock.  Agricultural labor reform is not about whether foreign workers will grow and harvest our food. That is a matter of fact. It is about whether those foreign workers will tend crops here in the United States, or in their home countries. We believe American food grown on American soil is the best option.
“We believe this bill will help ensure an adequate supply of farm labor but also will provide an increased level of surveillance of high-risk areas along our borders. We know that one of the best ways to improve border security is to create a legal, workable way for farm workers to enter our country. If we do not have to waste resources locking up lettuce harvesters, we can focus on keeping those with criminal intentions out of our country.
“This is shaping up to potentially be a banner year for public policy advances related to agriculture, and we are pleased to be a part of that process. Efforts to win farm labor reform, make progress on the farm bill and upgrade our nation’s waterway shipping system are setting the table for what could be a great year for agricultural policy.”

Certified Farm Seekers Program Gains Momentum

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With the weather becoming warmer and planting underway, what better time for a Certified Farm Seekers update? Since its last blog post back in August, the Certified Farm Seekers program has gained a considerable amount of momentum in its goal of matching farm seekers with farm owners. Over 50 interested farm seekers have submitted applications and are in various stages of completing the requirements of a resume, business plan, and on-farm experience. These efforts to produce quality farm seekers have directly resulted in many promising land transition conversations between farm owners and CFS participants.  

A productive trip was taken in March to Virginia Tech to meet with the future of agriculture-the Agricultural Technology students.  Three separate classes learned more about the CFS program and started work on the Introduction to Whole Farm Planning module, which is a short series of worksheets that allows farm seekers to organize their farming goals and plans. Many students really reflected the intent of the program-to provide a way for dedicated farmers, who do not have easy access to land, to find farming opportunities in Virginia.

Although the program is primarily self-guided, workshops are currently being conducted across the state, in order to give participants a chance to complete the requirements with a staff member present. The Bedford County Young Farmers Committee recently hosted such a workshop at their May monthly meeting.

Bedford County Young Farmers Chairperson, W.P. Johnson, noted, “The group really enjoyed the presentation and was amazed at the opportunities available.  Business planning with expert review allows us to ensure our ability to approach land owners professionally and financial institutions with confidence. This is an equation for success for young and beginning farmers. I feel that the Certified Farm Seekers Program is an invaluable tool that is underutilized by young agriculturalists.”

If you are interested in holding a CFS workshop or learning more about the program, contact:

Stefanie Kitchen
certifiedfarmseekers@gmail.com
(804) 290-1030
Ron Saacke
ron.saacke@vafb.com
(804) 514-4202
Kevin Schmidt
kevin.schmidt@vdacs.virginia.gov
(804) 786-1346
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/preservation/seeker.shtml  

Breaking News: House Ag Committee Approves Farm Bill

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The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved its version of the 2013 farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version on Tuesday.
“This provides a great reason for optimism we will have a new long-term farm bill this year,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “That belief is further supported by the fact that the bills are more striking in their similarities than in their differences. Both bills provide a solid start for a farm bill that serves America’s farm and ranch families. The emphasis on crop insurance as a risk management tool, combined with flexibility that the measures offer through other safety net choices, will go a long way in ensuring a stable agricultural economy over the next few years.”
The Senate’s version, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, limits funding cuts to $23 billion, while the House expects to see $40 billion in savings. The Senate on Wednesday voted to proceed with consideration of the farm bill. First votes on the bill are expected to be held Tuesday, with Senate consideration completed before the Memorial Day recess on May 24. No information has been released yet regarding House consideration.

Below is Stallman’s full statement:

 “The House Agriculture Committee today approved its version of the 2013 Farm Bill. That bill joins the version approved on Tuesday by the Senate Agriculture Committee. This provides a great reason for optimism we will have a new long-term farm bill this year. That belief is further supported by the fact that the bills are more striking in their similarities than in their differences. Both bills provide a solid start for a farm bill that serves America’s farm and ranch families. The emphasis on crop insurance as a risk management tool, combined with flexibility that the measures offer through other safety net choices, will go a long way in ensuring a stable agricultural economy over the next few years.

“These bipartisan-supported bills offer a basic-but-broad risk management platform supported by all types of farmers and ranchers in all regions. Among the balanced risk management strategy are options based both on crop prices and revenue levels. Both committees also proved thoughtful in their efforts to reform our nation’s farm law, from significant changes in how commodity programs are structured to streamlining in other aspects, such as conservation programs. The savings from those efforts will help pay for new risk management programs and make contributions to reduce our nation’s deficit.

“Many aspects of both bills reflect the essence of Farm Bureau’s farm bill proposal. We continue to analyze both bills and will weigh their ability to provide effective risk management tools to meet the needs of America’s farmers, ranchers and growers. This and other issues will be hashed out when the full House and Senate take up their bills and then again when the chambers come together to negotiate a single bill. We remain optimistic that the congressional leadership will carry on in the bipartisan spirit exemplified by the House and Senate Agriculture committees, and that they will remain true to their commitment to pass a farm bill.”

Prince George County Farm Bureau Discusses Animal Welfare Issues with Local Animal Control

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Lindsay Reames
Assistant Director
Last week, I attended a meeting the Prince George County Farm Bureau held with their Chief of Police, local law enforcement, Board of Supervisors members, County Extension Agent and animal control officers to discuss how they could work together to address animal welfare issues in the county.  

Bill Kreider, Prince George County Farm Bureau President, led the meeting and discussion.  i gave an overview of agriculture animal welfare issues in Virginia and  Virginia Farm Bureau’s commitment to producing a safe, abundant food supply.  Dr. Dan Kovich with the State Veterinarians office gave a presentation on animal care and animal cruelty laws in Virginia.
Mr. Kreider offered the resources and expertise of the Prince George Farm Bureau to assist at the local level in enforcing the animal laws in Virginia.  The meeting was a great way to develop a relationship between local law enforcement and the Farm Bureau.  The main reason is if there is a case when animals are seized that the local animal control can call on the Farm Bureau for help. The help may be providing feed, shelter and/or transportation for the animals. Also if there is a situation where the Animal Control Officer has a question with regards to agriculture animals that they have a local resource they can reach out to.  

If you are a county Farm Bureau interested in hosting a similar in your county, please contact me at 804-290-1019 or lindsay.reames@vafb.com.