Participants in the Virginia portion of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Wheat Tour were encouraged by what they saw on farms in the eastern part of the state.
Robert Harper, grain division manager for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, said the wheat assessed on May 31 showed “strong yield potential and low to moderate disease pressure” despite cool spring conditions and recent heavy rains.
The Agriculture Department’s May 29 Crop Progress report provided the first subjective, visual-based observations of the condition of the U.S. corn crop. Based on observations from approximately 3,600 respondents, as of May 27, 79 percent of the 18-state corn area is in good-to-excellent condition – the second-highest initial rating since 1991 and the highest level since 1994.
The percentage of the corn crop in good-to-excellent condition was well above the average trade estimate of 72 percent, above the prior year’s 65 percent and above the five-year average of 70 percent. The percent of the corn crop estimated to be in poor or very poor condition was only 3 percent, the lowest initial rating since 2014.
Across much of the U.S., the good-to-excellent ratings are above the 5-year average. In the “I-states” (Iowa, Indiana and Illinois), the good-to-excellent conditions are 8 to 11 percentage points better than the 5-year average. Only Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas have good-to-excellent ratings below the 5-year average.
Dairy producers are reminded to visit their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office by Friday, June 1 to make new Dairy Margin Protection Program coverage elections.
In February 2018, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 made several modifications to USDA’s Dairy Margin Protection Program and directed the department to reopen signup for the 2018 coverage year. The modifications made to MPP were designed to make it a more attractive risk management tool for small- and medium-sized dairy operations by reducing premium rates, delivering payments monthly, increasing the catastrophic coverage levels, and making more milk eligible for discounted coverage. Farmers have until June 1 to make new MPP coverage elections. MPP coverage will be retroactive to January 2018, and for more than 90 percent of the farmers previously enrolled in the program, coverage during 2018 is guaranteed to be profitable, i.e., program payments will be greater than the insurance premiums.
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Friday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the 2018 Farm Bill. After a largely party line vote of 198 – 213 against the bill, the Speaker moved to postpone a vote to reconsider the bill.
“We are already starting to hear from farmers across the nation, many of whom are perplexed and outraged at this morning’s vote. They are facing very real financial challenges,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall in a statement. “We call on all members of Congress not to use farmers and ranchers as pawns in a political game. The risk management tools of the farm bill are too important, particularly at a time of depressed farm prices. We urge the House to pass H.R. 2 as soon as possible.”
Kyle Shreve has been selected as the next Executive Director of the Virginia Agribusiness Council.
Kyle comes to the Council from the Virginia Association of Health Plans, where he has been the Director of Policy since December 2015. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Virginia Retail Merchants Association. For the first six years of his career, Kyle worked for the International Dairy Foods Association as their Manager of Legislative Affairs. While there, he worked extensively on agriculture policy and gained considerable knowledge of the industry.
In addition to his strong policy background, Kyle brings association management, event planning and membership recruitment experience to the Council.
Kyle is a native of Pennsylvania and received his B.A. in Political Science and History from Pennsylvania State University. He later received his M.A. in Professional Studies in Political Management from George Washington University.
The National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation have awarded more than $2.5 million in scholarships to 1,842 recipients, thanks to the generosity of 114 sponsors.
More than 8,800 students applied online for the scholarships, with many of the applicants being considered for multiple awards. Approximately one in every five students who applied was awarded a scholarship. The scholarships were available to students pursuing two-year or four-year degrees or vocational programs. The average recipient had a GPA of 3.77 on a 4.0 scale, and the average class rank was 23 out of 261.
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On May 14, the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa confirmed the finding of the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick (otherwise known as the East Asian or Longhorned tick) in Virginia. The tick appeared on an orphaned calf on a beef farm in Albemarle County.
This is only the second state with this species of ticks in the United States. [MD(1] In late 2017 H. longicornis was initially found in New Jersey. No known direct link exists from the Virginia farm to the area in New Jersey where the first ticks appeared on a sheep farm.
Brad Copenhaver, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry
Brad Copenhaver has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Brad grew up on his family’s beef cattle and burley tobacco farm in Washington County. After working on Capitol Hill as a legislative correspondent for Congressman H. Morgan Griffith (VA-9), he was the Director of Government Affairs at the Virginia Agribusiness Council, where he worked closely with the General Assembly and Virginia congressional delegation on a variety of issues including animal welfare, food safety and labeling, the environment and water quality, and international trade.
Virginia farmers and food banks alike are reaping the benefits of the Food Crops Donation Tax Credit, which makes fresh, nutritious food available to residents served by seven regional food banks.
Approved growers are entitled to a state tax credit of up to 30 percent of the fair market value of a donation, not to exceed $5,000. The maximum amount the credit allows for all qualifying taxpayers is limited to $250,000 per fiscal year.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has announced the results of the Agricultural Yield Survey conducted at the beginning of the month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The report includes information on Virginia’s winter wheat forecast and on-farm hay stocks and is the first indication of crop acreages for the 2018 growing season.
Plows and Politics 