American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall:

“Scott Pruitt’s confirmation to lead the Environmental Protection Agency will bring a breath of fresh air to the post. America’s farmers and ranchers look forward to working with Administrator Pruitt as he leads the EPA with a welcome level of common sense in the important job of protecting the environment.

“For too long, farmers and ranchers have been victims of EPA’s harsh regulatory overreach. Farmers are conservationists to the core and we want to play a positive, cooperative role in protecting the environment we rely on to produce food for this nation.

“In his position as attorney general in Oklahoma, Pruitt stood up for common-sense, effective regulation that protects the environment and the rights of the regulated community. We’re optimistic that he will retain those same values as administrator and we look forward to working with him. But what we truly look forward to is working with someone at EPA who understands how farmers and ranchers care for our nation’s natural resources each and every day.”

Jessica Pittman, a first grade teacher in Caroline County, has been named Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom 2017 Teacher of the Year.

The award recognizes a Virginia educator for efforts in incorporating agriculture into his or her core curriculum.

“Jessica uses agricultural concepts daily in her classroom as the real-life examples to demonstrate required core curriculum,” said Tammy Maxey, AITC senior education manager. “Through Jessica’s efforts, her students are gaining a greater appreciation for agriculture, as well as an improved understanding that food begins on the farm.”

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From American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall’s Beyond the Fencerows column:

Americans’ confidence and trust in key institutions is at a historical low, according to a 2016 Gallup poll. Even institutions that have enjoyed high levels of trust in the past, such as churches and schools, have dropped in Americans’ respect and regard over the past 10 years. Others, such as banks, big business and Congress, have struggled for decades to earn the public’s confidence. Their ratings haven’t gotten any better.

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SB 1195, currently before the Virginia General Assembly, would provide an important, competitive opportunity for large-scale Virginia produce farms that market fruits and vegetables across state lines. Not all Virginia produce farms fall under this regulation.

The bill authorizes the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to carry out the federal Produce Safety Rule, which sets minimum standards for the safe growing and handling of fruits and vegetables for interstate commerce. If SB 1195 passes in the state legislature, Virginia farmers would not have to rely solely on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for education, assistance and compliance. To date 41 other states have entered into cooperative agreements to carry out specifics of the rule, including all but one of Virginia’s neighbor states.

The rule is part of the 2011 federal Food Safety Modernization Act. In the event that the act is repealed, the Produce Safety Rule would no longer apply to the nation’s or Virginia’s farms.

If it stands, however, SB 1195 will allow Virginia farmers to have VDACS as a resource close to home for the 400 Virginia operations that will be covered. For that reason, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation encourages state legislators to support this bill.

Please email members of the House Agriculture Committee and ask them to support this bill on behalf of Virginia’s farmers. Click here: app.muster.com/take-action/u6n9hY81X4/

Wayne F. Pryor, President

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation

The 2017 Virginia Agritourism Conference will be held April 18-20 in Richmond.

Chuck Shorter has been fighting to keep coyotes from killing his livestock since at least 1973, “and I’m still fighting them,” he said.

Shorter raises beef cattle and goats in Montgomery County. Until the year he lost 50  lambs to coyotes, he used to raise sheep. He’s also lost livestock to black vultures, which often prey on newborn animals and those giving birth. His farm is not far from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, home to one of the largest black vulture roosts east of the Mississippi River.

“My place is kind of like Hardee’s when they come over the hill for breakfast,” Shorter noted. “They check me out first.”

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Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that groups seeking to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops in Virginia are eligible to submit proposals for grants up to $60,000 per project. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) anticipates administering nearly $390,000 in funds for the development of specialty crops. The deadline for submitting applications is March 13, 2017.

Agricultural associations, industry and producer groups, community-based organizations, educational institutions and non-profits may submit applications to VDACS for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grants. Individual producers are not eligible for grants.

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Virginia farmers and forest landowners can apply for assistance to protect the health and productivity of their land under the federal Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

The 2014 Farm Bill program offers technical and financial assistance to plan and install conservation practices on cropland, pastureland and non-industrial private forestland. In 2016, Virginia producers received more than $21.9 million in EQUIP contracts to help improve water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat.

Interested individuals should sign up by Feb. 17. For more information, contact a local U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service office or visit www.va.nrcs.usda.gov.

Governor Terry McAuliffe will co-host the 9th Annual Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade on March 6-7, 2017 at the Richmond Marriott Hotel.  The two-day conference is co-hosted by Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, and the Port of Virginia (POV).  The event will bring together producers, agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, exporters, foreign ambassadors and government ministers, land-grant university leadership, state and federal government officials, and others to discuss challenges and opportunities for global agricultural exports.

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Dairy farmers have been taking it on the chin with falling milk prices for the past year or more. USDA’s Margin Protection Program (MPP), and USDA’s Livestock Gross Margin (LGM) Insurance for Dairy Cattle offer protection on the difference between a milk price and a feed ration consisting of corn, soybean meal, and for MPP, alfalfa hay. Despite significantly lower milk prices, dairy producer premiums and fees have far exceeded any distributed program benefits.

American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and American Farm Bureau Insurance Services (AFBIS) are collaborating to develop a new dairy insurance product called “Dairy – Revenue Protection”. Similar to crop revenue protection policies this product would protect regional revenue (milk price x state-level milk yield per cow) rather than just milk price or the income-over-feed-cost margin. By protecting revenue this product that would offer regional risk management against both milk price and/or production declines.

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