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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If it hadn’t been for state cost-share money, Ronnie Nuckols said, he wouldn’t have been able to install 14 fences to keep his cattle out of streams.

Nuckols, who farms in Goochland County, is one of countless Virginia farmers who are doing their part to protect the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways by using environment-friendly farming practices. Those systems can be costly, and Virginia farmers stand to lose the financial help they’ve been getting from the state coffers.

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Farm Bureau needs your help in contacting members of the House Agriculture Committee.  Farm Bureau supports amending HB2030 to regulate production and sale of raw milk utilizing the principles above and deleting language regarding sale of uninspected meat and reinserting the language regarding other food products. Without such amendments, we oppose the bill.

Click here to send an email to members of the House Ag Committee: https://app.muster.com/take-action/RiYbsZIT7m/

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Approximately 120 farmers from across the state attended Farm Bureau’s annual Legislative Day at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Farm Bureau members discussed critical budget amendments, farm vehicle truck weights and the sale of raw milk with legislators.

Instead of hosting a legislative reception, the VFBF Women’s Committee partnered with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on a display inside the General Assembly Building. The theme of the event was ‘Meet Virginia Agriculture’ and the ladies handed out BLTs and milk with ingredients sourced from Farm Bureau members. The BLTs were provided by Vice President Scott Sink and assembled by VFBF Board members and employees the night before.

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AFBF has endorsed bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate to repeal the federal estate tax. AFBF President Zippy Duvall said the bills are needed because farm families continue to face challenges in passing their family businesses to the next generation.

The AFBF-endorsed Death Tax Repeal Act of 2017 was introduced Tuesday in the House by Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.). Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

“Farmers and ranchers face a number of factors that are unpredictable and beyond their control, from changing weather to fluctuating markets,” Duvall said. “These family-run businesses need a tax code that encourages investment, rather than one that punishes their success. We believe that repeal of the estate tax offers the best solution to protect farms, ranches and all family-owned businesses from the estate tax.”

Cassidy Rasnick has been appointed Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry after Sam. T. Towell was appointed Attorney General for Civil Litigation.

Cassidy re-joins the McAuliffe team from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), where she oversaw the agency’s economic development efforts through her role as Manager of the Office of Agriculture and Forestry Development.  Prior to joining VDACS, Cassidy served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry for Governor McAuliffe, where she managed all economic development efforts, including oversight of the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) fund.  She previously worked for the Virginia Manufacturers Association and Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, and served for five years in the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Warner.

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President Trump withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday, administration officials said. Mr. Trump sharply criticized the partnership agreement during last year’s campaign, calling it a bad deal for American workers.

Below is a response from Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation:

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In its continuing effort to “reconnect city with country,” RFD-TV has organized the “Rural Tractor Brigade” which has been added to the 2017 Presidential Inaugural Parade, themed “We The People: Our American Journey.” RFD-TV invited every existing tractor manufacturer to participate and those confirmed include AGCO, Case IH, John Deere, and Mahindra who will showcase their latest line of tractors used in modern agriculture production. The parade will be broadcast LIVE on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC on Friday, January 20th at 3 p.m. ET.

Members of the National FFA, the world’s premiere youth organization, will carry the banner for the Rural Tractor Brigade and lead this contingent of colorful tractors that help make America’s farmers and ranchers the most efficient food and fiber producers in the world. RFD-TV and RURAL RADIO Channel 147 on SiriuxXM will carry updates throughout the week on “Market Day Report” and “Rural Evening News,” beginning on January 17. On Inauguration Day, RFD-TV and RURAL RADIO will have live updates beginning at 9 a.m. ET and continue through the course of the day, with complete highlights on the Rural Evening News at 11:30 p.m. ET.

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President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as his secretary of agriculture, and leaders of the nation’s and state’s largest agricultural organizations are pleased with that pick.

“The nomination of former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue … is welcome news to the nation’s farmers and ranchers,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Gov. Perdue will provide the strong voice that agriculture needs in the new administration.” Duvall is also from Georgia.

Perdue, the final traditional Cabinet department chief to be selected, is a former Democrat who switched to the Republican Party before governing Georgia for two terms from 2003 to 2011. He grew up on a farm and holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine. As Georgia’s governor, he took conservative stances on immigration and voting rights.

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From milkbusiness.com:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will become the new CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) effective February 1, 2017. USDEC is a non-profit, independent organization that seeks to enhance the global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients.

“Growing the global market for U.S. dairy products is essential to the future of the dairy industry and America’s dairy farmers. I’ve spent my career in public service as a tireless advocate for farmers and American agriculture and can think of no better way to continue this service than by leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council,” said Vilsack. “I look forward to partnering with the dynamic team at USDEC as well as agriculture, food industry and key stakeholders at home and abroad to advance the council’s mission and strengthen trust in American dairy.”

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