Two localities in Virginia have qualified for natural disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to losses caused by flooding due to excessive rains since Sept. 1.

Farmers and ranchers in Southampton County and Suffolk qualify for assistance because they are contiguous to the seven counties in North Carolina that have been designated by the USDA as primary natural disaster areas.

The localities were designated natural disaster areas on Oct. 21, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible areas have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for information on eligibility requirements and application procedures.

Additional information is also available online at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

From American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall:

The idea of having the right to manage your own property is as ingrained in the idea of America as the ideas of independence, liberty and freedom. In “The Federalist Papers,” James Madison, one of the signers of our Constitution, wrote, “Government is instituted no less for protection of the property than of the persons of individuals.” It was the desire to own property and the vastness of available land in the “New World” that attracted so many to leave crowded Europe in the late 1700s, stake their claim in wide-open America and use the land for productive purposes, including raising crops and livestock. Some of today’s farmers and ranchers are descendants of those who came to America in those early days with the dream of owning land.

The founders of our nation understood the importance of land ownership and property rights. Today, that concept seems to be under attack by the very government that was founded on the basis of independence, liberty and freedom. John Duarte, a fourth-generation California farmer, is defending himself again an Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit claiming that he broke the law by plowing his land. He faces millions of dollars in federal penalties, plus the multi-million-dollar cost of the legal fight. A couple of years ago, a West Virginia farmer was told by EPA that dust and feathers blown to the ground from her chicken houses constituted a violation of the Clean Water Act. Farm Bureau helped her defend her farm in court and the court sided with her. However, that hasn’t stopped the EPA from going after more farmers for the same type of activity.

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Farm Bureau is urging Congress to pass legislation blocking a recent IRS proposal that would result in higher estate taxes for farmers and ranchers. The IRS’ plan for more restrictive rules for using valuation discounts would make it more difficult for farmers and ranchers who operate family-owned partnerships, LLCs or corporations to transfer their farms and ranches to the next generation.

The Protect Family Farms and Businesses Act (H.R. 6100 and S. 3436), introduced in the House by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and in the Senate by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), would stop the IRS from implementing its proposed restrictive estate tax discount valuation.

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Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

International trade was a major theme in the opening half hour of Monday night’s presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Selling more of our goods around the world is a great way to help farms and ranches, benefit rural communities, and keep the United States ahead of its global competitors. Farm Bureau seeks the successful conclusion and congressional approval of trade agreements and other measures to expand global markets for U.S. agricultural exports.

According to a U.S. International Trade Commission report released May 18, 2016, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would reduce the U.S. trade deficit and increase jobs throughout the country, but some of the biggest gains would be for the agriculture sector.

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Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

For farmers and ranchers, immigration reform must balance agriculture’s need for a dependable supply of agricultural labor with enhanced security at our nation’s border.  It is a delicate balance that, at present, has not yielded a solution.

Reliable and skilled farm workers are harder to come by with each harvest season. U.S. agriculture faces a critical shortage of workers every year, as citizens are largely unwilling to engage in these rigorous activities and guestworker programs are unable to respond to the marketplace.

Without an efficient and legal way for a dependable supply of farm workers to enter the country, more U.S. crops are being left to rot in the field.  Or they cannot expand their fruit and vegetable farm or ranch.  And that means consumers will be less able to enjoy American-grown products.

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Dr. Megan Seibel, President of Roanoke County Farm Bureau, has been appointed to the position of Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Prior to her appointment, Megan served as the Director of the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) Program at Virginia Tech. She also served as the Associate Director for the Center of Cooperative Problem Solving at Virginia Tech and an Associate Fellow of the Occupational Research Centre in the United Kingdom. An agricultural producer, Megan and her family manage a wine grape and beef cattle operation in Botetourt County. Megan graduated from James Madison University with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, and received her Master’s in Career and Technical Education and her Doctor’s of Philosophy in Agriculture and Extension Education from Virginia Tech.

Congratulations! We look forward to working with you…even more!

The combined shortfall fiscal year 2017 is $861.4 million.  Some of the key strategies to address the shortfall include eliminating raises for state employees of $125.1 million; pulling $392.3 million from Rainy Day Fund; and cutting $70 million from state agencies.  There will be additional cuts made by the Governor in his budget that he will introduce in December for the fiscal year 2018.

They always say that “it could have been worse” but we are still not happy with the cuts that the Governor made to key budget items that Farm Bureau has worked hard to support.  These do not represent all of the cuts made but some key ones specific to Farm Bureau policy:

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

• ½ of the Wildlife Damage Management Program: -$95,000 (This leaves $95,000 in the program.)
• ½ Farmland Preservation Fund: -$500,000 (This leaves $500,000 in the Fund.)
• Delay Hiring of Organic Marketing Specialists: -$68,236
• Discontinue the Beehive Grant Program: -$175,000
• International Marketing: -$175,000 (This leaves $250,000 of additional dollars appropriated by the 2016 General Assembly)
• Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID): -$220,000 (This leaves out of $2.108 million in AFID.)

Department of Conservation and Recreation

• Took $528,000 from some of the revenue generated from the ½ fee on recordation tax that was not obligated by the State Soil and Water Conservation Board. This reduces the amount of funds that the State Soil and Water Conservation Board may have allocated to unfunded practices

Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

Are you familiar with the Farm Bill?  If you are like most Americans, you probably have a misconception about this important piece of legislation.  While the bill is the primary agriculture and food policy tool of the federal government, the name is a misnomer.  The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that encompasses commodity programs, crop insurance, nutrition programs, international trade, conservation, , forestry, energy and the well-being of rural communities.  It might actually be more accurate to call it the Food Bill since 79 percent of the cost of the bill goes toward nutrition programs and only 21 percent goes towards programs that benefit farmers, ranchers and rural America.

About every 5 years, the Farm Bill must be renewed and the current Farm Bill expires in 2018.  So, the next president will need to understand the importance the Farm Bill has for farmers and ranchers, rural communities and all Americans.

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Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

Ask any student studying agriculture or food policy about Norman Borlaug and you’ll get an immediate positive response.  If you don’t know who he is, let me share this from the World Food Prize website.  They do a better job that I could.

“In 1970 Norman E. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for a lifetime of work to feed a hungry world. Although a scientist with outstanding contributions, perhaps Dr. Borlaug’s greatest achievement has been his unending struggle to integrate the various streams of agricultural research into viable technologies and to convince political leaders to bring these advances to fruition.”  Read more.

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