American Farm Features Northampton County Farm Bureau President

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Northampton County Farm Bureau President Steve Sturgis was recently featured on AmericanFarm.com for his conservation efforts. He is a prime example of why we need adequate funding for the Agriculture Best Management Practices program. See the article below or go here to view it: http://americanfarm.com/publications/the-delmarva-farmer/2763-stewardship-has-long-been-key-for-sturgis-tri-s-farms


Steve Sturgis grew up farming in Northampton County but looks at the late 1970s after finishing college as the point where he got “started,” partnering with his father and uncle in Tri-S Farms. 

Then, just as now, farming within sight of the Chesapeake Bay and several creeks and tributaries, soil and water conservation play a major role in the operation’s success.

“It’s an increasing part of everything you do now,” Sturgis said. “You’ve got to be be a good neighbor.”

Tri-S Farms, which now stands for him and his two sons, Kyle and Jarrett, has been practicing no-till since the 1970s and continually adds conservation practices, working with the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, that help the environment and the farm’s bottom line.

At the end of last year, Sturgis was recognized for conservation efforts with one of 10 Grand Basin Clean Water Farm awards from Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Sturgis has about 1,000 acres in his operation, growing corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum, but also does custom farming work on another 2,000 acres.


On the land, he’s using cover crops, buffer systems, retention ponds with water control structures and diverting ditches to keep water and nutrients from leaving the land.
Precision agriculture tools play a role, too. 

He uses section control on his sprayer to reduce overlap in the fields and last year started soil mapping fields with a Veris machine and said he’s already realized significant savings in fertilizer. 

He’s also installed a 12-acre pollinator habitat in a hard-to-irrigate part of a field. Similarly, a neighbor began keeping bee colonies on the farm.
In the water, Sturgis is a partner in C&S Seafood, raising millions of clams for Cherrystone Aqua Farms annually for decades. 

“I’ve got a dog in the fight every way you look at it,” Sturgis said. “All my land is either on the Bay or on (Cherrystone) Creek. I’m just doing what we should be doing.”
The area’s history and character also play a role in Sturgis’ stewardship. Many of the properties he farms have homes that date back centuries and owners intent of preserving them.

“All these are very old historic farms and they have a lot of value and a lot of meaning to the people who own them,” Sturgis said. “All farmland is precious but the historical value means a lot to me. I consider it a privilege to farm this land.”

Along with putting the practices in play on the ground, Sturgis continually promotes their use to other farmers and the non-farming public. 

He serves as president of both the Northampton County Farm Bureau and the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services and is involved in other local and state farm organizations. 

“Steve Sturgis richly deserves the Grand Basin/Clean Water Farm Award as he truly exemplifies an outstanding steward of the land and water on the Eastern Shore of Virginia,” said Robin Rich-Coates, ESSWCD chairperson. “He is an excellent role model for other farmers and landowners by advocating conservation in agriculture.”

Cole Charnock, an ESSCWD conservation planner who helped prepare the nomination, said Sturgis’ combination of advocacy and implementation made him a prime candidate.

“Though he participates in the DCR cost-share program through the District as well as NRCS programs, he voluntarily implements many other methods of conservation such as no-till, cover crops and buffer systems,” said Charnock. “His positions in several other programs and organizations to educate and promote conservation throughout the community characterize him as going above and beyond as a steward of environmental preservation.”

Sturgis said though he and other farmers may do more than what’s required on some practices, there remain some people and groups that contend he hasn’t done enough.
“Some folks will say ‘well, your buffer’s 15 feet, it should be 100 feet,’” Sturgis said. “To those people I say ‘prove to me that that is better than what I’m doing.”

Relying on the state and federal technical assistance from the conservation district help him make a lot of conservation decisions on the land he manages. “They’re the ones that are in the business of doing it,” he said.

The award came with a yellow and blue metal sign Sturgis mounted on a post at the edge of his driveway. 


“I’m proud of it. But I put it up there for people driving by to see that farmers in general are doing things that help the water, not just me,” he said.

From the Field: Farm Bureau Honors Farmers

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Farm Bureau has a long history of having members that have been leaders and even trailblazers in the agriculture community.  While there have been numerous agriculture leaders over the years; there have been thousands of farmer volunteers that have volunteered their time for the betterment of agriculture and their community.  Several years ago, the VFBF board of directors decided to establish a monument to farmers.  This impressive statue of a farmer in the field stands today in the entrance lobby where everyone who enters the home office sees it.
A few county Farm Bureaus have also placed honorariums at their offices to honor and recognize the work and leadership of farmers in their county.  Buckingham County Farm Bureau recently erected a flag pole with American flag and an engraved plaque at the base.  The plaque reads, “This Memorial is dedicated in Honor and Respect to the Memory of Bobby H. Bryan and R.S. Ellis, IV and to all Buckingham County Farmers who have given their Life, Labor and Love to serve as good Stewards of our land.”  Chesapeake Farm Bureau is installing something similar in memory of their past president and longtime Farm Bureau member, Lyle Pugh, Sr.; and Northumberland/ Lancaster Farm Bureau has a flag pole and flag.
The Farm Bureau that was started by farmers to work for improvements in agriculture and to solve problems still has that same purpose.  Farm Bureau has a proud history with numerous volunteers that made it successful. 
Remembering the past and the honoring past leaders while at the same time looking to the future and grooming future leaders is also a part of Farm Bureau’s program.  Thank you for being a member because every member contributes to the success of Farm Bureau.  If you would like to become more involved in Farm Bureau and are willing to share some of your talents, please let us know.  We have lots of opportunities for you. 
Until next time,

Mark

More than 140 Farm Bureau Members Attend Legislative Day

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More than 140 Virginia Farm Bureau members headed to Richmond today for our annual Legislative Day at the Capitol. Here’s a summary of the issues members discussed with their legislators. Here’s a summary:

Strengthening Agriculture’s Economy
Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to support investment in new crops, update code sections to reflect current industry practices and change laws to make it easier to procure more Virginia grown products.

Critical Budget Amendments for Agriculture
Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to support the  critical budget amendments, inculduing funding for the Agtriculture Best Management Practices program, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, VDACS Weight and Measures program, and the Cooperative Wildlife Damage program.

Property Rights
Virginia Farm Bureau is urging legislators to:
• Support SB543 (Obenshain) to better protect landowners and align with the language in the property rights constitutional amendment that passed in 2012. The legislation seeks to direct the court to reimburse a plaintiff for the costs of an inverse condemnation proceeding for “damaging” property if a judgment is entered for the plaintiff. Under current law, the court is directed to award compensation only for the “taking” of property. This would make sure that if your farm is damaged by the taking of a property next to you, you will be compensated fairly.

• Support legislation to protect private property rights from the unauthorized use of drones that seek to take a photograph or a film your private property without your permission.

VFBF Board Member Testifies in Ag Committee

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On Wednesday, January 20th during the first meeting of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, a presentation on the structure and importance of commodity boards was made by Pittsylvania farmer and Farm Bureau state board member Robert Mills. We thank Robert for driving to Richmond to share with the committee members all the good work of our commodity boards, including education, research, and promotion.  Virginia Farm Bureau is supporting two pieces of legislation this year, HB1094 from Delegate Webert and HB115 from Delegate Knight.

HB1094 (Webert) updates the commodity board code sections to reflect current industry practices.  The bill repeals certain board-specific provisions related to appointments and creates in their place general provisions, applicable to a number of boards, which provide for four-year appointments, that a majority of the board constitutes a quorum, for the election of officers, and policies establishing no compensation for attendance at meetings but reimbursement for expenses of board members.  

HB115 (Knight) removes the authority of the General Assembly to disburse the unexpended balances in the special agriculture commodity funds for purposes other than each fund’s intended purpose. 

Veto of Joint Resolution on WOTUS Met With Disfavor from Farm Bureau

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Calling President Barack Obama’s veto of a resolution (S.J. Res. 22) to disapprove of the Waters of the U.S. rule “salt in the wounds of farmers and ranchers,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said farmers and ranchers were mystified as to why Obama continues to support the fatally flawed rule.

“The Government Accountability Office found the rule was issued with the help of illegal ‘covert propaganda’ by EPA. Ninety-two members of Congress, 22 states, numerous cities and counties and dozens of industry groups have all stood up and said no to this rule. Courts have ordered the rule temporarily halted because of the harm it will cause. But, somehow, the president and the EPA just keep pushing. But we won’t stop either. We will not rest until this rule is gone,” Duvall said in a statement.

 On Tuesday, President Obama issued the ninth veto of his presidency Tuesday, rejecting a congressional resolution that would have overturned federal regulations on clean water. Read more here: www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/19/obama-vetoes-attempt-kill-clean-water-rule/79033958/

Meet New AFBF President Zippy Duvall

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AFBF President
Zippy Duvall
Hello. I’m Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. It’s an honor to introduce myself and share some of my goals as president.

My wife, Bonnie, and I have been Farm Bureau members for nearly 40 years. We raise broilers, hay and cattle on our farm in Greshamville, Georgia, an area about 70 miles east of Atlanta in the north-central part of the state. As proud as Bonnie and I are of our farm and our longtime involvement in Farm Bureau, we consider our family to be our greatest accomplishment. We have four children who are grown and doing great things on and off the farm, and we have three grandchildren.

I am dedicated to Farm Bureau because this organization stands for what I value most: faith, family and farming. The main reason I am honored to have been elected president of AFBF is because no other organization does more to protect farms, families and food.


Something else I can tell you about myself is that relationships are very important to me. I look forward to getting out into the countryside and meeting more farmers and ranchers face-to-face. The only way I can effectively speak for Farm Bureau members is if I sit down with them and come to understand their concerns and their goals.

I also look forward to working to achieve the policy goals that AFBF has established for this year. We will work to create a more-positive dialog about modern agriculture and food. We will work for a reasonable approach to government regulation, so that our farmers and ranchers have the freedom to operate. As more technological developments come along, we’ll work to ensure farmers and ranchers have access to the technologies that help them feed a growing world. One of our biggest priorities this year is congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement to reduce tariffs and other barriers to U.S. farm exports, so that America’s farmers and ranchers have greater access to growing markets in the Pacific Rim.

We have a lot of work to do, and I can’t wait to get started! I hope to meet you if we haven’t met already, so we can work together to achieve our common goals.

Zippy Duvall
President

New Agricultural Conservation Program Exceeds First-Year Goal

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Virginia is making strides with its Resource Management Plan program, an innovative approach to meeting Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals. The initiative encourages farmers to increase their use of agricultural conservation practices while crediting them for practices already in place.
Since the program’s launch in July 2014, 278 resource management plans have been developed for farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This far surpasses the goal of 40 that was set for the program’s first year.
“Resource management plans are critical to Virginia’s strategy to protect and restore the health of rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Bay — and build a new Virginia economy in the process,” Governor McAuliffe said. “A major factor in this program’s success has been the support of both the agricultural and conservation communities.”

The program enables farmers to have a private-sector resource management plan developed for their property that incorporates a host of agricultural conservation practices that reduce to pollution to local waters and protect soil health. Once the plan is approved and the practices are implemented, the farm is deemed to be in compliance with state nutrient and sediment standards for the following nine years.
Participation in the program is voluntary for farms and landowners.
“I’m thrilled that the Resource Management Plan program has surpassed its first-year goal,” said Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward. “This is a true win for all the partners involved, and I commend everyone who worked together to achieve this important milestone.”
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation manages the program in partnership with Virginia’s 47 soil and water conservation districts. Districts serve as the primary review authority for the plans.
RMPs enable the state to document practices that have been installed with or without financial incentives, providing verified data to validate the agricultural sector’s level of participation in conservation practices.
Better tracking of practices also gives decision makers more accurate data to determine funding needs for agricultural cost-share and other incentive programs.
“The RMP program has proven to be a valuable new tool for promoting conservation practices that improve farming operations and water quality,” said Kendall Tyree, executive director of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. “Soil and water conservation districts play an essential role in the delivery of this voluntary program and are supportive of the effort.”
A plan can cover all or a portion of a farm and include existing and needed best management practices such as stream buffers, fencing to keep livestock out of streams, soil conservation measures, and nutrient management plans.
These practices help curb the flow of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus that contributes to pollution in waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. They also can help farmers improve the health of their herds and the productivity of their soils.
The 278 plans that have been developed cover 48,500 acres of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Virginia. On average, the typical plan covers 172 acres. A total of 47 farm owners or operators are participating.
“The success of this program is due to a significant number of farm leaders jumping in and working side by side with their local soil and water conservation districts in the first year,” said Ann Jennings, Virginia director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. “The resource management plans developed will result in the documentation and implementation of thousands of best practices, enhanced farm management and an improved Chesapeake Bay.” 
The plans developed so far include 1,816 best management practices to protect soil and water resources.
For details about the RMP program and to read the report, go to http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/rmp
Landowners who want to participate in the RMP program should contact their local soil and water conservation district.