Pro-GMO Side ‘Wins’ in NPR Online Debate

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Supporters of genetically modified crops were declared the victors in a National Public Radio program debate held Dec. 3.

 Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer with Monsanto and University of California-Davis genomics and biotechnology researcher Alison Van Eenennaam spoke about the benefits of GMOs. They debated on the program, “Intelligence Squared,” against Charles Benbrook, a Washington State University research professor with the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Margaret Mellon, science policy consultant with the Union of Concerned Scientists.The program was streamed online from a New York studio.

At the end, a victor was declared based on the percentage of a studio audience swayed by arguments. Before the debate, 32 percent of the audience agreed GMO crops are necessary and 30 percent opposed them. A vote after the debate revealed 60 percent of the audience favored GMOs and 31 percent opposed them, with 9 percent still undecided.

Listen to a podcast of the debate at http://intelligencesquaredus.org.

VFBF Legislative Committee Comments on 2015 Critical Issues, Part 2

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Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff believe will be at the forefront during the next year’s General Assembly.  These issues are also discussed at Senatorial District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across the state during November and December. Here are three of those issues with remarks from members of the Virginia Farm Bureau Legislative Committee, who identified these issues as critical.  If you are a producer member and would like to attend your region’s Senatorial District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and locations.
In case you missed Part 1: http://vfbplowsandpolitics.blogspot.com/2014/11/vfbf-legislative-committee-comments-on.html

Biosolids
Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
  • Maintain state oversight and regulation of the application of biosolids and industrial residuals as a source of nutrients on farmland 

“When handled appropriately, biosolids is a safe product. Organic matter makes the soil better which benefits farmers. Landfill space is becoming limited and will cause problems down the road. We can avoid this by recycling waste, which makes a beneficial fertilizer when it is safely applied.” –Lynwood Broaddus, Caroline County
Right to Farm Act
Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
  • Protect the Right to Farm Act in its current form by only supporting changes that are preferable to the farmer and provide further protection from nuisance lawsuits 

“Every year legislation is introduced in the General Assembly that weakens the Right to Farm Act and gives more control over local farms to local government. We, as farmers, need to stay vigilant on any legislation that will hamper our ability to farm.”- Thomas Graves, VFBF Legislative Committee Chair, Orange County  

Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding President Obama’s Statement on Immigration

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Below is American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman’s response of President Obama immigration initiative:

“In practical terms, we do not expect the president’s initiative to help America’s farmers deal with the real labor challenges they face. Our nation loses millions of dollars in fruit and vegetable production every year because farmers cannot find labor to harvest everything they grow. This order will not change that.

“Farmers and ranchers need a new, flexible visa program that ensures long-term access to an expanding workforce by allowing foreign-born workers to enter the U.S. We also need to permit some current workers, many of whom have helped sustain our operations for years, to remain working in America.

“Congress has a golden opportunity to present a clear vision on immigration in America. We need legislation that addresses border security and enforcement, improves an outdated agricultural visa program and gives experienced agricultural workers a way to gain legal status.

“Congress and the president must work together to find a solution that works for America. The American Farm Bureau Federation will work closely with anyone who supports agricultural labor reform.”

VFBF Legislative Committee Comments on 2015 Critical Issues, Part 1

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Earlier this month, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation announced its critical legislative issues for 2014. These are the issues Governmental Relations staff believe will be at the forefront during the next year’s General Assembly.  These issues are also discussed at Senatorial District meetings, regional legislative briefings for legislators held across the state during November and December. Here are three of those issues with remarks from members of the Virginia Farm Bureau Legislative Committee, who identified these issues as critical.  If you are a producer member and would like to attend your region’s Senatorial District Meeting, please contact your Field Services Director for dates and locations.
Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program & Soil and Water Conservation District Funding

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
  • Adequately fund the Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program (Ag BMPs) in order for farmers to meet Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) goals by 2017 and avoid mandatory agriculture best management practices requirements
  • Adequately fund operational support and technical assistance for Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) so they can administer Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost Share Program; assist farmers in developing Resource Management Plans; and track voluntary conservation practices to help document water quality improvements

“To implement all the BMP’s to meet Virginia’s WIP goals by 2017 would be a huge financial strain.  We could not financially support our day to day operations without support from state funding. Believe me, the farmers I know have a passion to do what’s best for the land, their livestock, etc. but to perform these acts based on what the state dictates is costly.  If they want us to perform by their rules, we need financial support to make it happen.”- Faye Hundley, Essex County

Farmland Preservation

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
  • Support maintaining the Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) as it is an incentive for farmers to preserve working farms and forests 
  • Avoid cuts to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program which leverages local dollars to help maintain working farms and forests to help stabilize resources to keep a strong agriculture and forestry industry for the future

“We picked Farm Land Preservation because keeping land out of development keeps agriculture as Virginia’s largest industry. A good slogan would be “Without farmland there are no farmers and without farmers there is no food”. Preserving farm and forest land helps water quality by keeping runoff to a minimum.  It helps with air pollution 1. By preventing urban sprawl, helping promote concentrated development 2. Trees and crop production remove carbon from the air thereby slowing global warming.”- Leigh Pemberton, Hanover County
VDACS Weights and Measures Program

Virginia Farm Bureau urges legislators to:
  • Maintain the funding such that the integrity of the VDACS weights and measures program is not compromised to ensure that Virginia consumers receive the products they paid for, that businesses are competing fairly, and that state government is providing appropriate oversight to the system

“I think the government should maintain or increase funding for the weights and measures program. I see the importance of this program from two sides.  I sell products directly to consumers and look forward to having my scales checked and calibrated each year by this department. It is always nice to be able to point to the updated sticker on the scale to prove the scales are accurate to skeptical customers.

On the other side of this is me being a consumer and purchasing fertilizer. Weights and measures spot checks loads of blended fertilizer from dealers to make sure the actual analysis of the blend is what the farmer ordered. This is very important to farmers because small blend mistakes can cost big time in money and yield lost in crops.

The weights and measure field people have been saying for the last few years how they are having to cover more area and can’t get around to everyone they need to check. I’ll see stickers on fuel pumps at gas stations that are several years old sometimes.”- Steve Berryman, Surry County

Women in Ag Survey: Gauging the Aspirations and Needs of Women in Agriculture

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The American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Program has launched “Women in Ag,” an online survey that aims to gauge the goals, aspirations, achievements and needs of women in American agriculture in a number of different areas.
All women who are farmers, ranchers, farm/ranch employees, employed in agricultural businesses, pursuing ag-related higher education or supportive of agriculture in other ways are invited to participate in the survey at womeninag.fb.org.  Respondents must reside in the United States. Farm Bureau membership is not required to participate.
“This comprehensive survey is the first of its kind to ask women in-depth questions about how they are connected to agriculture and what leadership skills they think are most important today, as well as the top business challenges they’re facing,” said Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee.  “All women involved in agriculture – not just Farm Bureau members – are invited to participate in the survey,” Gilbert emphasized.

Data collected from respondents will be used to gauge trends related to the achievements of women in agriculture, including leadership positions, business successes and election to public office.
The AFB Women’s Leadership Committee is sponsoring the survey and is working with other farm and agriculture organizations to encourage participation. Participants will be eligible for an opportunity to win one of five $100 gift cards after the survey closes. Preliminary findings from the survey will be released in February 2015 at AFBF’s FUSION Conference in Nashville, Tennessee; the full report will be released in late spring.