Click here for this week’s Commodity Comments, a weekly newsletter designed to provide agricultural producers with an analysis of current market trends by Farm Bureau Market Analyst Jonah Bowles.
This Week’s Commodity Comments: October 15, 2014
Shenandoah County Agriculture Educator Is 2015 Virginia Teacher of the Year
Jaclyn M. Roller Ryan, an agricultural education teacher at Signal Knob Middle School in Shenandoah County was named 2015 Virginia Teacher of the Year Friday evening in Richmond. Ryan was selected from eight Virginia Regional Teachers of the Year announced in September. She will be the commonwealth’s nominee in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program.
Ryan, the Region 4 teacher, was selected after being interviewed by a committee that included representatives of professional and educational associations, the business community and 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year and 2014 National Teacher of the Year finalist Melissa A. Porfirio of Fairfax.
The 2015 National Teacher of the Year will be announced next spring at a White House ceremony. Two previous Virginia teachers – B. Philip Bigler, the 1998 Virginia Teacher of the Year, and Mary V. Bicouvaris, the 1989 Virginia Teacher of the Year – went on to be named as a National Teacher of the Year.
As the 2015 Virginia Teacher of the Year, Roller received a $5,000 award and a commemorative ring from the Apple Federal Credit Union Education Foundation; a $2,500 award from Richmond law firm Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen; a classroom technology package from Smart Technologies ULC; a travel package from EF Education First; educational opportunities from several public and private colleges and universities; flowers from Coleman Brothers Flowers Inc.; an engraved plaque from Bunkie Trinite Trophies Inc.; a gift basket from C.F. Sauer Company; a gift from Blue Bell Creameries; and an engraved crystal apple.
American Farm Bureau Releases Biotech Toolkit
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| Lindsay Reames Assistant Director Governmental Relations |
Despite rapid adoption by farmers and a strong scientific consensus that it does not pose health and environmental risks, biotechnology faces regulatory burdens that can slow investment and innovation of new biotech traits. These regulatory challenges are starting to impact U.S. farmers’ international competitive advantage. In addition, opponents of biotechnology routinely threaten the availability of new traits by blocking science-based regulatory decisions and advocating for labeling mandates.
Due to the pressure being applied by activist groups, we are continuing to see challenges in developing new technologies for agriculture. These groups are driving the narrative instead of those involved in agriculture.
Farm Bureau has developed the Biotech Grassroots Toolkit to help empower farmers to speak up about the importance of biotechnology and the need for having a choice in what production practices growers employ. The toolkit will serve as a resource and one-stop shop for issues dealing with biotechnology.
The toolkit includes resources such as downloads that tout the benefits of biotechnology, an action page which includes a draft civic club speech, and links to partner websites such as GMO Answers, USFRA and the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food.
This resource will allow farmers to set the record straight. Whether meeting with community leaders or government officials and their staff, farmers will be able to correct misinformation about the impact of biotech crops, or “GMOs,” on agriculture. If preconceived notions about the harms that GMOs have caused growers are not corrected, then any information about their benefits will be weighed against these misconceptions.
The toolkit is found at www.fb.org/biotech. Feel free to use the information to educate folks on this important issue.
This Week’s Commodity Comments: October 8, 2014
Click here for this week’s Commodity Comments, a weekly newsletter designed to provide agricultural producers with an analysis of current market trends by Farm Bureau Market Analyst Jonah Bowles.
Farm Bureau Urges Senate to Ditch Proposed Water Rule
The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the Senate to tell the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule and restore the integrity of the rulemaking process.
In a letter sent to all members of the Senate, AFBF cited a recent letter sent by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy to the EPA. After a thorough evaluation, the SBA office’s letter called on the EPA and the Corps of Engineers to withdraw the WOTUS rule.
“The SBA Office of Advocacy found that EPA and the Corps used conflicting and even incorrect data in order to claim minimal impacts on small business and that they cherry-picked the data used in their economic analysis,” AFBF wrote.
Farm Bureau has vigorously articulated its view that the EPA analysis of its proposed rule is flawed and the manner in which it has conducted this rulemaking is broken.
“The SBA Office of Advocacy has now validated our concerns,” Farm Bureau wrote. “Now is the time for all senators to join the bipartisan effort to have this rule withdrawn.”
A copy of the letter can be found here: http://www.fb.org/tmp/uploads/cwa-wotus-senate14-1006.pdf
VCE to Host Farm Succession Workshop Oct. 23 in Staunton
Virginia Cooperative Extension will present “Succession Solutions for Farm Families” on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Staunton Holiday Inn – I-81, Exit 225.
Succession is the watershed issue facing America’s family farmers. Planning for a smooth ownership transition and preparing the next generation to lead is tough. Providing financial security and eliminating the estate tax can be complex and confusing. If multigenerational success is your goal, this presentation is for you.
In this session, participants will learn the five keys to preserving the farm, and passing a successful operation to a well-prepared next generation. During the session, you’ll learn about the planning process, good communication strategies, and how to overcome obstacles. Utilizing tips from this workshop will help ensure the farm remains in the family, provides financial security, and offers career opportunities for generations to come.
Workshop participants will gain the confidence and preliminary tools to seek succession solutions for their farm family.
Presenter Kevin Spafford is the founder of Legacy by Design, a firm dedicated to providing succession solutions for farm families. Over the last ten years, he’s spearheaded initiatives to improve the way farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness owners engage in the succession planning process.
In 2013, Legacy by Design introduced eLegacyConnect, an online succession planning community complete with action plans, resource library, forums, a roster of advisors, and many other features to help farm and agribusiness owners plan for the future. As the architect of the Farm Journal Legacy Project, Kevin has facilitated more than 100 live events benefitting thousands of farm families across the U.S. He involves audiences in experiences that encourage action and generate results.
He is proud to share succession planning principles for Virginia Cooperative Extension, with sincere appreciation to the workshop sponsors.
For more information, please call Rockingham County Extension Office: (540) 564-3080 or email: jdaubert@vt.edu
From the Field: Nelson County Farmer Named 2015 National Beef Ambassador
From the Field is a bi-monthly column written by Mark Campbell, Farm Bureau Field Services Director for the Central District. He writes about Farm Bureau member benefits and County Farm Bureau activities.
Below is BEEF Daily article by Amanda Radke on the 2015 National Beef Ambassador program. The National Junior Division winner was Phillip Saunders from Nelson County, who is a neighbor of mine, and I am friends with the Saunders family. Congratulations to him!
It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since I served as a South Dakota and National Beef Ambassador. Beef Ambassadors is an elite team of young people selected as advocates to travel the country for one year, promoting beef, educating consumers about beef, and addressing misconceptions about beef. The 2015 National Beef Ambassador contest was held last week in Denver, and I’ll admit that the event left me feeling just a little bit nostalgic about my experiences with this great program.
Thirty of the industry’s best young people competed in the senior and junior divisions this year. The winners in the senior division include: Rachel Purdy (Wyoming), Will Pohlman (Arkansas), Alicia Smith (Texas), Kalyn McKibben (Oklahoma) and Demi Snider (Ohio). In the junior division, the first-place winner was Phillip Saunders (Virginia), while Brett Lee (Louisiana) was second, and Abbey Schiefelbein (Minnesota) was third. The program is funded in part by the beef checkoff and managed by the American National CattleWomen, Inc., a contractor to the beef checkoff.
When I competed in the contest eight years ago, the competition consisted of a simple speech and interview. Today’s contestants are judged in many areas that prepare them to become outstanding advocates for the beef industry.
These include how well they can promote beef to consumers,their ability to answer questions from the media,their knowledge of the industry presented in addressing beef misconceptions in a letter-to-the-editor, and their efforts to educate students through ag-in-the-classroom projects.
Sounds impressive, right? I believe the National Beef Ambassador Program is one of the best investments of our beef checkoff dollars.
In the next year, these Beef Ambassadors will travel the nation promoting beef, answering consumer questions and serving as a voice for all of us ranchers back home.
Not only do these young people support beef producers, but the program is a great way to build the future leaders of our industry. I certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today without the networking, travel experiences and training I received as part of the program. You can bet these rising stars have exciting careers ahead of them after their year is complete.
You can follow their adventures on Twitter at @beefambassador, or check out the National Beef Ambassador Facebook page.
Look for these ambassadors in the red shirts to be leaders in how we should respond to industry issues and the best way to reach the millennial audience. Congratulations to all 30 participants in this year’s contest. Thank you for all you do to promote beef!
Have you seen Beef Ambassadors, past or present, in action? Take a minute to thank them or offer them words of advice in the comments section below, and I’ll be sure to pass your thoughts along. Thanks!
This Week’s Commodity Comments: Sept. 30, 2014
Click here for this week’s Commodity Comments, a weekly newsletter designed to provide agricultural producers with an analysis of current market trends by Farm Bureau Market Analyst Jonah Bowles.
Facing Likely Defeat, EPA Abandons Farm Case in West Virginia
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision not to appeal a key federal ruling in favor of West Virginia farmer Lois Alt highlights the cynicism that drives the agency’s water agenda, the American Farm Bureau Federation said on Sept. 22.
The U.S. Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ruled against the EPA and in favor of Alt in October 2013, rejecting the agency’s contention that the Clean Water Act regulates ordinary stormwater runoff from non-production areas of large livestock or poultry farms.
Since no federal court had ever addressed the question of stormwater runoff from farms such as Alt’s, the lower court’s ruling carries implications for tens of thousands of poultry and livestock farms nationwide. An appellate court decision upholding that ruling would make it even harder for the EPA to persist in imposing wide-scale federal permitting requirements on large animal farms. The agency’s voluntary dismissal of its appeal signals a desire to avoid a likely loss.
“EPA knows its effort to regulate perfectly well-run farms cannot withstand legal scrutiny, and the agency doesn’t quite know how to deal with that,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Apparently the agency would rather move on and continue pursuing its regulatory agenda farm to farm but not defend it in court.”
Both AFBF and the West Virginia Farm Bureau joined the suit on the side of Alt.
Stallman called the agency’s move “cynical and cowardly” and said Alt “should be proud of her environmental stewardship and her courage in standing up to EPA. She won an important court victory that will benefit many others, and we are proud to have supported her efforts.”
The EPA’s dispute with Alt began when the agency issued an order threatening her with $37,500 in fines per day unless she applied for a Clean Water Act permit for stormwater runoff from a non-production area of her farm. The agency cited no deficiencies in Alt’s farming practices but contended that stormwater containing even miniscule amounts of manure triggered Clean Water Act liability and permitting obligations.
Alt responded with a lawsuit challenging the order. Her complaint cited the long-standing Clean Water Act exemption of “agricultural stormwater discharges.” The EPA first attempted to back away from the fight about six months after Alt filed suit and just weeks before briefing was to begin. The agency withdrew its order and asked the court to dismiss the suit. The court refused, finding that EPA had not changed its legal position and that the Farm Bureau groups had an ongoing interest in resolving the validity of that position.
Governor Announces Administration Appointments Affecting Agriculture
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| Travis Hill |
Travis Hill, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, was recently named the Chief Operating Officer of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Previously reappointed as deputy secretary by Governor McAuliffe in January 2014 after serving in the same capacity under Governor McDonnell since July 2011, Travis helped to advance the integration of agriculture and forestry into Virginia’s economic development agenda, including the development of the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industry Development Fund (AFID). Travis worked with Virginia ABC and Virginia wineries, craft breweries and craft distilleries to promote growth in these industries and increase their use of Virginia grown products.
Prior to his appointment to the Administration, Travis worked eight years as an attorney in the Richmond office of Williams Mullen, representing a wide variety of clients before the Virginia General Assembly, the State Corporation Commission and other regulatory bodies, including Virginia ABC. Travis received both his BA and JD degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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| Carrie Hileman Chenery |
Carrie Hileman Chenery has been named Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.
Carrie most recently served as the Manager of Legislation & Policy for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Prior to that, she was a director of government affairs on the government relations team at the law firm Williams Mullen.
Carrie grew up on a family farm in Lexington, Virginia, and received her B.S. in Environmental Policy & Planning and Agricultural & Applied Economics from Virginia Tech. She also served as Governor’s Fellow in the natural resources secretariat under Governor Kaine and is a graduate of the 2013 Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership Political Leaders Program at the University of Virginia.
Plows and Politics 