New GMO Labeling Bill Launches National Conversation

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Farmers have welcomed the introduction of the bipartisan Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 4432), which will make it clear that the Food and Drug Administration is the nation’s foremost authority on the use and labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients.  The legislation will provide a federal solution to protect consumers from a confusing patchwork of 50-state GMO labeling policies, and the misinformation and high food costs that would come with them. 

“The diversity of innovative options farmers have in regard to how they grow our food is one of the reasons U.S. consumers enjoy a wide variety of foods that are also among the most affordable in the world,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said in a statement.  “Farm Bureau supports all production practices – and common sense, science-based regulations – that ensure consumers are receiving safe and healthy food. But we will stand adamantly opposed to those who want to take tools and technologies away from America’s farmers and affordable choices away from consumers.”

The GMO labeling ballot initiatives and legislative efforts that many state lawmakers and voters are facing are geared toward making people wrongly fear what they’re eating and feeding their children, despite the fact that every credible U.S. and international food safety authority that has studied GMO crops has found that they are safe and that there are no health effects associated with their use.

In addition, much of the activity at the state level undermines the public’s understanding of the many benefits of biotechnology.  GMO crops use less water and pesticides, reduce the price of crops by as much as 30 percent and are key to feeding a growing world population of 7 billion people.

The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act protects consumers on two fronts.  First, it requires FDA to conduct a safety review of all new GMO traits well before they’re available on supermarket shelves and empowers the agency to mandate the labeling of GMO food ingredients if the agency determines there is a health, safety or nutrition issue with a new GMO technology. 

Second, it will ensure farmers have access to the technology they need to provide consumers with the variety of food options and price points they expect, and need.  This legislation will ensure food safety is the leading driver of a national labeling policy, while maintaining the affordability of the U.S. food supply. 

The bill would not prevent companies from voluntarily labeling their products for the absence or presence of GMO ingredients, but would instead direct FDA to establish federal standards for those voluntary labels. 

In his statement, Stallman noted farmers’ and ranchers’ appreciation for the bipartisan leadership of the bills’ sponsors, Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.)

“With the introduction of this legislation and the leadership of the bill’s sponsors, Farm Bureau looks forward to a national-level discussion that will affirm FDA’s role in assuring consumers about GMO safety and reduce the confusion that would result from a patchwork of state labeling initiatives,” Stallman said. 

For more information about the importance of biotechnology in agriculture, or to urge your congressional representative to support The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, please see the FBAct Insider’s biotechnology section, http://www.fbactinsider.org/issues/biotechnology-and-the-farm.

Join Farm Bureau and USFRA for a Screening of ‘Farmland’

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https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/M3Nhs7of64c&source=uds

Join Virginia Farm Bureau and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance for a screening of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Moll’s new feature length documentary, Farmland, May 1 at the Regal MacArthur Center Stadium at 7 p.m.

Through this film from Award-Winning Director, James Moll, you’ll step inside the world of farming for a first-hand glimpse into the lives of young farmers and ranchers, learn about their high-risk/high-reward jobs and passion for a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation, yet continues to evolve.

“In Farmland, audiences will hear thoughts and opinions about agriculture, but not from me, and not from a narrator,” Moll says about his film. “They’re from the mouths of the farmers and ranchers themselves.”

From the FARMLAND film site:
Most Americans have never stepped foot on a farm or ranch or even talked to the people who grow and raise the food we eat. Farmland will take an intimate look at the lives of farmers and ranchers in their ’20’s, all of whom are now responsible for running their farming business.

Visit www.FarmlandFilm.com for additional information about the film and to watch the trailer. 

Farmland was produced by Moll’s Allentown Productions, with generous support from the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance®(USFRA®).

For more information on attending the screening, contact Kathy Dixon in the VFB Communications Department at 804-290-1137 or kathy.dixon@vafb.com. 

From the Field: Making Congressional Connections

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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.

Congressman Robert Hurt met with constituents in the 5th district this week. He has a large area to cover as the 5th congressional district stretches from the North Carolina and Virginia state line to Warrenton and is almost the size of Massachusetts. Scott Leake, director of outreach and coalitions from the Charlottesville district office, also attended and has attended numerous Farm Bureau meetings in the past.
The meetings with farmers were in Charlottesville and Fork Union. On Tuesday afternoon, Congressman Hurt met with several farmers and members of the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee in Charlottesville. The second meeting was in Fork Union at the Fluvanna County Farm Bureau office at 7:30am on Wednesday. It was attended by several Farm Bureau producer members. 

At both meetings, Congressman Hurt provided an update on happenings at the federal level and the constant battle to reign in government agencies from overreaching their authority. He also expressed strong concern about the annual deficits and the national debt which is now over $17 trillion and noted that the debt is a national security issue.
The people that attended were offered an opportunity to make comments and ask questions. The common theme of questions and comments from both meetings was about the overreach of federal government agencies and the burden of those agencies, not just on agriculture and forestry, but everyone.
EPA was mentioned because of their recent proposed rule to deem all waters, not just navigable, under their jurisdiction. Congressman Hurt acknowledged that EPA has far exceeded its authority and operates in an intimidating fashion. He added that this expansion of power by governmental agencies has been allowed to happen over the past 50 years under Democrat and Republican presidents and Congresses, but it needs to get back to where the Congress elected by the people dictate to the agencies not the agencies writing their own laws.
On a positive note, Congressman Hurt and Scott Leake were very proud of the FFA chapters in the district. Nelson County has had national winning teams at competitions for several years. Fluvanna implemented a horticulture class in 2013, built a greenhouse and established an FFA chapter. Both of these FFAs have benefited from significant support from the county Farm Bureaus.
The roundtable meetings were beneficial to both farmers and Congressman Hurt. If there is ever an opportunity for you to meet with your congressman or senator in your area, try to go. Their schedules are very busy and you don’t have to travel to Washington D.C. All of these legislators have district offices and many of those people, like Scott Leake, are in tune with what is going on in the counties within the district and are accessible. So if you can’t meet or speak with your legislator directly, the district offices are a great option.
Until next time,
Mark

Governor Names New State Forester

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On Friday, Gov. McAuliffe announced Bettina K. Ring as the new State Forester of Virginia.

She most recently served as Senior Vice President of Family Forests at the American Forest Foundation where she was responsible for overseeing the American Tree Farm System®, the largest and oldest sustainable woodland program in America, supporting more than 80,000 family forest owners collectively managing 27 million acres of certified woodlands. 
Ring has a long history in the conservation and forestry sectors, having spent 14 years at the Virginia Department of Forestry, departing the agency in 2001 as Deputy State Forester.  In her role, Ring was responsible for operations, and helped to develop and implement a new mission, vision and strategic plan for the department. 
In the years following her Department of Forestry service, Ring held various leadership positions within nonprofit organizations focusing on natural resources management and conservation, including the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts, The Wilderness Land Trust and the Bay Area Open Space Council. 

She holds a Bachelors degree in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Tech and a Masters degree in Business Administration from James Madison University.

Breaking News: Virginia Farm Bureau Responds to AG brief in AFBF Bay Litigation

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We heard earlier this week that VA Attorney General Herring filed an amicus “Friend of the Court” brief in the AFBF appeal of decision in their litigation against EPA regarding the Chesapeake Bay.  The Pennsylvania US district court ruled that EPA did not require authority from Congress to act on environmental issues.  We believe that is the exact opposite of our fundamental rules of government; EPA only has the authority expressly granted from Congress. 
As you may have heard 21 Attorneys General from across the US have filed a similar brief on behalf of AFBF’s position. This action was inevitable in order to counter that brief especially since the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has intervened in the case.
This is a setback but hopefully not fatal to the appeal.
Below is a statement from Virginia Farm Bureau Federation President Wayne F. Pryor that has been sent to various media and newspapers across the state: 

“Like most Virginians, the commonwealth’s farmers support and see the tremendous value of a productive and healthy Chesapeake Bay. We simply disagree about the role of the federal government, specifically the Environmental Protection Agency, in maintaining the progress we have made and further improvements we all desire.
It is surprising that Attorney General Herring would defend an EPA action that undeniably ties states’ hands and restricts their authority to make their own local land use and development decisions. The pending American Farm Bureau Federation appeal of a federal district court lawsuit does not challenge Virginia’s own cleanup plan or Virginia’s ability to work collaboratively with other bay watershed states and with the EPA to clean up the bay. What it does challenge is the EPA’s edict that Virginia and the other bay states cannot change their cleanup plans without EPA approval. As Rep. Bob Goodlatte noted in the April 11 article “Herring supports federal plan to clean up Chesapeake Bay,” no state should have to say, “Mother, may I?” to make its own land use and water quality decisions.
Fortunately, 21 other state attorneys general recognize this EPA power grab for what it is and have challenged it. If or when the commonwealth of Virginia decides it wants to pursue the bay cleanup in a manner contrary to EPA’s wishes—perhaps in a way that will lower its $15 billion dollar price tag for citizens—the commonwealth will thank the American Farm Bureau for preserving its ability to do so.

On behalf of farmers across Virginia, I call upon Attorney General Herring to work directly with us to continue our progress toward conservation goals for the Chesapeake Bay.”

NPR Story Reports More Urban and Suburban Kids Joining FFA

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Below is a story NPR ran a story this morning on the increase in urban and suburban kids’ interest in joining FFA.

No Plows, Cows, Sows: Not Your (Grand)Father’s Youth Farm Group
by Luke Runyon
A record number of kids are donning the blue corduroy jacket of FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America. The jacket is an icon of rural life — the organization is sort of like Boy Scouts for farming, and it dates back to the 1920s.
Even though fewer and fewer young people grow up on farms these days, the extracurricular activity is attracting more urban and suburban kids interested in food and agricultural science.
Eighteen-year-old Reece Melton unlatches the fence leading into a muddy pen at the St. Vrain Valley School District’s working farm in Longmont, Colo., near Denver.
“You wouldn’t think there’s a livestock facility back behind here,” Melton says. He’s president of the district’s FFA chapter, and takes care of the farm’s cows, goats and pigs during school hours.

From 2007 to 2012, the U.S. lost almost 100,000 farms, according to recent census data. During the same period, FFA enrolled an additional 60,000 students, and opened new chapters, bringing the organization to its highest number of students in its almost century-old history, just shy of 580,000.
That’s a lot of blue corduroy jackets.
Unlike FFA members of the past, Melton didn’t grow up on a farm. His parents did. And that’s the norm for the 60 other students in his chapter.
“We’re in an urban area, so most of our members do not grow up on property, though they still have that connection to agriculture,” he says.
But because most millennials are several generations removed from the farm, the school district is going to great lengths to make agriculture appeal to more students.
Lauren Hart, the district’s FFA adviser and an agriculture instructor, says in her eight years of teaching, she has noticed a shift. A greater number of students are interested in organic farming methods, grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs. And Hart says she can’t just ignore what students want to learn about.
“The interest and the ability both of students going into production agriculture is declining,” she says. “It’s just not something that a high school student either wants to or believes they can get into.”
That’s why Hart reaches into areas you wouldn’t typically associate with farming — law, public policy, entrepreneurship and bookkeeping. And that’s something that doesn’t always sit well with a few students’ parents who hail from farm country.
They say, ” ‘When are you going to have my student on a tractor?’ ” Hart says. “Well, never.”
FFA’s CEO, Dwight Armstrong, says programs like Hart’s are taking off. And the changing focus appears to be working. Suburban and inner-city chapters in places like Chicago, Philadelphia and New York are some of the fastest-growing in the country.
“The perception is that FFA is plows, cows and sows,” Armstrong says. “Now we talk about not vocational agriculture but the science of agriculture and the science of food.”
And reframing agriculture into food science begins to point students on more stable career paths, he says — something that couldn’t be said during the 1980s farm crisis. That’s when enrollment numbers slumped, the name went from Future Farmers to FFA, and the group’s survival mode mantra became “adapt or die.”
Back at the school farm in Longmont, Melton and his classmate are planning a coop for a flock of fast-growing chickens. Both have the iconic FFA blue corduroy jackets hanging in their closets at home.
At first, Melton says, he griped about wearing it. “It’s definitely not the most stylish outfit,” he says. “But it’s something that’s more relative to tradition.”
It’s the one tradition that’s held on while everything around it changed.

State Veterinarian Encourages Livestock Show Managers and Exhibitors to Observe Strict Biosecurity

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Dr. Richard Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), announced today that Virginia has just received laboratory confirmation of its first case of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea  (PED) In light of this case, which coincides with the beginning of the exhibit season for 4-H members, FFA students and other livestock exhibitors, Dr. Wilkes says strict biosecurity is the most effective and most practical way to prevent the spread of PED and many other livestock and poultry diseases. 
Wilkes encourages every person involved in showing livestock to enhance their biosecurity efforts. “We always urge livestock owners who show animals and managers of show and exhibition facilities to keep biosecurity uppermost in their minds,” Wilkes said, “but with swine, it is even more important now that Virginia has experienced its first case of PED. Good biosecurity can help keep the disease from spreading.”
Anytime animals are co-mingled at events, there is a risk they may be exposed to an infectious disease agent. Some states have cancelled pre-show weigh-ins or other animal commingling events to try to prevent PED infection of swine. Virginia show managers may want to consider voluntarily cancelling some of the higher risk activities. 

The PED virus is highly contagious, and commonly spreads through pig manure. Consuming pork continues to be safe and the disease does not affect humans, but is often deadly to piglets. Practicing and implementing sound biosecurity measures is critical in keeping the state’s animals disease free and marketable.
Equine Herpes Virus is another highly contagious disease that has caused disease and death at multiple equine events across the country recently.
Wilkes says that good biosecurity and advance planning will reduce the chances of spreading an infectious disease by people, animals, shoes and clothing or equipment. Show managers should have a proper biosecurity plan ready to execute in the event that an animal disease is introduced at a major stock show or event.
VDACS offers the following guidelines to help minimize risk at events where animals co-mingle.  Note that these general recommendations also apply to diseases that can be spread between humans and animals
Biosecurity for animal exhibitors:
  • Consult your veterinarian to establish an appropriate vaccination program for your livestock prior to attending an event.
  • Before stalling your animal at an event, make sure the stall has been cleaned and disinfected and use clean, fresh bedding.
  • Minimize direct contact with other animals.
  • Use your own water and feed buckets. Avoid letting your animal(s) drink from a communal water trough. Fill water buckets from a faucet, not a shared tank.
  • For equines, do not share grooming equipment or tack. If you must, then wash and disinfect it before returning to your own animal(s).
  • Wash your hands thoroughly after handling other animals to minimize the risk of transferring a disease back to your animal.
  • Before returning home from an event, clean and disinfect your equipment (boots, tack, grooming supplies, buckets, etc.) to help reduce the risk of transporting an infectious agent back home.
  • Isolate your returning animal(s) for 2 weeks or prevent contact with your other animals and watch for signs of illness in all of your animals.
  • When you come home from a fair/exhibition be sure to disinfect your trailer.
  • Consult your veterinarian concerning these and other steps you can follow which may reduce the risk of your animal acquiring an infectious disease while traveling.

Biosecurity for event organizers:
  • Minimize contact between animals where possible.
  • Minimize spread by human hands (limit public access, provide hand sanitizer, establish restricted areas in front of stalls and trailers, post hand-washing signs).
  • Minimize spread by shared tack (post signs advising participants not to share equipment).
  • Where practical, provide solid, high-walled stalls to minimize spread of infectious nasal droplets.
  • Biosecurity when visiting an animal exhibit such as a fair or petting zoo:
  • Locate hand-washing stations and use them often. Always wash your hands after petting animals or touching the animal enclosure, especially before eating and drinking.
  • Use running water and soap whenever possible. Use hand gels if running water and soap are not available.
  • Keep food and drinks out of animal areas.
  • Never allow children to put their hands or objects such as pacifiers in their mouths while interacting with animals. 

“Livestock exhibitions are an enriching and rewarding experience for our youth,” said Dr. Wilkes. “Implementing simple biosecurity measures to prevent disease spread and having an established plan of action to address disease outbreaks if they occur protects that experience for exhibitors and event managers alike.” 
For more information about biosecurity measures and plans, contact the State Veterinarian’s Office at 804.692.0601 or your local Office of Veterinary Services at the Regional Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in your area. See the Laboratory Services section at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/about/directory-ais.shtml.

For more information on PEDV biosecurity, see aasv.org/aasv%20website/Resources/Diseases/PED/PEDVBiosecurity.pdfand pork.org/filelibrary/RecommendExhibitor.pdf.     

Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding EPA’s Proposed ‘Waters’ Rule

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Bob Stallman
AFBF President
“Last week, the American Farm Bureau Federation carefully reviewed EPA’s March 25 release of the ‘waters of the U.S.’ proposed rule. The results of our review are dismaying.
“The EPA proposal poses a serious threat to farmers, ranchers and other landowners. Under EPA’s proposed new rule, waters – even ditches – are regulated even if they are miles from the nearest ‘navigable’ waters. Indeed, so-called ‘waters’ are regulated even if they aren’t wet most of the time. EPA says its new rule will reduce uncertainty, and that much seems to be true: there isn’t much uncertainty if most every feature where water flows or stands after a rainfall is federally regulated.
“Under this proposed rule, farmers, ranchers and every other landowner across the countryside will face a tremendous new roadblock to ordinary land use activities. This is not just about the paperwork of getting a permit to farm, or even about having farming practices regulated. The fact is there is no legal right to a Clean Water Act permit – if farming or ranching activities need a permit, EPA or the Army Corps of Engineers can deny that permit. That’s why Clean Water Act jurisdiction over farmlands amounts to nothing less than federal veto power over a farmer’s ability to farm.

“EPA accompanied its proposal with a new ‘interpretive rule’ claiming to clarify certain statutory exemptions for agricultural conservation practices, including activities as commonplace and essential to farming as building a fence. But these exemptions apply only to ‘dredge and fill’ permit requirements. They do not protect farmers from federal veto power over pest and weed control, fertilizer application, and other essential farming activities that may result in the addition of ‘pollutants’ to ‘navigable waters,’ – providing one views every ditch and wet spot across the landscape as ‘navigable waters.’
“The American Farm Bureau Federation will dedicate itself to opposing this attempted end run around the limits set by Congress and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that Congress meant what it said: ‘navigable waters’ does not mean all waters. This proposed rule shows that EPA refuses to accept those limits.”