Breaking News: Expanded Livestock Protection Services Available in Eastern Virginia

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Beginning in August, farmers in eastern Virginia will have a new resource for protecting their animals from predation by coyotes and other predators.  The Virginia General Assembly increased funding for livestock protection activities, allowing state and federal agencies to add a livestock protection specialist position to a program that has been successful in western parts of the commonwealth.  Administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and USDA Wildlife Services, this program provided assistance to 150 livestock producers in 2012 who reported livestock losses, including 86 sheep farms, 61 cattle farms, and 3 goat farms.

Wildlife specialists assist livestock producers by providing information and training on husbandry practices and other non-lethal methods to help reduce predation, evaluating predator-killed livestock to identify the predator, and in some cases removing them locally. The program also conducted 17 educational programs during 2012 for livestock producers and the public about coyote ecology and coyote damage management. 

Livestock producers experiencing damage from predators should contact the USDA Wildlife Services Program at 804-739-7739 or 1-866-4USDA-WS (1-866-487-3297).

AFBF, 400 Others Call for House Immigration Reform

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The American Farm Bureau Federation and more than 400 leading U.S. businesses and advocacy organizations called on the House to enact immigration reform legislation. The letter, sent today, was signed by a broad cross section of industries that includes agriculture, housing, retail, tourism, hospitality, technology, engineering, manufacturing, finance, venture capital, consumer electronics and others with a combined presence in every state in the United States.
The letter and all the groups signing on can be found at: http://bit.ly/18OVlYP.
Following is the text of the letter that was sent to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi:

 “The undersigned organizations urge the United States Congress to enact legislation that would bring meaningful reforms to critical components of our nation’s immigration system. Reform of an outdated, broken immigration system is essential if we are to achieve a fully revitalized economy that provides rewarding and lasting jobs and opportunities for all Americans.

“Thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum agree that enacting immigration reform now will accelerate U.S. economic growth at a critical time when it has struggled to recover, and will help to enable sustained growth for decades to come. Done right, reform will also serve to protect and complement our U.S. workforce, generating greater productivity and economic activity that will lead to new innovations, products, businesses and jobs in communities across the U.S.
“We deal with an immigration system that is now in its third decade and completely incapable of being responsive to an ever-changing national economy and hypercompetitive global marketplace. Today, the problems with our immigration system have grown and multiplied to become an emerging threat to the current and future productivity, ingenuity and competitiveness of key sectors of our economy, including agriculture, housing, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tourism, engineering and technology.
“We are united in the belief that we can and must do better for our economy and country by modernizing our immigration system. We already have been engaged with many members of Congress—Republicans and Democrats—on numerous components of a modern immigration system, and we urge that you not let this momentum slip and progress vanish.

“Failure to act is not an option. We can’t afford to be content and watch a generation-old immigration system work more and more against our overall national interest.  Instead, we urge Congress to remain mindful of the clear benefits to our economy if we succeed, and work together and with us to achieve real, pro-growth immigration reform.”

New Bill Protects Farmers’ Personal Information

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Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced the Farmer Identity Protection Act, legislation that would protect farmers and ranchers by prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from disclosing their private and confidential information to the public.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the personal and private information of many livestock and poultry owners from across the nation. Sensitive information including names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the farmers and ranchers, their spouses, and employees on these farms or ranches was made available to the public.
Donnelly said, “I am proud to join Senator Grassley in introducing legislation that would protect livestock and poultry farmers from having their personal information released by the EPA.  It is unacceptable that earlier this year, the EPA released the personal contact information of over 80,000 livestock and poultry owners from across the nation, including many from Indiana. This blatant violation of privacy must not happen again, which is why I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this common sense legislation.”
Grassley said, “Transparency is good for accountability, but putting the personal information of tens of thousands of farmers in the hands of environmental activists makes no sense.  It’s par for the course at the EPA, and by the looks of the agency’s response, they aren’t going to end this reckless behavior.  It’s time for Congress to step in and fix the problem.”
While the EPA has attempted to correct the error, this bill would provide clear protections moving forward for farmers and ranchers across the country.  It would limit the EPA to disclosing information about farming operations only when all personally identifiable information is removed to prevent the identification of farmers and ranchers and their families and employees.

Farm Bureau and several other farm and agricultural organizations recently sent a letter to Grassley expressing support for the legislation. 

Comment on Newest Version of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement

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The Chesapeake Bay Program has accomplished a great deal since the signing of the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement in 1983, but there is still much left to be done. Three decades later, Bay Program partners are working to guide the continued evolution of the Bay ecosystem restoration and stewardship effort with the creation of a new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

This new plan for collaboration across the Bay’s political boundaries will clarify our vision, mission and values and establish shared goals and outcomes for the protection, restoration and stewardship of the Bay, its tributaries and the lands that surround them. The agreement, now being drafted, is intended to encourage a forward-looking approach to conservation and restoration, focusing on immediate results and recognizing our long-term effort must be sustained by and for future generations.
Current version of the agreement, abridged for early stakeholder input: Draft Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement (pdf)
Provide Feedback:
Bay Program partners welcome stakeholder input between July 10 and August 15, 2013, on an abridged version of the Agreement, which includes our best thinking to date on how to create this new voluntary partnership plan.
Interested parties can offer input in two ways:
Submitting an online comment here(up to 750 words)
Submitting an email to: agreement@chesapeakebay.net

Please note: all comments, emails and letters submitted to the Bay Program in regards to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement will be posted on this webpage.

Southern States will Close Some Retail Stores

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From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: 
By Randy Hallman

Focusing on its agriculture industry and wholesale business, Southern States Cooperative Inc. will close or consolidate about two dozen of its 1,244 retail stores in 17 states by the end of this month.
Only one of the company’s nearly 100 Virginia locations will be affected. A Southern States operation in Tappahannock will continue its industrial and wholesale services for farmers but will close its retail showroom.
The change will mean that three of the store’s 15 employees will be laid off, said Steve Patterson, Southern States vice president of marketing and communications.

Companywide, the closings will result in about 120 layoffs, he said.
Patterson said the store closings, most of which will be in northern Georgia and northern Alabama, will “free up some capital to serve our core customers.”
Southern States, based in western Henrico County, had the equivalent of 594 full-time employees as of Jan. 1.

In the Richmond area, the company has stores at 8718 W. Broad St. in western Henrico, 1200 Alverser Drive in Chesterfield County, 3119 Williamsburg Road in eastern Henrico and 1961 Sandy Hook Road in Goochland County.

The company supplies the independently owned Ashland Feed store and has a fuel service center at 11023 Washington Highway in Hanover County.
Southern States announced the changes Monday. A release said the company has established an agronomy business unit “to better serve the needs of core agricultural customers.”
Tom Scribner, Southern States’ president and CEO, said the changes are a growth strategy enabling the company “to be more streamlined and efficient from sourcing products to application in our farmers’ fields.”
Patterson said the company plans to add retail stores “in better locations.” He said the new stores will serve rural customers in high-growth markets, rather than urban and suburban locations.
A year ago, the company laid off about 150 workers companywide. Those job cuts included seasonal and part-time workers as well as employees in the corporate offices and stores.
Southern States has about 200,000 members and offers a range of products and services to help farmers.
One of the nation’s largest agriculture cooperatives, the company sells fertilizer, seed, feed, livestock and pet feed and other items for the farm and home. The company also offers farm equipment and crop-management services.

From the Field: How I Spent My Summer "Farmcation"

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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.

What is a “farmcation” you may ask?  Well, for some of us, it is taking in some type of agriculture while on vacation.  My family and I went to Florida last week for our vacation.  We drove.  It’s too expensive to fly a family of four, and I don’t mind driving.  We spent two days at Disney World and six days at the beach.  Our beach destination, Sanibel, was three hours southwest of Disney World. 
On the way to the beach, we stopped to see my friend from Florida Farm Bureau who lives in southwest Florida.  He also happens to be a District Field Services Director like myself. 

One comment before describing the farmcation:  Disney has the logistics of moving lots of people in the most efficient manner down to a science.  My wife had an app on her phone that even reported wait times at rides and best times to check back at certain rides.  That app worked great.  We didn’t have to wait for many rides or shows at all.  It was impressive.  I thought of Temple Grandin as we made our way through the lines and on to trams.

O.K.  Back to the rest of the story.  My farmcation mainly involved driving through the rural parts of the state and taking pictures and paying particular attention to what was growing or grazing on either side of the roads.  There are definitely rural areas.  On one piece of road that I was on, there wasn’t a convenience store, gas station or hardly a house to be seen for quite a while.  This was actually the best part.  It was just big pastures and cattle for as far as the eye could see scattered with Palm and Live Oak trees; such a beautiful sight. 

I especially enjoyed the drive from Kissimmee to Ft. Myers.  This was major citrus and cattle country.  In fact, the further south I drove, the larger the cattle herds.  The pastures were huge.  Most of the cattle, as to be expected, had Brahman influence for the heat and insect tolerance.  The cattle were grazing in the middle of the afternoon thanks to that Brahman influence. 

Florida cattle used to be known years ago as being a Heinz 57 mix of about every breed under the sun.  Today, Florida cattle enjoy a good reputation in the beef cattle industry as the ranches have really improved their genetics and health programs.  The most prominent breeds are Angus, Brangus, Braford, Charolais, and SimAngus.  Florida is the 10th largest state in the USA for beef cows. 

I also noticed in the southwestern part of the state that there were a fair amount of melon and blueberry growers.  I always thought of blueberry production mainly in the mid-Atlantic to northern states, like Michigan.  But blueberry production in Florida seemed pretty big.  Of course the orange and grapefruit trees were plentiful. 
On our way back home, in the central area of Florida from about Ocala to Jacksonville, the main types of agriculture were produce, cattle and horses.  In the Ocala area, there are some very impressive horse farms with big barns.  I saw so many horses, I thought I was in Lexington, Kentucky instead of Florida.  There were lots of black board fences, manicured pastures, and nice barns. 

My family and I enjoyed Disney World and our “farmcation,” but, just like Dorothy says, there’s no place like home.
Until next time,

Mark

Electric Cooperatives Sponsor Farm Efficiency Workshop on July 31

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The cost of operating a farm ― from the fuel used to run equipment, to the expense of purchasing seed and fertilizer, to the time required to feed and care for livestock ― has never left much room for error. Coupled with variable prices for agricultural products, it’s no wonder many agricultural producers may end up seeking a secondary source of income.
Now, a series of workshops being sponsored by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), a not-for-profit power supplier to 11 member-owned electric distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, is offering farmers real-world information on new and emerging technologies available for more energy efficient operations and how to make use of current government programs and lower their energy bills.
The next Farm Efficiency Workshop will be held July 31 at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center (TAREC) in Suffolk, Virginia. Speakers include:
  • Dr. Maria Papadakis, a Professor of Integrated Science & Technology at James Madison University
  • Dr. Jay Harmon, a Professor & Extension Ag. Engineer at Iowa State University
  • Stephen Versen with the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
  • Josh Ludgate of Exact Energy.

David Faulkner and Laurette Tucker with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRSC) will also prepare attendees for undergoing an NRCS audit that can make them eligible for federal grant funding to implement efficiency projects.
“This workshop is designed to help Virginia’s farmers, many whom live in rural areas served by electric cooperatives, learn about resources that will help them upgrade their farm’s overall energy efficiency,” said Erin Puryear, Manager of Member Services and Energy Innovation Planning for ODEC.

The free workshop will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with lunch provided. To register, call Deborah A. B. Estienne at (757) 657-6450, ext. 402 or email debritt@vt.edu by July 29, 2013.

Breaking News: House Passes Farm Bill

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House Republicans successfully passed a Farm Bill Thursday by splitting apart funding for food stamps from federal agricultural policy.
Lawmakers voted 216 to 208 make changes to federal agricultural policy and conservation programs and end direct subsidy payments to farmers. But the measure says nothing about funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, which historically constitutes about 80 percent of the funding in a Farm Bill.
The American Farm Bureau Federation Board voted unanimously Wednesday to reaffirm the position taken two days ago to oppose splitting the nutrition title of the bill from the remainder of the Farm Bill.
AFBF President Bob Stallman has released the following statement:
“The American Farm Bureau Federation looks forward to moving ahead with fundamental farm policy legislation, following House passage today of H.R. 2642. While we don’t yet know what the next steps will be, we will be working with both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress to ensure passage of a new five-year farm bill.
“While we were hopeful the farm bill would not be split, nor permanent law repealed, we will now focus our efforts on working with lawmakers to deliver a farm bill to the president’s desk for his signature by September.”

Application Period Opening for Planning Grants from Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund Announced

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Applications are now being accepted for the Fiscal Year 2014 round of planning grants from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID).  The program, which encourages local governments to promote agriculture and forestry and incorporate the needs of these important industries into their economic development planning efforts, is part of the governor’s jobs-creation and economic development agenda.
“Over the course of my Administration, I have encouraged local governments to join me in focusing on creating jobs and opportunities for all Virginians,” said Governor McDonnell.  “Since agriculture and forestry are two of the Commonwealth’s largest industries and provide hundreds of thousands of jobs across the state, it is important that we support local and regional governments in their efforts to make these industries part of local governments’ plans for economic growth and prosperity.”
The competitive grant program allows individual localities to apply for up to $20,000 in matching funds, or up to $35,000 for multi-jurisdictional applications, to undertake efforts that support agriculture and forestry-based businesses.  These efforts might include developing a strategic plan for agriculture and forestry economic development, creating new local policies and zoning ordinances that better support these industries, or funding feasibility studies and predevelopment work for new facilities that bring significant and lasting benefits to the local agriculture and forestry sectors.

“We hoped the flexible funding the AFID planning grants program offers would generate a variety of innovative and thoughtful projects supporting the interests of the agriculture and forestry sectors, and we have not been disappointed.” said Todd Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry.  “The eleven projects awarded funding in the last round of AFID planning grants are helping to facilitate new ideas and plans for productive economic development opportunities within the Commonwealth’s diverse agricultural and forestry industries.  We expect the same quality of applications in this round, as well.”

Applications for the FY 2014 round of funding are due September 16, 2013, with award announcements expected in October.  Two virtual application workshops will be held.  The first workshop will be on July 30, and the second on August 21.  Both will be from 10 – 11 a.m.  Localities interested in applying for an AFID planning grant should first reach out to their local and/or regional agricultural and forestry community to discuss potential projects, as well as local economic development professionals and other key stakeholders.  A two-page program description and the required grant application are available at: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agribusiness/planning.shtml. 

For additional information about the program and the application workshops, e-mail Stephen Versen, AFID program contact at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) at stephen.versen@vdacs.virginia.gov.  

Breaking News: Farm Bureau Producer Members Invited to 2013 Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum

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Terry McAuliffe (D) and Ken Cuccinelli (R) will participate in the 2013
Agriculture and Forestry Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum Aug. 2.

Virginia Farm Bureau Producer Members are Invited to:


The 2013 Agriculture and Forestry Gubernatorial Candidates’ Forum

Hosted by the Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmers

When: Friday, August 2nd, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Wytheville Community College
1000 E. Main Street, Wytheville, Grayson Hall- Snyder Auditorium

The Forum is Sponsored by:
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia Agribusiness Council, Virginia Forest Products Association, and Virginia Forestry Association

There will be viewings of the forum (if enough people RSVP) at community colleges around the state, including:

Eastern Shore- Main Building, Room A44
Southside- Alberta
Lord Fairfax- Warrenton (tentative)
Rappahannock- Essex (tentative)
J. Sargeant Reynolds- Goochland (tentative)

Schedule for Wytheville Location:
1:30 to 2:00 PM                Registration
2:00 to 2:30 PM                Meet and Greet with Terry McAuliffe
2:30 to 2:35 PM                Welcome and Introduction of Terry McAuliffe
2:35 to 3:15 PM                Questions for Terry McAuliffe
3:15 to 3:45 PM                Intermission
3:45 to 4:15 PM                Meet and Greet with Cuccinelli
4:15 PM to 4:20 PM         Welcome and Introduction of Ken Cuccinelli
4:20 PM to 5:00 PM                Questions for Ken Cuccinelli

Directions: Wytheville Community College is located approximately one mile off Interstate 81 in Wytheville. Park in Lots B and C. Lot D is available for handicapped parking.

From the East(Roanoke): Take Interstate 81 South to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right.

From the West(Abingdon): Take Interstate 81 North to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right.

From the North(Bland): Take Interstate 77 South to Interstate 81 North. Take Exit 73
(Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right.

From the South(Galax): Take Interstate 77 North to Interstate 81 South. Follow I-81 for about 9 miles to Exit 73 (Wytheville). Follow Main Street approximately one mile. The WCC campus is on the right.

Schedule for Community College Locations:
2:00 to 2:30 PM                Registration
2:30 to 2:35 PM                Welcome and Introduction of Terry McAuliffe
2:35 to 3:15 PM                Questions for Terry McAuliffe
3:15 to 4:15 PM                Intermission and Local Networking
4:15 PM to 4:20 PM         Welcome and Introduction of Ken Cuccinelli
4:15 to 5:00 PM                Questions for Ken Cuccinelli

PLEASE RSVP:

RSVP: If you are a Virginia Farm Bureau Producer member and would like to attend the forum in Wytheville or one of the college locations by Friday, July 26. Contact Kelly Pruitt at kelly.pruitt@vafb.com or 804-290-1293 with your membership number. 


Also, if you have a question you’d like to ask the candidates, please leave it by posting a comment below.