Multi-Legged Stool Best Approach for Farm Bill

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American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman testified Wednesday before the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management to reiterate AFBF’s priorities for the 2012 farm bill and suggest enhancements to the current farm bill and the Senate Agriculture Committee-passed farm bill.

Stallman’s testimony was based on the premise that the House Agriculture Committee will draft farm legislation that reduces spending by $23 billion over the next 10 years, with proportional cuts of $15 billion in commodity program reductions, $4 billion in conservation program reductions and $4 billion in nutrition program reductions. Stallman called for a Supplemental Coverage Option whereby row crop and specialty crop producers could purchase a county-level, revenue-protection policy on top of their individual crop insurance coverage to cover all or part of the farmer’s deductible. Also, restoring non-program crop disaster programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program, Livestock Forage Program and Tree Assistance Program would help those producers deal with catastrophic losses.

“Continuation of a multi-legged stool remains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net, which should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the current marketing loan provisions and a catastrophic revenue loss program,” said Stallman. The purpose of the hearing was to review commodity programs and crop insurance options for 2012 farm bill.” said Stallman

In its farm bill proposal, AFBF has prioritized (1) protecting and strengthening federal crop insurance funding and not reducing funding for that program; (2) developing a commodity title that encourages producers to follow market signals rather than making planting decisions in anticipation of government payments; and (3) refraining from basing any program on cost of production.

“These deep loss events that would endanger the financial survivability of the farm are typically beyond any producer’s control, and, in the past, have prompted enactment of ad hoc disaster programs,” Stallman said. “Our plan focuses on protecting farmers from these situations and brings program benefits into play only when they are needed, rather than being considered a supplemental source of annual income.”

The letter stated, “The renegotiation of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement resulted in a $6 billion reduction to the program, with $4 billion in savings applied to deficit reduction. We believe additional reductions would seriously affect producer access to crop insurance coverage and threaten efficient private-sector delivery following disasters.”

Earlier this week, Farm Bureau signed on to a letter urging the House to support the crop insurance program with most of the other commodity groups and farm organizations, including the American Soybean Association, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, National Sunflower Association, U.S. Canola Association and USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council.

USDA, land grant universities celebrate 150 years

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Photo by Ken Hammond

Abraham Lincoln signed the law to establish the U.S. Department of Agriculture 150 years ago this week. He called the new agency “The People’s Department.” That’s a fitting name for USDA because it affects every American every day in ways most people don’t realize.

 “The American Farm Bureau Federation congratulates Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and USDA on the department’s 150th anniversary. President Abraham Lincoln is known for many achievements during his lifetime, but a little known triumph of his—that affects all Americans—was the establishment of the United States Department of Agriculture 150 years ago today,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said.

USDA’s 100,000 employees plus are spread out all over the world and the work that they do runs the gamut from the most basic kind of research in how to approve crop production to ensuring that those who are less fortunate have enough food on the table.

Here are a few facts about USDA:

  •  One in 7 Americans is now receiving some form of nutrition assistance through USDA’s programs to help get them through this downturn in the economy.
  • USDA serves breakfast and lunch to 32 million kids a day through the school lunch program, provides thousands of rural business loans each year and conducts research in renewable energy to lessen our reliance on foreign oil.
  • Meat, poultry and a good part of the egg production in this country is inspected for safety and wholesomeness by the Food Safety Inspection Service. They also, through the Animal, Plant Health Inspection Service, protect against animal and plant diseases and pests.

“The research component is what has given the United States a comparative advantage throughout the world in terms of being able to meet the demands for a growing population on the food production side,” said Dale Moore, AFBF’s Deputy Executive Director of Public Policy who was a senior staff members at USDA for eight years “Not just in raising more crops or raising more pounds of livestock, but also to do that more economically in ways that can better deal with what Mother Nature may throw at a producer when they’re trying to raise those commodities.”

Moore continued, “USDA is literally the only federal agency that can build a town from the ground up. You take its rural development mission and all the different loans whether it’s water and sewer, power , other forms of energy, schools, churches, hospitals, the whole infrastructure part of the process as well as business and economic development. You’ve obviously got the farm program areas, the Farm Service Agency and when when you take into account the Extension agents, you take into account the conservation work, the Forest Service work, you’ve got an agency that literally has a presence in virtually every county in the United States.”

In the same year that USDA was created, Abraham Lincoln also signed another very important piece of legislation – The Morrill Act of 1862. This Act created our land grant universities. Virginia is very fortunate to have two land grant universities – Virginia Tech (established as a land grant in 1872) and Virginia State University (established as land grant in 1920).

The Morrill Act granted vast holdings of federal lands to states based on the size of their congressional delegations. The lands were to be sold to provide an endowment for the establishment of “at least one college where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as related to agriculture and the mechanic arts…in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.”

The rationale for the creation of land grant universities was to provide educational opportunities where members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. It was an educational system to emphasis emerging applied sciences – particularly agriculture science and engineering.

“Lincoln understood the importance of agriculture to America, and, as importantly, he realized science and technology played a major role in the farming industry,” Stallman said.  

Governor McDonnell Signs Agriculture and Forestry Development Legislation

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Gov. Bob McDonnell

 Governor Bob McDonnell signed agriculture and forestry development legislation passed during the recently concluded 2012 session of the General Assemblyat  Cave View Farm in Weyers Cave yesterday.  McDonnell was joined by members of the General Assembly, representatives from the agriculture and forestry industries as well as local economic development associations and chambers of commerce.

During the event he signed legislation establishing the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund which will function similar to the Governor’s Opportunity Fund. He also signed legislation adding the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry and the Secretary of Technology as voting members of the board of directors of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to increase coordination among economic development entities.

“All this great news emphasizes the importance of agriculture and forestry to Virginia; they are the state’s two largest industries. Together, they have a combined economic impact of $79 billion annually and provide more than 500,000 jobs across the state. But, we can do more to help spur more economic activity in agriculture and forestry. That is one reason we’ve created the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. This new economic development tool will help incentivize the creation or expansion of businesses that utilize Virginia agricultural and forestry products, thus providing more opportunities particularly in rural areas of the Commonwealth,” McDonnell said. “Recognizing the industries’ importance to Virginia’s overall economic well-being, we also asked the General Assembly to approve legislation that adds the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, along with the Secretary of Technology, to the board of directors of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership so that we can further capitalize on agribusiness and technology potential in Virginia – two important and growing industries in the Commonwealth. All of the legislation being signed today will further strengthen our agriculture and forestry industries, create greater coordination and promotion of the industries by Virginia, and help our growers and producers thrive in the Commonwealth. And all of that means more jobs for our citizens.”

Cave View Farm is a 2,000 acre dairy and crop farm, with 1,100 cows and the highest silo in Virginia, which stands 148 feet high. In 2010, Cave View Farm received the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s “Shenandoah Basin Clean Water Award.” Governor McDonnell first visited the farm as a candidate for governor in August 2009.

“Three years ago we came to this farm to discuss our vision for how to grow Virginia’s agricultural and forestry industries to help create more good paying jobs for our citizens. Today, we can point to the results of that work. Virginia agriculture exports reached an all-time high in 2011, as we exported a record $2.35 billion worth of products,” McDonnell said. “Working with the General Assembly, we’ve significantly increased international marketing funds to help us capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunities in countries like China and India and other key regions in the global marketplace. These efforts are helping our producers and agribusinesses achieve new successes. Since 2010, we’ve helped to facilitate deals that have added more than $150 million in new agricultural exports from Virginia, including major new shipments of soybeans and wine to China; livestock to Russia and Canada; and wine, seafood, and specialty foods to the European Union.”

Bills Signed Today

HB766 (Landes)/ SB128 (Stanley) – Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund
•Creates the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund

•The bill establishes an economic development grant and loan program targeted specifically at agricultural and forestry operations.

•Despite agriculture and forestry being the two largest industries in the Commonwealth, this legislation is the first to create an economic development incentive targeted specifically at these industries.

•AFID is structured much like the Governor’s Opportunity Fund, but is specifically designed to accommodate the unique aspects of agriculture and forestry projects.

•AFID will provide grants for projects that utilize Virginia grown products in value-added or processing facilities.

•These agriculture and forestry value-added or processing facilities can have tremendous impacts on the regions in which they locate.

•Areas where these facilities typically locate are rural with higher unemployment

•Agriculture is already a core economic driver in the area, so facilities of this kind can build on the region’s existing strength.

•These facilities have a greater economic ripple effect as a result of growers in the region having a new market in which to sell products.

•Farm revenue increases as a result of these facilities

•Jobs are created on the farm and in the facility

•Greater opportunities to increase farm profitability lead to more farmland preserved

•The entire region sees an economic benefit from revenue generated on the farms and at the facility

HB292 (Scott, Ed)/ SB405 (Hanger) – Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; increases membership of board of directors

•Adds the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry (SAF) and the Secretary of Technology (SOT) as voting members of the board of directors of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority

 •Legislation continues the Governor’s strategy to fully integrate agriculture and forestry, the two largest industries in Virginia, into the broader economic development and job creation efforts of Virginia.

•Having SOT on the VEDP board will bring insights regarding emerging technology markets and provide technical insight into the type of infrastructure necessary to support technology adoption.

•SAF membership on VEDP board indicates to prospective companies that agriculture and forestry interests are important parts of Virginia’s economic development efforts.

•As a VEDP board member, SAF will play an even greater role in shaping the programs and policies which will further investment and job creation in agribusiness and related sectors.

•Technology remains an economic engine in the Commonwealth and SOT’s presence on the VEDP board will provide valuable opportunities to leverage expansion/relocation activities in the IT sector into valuable job opportunities.

Animal agriculture advocates address public image challenges

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Lindasy Reames
Assistant Director
VFB Governmental Relations

I attended the Animal Agriculture Alliance Summit this past week in Arlington. The summit brought together around 200 agriculture leaders to address issues facing animal agriculture. This year the focus was on transparency in the industry and finding ways to show the general public and media what farmers do on their operations. It is a challenge to balance the needs of bio security and private property while opening up farms for tours and education. Below is an article done by agri-pulse on the conference.
Animal agriculture advocates address public image challenges
by Sarah Gonzalez
 Transparency and outreach are essential for animal agriculture to close the “communication gap” that exists between the industry and the general public, according to several speakers at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 11th annual Stakeholder Summit this week. Nearly two hundred animal agriculture representatives attended the summit in Arlington, Va., where Indiana Pork Executive Director Mike Platt described his organization’s approach to the communication problem.

Platt is president of the Fair Oaks Farms’ new “Pig Adventure” organizing board, which is implementing a 2,600 sow operation to be open for public tours. With a “Disney-like” engagement for its customers, Platt said the “Pig Adventure” will convey the main messages that pork farming is compatible with the environment, pork producers care about their animals and that pork is healthy. He said Fair Oaks Farms expects its first visitors to the sow operation by next year’s Memorial Day, which will be an addition to its existing dairy operation with similar public tours.

“Our goal is to bridge the divide between producer and consumer,” he said. “There is no one solution to the problems facing us in terms of consumer education, but there are 100 ‘one percent’ solutions out there.”

Platt said that his goal is to protect producer choice while being transparent about modern agricultural practices to farm visitors.

“If there’s a production practice that we are doing today we ought to be able to explain it,” he said. “If we can’t explain it, maybe we shouldn’t be doing it.”

He noted that pork operations in the United Kingdom no longer have a choice in how to maintain their operations due to a ban on gestation stalls directed by the European Union. The UK already eliminated gestation stalls, but they are to be phased out throughout the EU by 2013.

“We must protect and maintain producer choice in how to raise their animals, in the best way that’s right for their animals and their farms,” Platt said. “Their choice is critical. And that’s what being lost in the United Kingdom.”
Agralytica Senior Consultant Andre Williamson said his firm’s studies show that the UK ban on sow stalls would have a comparable impact in United States of $5.8 billion in capital costs and $1.1 billion in additional annual operating costs. These regulations drive down production and impact producer costs as well as consumer prices, Williamson said. He said feed lot regulations implemented in Colorado contributed to a 50 percent drop in the state’s hog production.

“Regulations have a negative affect on demand,” he said. “And the primary threat is to exports.”

However, consumers are becoming more vocal about agricultural practices, including animal housing, Williamson noted. National Grocers Association Government Affairs Vice President Greg Ferrara provided the retail perspective of the industry for the animal agriculture representatives at the conference. He noted that today’s consumer is more connected and informed than ever before.

“Today’s consumer is very informed,” he said. “In an era of instant communication, our consumer can get information instantly, whether it’s on a product or something that’s happened.”

This connectivity makes it essential for producers to be transparent and open about their practices, noted several speakers at the conference. A central theme of the meeting was “the need to bridge the urban-rural divide to help the average consumer understand today’s agricultural practices,” noted the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

Cause Matters Corp. founder Michele Payn-Knoper said producers are not the dominant voice of agriculture, noting that Michael Pollen, Jamie Oliver and other celebrity names are receiving the attention and serving as agriculture’s representatives for much of the public. She used the lean finely textured beef (LFTB), or “pink slime,” media spotlight as an example of failed communication between agriculture and the public.

“We have to do a better job responding to the media, this is where agriculture has consistently failed,” she said. “You may think you’re in the business of farming, but in reality, you’re in the court of public opinion.”

Meatingplace Executive Editor Janie Gabbett said the pork industry “has been really behind” on addressing the public attention on gestation stalls. Several restaurants, including McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, vowed to stop buying pork from operations housing sows in the confined stalls.

“The pork industry has really been behind on this story, but not necessarily been behind on the actions,” she said. “The pork industry knows housing has always been evolutionary.”
However, today’s headlines don’t recognize “the hard work the industry’s already doing,” she said. “Make sure that you can explain the science behind your practices,” Gabbett added while encouraging producers to be proactive and open to the media instead of defensive.

“Animal agriculture is less visible to a majority of population that lives in cities,” said Shawn Lawrence Otto, author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. “And anything invisible can become politicized.”

Otto spoke about the public’s understanding of science and the challenges that come from science’s relationship with politics.

“Part of problem with scientific communication is it’s hard to understand the invisible,” Otto said. Food production has an invisibility problem, he said, and practices that are invisible to the public often become emotional issues driven from belief.

He noted that science is expanding exponentially thanks to increased technology and global availability. Otto said some estimate that this growth may create as much knowledge in the next 40 years as in the last 400 years.

“Science increases freedom because it gives us choices and expands our power to choose,” he said. “With that efficiency comes a gap we have to fill with communication.”

With producers making up only two percent of the U.S. population, he said it is easy for people to lose understanding of the normal process of agriculture. Combating extremist views of agriculture means working against partisanship and providing public outreach, he noted, because a communication gap exists when people become disconnected from their food.

“The more we can do to reconnect people with the process, the more successful we can be,” he said while emphasizing the importance of reminding people about the science behind their food supply.

Workshop trains processors to meet requirements of federal and state food laws

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Photo by Meer

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) today announced a training workshop sponsored by the Food Science and Technology Department of Virginia Tech, along with Virginia Cooperative Extension. The course takes place May 21-22 and is designed for processors of acidified food products such as pickles. The course will take place in Room 132 of Virginia Tech’s Food Science and Technology Building, located at 22 Duck Pond Road Blacksburg, VA 24061. The registration fee for the course includes a student text book, training, lunch on both days and examinations. The cost is $250 per person and space is limited to 36 people.

Topics include Microbiology of Thermally Processed Foods, Acidified Foods, Food Container Handling, Equipment Instrumentation and Operation for Thermal Processing Systems, Principles of Food Plant Sanitation, Principles of Thermal Processing, Recordkeeping for Product Protection, and Container Closure Evaluation for Glass, Flexible and Semi-rigid Containers. Instructors will give examinations throughout the course and will grade them quickly so that students are aware of their progress.

Successful completion of the Better Process Control School certifies supervisors in the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 114, which states: “All plant personnel involved in acidification, pH control, heat treatment, or other critical factors of the operation shall be under the operating supervision of a person who has attended a school approved by the Commissioner [of Agriculture] for giving instruction in food handling techniques, food protection principles, personal hygiene, plant sanitation practices, pH controls, and Critical factors in acidification.”

“During the previous legislative session, several producers expressed an interest in having this training available,” said Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS Commissioner. “I am delighted that Virginia Tech is able to offer these courses at such a low cost. This will be a terrific benefit to those wanting to sell pickles or other acidified foods.”

Pre-registration and payment are required by May 14, 2012. A registration brochure is available by calling VDACS at 804.786.3520. For additional information, interested parties should contact Dr. Karleigh Bacon at 540.231.6806 or kbacon@vt.edu.

VSU announces new dean of school of agriculture

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Dr. Jewel E. Hairston

Dr. Jewel E. Hairston has been announced as Dean of the School of Agriculture for Virginia State University.

While serving as Interim Dean As Interim Dean of the VSU School of Agriculture, she has led the School’s efforts in developing the strategic vision and plan for the Extension and Research Divisions and the Academic Departments of Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences and Hospitality Management.

“Dr. Hariston has a talent of bridging the gap between academics and small and disadvantaged farmers.  In this role, it is very important to inspire researchers/professors while challenging their assumptions to develop practical information that can be used by farmers to increase their profitability,” said Martha Moore, vice president of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “ In serving on various committees or discussing ideas about what farmers need from land grant institutions, Virginia Farm Bureau finds Dr. Hairston as a partner willing to help.  It is this cooperation that will help VSU move forward as well as helping small and disadvantaged farmers move the agriculture industry forward.”


In July 2008,  Hairston was appointed associate administrator for programs with Cooperative Extension at VSU where she provided leadership for Extension programming efforts in agriculture, aquaculture, family and consumer sciences, and 4-H youth development. She has also served as an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University and a Marketing Teacher and Adult Education Coordinator in Roanoke. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Career and Technical Education and Master of Science degree in Education (both from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University).

“She is a highly respected professional among her peers throughout the nation, Dr. Hairston is a life-long member of our community who has served VSU’s stakeholders with distinction,” said Dr. W. Weldon Hill, provost and vice president for academic Affairs for VSU.

Breaking News: DOL withdraws proposed regulations on child ag labor

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Good news regarding child labor in agriculture:

The U.S. Department of Labor today issued the following statement regarding the withdrawal of a proposed rule dealing with children who work in agricultural vocations:

“The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations.

“As a result, the Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations.

“The decision to withdraw this rule – including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ – was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.

“Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders – such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H – to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

Governor McDonnell Announces New Virginia Wine Region Signs

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Governor Bob McDonnell has announced the unveiling of a new Virginia wine region sign program aimed at attracting more visitors to Virginia wineries. The signs will announce to travelers on selected primary and secondary roads that they have entered a particular Virginia American Viticultural Area (AVA) or wine region. The first phase of this program consists of seventeen signs in four Virginia AVAs and one well-known wine region.

Speaking about the new wine region signs, Governor McDonnell said, “In addition to having one of the fastest growing wine industries, the Commonwealth is blessed with some of the country’s most beautiful wineries and wine regions. The new signs will draw attention to the diverse wine regions and encourage travelers and tourists to see and taste what the Virginia wine industry has to offer.”

The first sign was unveiled earlier today in the Monticello AVA at King Family Vineyards in Crozet by First Lady Maureen McDonnell, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore, Interim Virginia Tourism Corporation Director Rita McClenny, and David King, co-owner of King Family Vineyards and a member of the Virginia Wine Board. As one of Virginia’s oldest AVA’s, Monticello is now home to 40 wineries. Throughout the spring and summer, signs will be placed at key points of entry in the Eastern Shore AVA, Northern Neck-George Washington Birthplace AVA, Shenandoah AVA and the Northern Virginia Wine Region.

The wine region sign program was funded by a grant from the federal Transportation Enhancement Program and matching funds from the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). The Office of the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry worked closely with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to design the signs and select locations that fit within the rules of the program and were best situated to promote the wine regions. The Virginia Wine Board will assist with any maintenance should a sign be damaged or destroyed. Based on grant fund availability, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry intend to expand the sign program to other AVAs and wine regions once the initial phase is completed.

“I want to thank Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton, CTB, VDOT, and the Virginia Wine Board for their assistance in making these wine region signs a reality,” said Secretary Haymore. “Cross secretariat cooperation is key to the Governor’s overall economic development and jobs creation agenda. This partnership, along with our on-going work with the Virginia Tourism Corporation, will help spur more growth and opportunities at wineries and their suppliers in rural areas throughout Virginia.”

An AVA is a designated wine grape growing region in the United States distinguishable by certain geographic features. Boundaries of AVA’s are defined by the United States Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) generally at the request of winery and vineyard owners. Virginia currently has six AVAs and another proposed AVA is currently being reviewed by the TTB.

Raising the profile of Virginia wines and wine tourism are key components of the governor’s economic development and jobs creation initiatives. The governor has promoted Virginia wines at the Virginia Executive Mansion and throughout Virginia, on other domestic business recruitment visits, and on international trade and marketing missions to India, Israel, Canada, and countries in Europe and Asia. First Lady McDonnell has incorporated wine and wine tourism promotions into her First Lady Initiative Team Effort or FLITE.

Virginia is home to more than 200 wineries and is fifth in the nation for wine grape production. A newly released economic impact study shows that Virginia’s wine industry contributes almost three-quarters of a billion dollars – or $747 million – annually to Virginia’s economy. Virginia wineries and vineyards support 4,800 jobs that provide $156 million total in wages.

Wine travel in Virginia has gained many recent accolades, including being named one of the ten best wine travel destinations in the world for 2012 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Last year, approximately 1.6 million people visited Virginia wineries. Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2010, tourism generated $19 billion in revenue, supported 204,000 jobs and provided $1.2 billion in state and local taxes.

Virginia Farm Bureau achieves nine out of 11 budget successes

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The General Assembly passed a budget on Wednesday, April 18. The next step is for the Governor to review the budget report and offer any amendments or veto the bill. If he signs the bill with no changes then the bill will become law on July 1, 2012.

Virginia Farm Bureau policy was achieved on nine out of 11 on the budget amendments. This brings our final total of successful issues for the General Assembly to 43 out of 51 policy issues.

Where Farm Bureau Policy Prevailed in the State Budget

Coyote Program: $40,000 was added each year of the biennium to bring the funding to a minimum amount of $120,000.

Reforestation of Timberlands Program; Computer Program Needed to Operate RT Program: $130,000 was added each year of the biennium to increase the amount of state matching fund to a total of $557,570. In addition, the General Assembly provided $120,000 each year of the biennium to replace the dysfunctional computer program used to distribute the funds to landowners. This was necessary to keep a functional RT Program.

Soil and Water Conservation District Operational and Technical Assistance Funding: The General Assembly restored $2.046 million for each year of the biennium for district operations. The General Assembly further requested the Secretary of Natural Resources to convene a stakeholder group to develop recommendations for a long-term adequate, consistent and reliable funding formula for local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The General Assembly also prohibited the State Soil and Water Conservation Board or Department of Conservation and Recreation from changing any district boundary lines until after the General Assembly had time to respond and act upon the recommendations of the study.

Virginia Cooperative Extension: Both the House and Senate appropriated an additional $500,000 each of the fiscal years for a total of $1 million for the biennium.

Weights and Measures Program: The General Assembly eliminated the per device fee for weights and measures inspections. They added $250,000 for the first year of the biennium to the program to address the $2 million gap that has existed in the program for the last several years.

Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund: The General Assembly maintained the $1 million in funding for each year of the biennium.

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services International Marketing Opportunities: The General Assembly maintained the $260,000 each year of the biennium to support international marketing opportunities for Virginia agriculture and forestry products.

Beehive Grant Program: The General Assembly appropriated $250,000 to support the legislation creating the Beehive Incentive Grant Program.

Child Labor Update: Know the Facts

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Wilmer Stoneman, Associate Director
VFB Govermental Relations

With the introduction of legislation designed to block implementation of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed child labor regulations, press coverage of the issue – both positive and negative – has increased.  Some articles critical of the effort to block the DOL proposal contain inaccuracies and misstatements.  One recent instance occurred  in which Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was criticized for supporting AFBF’s position.

It’s important to remember the facts when you come across one of these articles.

America’s farm and ranch families place a high priority on assuring that everyone who works on our farms and ranches, especially young people, are protected by appropriate safety measures. There is no doubt that the Department of Labor’s proposed rules regarding child labor will have a direct negative impact on our families and our farms and ranches.

Clearly, Congress intended there to be a parental exemption regarding the jobs they ask their children to carry out on the farm. It is clear that DOL has the authority to draft regulations relating to agricultural child labor that restrict youth 16 and under from performing tasks that are “particularly hazardous.” These regulations, known as hazardous occupation (HO) orders, are issued under the Fair Labor Standards Act and stipulate what tasks a youth may not perform on a farm. The law, however, also clearly states that a youth working for a parent or person standing in the place of the parent may perform any task.

The parental exemption has been violated. DOL has traditionally interpreted this parental exemption to include all farms substantially owned by the parent or guardian. Last September, however, DOL proposed to change that traditional interpretation, limiting the parental exemption only to farms “wholly-owned” by a parent or person standing in the place of a parent. This proposed interpretation meant that a brother and sister who jointly owned a farm themselves through a partnership or limited liability corporation would no longer be allowed to hire their nieces, nephews or grandchildren to help work on the farm. Such a proposed interpretation significantly restricted the statutory exemption. It was only after an outpouring of critical comments – numbering nearly 10,000 – from interested individuals and members of Congress that DOL announced it would re-propose the parental exemption portion of the rule; however, it is unclear what the new proposal will include or when it will be announced.

 There is no question that a number of simple everyday tasks would be prohibited by the DOL proposal. For example, there has been extensive discussion about the rule’s prohibition on the use of power-driven equipment and whether it would prohibit youth under the age of 16 from operating simple tools like a battery operated screwdriver. There is no question that it would. Taken directly from DOL’s proposed regulation, Ag. HO #2 prohibits a youth under age 16 from “any activity involving physical contact” with “all machines, equipment, implements…operated by any power source other than human hand or foot power,” and DOL has explicitly stated that this includes “batteries.” It appears quite explicit and clear in the rule that the department proposes to outlaw the use of battery-powered implements like screwdrivers. Moreover, expert comments submitted to the department support this reading of the DOL proposal. The National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) referred to the proposed Ag. HO #2 and specifically noted that the “the proposed definition also exceeds the recommendations made by NIOSH [2002] and would prohibit the use of small handheld battery-powered equipment (e.g., a flashlight) that is not prohibited by any nonagricultural HO.”

 Farm Bureau members are well aware of the risks involved in agriculture and support appropriate regulatory safeguards. We are joined in our efforts by virtually every agricultural organization, including FFA and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The number of injuries to youths on farms has decreased drastically even without the DOL proposal. An Agricultural Safety Survey, published on April 5, 2012 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, shows that agriculture-related injuries to youth under 20 years of age decreased 54 percent from 2001 to 2009. Moreover, work-related injuries only contributed to a quarter of youth injuries occurring on farm operations.

Farmers and ranchers will continue to be committed to the safety when it comes to the younger members of our families making valuable contributions to our family businesses. Ensuring the safety of our children is our priority. The DOL proposal, however, extends caution beyond recognition, to the point of having severe negative effects on farm families. The proposal really does strip away the ability of youth to work in agriculture, and it nullifies the desires and goals of parents to pass on to our children the traditions and values that farm work provides. There is concern that the DOL simply does not understand the societal structure of the farming community, how farms are organized and how farm families help one another. While we support appropriate federal regulations in this area, those regulations should be based on reliable data and real risks.