Dr. John Newton, AFBF, speaking at the Virginia Grain and Soybean Annual Conference

Virginia soybean growers already expect the 2018-2019 marketing season to be a bust. And as trade talks between China and the U.S. extend into spring, they’re worried that next year’s exports sales will slump as well.

The Trump administration announced Feb. 22 that a March 1 deadline to conclude trade talks with Beijing has been extended, current U.S. tariffs will not be increased and no new tariffs will be imposed on Chinese goods.

China was the largest buyer of American soybeans in recent years, and that market slammed shut a year ago when the tariff war began, said Dr. John Newton, American Farm Bureau Federation chief economist.

“China purchased about one-third of the soybeans we produced in 2017, and we know that soybean exports are down significantly. This marketing year, soybean exports to China are down 96 percent” through the end of January, Newton told Virginia growers Feb. 20 at the Virginia Grain and Soybean Annual Conference.

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Happy Friday everyone! Tune in for your Merchandiser Minute this week to hear about some important dates that may play a role in your futures prices!

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Ministers from U.S. trade partners and representatives of domestic commodity organizations are among speakers at the 11th annual Virginia Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade. The event will be held March 5 at the Richmond Marriott Downtown.

The conference also will include luncheon remarks by Gov. Ralph Northam on Virginia’s trade-related progress and priorities.

For more than a decade, Northam noted, “the Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade has served as an important forum for stakeholders from Virginia’s two largest industries to come together and hear from key leaders in government, business and international relations on the outlook of the trade environment,”

Speakers include Thomas Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; Zhu Hong, economic and commercial minister from the Chinese embassy to the United States; Jesus Zorrilla, EU minister counselor for agriculture to the U.S.; and Cameron Hutchison, Australian minister-counselor for agriculture and water resources.

Bret Davis, secretary of the American Soybean Association, and Maria Zieba, director of international affairs for the National Pork Producers Council, will share their perspectives on the economic and commercial impact of recent U.S. trade disruptions.

The conference is co-hosted by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, the Virginia Port Authority and Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

For agenda and lodging details, or to register, visit ag-forestry.virginia.gov/agtrade2019/home.

Happy Friday! It’s time for your Merchandiser Minute with Robert Harper! A lot to talk about and how it’ll play a role in your prices next week, tune in!

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Last December, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army proposed a revised definition of “waters of the United States” with a goal of clarifying federal authority under the Clean Water Act and replacing the flawed 2015 rule. The agencies invited written pre-proposal recommendations and received submissions from AFBF, VAFB, and more than 6,000 other groups and individuals. The agencies took the many comments and recommendations under consideration, and, on February 14, 2019, the draft Clean Water Rule was publicly released.

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Chris Kniesly, a science teacher at Mark Twain Middle School in Fairfax County, has been named Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom 2019 Teacher of the Year.

The award recognizes a Virginia educator for incorporating agriculture into core curriculum.

Kniesly has established a school farm that includes chickens, aquaculture and hydroponics, which incorporate life science and biology. His goal is to provide students with an environmentally conscious introduction to agricultural concepts and to create real-life learning experiences. The school farm has an impact on all students at the school, but especially those in Kniesly’s science classes.

“Chris uses his extensive school farm and garden as the jumping-off point for real-life, hands-on examples to demonstrate a variety of science concepts,” noted Tammy Maxey, AITC senior education manager and president-elect of the National AITC Organization. “Through Chris’ efforts, his students are gaining a greater appreciation for agriculture, as well as an improved understanding that food begins on the farm.”

As Virginia AITC Teacher of the Year, Kniesly will receive a scholarship to attend the 2019 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in June in Little Rock, Ark., and a $500 award.

Virginia AITC also recognized Pamela Hall, a first-grade teacher at Windsor Elementary School in Isle of Wight County, as runner-up. Hall will receive registration to the 2019 National AITC Conference.

Agritourism entrepreneurs, economic development staff, and local government leaders will gather on Wednesday, April 3, and Thursday, April 4, 2019, at the Hotel Roanoke for the 2019 Virginia Agritourism Conference, and you are invited!

Virginia agritourism celebrates its $2.2 billion in economic impact, and Virginia farms strive to expand this growth by continuing to offer each guest with unique adventures on Virginia farms.

The fifth annual Virginia Agritourism Conference provides agritourism entrepreneurs access to the best resources and the opportunity to gather ideas that can be adapted to their own farms.  The 2019 conference features interaction with experts on developing an agritourism operation, celebrating the successes and managing the challenges of agritourism, delivering exceptional customer service, marketing the operation through multiple sources, ensuring farm safety, hosting events, building a regional approach, and networking with other agritourism farms.  During the afternoon of Day 1, participants will visit two or three agritourism venues related to orchards, wineries, festivals, and local products.

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A planning grant was awarded from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund to Augusta, Rockingham, and Shenandoah counties to support the development of an innovative local foods program and share the program with other communities. The AFID planning grant program helps localities engage and promote the agriculture industry by providing and expanding new market opportunities at the local and regional level. Shenandoah County is serving as the lead for this project, which leverages an AFID award of $11,885 with an additional $14,000 in local funds.

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