It’s time for your Merchandiser Minute with Robert Harper! We’re here to talk about the many factors that played a role in the grain division this week & what we have to look forward to going into next week.
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A VFBF Lobbyist’s Typical Day is Anything But Typical
By Kathy Dixon, VFBF Communications
At 5 a.m. on Jan. 24, Stefanie Kitchen walked her dog. She had to take him out that early so she could attend a 7 a.m. legislative sportsman’s caucus meeting in downtown Richmond.
At the meeting, Kitchen networked with legislators who are interested in hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. When it ended at 8, she called a delegate to discuss an issue. By 8:45, she was at the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries building to attend a 9 a.m. DGIF board meeting.
“One of my areas is wildlife and game laws, so I attend these meetings to represent Farm Bureau’s policy position on DGIF regulations,” remarked Kitchen, who is a Farm Bureau legislative specialist and one of the federation’s four lobbyists.
Extended Trade Talks Leave Soybeans in Storage, Growers in Limbo
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.
General Assembly Update, Feb. 22, 2019
Merchandiser Minute, Feb. 22, 2019
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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Agricultural Trade Conference to Feature Trade Ministers, Va. Update
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.
General Assembly Update- Week 6
Merchandiser Minute- Feb. 15, 2019
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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Take a Stand for Clean Water and Clear Rules
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.
Fairfax Educator Named AITC Teacher of the Year
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.
