The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Committee has recognized Clay and Maryanne Francis of Richmond with their 2018 Warren Beach Award for their outstanding contributions to the VFBF Young Farmers Program.

Clay Francis is VFBF vice president of membership and field services. He and his wife are known for being generous with their time to help young leaders through the Young Farmers Program.

“They were chosen because this couple has supported Young Farmers, especially contestants practicing for agriculture leadership competitions, and have given incredible feedback through the years,” said Mindy McCroskey, chairman of the Young Farmers Committee. “Mr. and Mrs. Francis have been tremendous supporters, serving as judges for competitions both at the state and national levels. They have attended all of our Young Farmers Expos over the years and have been pivotal mentors for the program.”

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Early in her keynote remarks at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation 2018 Annual Convention, author Michele Payn asked 700 farmers for a show of hands.

“How many people in this room are willing to admit they hate social media?”

Assessing a fair number of raised hands, Payn nodded. “OK, good. Get over it.”

Social media, she explained, is one place that vocal, organized critics of modern agriculture have been building their voices—and audiences—for years. And American farmers, she added, need to be speaking up as well.

All those cell phone photos of healthy animals, well-tended farmland and members of farm families? “Take them off your phone, and put them on Instagram. … It takes less than 10 minutes” and gives an accurate depiction of the nation’s farms and food production.

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The Rappahannock Record in Kilmarnock captured Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Ishee-Quann Award, the top honor in Farm Bureau’s annual Journalism Awards program. The newspaper, which serves readers in part of the state’s Northern Neck, also won the non-daily newspaper category for the third consecutive year and for the 12^th year in the past 14.

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It’s time for your Merchandiser Minute with Robert Harper! The topics this week pertain to the China concessions, big volatility in the energy sector & strong corn export sales.

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Convention participants can help Farm Bureau and Paul Obaugh Ford supper Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Hot Springs by taking a free test drive in a new Ford vehicle.

There’s a goal of 300 test drivers, and for each one, AITC will receive $20.

Test drives will be available from 8 to 11 a.m., and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Please show your interest now on your registration form. Once you arrive, you can sign up to drive at our booth, located between the hotel and convention registration desks.

High school students have until Jan. 31, 2019, to submit entries for the National Ag Day essay and video essay contest, sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America.

The theme for entries is “Agriculture: Food for Life. How Does Our Nation Lead the Way?” Participants are encouraged to describe how agriculture affects their daily lives and how it will feed the world’s growing population.

The contest is open to students in grades 9 through 12 in the 2018-2019 school year. Participants must be U.S. citizens attending school in the U.S. Details and an entry form is available at agday.org.

First-place winners will be contacted in February and will be announced to the public on National Ag Day, March 19.

Ag Day will be celebrated during National Ag Week, March 17-23. The observation encourages Americans to understand how food and fiber goods are produced; value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy; and appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

Topsoil moisture levels have been higher than normal throughout this year’s harvest season and remain high.

“The rainfall situation this year certainly did a big turnaround from conditions at the beginning of the year,” said Jerry Stenger, director of the state Climatology Office at the University of Virginia. “We were very concerned then about possible water shortages but around April, just as the growing season was getting into gear, the skies opened up.

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Best-selling author Michele Payn will share excerpts from her latest book, Food Truths from Farm to Table, on Nov. 27 during Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs.

Payn, of Cause Matters Corp., will deliver keynote remarks at the convention’s Farm to Table Luncheon. Food Truths has been a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon and features interviews with U.S. farmers who dispel common misconceptions about agriculture. The book was awarded a 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards bronze medal for medicine, health and nutrition. Payn also has authored No More Food Fights! Growing a Productive Farm & Food Conversation, which encourages farm and food advocates to seek common ground.

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The Agriculture Department recently released several tables previewing the annual long-term Agricultural Projections to 2028 (the complete projections will be released in February 2019). These early-release tables provide USDA’s estimates on the supply and demand for agricultural commodities for the next 10 years and take into consideration macroeconomic conditions, gross domestic product growth, population growth and farm policy, among other factors.

Given the current U.S.-China trade environment – U.S. Soybean Exports to China Fall Sharply –a key takeaway from these projections was the impact on soybean and other field crop acreage, soybean exports, soybean ending stocks and, finally, prices.

For the 2019 crop year, USDA projects soybean planted acreage will decline by 6.6 million acres, dropping from a record 89.1 million acres planted in 2018 to 82.5 million acres. If realized, this would be the third-largest acreage decline of all time and the largest year-over-year decline in soybean plantings since the beginning of the Renewable Fuels era in 2007. The decline in soybean acreage is anticipated given the slow pace of soybean exports, the dramatic decline in Chinese purchases, expectations for a nearly billion-bushel-carryout and projections for decade-low soybean marketing year average prices.

Market Intel update

Tune in for your Merchandiser Minute with Robert Harper! We’re discussing just how the election & the U.S. dollar are playing a role in your prices.

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