SDFB Leader Connection

April 21, 2008

 Upcoming events:

FB Leadership Institute applications due – May 1

Youth Camp applications due – May 1

Safety & Health Network Conference – May 13-15, Fargo

SDFB Youth Camp – June 9-11, Chamberlain

Dakota Fest – August 19-21, Mitchell

Century Farms recognition – August 30, Huron

SDFB Annual Meeting – November 21-22, Sioux Falls

National Farm-City Week – November 21-27

AFBF Annual meeting – January

 We need more campers!
Please remind high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who want to attend Farm Bureau Camp that the application deadline is May 1.  Dates for the camp are June 9 – 11 at Thunderstik Lodge near Chamberlain.  For more information or an application form, log onto the SDFB website at http://sdfb.fb.org/. 

 

Vegetative Treatment Area tour in Nebraska
If you are interested in the Vegetative Treatment System tours being hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, you can find more information at:   http://afo.unl.edu   

Ten stupid things that ruin family farms
Iowa farm woman and humor speaker to share ideas at SDSU
Conservative talk show host Laura Schlessinger wrote a series of “Ten Stupid Things” books dealing with relationships.  On April 24, a similar focus at SDSU will be on farm families when West Branch, Iowa , farm woman and professional speaker Jolene Brown presents a workshop on “The 10 Stupid Things People Do To Ruin Family Farms.”

“Anyone who has heard her speak, says she is just amazing,” reported Holly Marshall, president of the Ag Prexy Council at SDSU, which is bringing Brown to campus.

The 7:30 p.m. workshop in Rotunda D is free and no advanced registration is required. Earlier at 6 p.m., also in Rotunda D, Brown’s topic is “It’s a Jungle Out There” speaking about students in the global workplace.

Brown, who provides a mix between good entertainment and good information, promises that the audience will laugh while it learns.

The Iowa speaker describes herself as a 5-foot, 12-inch funster who is long-legged but not long-winded, and as a prolific gardener, warns people to “keep your doors locked during zucchini season.”

Brown realizes family farming is a serious business and offers 10 ways operators can be their own worst enemies.. She lists “10 stupid things people do to ruin family farms.”

For more information, contact Holly Marshall, 280-7724.

Safety & Health Network Conference
Fargo, North Dakota ~ May 13 - 15, 2008

The 2008 Farm Bureau Safety & Health Network Conference will be held May 13 – 15, 2008, in Fargo, N.D. The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and conclude at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.

TENTATIVE AGENDA

HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON FARGO

Tuesday, May 13

1:00                 Welcome

                        Legislative Update

                        Using the multiple intelligence model to reach all audiences

3:00                 Break

3:15                 Share Session – State reports on successful programs

5:15                 Recess

7:00                 Dutch Treat Group Dinner

 

Wednesday, May 14

8:00                 Hearing and the Rural Population

9:00                 Aging Farmers and Health Care

10:00               Break

10:15               Agri-Safe and Certified Safe Farms

11:15               ASAP Update

Noon               Lunch

1:00                 Tours ending at Gail Scherweit’s farm for dinner

 

Thursday, May 15 – North Dakota Farm Bureau Office

8:00                 Volunteer working on farm safety

                                    Panel of NDFB volunteers

9:00                 NDFB Safety Displays

                        MNFB Safety Trailer

10:00               Update on Council for Ag Safety and Health

                        Future Conferences/General Evaluation

11:00               Adjourn

            The deadline to register is Tuesday, April 29, 2008. The conference registration fee is $105, which includes tours, some meals, and breaks.  Contact Marsha Purcell (202-406-3706 or marshap@fb.org) or Kim Baker (202-406-3707 or kimb@fb.org) with any questions.  

YF&R Members urged to complete online survey

Members of the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) program are urged to complete an online survey sponsored by Valvoline, a major supporter of the YF&R program.

            The survey, which takes about 20 minutes to complete, was sent to YF&R members in late February. The response rate has not been as high as hoped, so young farmers and ranchers nationwide are urged once again to complete the survey as soon as possible if they have not done so already. Visit http://www.eqtprg.com/farm/ to take the survey.

The American Farm Bureau Federation values its relationships with corporate sponsors such as Valvoline. Sponsorships help make possible a range of prizes at the state and national levels. Individuals who complete the survey at the URL listed above will be entered in a drawing to win a $100 American Express gift certificate.

 

Animal Rights Group Brings Cause to the Ballot Box

An animal rights initiative will be on the California ballot this fall. This provision would ban the use of swine gestation stalls, chicken battery cages and veal calf hutches. The Humane Society of the United States donated more than $1.4 million to the California campaign. The animal rights group says it is sponsoring ballot measures in three other states, including North Dakota. The North Dakota ballot measure would prohibit canned hunting operations; the shooting of animals within a fenced enclosure for a fee.

            Californians for Sound Farm Animal Agriculture released the following statement following verification that the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act had qualified for the state's November ballot:

“The Farm Animal measure that voters will face in November promises to have a tremendous impact on supply and egg prices in California, but experts say it would have little or negative impacts on the health of egg-laying hens.

“Many scientists, veterinarians and animal-welfare experts believe the benefits of the current cage system far outweigh the benefits claimed by the initiative.

And the proponents’ ultimate goal —  elimination of cages altogether — would expose hens to disease, the elements, predators and aggression from other birds.

            “Two portions of the initiative —  veal crates and gestation crates for pigs —  deal with practices that are either practically non-existent in California or are being voluntarily phased out this year.

“California farmers are already raising their hens in a variety of ways —  confinement care, cage-free and organic —  to meet shifting consumer demand.  Many farmers employ different methods on the same farm.

“The issues raised by this poorly written and ill-defined measure do not belong on the ballot.  Animal-welfare policies belong in the hands of experienced scientists, veterinarians and farmers who are best qualified to protect farm animals and the food they provide.”

Source: Californians for Sound Farm Animal Agriculture

Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Update

ISSUE:  USDA Under Secretary Bruce Knight made some statements regarding the implementation of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) recently, which will begin on Sept. 30, 2008.  All retail pork and beef products at grocery stores will be required to have labels identifying the origin of the animals used to create the meat product.

            Knight said that livestock producers should be able to sign affidavits verifying the origin of their livestock once country-of-origin labeling goes into effect later this year under a provision in the farm bill.

            As USDA moves ahead on developing regulations on COOL, staff are effectively working out two proposed regulations based on whether Congress is able to complete work on the new farm bill.

            USDA should have rules issued for COOL implementation by midsummer at the latest. Knight said the rules will have to be out at least 60 days prior to the Sept. 30 deadline to allow for public comment and get the program started on time. Packers, cattle feeders, ranchers and pork producers will need some verification system to determine that the more than 103 million hogs and 36 million cattle slaughtered annually in the U.S. came from the U.S. or a trading partner.

            An industry agreement included in the farm bill currently being negotiated would make some of the provisions easier to implement. The new farm bill would establish three different labels spelling out the origin of the meat. One would state “Product of the U.S.,” meaning the meat came from an animal that was born, raised and processed in the U.S.; a second label would be used for meat from an animal that moved across national borders, such as a Canadian feeder pig or Mexican steer that was fattened and processed in the U.S. Meat from those animals would be labeled, for instance, “Product of the U.S. and Mexico”; and a third label would be used for products such as ground beef, in which meat may be used from carcasses of U.S., Canadian or Mexican cattle as well as meat trimmings from New Zealand. That label may state "This product contains meat from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and New Zealand.” It would not require a breakdown of what percentage of meat came from each country.

            The new farm bill also would expand COOL to most poultry products, goat and macadamia nuts.

            In addition, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new business plan for the animal ID program that would integrate parts of animal ID into USDA’s various source, quality assessment and export verification programs. Using USDA’s animal ID tagging system in such programs would also allow for verification in COOL as well.

            Until the AMS announcement, USDA had maintained that the NAIS was exclusively an animal health program. Knight said blending aspects of the National Animal Identification System into marketing programs would not take away from the focus at USDA of using NAIS for an animal health program, particularly at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection System.

            While the Agricultural Marketing Service is now gearing up to use the National Animal Identification System as part of verification for USDA’s various livestock marketing programs, Knight said producers should not interpret that enrollment in NAIS is needed to verify an animal's country of origin. However, Knight added that the advantage of an ID system versus an affidavit is that the individual identification tag in an animal's ear upon leaving a farm or ranch would supply all the information necessary to prove origin of the animal.

IMPACT:  One of the biggest challenges for further COOL implementation will be the record keeping requirements for farmers and ranchers when verifying that their products meet the criteria for a “U.S.” products label.  Eventually, the implementation of an animal identification program will provide a verification tool that can be used for meat and until that time, producer affidavits will likely be the best method of moving information along the food chain.

            Farm Bureau’s policy supports mandatory country of origin labeling for agriculture products.   All segments of the food chain, including the producer, packer and retailer, must participate in order for the final product to be labeled at the retail level.  Coordinating such a program would be challenging unless all segments are following the same guidance and verification system under a labeling law. Therefore, the additional labeling guidance provided in the new farm bill along with the use of producer affidavits and/or forms of current recordkeeping will be useful.

Oil, not corn, at heart of food price hikes

A recent report by Texas A&M University’s Agricultural Policy and Research Center confirms petroleum prices are behind today’s rising food prices.  The 40-page report, titled “The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Feed,” found high oil prices “are the primary driver of higher food prices and that corn prices would have risen substantially anyway as petroleum-based input costs like fertilizer went up.” The study shows that prices of household groceries, such as bread, eggs, and milk are unrelated to ethanol or corn prices.

In addition, the report acknowledged that high corn prices have hurt Texas livestock producers, but researchers found that rolling back the Renewable Fuels Standard for corn-based ethanol probably would not affect corn prices because high oil prices are driving continued ethanol industry expansion.

Link to read the study

Meanwhile, Sunday’s Washington Post” ran an editorial – “A Worsening Food Crisis” – which explores factors behind rising global food prices, which have shot up 83 percent in the past three years. U.S. and European ethanol programs have been accused of snatching food away from the hungry, while India’s finance minister recently described ethanol as “a crime against humanity,” according to the column.

Ethanol “is part of the problem,” according to the Post, but its effect should not be overstated.  The International Food Policy Research Institute, which is critical of ethanol, attributes about 25 percent to 33 percent of the recent rise in food prices to biofuels, while the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization puts the figure at 10 percent to 15 percent.

The Post column explores three other factors behind the crisis: drought in grain-exporting Australia; the surging price of crude oil, which contributes to higher food prices due to shipping and fertilizer costs; and sharply higher demand for food in China, India and “other newly prosperous areas of the developing world.” Consumers in these areas of the world are consuming greater quantities of staples including rice and wheat but also more meat from grain-fed livestock.

March Food Prices Up Slightly – In spite of an ongoing media crush of sensational stories about higher food prices, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 2008 Consumer Price Index showed that food and beverage prices in March increased just 0.2 percent.

Broken down, the monthly report indicated that the overall index for grocery store food increased 0.2 percent. The report did take note, however, of what it termed “another large increase” in the index for cereal and bakery products, but it pointed out that increase “was partially offset” by a downturn in the price index for dairy products.

The four other major grocery store food groups classified by the report registered small increases. The index for cereal and bakery products, which increased 1.8 percent in February, rose 1.3 percent in March. Prices for bread increased 2.1 percent in March and were 14.7 percent higher than a year earlier.

The index for dairy products declined 0.8 percent in March, as milk prices fell 2.2 percent. Despite the drop in March, milk prices were still 13.3 percent higher than in March 2007.

The index for fruits and vegetables rose 0.1 percent. A 2 percent increase in the index for fresh vegetables more than offset declines in the indexes for fresh fruits and for processed fruits and vegetables—down 1.1 and 0.9 percent, respectively.

The index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs was virtually unchanged in March. Increases in prices for beef, for poultry and for other meats were offset by declines in prices for pork and for fish and seafood.

The indexes for nonalcoholic beverages and for other food at home increased 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively. The other two components of the food and beverages index—food away from home and alcoholic beverages—increased 0.3 and declined 0.1 percent, respectively.

By quarter, the food index rose at a 5.3 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate in the first quarter of 2008, following a 4.9 percent increase in all of 2007. The index for grocery store food prices increased at a 5.9 percent annual rate, reflecting increases in each of the six major groups ranging from annual rates of 0.7 percent in the index for dairy products to 15.7 percent in the index for cereal and bakery products.

Missouri Lawmakers Consider Bill to Restrict Labels on Milk Containers

Missouri lawmakers are getting a glimpse of how complicated the once-simple act of buying a gallon of milk has become.  Legislators are mulling over a controversial measure that would restrict the information dairies can stamp on containers of milk.

Missouri is the latest state to take up the issue, prodded by dairy farmers who have the support of Monsanto Co. They are concerned about milk that is labeled as being "hormone free."

"It's a very complicated issue," said Rep. Brian Munzlinger, chair of the House Special Committee on Agri-Business. That panel, as well as the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, Parks and Natural Resources, this month conducted public hearings on proposed legislation.

At issue is the use of Posilac, or recombinant bovine somatotropin, a synthetic hormone made by Creve Coeur-based Monsanto that increases the milk production of dairy cows. Certain dairies and retailers are labeling milk as being produced without its use, charging more and implying that it is healthier than other milk. 

Crisis exemption issued for Avitec™ seed treatment products on corn
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) has issued a crisis exemption for Avitec™ seed treatment products to protect newly planted field and sweet corn seed against consumption by ring-necked pheasants. Since the Environmental Protection Agency was unable to approve the SDDA request before corn planting, Secretary of Agriculture Bill Even chose to exercise his authority provided under federal law and issue this crisis exemption.

            Pheasant populations were higher in 2007 than in any previous year since 1945. The significant number of Conservation Reserve Program acres in South Dakota, coupled with the demand for increased pheasant populations for recreational purposes and the demand for corn to meet energy needs, have resulted in increased instances where pheasant habitat and corn acres overlap.

            Avitec™ is a non-lethal gut irritant for birds. When eaten, it results in a learned pattern of avoiding the treated seed.

            In 2006, South Dakota State University and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks conducted field studies at three different sites in Eastern South Dakota using Avitec™ to gauge its effectiveness in preventing depredation of corn seed by pheasants. The results of the study showed a 73%, 56%, and 20% depredation reduction at the three sites. All three sites had been replanted due to previous depredation losses in 2005.

            Replanting corn can be costly. South Dakota farmers stand to lose up to $50 per acre in replanting costs and up to 8% yield loss at harvest. Treatment with Avitec™ is another tool available to producers for minimizing the impact on this year’s corn crop. Without this product availability, the value of lost production and replanting could be as high as $77 million in South Dakota.

            The Section 18 exemption is effective from April 10, 2008, to August 15, 2008.

 I Feed the World -- Agriculture needs to change the way we talk about our own industry. That's the message from Monsanto market lead Dave Rhylander "We've got to change the way people think about us; when your message is 'I feed the world, that's my job,' people look at you differently." Rhylander says agriculture is often painted in a negative light, "but if you approach it from a standpoint that my business is feeding the world, it opens the eyes of a lot of people who are anti-ag." Rhylander was named the National Agri Marketing Association Marketer of the Year.