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Ag News Roundup – October 3, 2011

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Here’s what we’re reading and what they’re reading at the National Farmers Union:

Obama may be sending trade deals to Capitol Hill this week

Politico

President Barack Obama may send the long-delayed trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to Congress this week, according to new reports.

The three trade pacts could potentially boost U.S. exports by $13 billion annually, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. With the deals headed to Congress for consideration this week — sources told the paper Obama could forward the legislation as early as Monday — the three agreements could pass in mid-October after years of debate.

The White House and Republican leaders are looking to approve the three pacts, along with a Trade Adjustment Assistance compromise bill, which would offer extended unemployment benefits to workers who become unemployed due to the impact of international trade.

Passage of the South Korea pact before President Lee Myung-bak’s Oct. 13 state visit is a major goal, and a congressional source told the paper it would be “tough, but close.”

Committee hearings could begin as early as Wednesday, and Congress has 90 days to approve the deals.

The three deals are expected to widely impact U.S. agriculture, auto makers, financial services, legal and healthcare companies, and there would be added exports and foreign services available in the U.S. as well, the Wall Street Journal noted.

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Ag provides a harvest of budget cuts

Kansas City Star

In the summer debt ceiling deal, Congress set up a “supercommittee” to find $1.2 trillion in additional budget cuts over the next decade. The panel began work — and so did the lobbyists. Among the most energetic are those defending farm subsidies.

The wholesale elimination of the nation’s agricultural programs won’t happen. Yet it should be possible to push through two important reforms: Terminate annual cash payments and create an effective income cap to curtail subsidies for wealthy farmers. As a bonus, one might even hope for an end to ethanol subsidies.

Cash payments are outlays based on acreage and historic yield, and they are paid whether farmers grow anything or not. Cost to taxpayers: nearly $5 billion a year.

Blake Hurst, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, says the program should continue, partly because many farmers still depend on those checks. Hurst says he understands that agriculture will face cuts this year, but he would prefer that all programs continue, even at lower amounts.

That, however, would make it easier for lawmakers to add money to those budget items later. Eliminating a program entirely ensures that the savings continue.

The Obama administration agrees that cash payments should cease. Even some farmers no longer support them. Craig Lang, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau, told The New York Times that with the economy so weak, he could not justify taking the money.

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Dairy legislation, crop insurance and an uncommunicative ‘super committee’

Penton Business Media

On Friday afternoon, the Dairy Security Act of 2011 was introduced in the House. Sponsored by Minnesota Rep. Collin Petersonand Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, the act has come following a string of turbulent years in the dairy industry alongside numerous congressional hearings and attempted regulatory fixes.

According to National Milk Producers Federation, which is pleased with the proposed legislation, the act would:

Make voluntary the Dairy Market Stabilization Program, which will help reduce milk output during times of low margins. If producers enroll in the USDA’s subsidized margin insurance program, they will automatically be enrolled in the Dairy Market Stabilization Program. This will provide alerts when additional production may affect overall margins.

Extend the “basic” level of margin insurance coverage to 80 percent of a producer’s production history, from 75 percent as initially proposed. The “supplemental” margin coverage option is also improved, as it will allow producers to purchase insurance for growth in their milk production history.

Include a refined provision in the Dairy Market Stabilization Program to ensure that it does not activate during times when signals for farmers to reduce production may impinge on the ability of the U.S. to export dairy products.

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Crop insurance cutbacks

News Channel 10

In an effort to cut into America’s deficit, President Obama plans to take $8 billion from the crop insurance program.

Crop insurance helps farmers sustain themselves when they lose large portions of crops, but this assistance could be in jeopardy.

Crop insurance is farmer, Dale Artho’s best tool to manage risk. His risk is the weather, something he faces each year when he plants his livelihood.

Artho explains, “We provide a safe, affordable food supply. Without crop insurance, it’s going to be very difficult to do that.”

That is because the White House’s plan calls for changes that will affect both insurance companies and producers.

Dede Jones with AgriLife Extension says, “If they’re going to change how they pay on these policies, these guys really need to get some insurance payments this year. The dry land crop was completely destroyed and we are seeing about a 20-50% reduction in irrigated crop yields.”

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Kasich at Farm Science Review: Ag is base for economic growth

Farm & Dairy

LONDON, Ohio — Ohio Gov. John Kasich wants a strong agriculture industry in the state. Because that means a strong economy in general.

Speaking Sept. 20 at the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio, Kasich said the Buckeye State is underpinned by an agricultural economy, an ag economy that is a $102 billion industry.

It’s a base of economic growth, and job creation, Kasich added.

“When farmers do well, Ohio does well; when farmers don’t do well, Ohio suffers.”

And it’s an industry that can grow, the governor added, citing examples of food processing, bioproducts and “flying cows to Istanbul,” which is happening now.

“Folks, agriculture is so important,” Kasich said.

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State targets Lake Erie Algae

Columbus Dispatch

Ohio spent millions of tax dollars this summer fighting toxic, blue-green algae in Grand Lake St. Marys with chemicals, dredging equipment and nets.

But what about Lake Erie, which has algae problems, too?

In fact, Erie saw a record toxic-algae bloom spread across its western basin this year, adding to the “dead zone” where fish can’t live and threatening the lake’s $10 billion annual tourism industry.

The state plans to form two study groups to look for solutions.

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Video: Nat Gas boom – busy laundromats & increased homelessness

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I spent a few hours at the Farm Science Review at Ohio State University’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London last week. Along with OFU President Roger Wise and OFU Executive Director Linda Borton, I attended a panel discussion put on by four OSU faculty members whose research and teaching revolve around rural economics, development and environmental issues. I hope to post, in this space soon, the entirety of the panel discussion after I get a few audio things fixed with the recording.

After the panel, I asked OSU Assistant Prof. Mike Lloyd who is based in Noble County as part of the OSU Extension Service. Lloyd has seen the natural gas boom begin in Ohio with an increase in mineral rights lease activity. Since he and others knew the gas rush was coming, he has also observed what has happened on the other side of the border in Pennsylvania and has spent time talking to local officials there about the economic impacts of the gas industry. Lloyd has also been providing some educational opportunities for eastern Ohio landowners on what to expect from the process of negotiating mineral rights on their land.

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Ag News Update – September 29, 2011 – Fracking, Big Ag, & Other Matters …

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Dispatch does in-depth on Ohio natural gas drilling

The Columbus Dispatch has just finished a three-day series on the natural gas boom that is just beginning in Ohio. As politicians are hellbent for jobs at seemingly any cost and friendly representatives from multinational oil and gas corporations knock at rural landowners’ doors, precious few of us are taking a moment to consider the long view regarding the exploitation of the Marcellus and Utica natural gas formations deep below much of the eastern half of Ohio. As evidence that some newspapers are still willing to expend resources on investigative or in-depth coverage of an important issue, the Dispatch has run a series of stories shedding light on the gas industry and its record in other states, what’s happening in Ohio with mineral rights and leasing, the hows and whys of hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking,’ and what oversight (actually, lack thereof) we can expect from state and federal officials.

Click Here for The Columbus Dispatch Series: Deep Pockets – Oil and Gas Deposits in Ohio

Ohio’s livestock care standards take effect today

Hannah Report

Comprehensive livestock standards created by the 13-member Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board will become effective Thursday, Sept. 29 when Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Jim Zehringer signs the final administrative order at a special ceremony starting at 2:30 p.m. in Fort Recovery. This will conclude two-months of outreach efforts by the agriculture department and Ohio’s farm organizations to inform Ohioans raising or caring for livestock about the new rules.

The Ohio Constitution required the establishment of comprehensive livestock care standards following passage of state Issue 2 in 2009. The ballot initiative specified creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board with the responsibility of obtaining industry and public input in developing livestock rules for alpacas, beef, dairy, goats, horses, llamas, pork, poultry, sheep and veal.

The board sought to create comprehensive livestock care standards that also support the state’s overarching policies to promote safe and affordable food, help prevent the outbreak of both animal and human diseases, and encourage local food production.

Members of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board and representatives of Ohio’s agricultural community devoted 18 months to developing and vetting the most comprehensive livestock care standards in the nation, said Zehringer.

“States from around the country are now looking towards Ohio’s leadership in developing these new standards,” he said.

All rules affecting the care of dairy, beef, swine, turkeys, broilers, sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, and equine standards were approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) before the summer legislative recess.

Group fighting “Big Ag” label is — Big Ag

New York Times

LAST week, a new public-relations campaign about agriculture got off to a splashy start. With full-page ads in newspapers and panel discussions live-streamed on the Internet, the newly formed U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance began what it called a bid to “reshape the dialogue” about the American food supply.

“When did agriculture become a dirty word?” the Alliance asks on its Web site.

Chris Galen, a founding member of the group and head of communications for the National Milk Producers Federation, said, “There is a feeling across the board in agriculture that Americans have concerns about the food supply, and those are best addressed by farmers.”

To assure Americans that food is safe, abundant and affordable, farmers can use their voices and faces to fight the label “Big Ag,” the organization’s leaders say. But the group’s members include the largest agriculture marketing groups in the country, with billions of dollars to spend. They include the American Egg Board (“The Incredible Edible Egg”), the National Milk Producers Federation (“Got Milk?”) and the National Pork Board (“The Other White Meat”).

Its $11 million annual budget will come partly from mandatory marketing fees that the Department of Agriculture helps collect from farmers, and from corporations like Monsanto, the producer of genetically engineered seed, and DuPont, a major producer of chemical pesticides. Each company has committed to an annual contribution of $500,000.

Yet Bonnie West, a spokeswoman for the American National Cattlewomen, a booster group for beef consumption, said her members felt like “small potatoes” in the national debate over food.

The “big potatoes” for the group seem to be advocates and authors like Eric Schlosser (“Fast Food Nation”) and Michael Pollan (“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”), and the filmmaker Robert Kenner (“Food, Inc.”), whose work has criticized industrial agricultural practices like huge feedlots, tight confinement of animals, the widespread use of hormones and antibiotics and the billions of dollars in federal subsidies that they say support an otherwise unsustainable system.

It is a source of pride for their allies that there is now a perceived need for an organized response to their critiques.

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ISU meteorologist says expect cold winter

agriculture.com

It’s not far off…and, if you were a fan of last winter’s weather, you’re in luck. But, if your snowblower needs repairs, you might want to get those taken care of before Old Man Winter arrives.

Many signs point to a likely repeat of last winter’s conditions, with cold temperatures and above-average precipitation in much of the Midwest and drier conditions in the Plains, says Don Keeney, meteorologist with MDA EarthSat Weather. Look for one difference from last year, though.

“It should be noted that the coldest conditions should occur earlier in the winter, with December and January being the colder time periods,” Keeney says.

The reason for the repeat in the winter outlook: The La Nina system that was supposed to be gone by now will likely stay in place through March, says Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Ag meteorologist Elwynn Taylor. La Nina is characterized by colder winter temperatures and the potential for a lot more volatile swings in the mercury than normal.

“A year ago, we had one of the 3 strongest La Ninas in the last 100 years. It did a lot of the things we expected it to do, both in the summer and winter,” Taylor says. “Now, we’re seeing it restrengthening. Not as harsh or extreme, but similar to last year.

“So yes, the probability looks like a replay of last year, maybe just not as extreme. But, let’s just say it wouldn’t be smart to do without your snowblower if you are a person who gets tired of shoveling snow.”

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Report: Emergency food pantries have become a mainstay in many people’s diets

Associated Press

Rosalinde Block receives $241 a month in food assistance for her and her 18-year-old son, to add to the money coming in from the piano lessons she teaches and the art commissions she gets. In one of the world’s most expensive cities, it’s not enough.

“That goes pretty fast,” said Block, 59, of the amount she got for September, “it was already gone by the 12th or the 15th.”

So Block, who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, adds to it with visits every other month to a food pantry in nearby Harlem, where she’ll get some chicken or milk, or some ingredients for soup or a few other meals. It’s been like this for a couple of years.

A report released Wednesday by Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization, finds that food banks that were originally created to serve as stop-gap emergency food providers are now taking a long-term, chronic role for Americans turning to them routinely to get enough to eat.

The organization’s Hunger in America 2010 report, the “Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple,” found through data compiled in 2009 that 18 percent of those surveyed said they used food pantries six to 11 months of the previous year, while 36 percent they used them every month.

The survey also found that among those 65 years and older, 56 percent went to a food pantry every month. And even those receiving aid in the form of supplemental nutrition money still needed more help, with 58 percent of them being frequent or monthly users. “Those dollars don’t go very far,” said Vicki Escarra, president of the Chicago-based Feeding America.

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Crackdown on excessive speculation in commodities markets stymied at CFTC

Reuters

The U.S. futures regulator delayed a final vote on controversial measures to crack down on excessive speculation in commodity markets because it lacks the three votes needed for approval, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced on Tuesday it was delaying by another two weeks to October 18 its meeting to consider the long-awaited rule on position limits. It was the second time a vote had been postponed.

The disagreements hinge on some of the smaller, seemingly less-contentious elements of the plan, not on the areas in which the CFTC has yielded to industry complaints.

This may suggest that Chairman Gary Gensler does at least have in principle an agreement on the need to impose limits on energy and metals markets, something several commissioners have questioned.

Two sources familiar with the agency’s rule-making said the CFTC commissioners and staff were working on ironing out a myriad of differences, including details of conditional limits — which allow for a higher limit in the spot month in a cash-settled contract than in a physically deliverable contract — as well as the timing of imposing the limits.

“He doesn’t feel like he has the votes,” one source familiar with the CFTC’s thinking told Reuters.

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 Farmers group backs plan to overhaul dairy policy

Associated Press

A leading dairy farmers group threw its support Monday behind a proposed overhaul of federal milk subsidies after its creator agreed that participation in a program limiting milk production in hard times would be voluntary.

The plan developed by Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson would replace current federal dairy programs with new ones intended to do a better job of protecting farmers from the kind of crisis they suffered during the recession in 2009, when milk prices plunged, feed costs skyrocketed and hundreds were forced out of business.

Peterson’s original plan called for limits on how much milk farmers could produce when the difference between milk prices and the cost of producing milk, as determined by feed prices, fell to a certain level. The intent was to balance supply and demand.

Some farmers objected to the federal government limiting how much milk they could produce, saying the answer to problems facing the dairy industry was less government interference, not more.

After getting feedback for several months, Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, agreed to make participation in the so-called dairy market stabilization program voluntary.

But, farmers would have to participate in that program to qualify for another, more popular one that works like an insurance system. In effect, dairy producers would pay premiums in good times that would enable them to collect more generous government payouts in bad times. If they chose to pay nothing, they would get a minimal subsidy.

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Ag News Roundup – September 23, 2011 – Harvest, Fracking among topics

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A few things of interest from the national & Ohio media:

Kasich advocates switching state vehicles to nat gas, says “We cannot stop fracking”

Columbus Dispatch

Ohio might join with neighboring states and convert government vehicle fleets to run on natural gas, which would boost demand for gas from the region’s shale formations, Gov. John Kasich said yesterday.

The governor spoke about the plan in the closing address of his two-day energy conference. He also said his office will announce a comprehensive energy policy by spring, although he gave few details about what it might include.

Kasich said he spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett about the natural-gas-fueled vehicle idea, and members of his staff have brought up the idea with counterparts in Indiana and Michigan.

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Nat Gas industry says 200,000 jobs could result from Ohio shale gas

 Dayton Daily News/AP

Natural gas trapped in two shale formations beneath Ohio could mean thousands of new jobs, if activity in other states is any indication.

In Pennsylvania, which sits on one of the same shale formations as Ohio, gas and oil industries hired 72,000 people between the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2011, according to Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry statistics.

The number of new hires for the core gas industries — extraction, drilling and pipeline work — is smaller but still doubled to 18,837 from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2010.

Tim McElhinny, an analyst with the Pennsylvania Labor Department, said all hires can’t be attributed to new drilling, but there are so many of them that a portion must be caused by work on the Marcellus shale.

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Industry says gas boom could produce economic miracle

The Plain Dealer

… The new jobs study, contained in a 92-page economic impact analysis, was prepared by economic research company Kleinhenze & Associates of Cleveland for the Ohio Oil & Gas Energy Education Association.

The conclusions are based on propriety information obtained from large gas and oil corporations that jockeyed for months to lease mineral rights from rural land owners. Marietta College, Ohio State University, Central Ohio Technical College and Zane State College contributed to the data analysis.

Among the study’s main conclusions:

• Over the next five years, oil and gas producers are expected to spend $34 billion in exploration and development, pipelines, royalty payments to landowners and other leasing expenditures.

• New jobs would start slowly — 4,614 jobs this year, increasing to 22,297 next year — and then mushroom by tens of thousands from 2013 through 2015, culminating at an estimated 204,520 jobs by 2015.

• Wages, salaries and personal income attributable to the production would soar to an estimated $12 billion per year, including $1.6 billion in royalties, by 2015.

• Annual tax revenues, including income, property, commercial activity and “severance” taxes or royalties tied to the production would total $478.9 million by 2015.

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Corn Yields Coming in Mixed

agriculture.com

Combines are rolling in the Corn Belt. So, what’s the crop making so far?

Yields are all across the board as harvest gets rolling in corn and soybean country. Corn moisture levels are still on the high side in a lot of areas, though, keeping harvest progress a little on the slow side.

“Things are moving slow. Corn is not drying down very fast, if at all it seems,” says Benton, Illinois, farmer Kelly Robertson. “Working on odds and ends between trying to haul some corn out and it doesn’t seem like I am getting much accomplished.”

But, where harvest activity has been able to pick up, the results are mixed.

“We are running here in northeast Kansas. Corn is pretty good — above average from what I was expecting,” says Seneca, Kansas, farmer Rod Tangeman says. “So far, we have had fields go 168 [bushels/acre], 170, 105, 142, 163 and 158.”

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Obama would cut ag programs

agriculture.com

When it comes to farm policy, Congress often ignores White House proposals. It passed the 2008 Farm Bill over President George W. Bush’s veto and it’s possible both parties will ignore some of the ideas put forth Monday in President Barack Obama’s Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction Plan,

Obama didn’t ignore agriculture, however. He wants to eliminate or reduce these ag programs:

  • Eliminate Direct Payments. The White House says they’re not needed at a time of high farm income, adding that “Economists have shown that direct payments have priced young Americans out of renting or owning the land needed to enter into farming.” It would save $3 billion per year.
  • Crop Insurance. The Administration is looking for more cuts here. It says currents costs are $8 billion per year, with $2.3 billion going to insurance companies and $5.7 billion to farmers as premium subsidies. USDA has already trimmed $600 million a year from support for insurers and hasn’t touched subsidies of farmer premiums. Obama’s deficit cutting plan would trim another 200 million a year from insurance companies, arguing that they would still have a return on investment of 12%. Farmer premium subsidies for coverage at the 50% catastrophic level would not change but premium subsidies on higher levels over coverage would be shaved by two basis points, or $200 million per year (a 3,.5% cut from current levels).
  •  Conservation. Obama would cut conservation programs by $200 million a year “by better targeting conservation funding to the most cost-effective and environmentally- beneficial programs and practices.” Even with those cuts, conservation assistance is projected to grow by $60 billion over the next 10 years.

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Farm lobby’s power withers as programs face cuts

Politico

Washington’s debt crisis brings American agriculture to a crossroads this fall and no other sector of the economy may have more to gain or lose from the debate in Congress over deficit reduction.

With record exports predicted for 2011, farmers begin with a proven self-interest in stable world markets, but their very success makes them all the more vulnerable now to deep cuts from the federal subsidies so synonymous with agriculture for decades.
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Ag News Update – August 31, 2011

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Just a few things the NFU has taken notice and a couple of things from me …

State centralization of Ohio’s municipal taxes has few fans

The Columbus Dispatch

Opposition is growing to a Kasich administration proposal that hasn’t yet seen the light of day.

Centralizing municipal income-tax collections is an idea Gov. John Kasich has kicked around for months, and it continues to percolate within the Department of Taxation.

But as Tax Commissioner Joseph Testa approaches some municipal leaders about the possibility, he has been met with tough questions from some and opposition from others.

“Conceptually, we don’t agree with the statewide collection of local taxes,” said Brian Hoyt, a spokesman for Gahanna Mayor Becky Stinchcomb.

Testa recently spoke with Stinchcomb about statewide local tax collections, a notion that is opposed by the Ohio Municipal League.

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Ohio Farm Bureau takes stand for anti-union law

Youngstown Business Journal

Meanwhile, the Ohio Farm Federation, which represents more than 200,000 members in all 88 Ohio counties, announced its support Tuesday for the “reasonable reforms” of Issue 2, which if approved by voters would keep in place Senate Bill 5. Passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. John Kasich earlier this year, the legislation curtails collective bargaining rights for state and local public workers in Ohio.

The farm bureau said it determined that Ohio taxpayers would be best served by Issue 2’s passage, according to John C. Fisher, its executive vice president.

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Ohio’s Farm Science Review will include financial advice for farmers

The 2011 Farm Science Review, Sept. 20-22 will include a series of presentations to provide financial strategies, tools and resources to help farmers achieve stability and success in the agricultural industry.

One presenter, Ohio State University agricultural economist Luther Tweeten, says continued demand for agricultural products has kept agriculture more financially stable than other sectors of the U.S. economy. “Farmers will play a key role in getting the country back on track,” he said.

But, while he’s optimistic, Tweeten’s presentation, “Income and Employment,” is geared toward helping larger farming operations make cautious decisions in light of recent financial volatility. It will take place Sept. 20 at 11:30 a.m. on the stage in the OSU Area on Friday Avenue.

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U.S. farm income tops $100 billion for first time

Reuters

U.S. farm income will soar past $100 billion for the first time in 2011 following rising cash receipts for everything from corn, wheat and cotton to soybeans, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.

U.S. farm income is forecast at $103.6 billion for 2011, up $24.5 billion, or 31 percent from 2010. Much of the increase is the result of higher crop values, which are expected to rise by $33.6 billion.

“Many different crop and livestock categories are expected to achieve record high sales,” said USDA. It forecast crop receipts to be 19 percent higher than in 2010 and livestock receipts to rise by nearly 16 percent.

Volatile energy prices will make their way to the bottom-line of U.S. farmers with total expenses forecast to increase by $32.5 billion in 2011, exceeding $300 billion for the first time, USDA said. Overall, electricity and petroleum and oil inputs will increase by $3.3 billion to $21.1 billion.

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Drought, high demand makes hay hard to find

Associated Press

A scorching drought in the southern Plains has caused hay prices to soar, benefiting farmers to the north but forcing many ranchers to make a difficult choice between paying high prices or selling their cattle.

Ranchers in much of Texas, Oklahoma and even Kansas are having to pay inflated prices for hay and then shell out even more to have it trucked hundreds of miles from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota. Their only other options are to reduce the size of their herds or move cattle to rented pastures in another state.

“It’s pretty ugly,” said Don Davis, who raises grass-fed beef on his ranch about 75 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Davis said he used to think last year’s dry weather couldn’t get worse, but this year’s record-setting drought has put even more pressure on ranchers.

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Irene leaves behind hard times for East Coast farmers

Associated Press

Far from the beach towns that took Hurricane Irene’s first hit, the storm inflicted some of its worst damage on inland farms as crops were pummeled by wind, scalded by salt spray and submerged by floodwaters. Some farmers are reporting total losses.

“My tobacco crop is completely wiped out. I can’t harvest any of it,” said Keith Beavers, whose Mount Olive farm lies about 70 miles from the ocean. “It’s either blown off the stalk or off the limb, and what’s left is raggedy.”

It could take days or weeks for federal agriculture officials to estimate overall losses, but the toll is already clear for many individual farms after a growing season that was too hot in the South and too wet in the Northeast. Especially hard-hit were tobacco growers preparing to harvest in North Carolina and Virginia — two top tobacco states — and blueberry growers in New Jersey whose damaged bushes could spell trouble for future harvests.

After surveying farms in North Carolina on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged farmers to file crop damage claims with their insurers and said federal assistance may cover additional losses and damage to rural infrastructure.

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 Dairy orgs disagree on proposed dairy policy impacts

Dairy Herd Network

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) takes strong exception to assertions made by the National Milk Producers Federation regarding the impact of proposed dairy policy reform on exports. NMPF claims that eliminating the Dairy Product Price Support Program will provide more incentive for exports. However, economic models show that the Dairy Market Stabilization Program (DMSP), included in draft legislation offered for discussion by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), would have significantly lowered U.S. dairy exports and hurt industry growth at a cost of thousands of U.S. jobs if it had been in effect in 2009, according to respected economists.

The March 2011 study by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) of the University of Missouri, The Economic Impact of the Dairy Market Stabilization Program on 2009 Dairy Markets, directly calculates that U.S. dairy exports would have dropped significantly if the DMSP had triggered limits to farm milk production during the dates reviewed. Study results from the appendix table show that during three months – March, April and May of 2009 – U.S. exports of nonfat dry milk would have fallen by 38 percent, butter exports by 16.4 percent and American cheese exports by 8 percent.

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Dave Juday: The ethanol era is over

Daily Caller

For more than two decades, ethanol has been the third rail of Iowa presidential politics. John McCain famously skipped the Iowa caucus in 2000 because of his anti-ethanol position.

Times have changed. These days, support for ethanol is not the touchstone in Iowa politics it once was. In this summer’s Ames straw poll, a remarkable 84 percent of voters backed candidates who are either questioning or openly critical of current ethanol policy.

Indeed, the winner of the straw poll was ethanol critic Michele Bachmann. Bachmann opposed the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which established the federal ethanol mandates, citing ethanol’s “mixed results in efficiency and costs.” Moreover, she voted against the 2008 agricultural authorization bill, saying it was “loaded with unbelievably outrageous pork for agricultural business and ethanol growers.”

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USDA: Number of farmers markets up 31% in Ohio over last year

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According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s newly released 2011 National Farmers Markets Directory, markets are on the rise and Ohio’s number – 278 reported farmers markets – is up 31% when comparing 2011 to 2010.

Across the country, USDA reports there 1,000 newly reported farmers markets this year for a national total of 7,175. In 2010 USDA reported 6,132 farmers markets. Ohio’s number of markets and percentage increase landed the state in USDA’s top 10 list of states for growth in markets. Ohio ranks ninth on the list.

“The remarkable growth in farmers markets is an excellent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “These outlets provide economic benefits for producers to grow their businesses and also to communities by providing increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods. In short, they are a critical ingredient in our nation’s food system.”

USDA’s farmers market count is a voluntary survey with information provided to the agency by farmers market managers around the country. Market managers who participate in the survey get their market into the USDA’s national directory. There are likely more farmers markets around the nation and in Ohio than what’s captured in the USDA numbers.

For information and an interactive directory of farmers markets in Ohio, check out Ohio Proud.

 

Farm Bill Coverage from Marietta Times

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Ashley Rittenhouse has an interesting story today in the Marietta Times on some thoughts from opinion leaders in Ohio and Washington on the future of food and nutrition programs:

The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, otherwise known as the Farm Bill, expires in 2012 and there’s a debate over changes that could come with its renewal and portions that could be eliminated.

That includes concerns locally and in Ohio about whether funding for food and nutrition programs and farm subsidies could dry up.

The legislation drives federal spending and policies on agriculture, nutrition and conservation programs, ranging from crop insurance to food stamps.

The 2008 Farm Bill contained 15 titles covering support for, among other things, commodity crops, horticulture and livestock, conservation, nutrition, trade and food aid, agricultural research, farm credit, rural development and energy and forestry, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The administration and other deficit reduction task forces have submitted budget proposals to reduce farm supports, while many farm sector advocates support the status quo.

Read the rest of the story at the Marietta Times

Northwest State’s Stuckey Talks Renewable Energy Education, Agriculture

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On June 30, the Ohio Farmers Union held a town hall-style meeting at Northwest State Community College. The first speaker that night was Dr. Thomas Stuckey, president of NWSCC. In this video, Stuckey discusses the potential of renewable energy to family farms and rural communities.

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DEADLINE: July 15 for Prevented Planting & Reporting Acreage for Corn & Soybeans

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Courtesy Ohio Farm Services Agency

COLUMBUS, OHIO — July 6, 2011 — Steven Maurer, the State Executive Director for the Ohio Farm Service Agency (FSA) would like to remind producers about the deadline extension date to timely report prevented planting is July 15, 2011.

“With the extension, producers are able to file form CCC-576, Notice of Loss for prevented planting of corn and soybeans at the same time as filing annual acreage reports which are also due by July 15th, Maurer said.”

Prevented planting acreage, or acreage that could not be planted because of wet field conditions or other natural disaster, should be reported to FSA by July 15th. This includes crops covered by crop insurance or the Non-insured Assistance Program (NAP) and crops without insurance coverage.  Producers should contact their local FSA office or crop insurance agent to verify final planting dates for all crops since they vary among counties and crop types.

For crop losses on crops covered by the Non-insured Assistance Program (NAP), producers must contact their local FSA office within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent to file a Notice of Loss. Producers with crop insurance should contact their local agent when losses occur and before destroying the crop.

To report prevented acreage, producers must complete Form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, for affected crops.

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Ohio Farmers Union Ad in latest Edible Columbus

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OFU President Roger Wise wants to let the foodies, slow food devotees and farmers market supporters in Columbus know that the Ohio Farmers Union is an organization that they should know about.

OFU is running an advertisement in the summer edition of Edible Columbus – a beautiful magazine circulated around the capital city and read by gourmands and others who enjoy eating out and dining at home when local food with a conscience is on the menu.

“From time to time we need to think about the final link in the food chain – the consumer,” said Wise

“We chose to advertise with Edible Columbus because they highlight locally grown and produced food and the restaurants that use local ingredients. There are also two articles in the latest edition of the magazine that feature family farms in Ohio,” he added.

Edible Columbus is part of Edible Communities Publishing a publications and information company that produces editorially rich, community-based, local-foods publications in distinct culinary regions throughout the United States and Canada.

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Contact

Ohio Farmers Union
P.O. Box 363
1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
Toll Free: (800) 321-3671