In Farm BureauAg Hall of Fame to induct six

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame will induct six individuals at a March 7 luncheon in Little Rock. Those selected are Marion Berry of Gillett, former advisor to President Bill Clinton and former member of the United States House of Representa-tives; O.H. “Doogie” Darling of Crossett, retired forester of Georgia-Pacific Corpo-ration; Leroy Isbell of England, owner of Isbell Farms, who pioneered zero grading of rice fields in Arkansas; Ruben Johnson of Magazine, retired employee of the Uni-versity of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service; Keith Lusby of Fayetteville, retired professor and head of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Ar-kansas; and J. Keith Smith of Hot Springs, the late pioneer in the development of the broiler industry in south Arkansas.

The group will be honored at the 26th annual induction luncheon, 11:30 a.m., March 7 in the Ambassador Ballroom of Little Rock’s Embassy Suites Hotel. Lun-cheon tickets are $35 each and are avail-

able by calling (501) 228-1470 or emailing aghalloffame@arfb.com.

The Agriculture Hall of Fame is spon-sored by Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. The program honors those who have made significant contributions to Arkan-sas agriculture, as well as community and economic development.

Presidents’ ConferencesPresidents’ Conferences designed to

provide county Farm Bureau presidents with information and an opportunity to

meet with the state president and vice president have been scheduled for March 17-21. The program will include pre-sentations to assist county presidents in performing their duties, as well as a review of responsibilities in relation to financial records of the organization, a ValuePlus programs update, review of staff resources and a private session for the county presi-dents, state president and vice president to discuss issues of interest to the local leadership.

The meetings will begin at 10 a.m. at the following locations: March 17, Fair-

February 21, 2014 • Vol. 17, No. 4A

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Members of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s State Women’s Com-mittee presented a gift of $4,000 to Ronald McDonald House in Little Rock Feb 13. The donation will purchase food items to feed families of seriously ill children staying at the facility. Attending were (left to right) Donna Bemis of Little Rock; Dana Stewart of Judsonia; Roberta Golmon of Norfork; Janice Marsh of McCrory; Peggy Miller of Lake Village; Karen Erren, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas; Ja-nis Rubio of Lake Village, Sherry Felts of Joiner and Sonya Harrell of Harrell.

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Union Co. FB hosted a legisla-tive appreciation breakfast

Feb. 7 in El Dorado to recog-nize area leaders’ support

of agriculture. Among those attending were (l to r) State Rep.

John Baine, State Rep. Mat-thew Shepherd, State Rep. Jeff

Wardlaw, Union Co. FB President Kevin Hux and ArFB State Board

Member Johnny Loftin.

Bridge Inn, 3006 S. Caraway Rd., Jonesboro; March

18, Durand Center, Ginny Hammer-schmidt Room, 303 N. Main St., Harrison; March 19, Farm Bureau Center, 10720 Kanis Rd., Little Rock; March 20, Commu-nity Center, 18 Belmont St., Dumas; and March 21, Western Sizzlin, 1765 S. 4th St., Nashville.

County presidents are urged to attend the meeting that best fits their schedule. For lunch planning purposes, please let your Organization and Member Programs area coordinator know which meeting you plan to attend.

Ag safety weekAcross the country, Farm Bureaus are

making safety a top priority this spring through the Agricultural Safety Aware-ness Program (ASAP). As a part of ASAP, March 2-8 has been designated as Agricul-tural Safety Awareness Week.

This year’s theme, “Farm Safety: Your Only Passenger,” emphasizes making farms and ranches safer for farmers, their family members and employees, with special emphasis on children.

People of all ages, but particularly children, are at risk of injuries as passen-gers on farm equipment. Educating adults about reducing risks to the children in their care is critical to preventing farm and ranch incidents and fatalities.

“To help in preventing injuries and deaths, all operators should follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for safety,” said Amanda Williams, safety coordinator for Arkansas Farm Bureau. “Carrying passen-gers on a single rider piece of equipment such as a tractor or ATV, the operator is risking what matters most.”

During Ag Safety Awareness Week and throughout the year, state Farm Bureaus are focused on making farms and ranches safer for farmers, their family members

and employees. To accomplish this, Arkan-sas Farm Bureau has two full-time safety coordinators on staff.

“The safety coordinators at Arkansas Farm Bureau are dedicated to educating Arkansans about safety concerns,” said safety coordinator Jason Kaufman. “Some of the programs offered include Farm/Tractor Safety, ATV Safety, Distracted Driving Prevention, and Drinking and Driving Prevention.”

For more information, visit the “Educa-tion & Youth” section of ArFB’s website, www.arfb.com.

New farm truck regs bookArkansas Farm Bureau has produced a

new publication called Farm Truck Regs. It includes condensed information about hauling agriculture commodities and regu-lations applied to farm trucks.

In 2013 policy, ArFB members indi-cated they would like to have access to a quick reference source about the trans-portation of farm goods. Farm Truck Regs is the result of that policy request by the membership. This publication was devel-oped in cooperation with the Arkansas Highway Police Division of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Depart-ment. It is not a completely comprehensive publication, and it is not legally binding. It does include a lot of valid laws and contact information. Printed copies are available by emailing Michelle Kitchens at michelle.kitchens@arfb.com.

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On Jan. 30, the Arkansas Rice Fed-eration presented its 2014 industry awards. The Excellence in Conserva-tion Award went to Arkansas rice farmer/Ducks Unlimited President George Dunklin (left). USA Rice Federa-tion’s Chuck Wilson (center) received the Lifetime of Service to the Rice Industry Award. State Sen. Jonathan Dismang received the Excellence in Public Service award.

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Like many county Farm Bureaus around the state, Cleburne County has kicked off its annual campaign to recruit new members. At a mem-bership kickoff breakfast Feb. 15, county president Gordon Eichelberg-er (standing) of Quitman explained the county’s goals to the board members in attendance and started the 2014 recruitment process.

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Arkansas Farm Bureau was one of the sponsors of the 20th annual Arkansas State University Agri-business Conference held Feb. 12 in Jonesboro. Among the many speakers at the event was Dr. J.B. Penn, chief economist for Deere & Company, who addressed the crowd of several hundred about global agricultural markets.

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At a recent board meeting in Magno-lia, Columbia Co. FB President Burnie Sharp presented a check for $10,000 to Dr. Jeffery Miller, chairman of Southern Arkansas University’s Agriculture Department. The Farm Bureau donation is an investment in SAU’s new Agriculture Sciences Center, which has state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories.

In ArkansasReed named to Business Hall of Fame

On Feb. 7, the late Stanley Reed, who served as Arkansas Farm Bureau President from 2003 – 2008, was inducted into the

Arkansas Business Hall of Fame by the Sam M. Walton Col-lege of Business at the University of Arkansas. Reed, of Marianna, was a lawyer, farmer and member of the ArFB board of directors from 1987 to 2008. He also

was chairman of the University of Arkan-sas System Board of Trustees from 1998 – 2008.

Also inducted were James H. Faulkner of Little Rock, who established Faulkner and Associates in 1957; Mack McLarty of Little Rock, chairman of McLarty Associ-ates and chairman of McLarty Companies; and Mark C. Simmons of Siloam Springs, chairman of Simmons Foods Inc. & Af-filiates, one of the nation’s largest privately held broiler-processing companies. Energy Efficiency Grants

Arkansas Farm Bureau encourages farmers and ranchers to consider applying for a grant through the Rural Energy for

America Program (REAP). The funding level for 2014 will be around $600,000

REAP is a 25-percent cost-share program that covers irrigation upgrades, poultry house upgrades and other energy projects for farms or rural businesses. Farm Bureau members have been very successful in getting these grants, with members receiving more than $1.8 million in grant funds in just the past four years. To learn more, contact Matt King at matt.king@arfb.com.

“Homegrown Profits” workshopArkansas farmers wanting to expand

the reach of their products into farmers markets, restaurants and other outlets will hear plenty of ideas at “Homegrown Prof-its,” an agricultural marketing workshop set for March 4 at the ASU-Beebe student center.

“This workshop will give Arkansas farmers a chance to hear from a range of experts and peers who can help them expand the market reach of their produce, livestock and value-added products such as soaps and cheeses,” said Ron Rainey, extension economist and head of the Ar-kansas MarketMaker project.

Registration is $10, and participants can pay at the door. For more information, contact Cherie Bradley at cbradley@uaex.edu or 501-268-5394.

Register online at http://survey.uaex.edu/registrations/AAMW.asp.

ElsewhereMid-South Farm and Gin Show

Want to see the latest farm equipment and technology? Plan to attend the 62nd Annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, Feb. 28-March 1 at the Cook Conven-tion Center, 255 N. Main St. in Memphis, Tenn. More than 400 exhibitors from 40 states will be on hand showcasing the latest technology and innovation available in agriculture.

“Farmers attending the show will have the opportunity to get a firsthand look at what’s new in the industry: new technol-ogy, new products and other new develop-ments in agriculture,” said show manager Tim Price.

Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Those planning to attend are encour-aged to register online by clicking on the “attendee registration” button on the show’s website, www.farmandginshow.com. Attendees also can download the show’s mobile app, available from iTunes and the Android app store. The app features show schedules, speaker biographies, maps, exhibitor information and more. Editor

Keith Suttonkeith.sutton@arfb.com

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Industry experts are predicting rice planting will rebound in Arkansas this year, per-haps by as much as 300,000-400,000 new acres. “Based on what I’m hearing from other growers, and based on what I’m planning, I think we’ll see a 10-15 percent increase in rice acreage this year,” said Stuttgart rice producer and Arkansas Rice Council Chairman Steve Orlicek.

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Pulaski Co. FB donated groceries worth $600 to the Dorcas House women’s shelter Feb. 12 as part of Food Check-Out Month. Among those attending were Pulaski Co. FB Women’s Committee Chair Betty Oliver (left), Union Rescue Mission associate Cathy Doty (second from left); Pulaski Co. FB VP Fred Nickerson (center-left); Pulaski Co. FB board member Debbie Moreland (center-right); and State Women’s Commit-tee member Donna Bemis (third from right).

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In the Market As of Feb. 18, 2014

February has turned out to be a pretty exciting month for commodity markets as wheat prices have shown their first signs of life in months, continued strong corn exports allowed USDA to update their 2014 forecast to 1.6 billion bushels, the National Cotton Council released its 2014 planting intentions, and the USDA released its 2014 Agriculture Baseline Forecast.

To begin the month, the USDA offered the market a couple of surprises in the February supply and demand report. Strong export sales reports in recent weeks led the USDA to increase corn and wheat exports, while at the same time leaving cotton unchanged.

The stronger wheat exports seemed to be just what the market needed and have provided the support necessary to help pull prices off recent lows. With wheat prices more than $6, producers should consider pricing at least a portion of their remaining production as there is a strong possibility prices will move lower ahead of harvest.

The increase in U.S. corn exports to 1.6 billion bushels, initially pushed prices higher as stocks fell to less than 1.5 billion. However, nearby corn met resistance at $4.50 and continues to unsuccessfully test resistance at $4.50. The market needs to close above this resistance to open the opportunity for any significant gains in corn.

Cotton on the other hand was expecting the USDA to increase exports as sales have been very strong in recent weeks, but the USDA did not. Despite the lack of follow-through from the USDA, nearby

cotton prices continue to find strength in the strong exports as they test resistance near 89 cents. New crop, however, cannot seem to get back to 80 cents.

The current strength in the cotton market shows the market is not convinced it has all the acres it needs despite the National Cotton Council 2014 cotton acreage survey that showed acreage up about 8 percent to 11.26 million acres. While acreage overall was up, the survey forecasts Arkansas acreage down 14,000 acres in 2014. While there was much skepticism about this number being down, continued strong soybean prices will likely limit the potential gains in Arkansas cotton acreage.

Their forecast of 2014-15 U.S. cotton stocks was as important as the acreage estimate. If the U.S. is able to grow a crop of more than 11 million acres, NCC forecast ending stocks could rise to more than 5.6 million bales, which would be a 2.6 -million- bale increase from this year. If stocks were to rise to this level, cotton prices below 70 cents would be likely for this fall and into 2015.

Finally, last Friday, the USDA also released its long-term commodity baseline report. There has been more news coverage of this report than we have seen historically as the market is looking for any fundamental news it can find to help provide direction ahead of the planting intentions report in March. Keep in mind this report is not meant to be a decision tool; rather it is designed to show a long-term supply and demand

outlook. Among the main items picked up

by the media were the price forecasts, which show strong declines in all commodities from the highs put in the last few years. Corn prices fall to a low of $3.30 in 2015, soybeans bottom out at $8.85 in 2015, and wheat falls to $4.30 in 2016.

For our southern crops, long-grain rice is forecast to decline to $14.50 in 2014, then increase to $15.50 over the next 10 years. Cotton is forecast to decline to $0.62 in 2015 and hold there for years before rising to $0.73 by 2023.

After this report was released, the USDA announced it would revise these price forecasts to account for policy changes in the 2014 farm bill. The expectation is that these changes could lead to higher corn prices than those originally released.

While these baseline projections will have very little, if any, influence on the market by the end of the week, there are a number of interesting figures that one can pull from this report. First are the acreage estimates. While large declines in corn and wheat acres are partially offset by increases in soybeans and rice, the USDA is still forecasting the U.S. will loose close to 12 million acres of crop land over the next 10 years. About half of these acres are assumed to go into CRP as a the new farm bill increases CRP by 6 million acres. It is unclear from this report what happens to the remaining acres as we don’t know how many acres will go into pasture, fallow or other uses.

CONTACT•Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268, brandy.carroll@arfb.com

•Bruce Tencleve 501-228-1856, bruce.tencleve@arfb.com

•Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com