In Farm Bureau

Farm Bill fails agricultureThe U.S. House of Representatives

passed a split version of the Farm Bill on July 11 by a 216-208 margin,

separating the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from traditional farm programs and repealing the permanent law status of the Farm Bill in the process.

The Senate and House versions of the bill will now go to conference committee, where the differences in the bills will need to be worked out.

All four members of the Arkansas House delegation voted for the bill, despite opposition from Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations.

“We are disappointed in House leadership for choosing to split the bill and repealing the permanent law status of the Farm Bill, which creates the possibility we will never write a Farm Bill again,” said Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach. “The decision by House leadership to pursue that path put members of the Arkansas delegation in a very difficult situation. We still have a long way to go to get to passage of a five-year Farm Bill. The challenge will be

in conferencing the vastly different proposals from the Senate and the House.

“We are committed to work vigorously with our full delegation to work toward passage of a Farm Bill that provides the needed safety net that underpins Arkansas and American agriculture.”

Food and Farm FactsThe new Food and Farm Facts

book and map poster, produced by

July 19, 2013 • Vol. 16, No. 14A

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Susan Anglin of Bentonville, chairwoman of ArFB’s Dairy Division, presented a plaque to Jessica Crawley of Maysville for being named the state’s 2013 Dairy Ambassador. The ceremony took place at the recent 4-State Dairy Days event in Bentonville.

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The week of July 8, three judges traveled more than 1,600 miles to visit with the eight district finalists for the 67th Annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program. the Gorden family of Mena (left to right, Kent, Bob, Sarah and Brent) is among those vying for top honors. The winner will be announced at a luncheon on Dec. 12 at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.

the American Farm Bureau Federation, is

now available.“Food and Farm Facts provides

the opportunity to learn more about the many ways farmers and ranchers produce food to meet the needs of today’s consumers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. The book features 32 pages of color photos and graphics as well as a wall-sized map poster showing where various foods, livestock and crops are grown.

Information about how farmers and ranchers care for the environment, what an acre of land can produce, how many people one farmer can feed and much more are included in the new book. Also featured are prize-winning photos from the 2012 Farm Bureau Photo Contest.

Related Food and Farm Facts products also are available. Two sets of activity cards (for grades 4-6 and grades 7-12) were developed by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture for educators using national learning standards and state “common core” standards that reflect the knowledge and skills young people need for success in college and careers.

Purchase the book and related resources online at fb.org/orders or agfoundation.org. State and county

Farm Bureaus may be invoiced for orders.

In ArkansasPryor to speak at Rice Expo

Sen. Mark Pryor is set to be the keynote speaker at the 2013 Arkansas Rice Expo, Aug. 2, at the Grand Prairie Center at 2709 U.S. 165 in Stuttgart. Pryor is a key figure for agriculture in Washington, chairing the Senate subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies and is sponsor and guiding hand on

the Senate agriculture appropriations bill.

“This year’s Rice Expo features more food, more family-friendly activities and an even deeper lineup of farm-focused tours, exhibits and seminars,” said Chuck Wilson, director of the Rice Research and Extension Center. “We’ve tried to pack in a lot in a half-day event.”

Registration begins at 8 a.m. This year’s tours, starting at 9 a.m., include breeding for higher yield and quality, managing bacterial panicle blight and other rice diseases, hybrid rice for Arkansas rice farmers, NST*R implementation in Arkansas, nutrient management for rice rotations, optimum seeding rates for new rice varieties, rice weed control and irrigation management. For those who want to stay out of the heat, virtual field tours will be shown in the auditorium beginning at 9 a.m.

Extension horticulture specialist Janet Carson will talk about raised-bed gardening at 10 a.m. in Grand Prairie Salon A&B. Sen. Pryor will deliver his keynote at 11:45 a.m. in the auditorium. A catfish lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m., with Betsy Ward of the USA Rice Federation as the luncheon speaker. For children, there will be youth archery sponsored by Mack’s Prairie Wings, the National Guard football and basketball toss, a

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First District Congressman Rick Crawford (center) and his children, eight-year-old Will and five-year-old Delaney, go through the food line at Craighead Co. FB’s pre-4th of July picnic on July 3. About 100 Farm Bureau members and guests attended the event in Jonesboro.

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Cotton acreage is down sharply this year in Arkansas. Agriculture officials estimate that 320,000 acres have been planted, about half as much as 2012 when this photo was taken. Farmers have pulled back on cotton because of thin profit margins.

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ArFB education coordinator Matt Jackson visited Perrit Primary School students in Arkadelphia on July 10. Clark Co. FB Women’s Committee members assisted him in teaching the students the benefits of healthy living through agriculture.

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(Left to right) Tonya Presley, Molly Drewyor and Kaitlyn Walden, students at Huntsville High School, participated in a heart dissection exercise at UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville on July 15. They were among 20 students in the M*A*S*h Camp there, sponsored in part by Madison Co. FB.

youth BB shoot and a pedal tractor derby. For more information, visit http://aaes.uark.edu/rice.html.

ElsewhereNew acreage reporting deadline

USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan M. Garcia has announced an extension of the FSA acreage reporting deadline. Farmers and landowners have an additional 18 calendar days to submit their annual report of acreage to their local FSA county office, with the deadline extended to Aug. 2. Only the FSA reporting deadline was extended. The July 15 acreage reporting requirement for crop insurance was not changed.

“We want to ensure our producers maintain their program benefits by filing their reports accurately and in a timely manner for all crops and land uses, including prevented and failed acreage,” said Garcia.

Accurate acreage reports are necessary to determine and maintain eligibility for various programs, such as the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP), the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistant Program (NAP).

Producers should visit their USDA Service Center to complete acreage reporting for FSA. For more information, producers should contact their FSA county office or seek information online at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Agriscience innovation honoredFour innovators in agriculture

received monetary awards and research funding jointly presented by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, an independent federal government agency, and the American Farm Bureau Federation. The awards honor scientists, educators and high school students for their contributions to science and research in agriculture.

“The American Farm Bureau

Federation has a long history of supporting new ideas for delivering efficient solutions to our food and agricultural challenges,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “That is why we are proud to support the work of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in fostering the advancement of agriscience.”

Michael P. Doyle, Ph.D., a University of Georgia regents professor and director at the Center for Food Safety, is the recipient of the $10,000 Distinguished Agriscience Scientist Award. Dr. Doyle’s research focuses on food safety and security. He works closely with government agencies, the food industry and consumer groups on issues related to the microbiological safety of foods.

Sara Clark, Ph.D., a teacher at Sonoraville High School in Calhoun, Ga., is the recipient of the $5,000 Agriscience Educator Award. As a secondary school teacher for 20 years, Dr. Clark encourages her students to explore the many fields of agriscience and find something that interests them. She uses methods such as inquiry-based learning, teaching others and

self-directed learning to keep students engaged in the agriscience classroom.

Two high school students also were honored for agriscience research. Jillian Drake and Kellie Einck each received $1,000 awards for individual research projects.

Drake, a senior at Fallbrook Union High School in Fallbrook, Calif., concentrated her research on the plant pathogen Candidatus liberibacter, which causes severe diseases in citrus trees and crops such as tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. She plans to continue her research at the Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Research Service laboratory.

Einck, a junior at South O’Brien High School in Paullina, Iowa, concentrated her research on new developments in ethanol production. Her goal is to find the best combination of bacteria strains for optimal fermentation.

“The winning candidates have demonstrated the desire to secure the future of American agriculture for generations to come, and we salute them in those efforts,” Stallman said. Editor

Keith Suttonkeith.sutton@arfb.com

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There was no lack of youth participation at the 24th Annual 4-State Dairy Days in Bentonville June 21-23. The fun, educational event ended with a cattle show for 4-H and FFA members, sponsored by the Benton Co. FB and Benton County Dairy Association.

In the MarketAs of July 17, 2013

SOYBEANS have seen strength this week. An unexpected drop in the crop conditions ratings was a big plus for prices. However, USDA still says that 65 percent of the crop is currently in good to excellent condition, 27 percent is fair, and only 8 percent of the crop is in poor to very poor condition, so the crop is still faring well. Strong domestic and export demand are providing support. Meal futures have moved to new contract high levels with August trading to $15.30 amid tight supplies and good demand. Expected imports in the coming days will limit the upside, though. November has failed at resistance at $12.94 ½ in the recent rally. Further resistance is at $13.19 and $13.33, but without major weather problems, it is unlikely futures will retest those levels. In fact, USDA still estimates the average on farm price for soybeans to be between $9.75 and $11.75, so this rally could be seen as a pricing opportunity.

WHEAT futures are finding some support from outside markets despite harvest pressure. Export competition from cheap Black Sea wheat is also limiting the upside potential. USDA’s wheat outlook report released this week provided additional information into the class breakout of the recent supply/demand report. The soft red winter wheat crop is now forecast at 539 million bushels, a 30-million bushel increase from the June estimate and 119

million larger than last year’s crop. September futures have support at the recent low of $6.52. Resistance begins at last week’s high of $6.93.

CORN futures have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride in recent weeks. A larger-than-expected acreage report sent the market into a near free-fall. December found support at $4.90, though, and prices have recovered a bit. The weekly crop condition report from USDA lowered the percent of the crop rated good to excellent by two percent, and that gave the market another bump. The condition of the crop was lowered as drier weather enters the western parts of the Midwest. Continue to expect volatility as we move forward in the year. This year continues to trail previous years, with only 16 percent of the crop silking. The next two to three weeks are vital to this year’s crop. Hotter temperatures and dryer weather will reduce the plants’ ability to pollinate.

COTTON prices remain locked in the same sideways pattern that has held the market for the past four months. December charted a bearish key reversal on Monday in reaction to rain in the very dry West Texas production area. There has been little follow-through so far, as the market has found support at Monday’s low of 83.91

cents for the time being. Key support remains the June low of 81.72 cents.

In RICE futures, the bleeding has stopped for the time being. September took about $1.70 off the market between mid-June and mid-July. While the USDA report reduced production 10 million cwt, milder temperatures as we move into pollination will help yields despite the later crop. USDA said this week that 69 percent of the crop nationwide is in good to excellent condition, 26 percent is fair, and five percent is poor to very poor.

September has support at $14.73 and then $14.60. Upside retracement objectives are $15.40 and $15.60.

CATTlE futures are trading in a mostly sideways pattern. Strong packer margins, estimated to be $40.40 per head this week, are providing some support. However, reduced demand during the “dog days” of summer could cut into margins a bit. October live futures have support at $125.40 and resistance just below $127.

HOg futures are receiving support from improving packer margins. August continued to recover after Friday’s move to $94.40 and is currently working to establish support at $95.

CONTACT

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

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

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