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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2012 Volume 65 No. 11 Official Publication of the Arizona Farm Bureau

nuts, quality meats, eggs and dairy. The blessings of America’s abundance is also our curse as we’re faced with an array of dizzying choices; so many of them not healthy.

Still in an unwarranted judgment mode on my part, I also couldn’t help but think that she needed to tell her daughter to become responsible for her own dietary require-ments if she was going to insist on a stricter diet than the rest of the family. While all this was going on, her very robust teenage son was pushing her to buy a package of cookies... but check the label for dairy and eggs!

I also thought, “It’s tough being a parent.”The heartache and hardship of any of my

friends struggling with weight cannot be over-stated. And, in fact, it makes me angry that so many unfounded fears are floating around to overwhelm anyone trying hard to get to their ideal body weight. I recently went on my own diet. The last thing I wanted to hear is how bad everything is for me today except for a piece of organic celery. You just keep munching and hop-ing and praying that somewhere along the line, you’ll eventually get it all right. Right?

GMOs? They are the least of my worries.

The GMO Issue is not Going AwayWhile you and I might scoff at the discus-

sion topic when GMOs come up since as farmers we’ve been in the thick of transformative plant biology the past several decades, many Arizona families are not. In fact, just in the last 30 days I’ve have two media inquiries on this topic. Even

the way journalists ask for Arizona Farm Bureau’s position on the issue, their bias is evident based on the questions they pose.

While this issue of Arizona Agriculture went to press, Californians were about to vote up or down on Proposition 37; the proposed initiative would change food-label-ing laws by requiring companies to identify most genetically engineered ingredients, among other things.

Supporters say it is a necessary measure to protect consumers’ right to know about

See OFF THE HOOK Page 5

By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

Celebrating the Centennial Continues - Page 2 Food Prices Then and Now.

Queue the Video! - Page 2 The Visual Tool that Tells Our Story!

Are You a Retail Farmer? - Page 7 You Need Our New Book

See GMO Page 4

By Joe Sigg, Arizona Farm Bureau

Recently, I struck up a conversation with a woman in the bread aisle in a neigh-borhood grocery store. She appeared friendly enough and I enjoy random chats with strangers (Yes, my parents did instruct me to not “talk to strangers,” but ...)

especially if the conversation can focus on food and agriculture. These random discus-sions give me a real sense of what our Arizona families are concerned about. Yes, there is much concern ... and often unfounded fears.

My new friend was intently studying the ingredient label on a loaf of bread. As a re-sult, my conversation entry point was, “So what’s your favorite brand?”

Startled, she looked up and said, “Oh, they carry a lot of good breads here but I’m trying to find a brand that has no dairy or eggs. My daughter decided she is a Vegan so can’t have dairy or any kind of animal product including eggs.”

Bread without dairy or eggs!? That’s like cake without the frosting, Laurel without Hardy and bees without their honey!

Then I did a foolish thing (Well, not really but it felt like it): I introduced myself and told her who I work for and began explaining Arizona Farm Bu-reau’s Fill Your Plate.

In turn, she launched into her concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) all the while suggesting that she can’t make informed de-cisions since GMOs are not labeled. Yes, we went from bread and veganism to GMOs in less than a few minutes.

As she recited the characteristic sound bites about GMO fears I was carrying on a dialogue with myself about her weight. She was what the medical profession would call morbidly obese, anyone 50% to 100% above their ideal body weight. Her unproven fears about GMOs were taking her eyes off the bigger issue; the more critical concern. When struggling with our weight we know our biggest health focus needs to on slimming down. We begin by evaluating what we’re currently eating and we begin the process of restructuring our diet. A quick glance at my new friend’s cart revealed high-carb, high-fat processed products.

Arizona Farm Bureau advocates sticking to the basics, fresh fruits, vegetables and

Photo courtesy of Cat Sidh

Attempting to add GMO information to Food labeling could make food prices skyrocket.

The Hot Topic on the Horizon: GMO LabelingUnfounded Fears Take Our Eyes off the Ball

The wheels really will fall off the bus if we don’t take our responsibilities as voters seriously, and we must be very careful to guard against blocks of citizens who simply feel disenfranchised… that is a large number in this economy. It is a major concern.

But there are those who disenfranchise themselves. How often have you heard from folks who don’t vote because there is too much negative campaigning or because there is too much money in politics?

Let’s start with the first one. Negative campaigning (not that you have to like it) has been around for a long time – it’s part of our tradition in this country.

In the election of 1828, the wife of Andrew Jackson was called a …well…that street word for “prostitute.” She was kind-of-sort-of not di-vorced from her first husband when she married Jackson. She died, some said, from ridicule before he took office. For himself Jackson never for-gave his enemies.

Grover Cleveland fathered a child out of wedlock, so during the cam-paign of 1884, the chant from the opposition was “Ma, ma, where’s my pa?”

Why does negative campaigning work? It works because of you…because of us. We are human – we don’t turn away from train wrecks. We are cursed for turning our ears to gossip and we tune in to the provocative. At a deeper level, negative campaigning works when it contains a kernel of truth, because it appeals to our biases or it fits, maybe just a little, with our current thinking or sub-conscious impressions.

Of course negative campaigning is its own worst enemy when it is totally divorced from reality or is over the top. If I call my opponent an “outer space alien,” you know what that makes me? If my negative cam-paigning makes me the butt of ridicule, then it is not working. However, if I call my opponent an “illegal alien”…well that might provide some pause, given the circumstances. There is also a line of civility we do not cross. I don’t know what that line is, it will vary from time to time and from race to race, but I assure you the voters will figure it out.

But back to my point…negative campaigning works because we are human, so unless you wish to withdraw from that particular interest

You Don’t Get Off The Hook That Easily!

The Voice of Arizona Agriculture325 S. Higley Rd., Suite 210 • Gilbert, AZ 85296 • 480.635.3600 • fax 480.635.3781 • www.azfb.org

OFFICERSPresident • Kevin Rogers, Mesa

1st Vice President • Tim Dunn, Yuma2nd V. P. • Stefanie Smallhouse, Redington

Exec. Secretary • James Klinker, MesaEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Rock Cramer • ParkerDeWayne Justice • Waddell

ARIZONA AGRICULTURE STAFFJulie Murphree, Editor

Peggy Jo Goodfellow, AdvertisingPlease send comments to:

arizonaagriculture@azfb.orgFor advertising, e-mail ads@azfb.org, call

480.635.3609 or visit www.azfb.org/publications.htm

Arizona Agricultureis published monthly, except

December, plus three special editions, (ISSN 0274-7014) by the Arizona Farm

Bureau Federation325 S Higley Rd., Suite 210

Gilbert, AZ 85296Periodicals postage paid in Higley,

Arizona and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTERSend address changes to:

Arizona Agriculture325 S Higley Rd., Suite 210

Gilbert, AZ 85296Subscriptions are included in

annual dues.

2 www.azfb.org ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012

See VIDEO Page 6

By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

Eleventh in a series on Arizona’s 100 years of statehood and its agriculture history.

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While commodity prices for our agriculture products and certainly the cost of producing them weighs heavy on our minds in the present, 50 years ago Arizona farmers and ranchers had some of those same concerns. And our neighbors back then? Well, they may have been talking about food prices just like we seem to be doing

today.So while the more things change, the

more some things do stay the same.And, yes, the historian is again leafing

through archived issues of Arizona Farm Bureau News. This time, an editorial about food prices is uncovered.

In the August 1966 issue of Arizona Farm Bureau News, a staff editorial asked the question, “Are food prices too high?” Answering “no” to its own question, the editorial goes on to say, “Food prices are ridiculously low when compared with in-creased incomes and increased prices for other goods and services in this country and when compared to the food situation in other countries.”

What the historian finds interesting is the chart right next to the 46-year-old editorial showing food cost as a percentage of disposable income of various countries including the United States. Back then, ac-cording to the chart, the United States was at 18%. Today, we’re fond of citing 10% to our audiences we visit with about Ameri-

can agriculture and food prices. So, in these last five decades we’ve been able to highlight to the American consumer an 45% reduction in food costs as a percentage of one’s disposable income.

The food price issue has certainly been a bridge over the last several decades to talk with consumers about Ameri-ca’s food supply and the relative lack of inflation in our food prices compared to other consumer items.

Without our ability to highlight the value of America’s agriculture and its consistent advances to make the produc-tion of food more and more economical, we’d be unable to connect with consumers on the value of what we do. As has been said so eloquently in the pages of this publication before, in agriculture we “make things.” And in the making of things we’ve year over year created more quality, efficiency and healthiness in producing for a growing population.

During 1966, a series of investigations was taking place at the Congressional level regarding the price of food. Said the editorial, “The current flurry of investigations into the price of food are nothing but election year activities designed not to do anything about the cost of food but rather to win the political support of consumers who are finding it increasingly difficult to make their fixed-incomes adequate in this period of inflation brought about by increased federal spending.”

Often, food (and gas) prices have been turned into a political football. Many can remember the strong period of inflation in the late 1970s that included long lines at the gas pump. Today, we face a similar concern for food inflation brought on by the drought in the Midwest and other factors. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) an-ticipates food price inflation into next year reaching anywhere from 3% to 5%.

The 1966 editorial in the pages of Arizona Farm Bureau News didn’t hesitate to share its take on the current situ-ation: “It appears that the investigators will do everything in their power to shift the blame away from the farmer and onto the back of the middleman, and it is doubtful that the blame will be placed where it really belongs – right back on the 89th Congress which will be remembered only as the Congress that squandered the nation’s financial resources.”

Yes. The more things change, the more some things stay the same including pointing the finger.

Food Prices Then; Food Prices Now

The other day I randomly approached someone and said, “Don’t you just love Arizona agriculture?

Of course she said, “What? Sometimes I’m too random, I know. But once I explained she was all excited and proceeded to ask me if we had any

videos. I was more than happy to say, “Why, yes, in fact we do!”Thanks to YouTube and Fill Your Plate our video library keeps growing. Arizona Farm Bureau’s Fill Your Plate now features more than 60 videos (double the number of just two years ago)

about Arizona agriculture. You can direct your friends and neighbors to learn about Arizona agriculture, Arizona farm-ers and ranchers, generational farming and ranching, Arizona’s Ostrich farmer, Arizona’s chili farmers and much more.

Queue the Video! Dim the Lights

ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012 www.azfb.org 3

By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

4 www.azfb.org ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012

continued from page 1GMOthe food they buy; opponents say it allows loopholes for special interest groups and could lead to an unending string of frivolous lawsuits.

The passage of Proposition 37 would trigger three main changes to California law. First, producers would be required to label most genetically modified organisms (GMO), with exemptions for meat, dairy and alcohol products, and food served in restaurants. Second, California’s Department of Public Health would be charged with enforcing the labeling laws. Third, individuals, including municipalities or private citizens, would be allowed to sue food producers for violating the law using the state’s Consumer Legal Remedy Act, which allows individuals to sue without proving damages from the alleged violation.

California Farm Bureau opposes it and many say the state’s farmers are concerned the measure will make them vulnerable to lawsuits.

Support for the GMO labeling proposal has plummeted to 48.3% from 66.9%, ac-cording to a survey of likely California voters. But it’s still ahead in the polls as only around 40% oppose the measure. Undecided voters accounted for 11.5% in the survey. This could be in part because The Los Angeles Times has taken a position against the proposition as has just about every other major newspaper in California; mostly on the basis that they believe it was poorly written. Both sides have serious dollars going into the campaign on this proposition.

Even if this California initiative fails, expect other states to take it up. This issue is not going away.

some basic Facts about GMOs

• In 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, modified crops were grown on almost 300 million acres in 25 countries, of which 15 were developing countries. The world has consumed modified crops for 15 years without incident. The first few modified crops that have been grown widely, including insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant corn, cotton, canola and soybeans, have increased agricultural productivity and farmers’ incomes. They have also had environmental and health benefits; such as decreased use of pesticides and herbicides and increased use of no-till farming. • Here’s the reason I believe modified crops are so important. Population experts anticipate the addition of another roughly 3 billion people to the planet’s population by the middle of this century. However, the amount of arable land has not changed appreciably in more than 50 years. It’s unlikely to increase much in the future because we are losing it to mainly urbanization. • The encouraging news on all this: American farmers are producing more with less; producing more per acre on less land. In other words, even though we have fewer acres, plots of land, we’re still producing more than ever before. One big reason is modified crops. • Modified crops have reduced environmental damage. One example is BT Cotton. It was genetically modified to resist a certain pest. As a former cotton farmer with

my parents, we no longer had to spray pesticides on our cotton. This has been the case since the 1990s. • Our mid-west counterparts use modified corn and soybeans. Their modifications have helped dramatically reduce mechanical tillage in the fields, reduce soil erosion as well as farming costs. • About 90% of the soybeans, corn and cotton grown in the U.S. are now produced from genetically modified plants. And it’s been that way for some time; as far back as the 1990s. Despite the excellent safety and efficacy record of modified crops, regulatory poli-

cies remain almost as restrictive as they were when modified crops were first introduced in the 1990s. In the United States, case-by-case review by at least two and sometimes three regulatory agencies (USDA, EPA, FDA) is still commonly the rule rather than the exception. Perhaps the most detrimental effect of this complex, costly, and time-intensive regulatory apparatus is the virtual exclusion of public-sector researchers from the use of molecular methods to improve crops for farmers. As a result, there are still only a few modified crops, primarily those for which there is a large seed market, and the benefits of biotechnology have not been realized for the vast majority of food crops.

Regarding labeling, mandatory GMO food labeling implies risks where the science says none exists. Such labels would not only put groundless fears ahead of science (here comes California, again, with a proposition), promoting unfounded fears among con-sumers, it would push the costs of product development into the stratosphere, opponents suggest. Again, a broad and decades-long scientific consensus holds that modern tech-niques of genetic modification are a refinement on the various genetic modifications that have long been used to enhance plants – all the way back to the native American tribes that refined Teosinte, better known as corn.

Says Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers, “Attempting to identify modi-fied crops/byproducts in labels puts undue fear in the purchase of our most important personal health resource: food. Even the imagined risks of genetically modified food-induced health cannot compare to the slow and horrible deaths through starvation or the debilitating and long-term effects of chronic malnutrition. If you think this is only a developing country’s struggle, ask any American parent that’s had to put their child to bed hungry. We have more Americans in food insecure settings than ever before. Ari-zona Farm Bureau and the farmers I work with will tell you we’re dedicated to making sure no one goes to bed hungry.”

Rogers also suggests that the very act of insisting on labeling GMOs implies that something is inherently wrong.

We need to keep having these conversations with family and friends –and an oc-casional stranger in the bread aisle. Remember that we’re all facing our own personal challenges, whether weight, an illness, or simply making the right food choices. Show empathy, encourage and most of all tell your story. When you tell them you farm and/or ranch I guarantee you, you’ll have a new friend.

ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012 www.azfb.org 5

See DROUGHT Page 6

group, negative campaigning will proceed and it will have its ebbs and flows.And then there is the complaint that a person is not voting because there is just

too much money flying around. I won’t debate that…just incredible amounts of money are running through the spigot. Both presidential candidates will likely exceed $ 2 bil-lion. The money in campaigns will continue to grow, because the Supreme Court says it is free speech. We are undergoing a fundamental switch in how campaigns are be-ing funded. Political parties are becoming dinosaurs as funding agents. Why should a business give money to a party when they can now make corporate contributions to committees and can finance independent expenditures? Businesses (and labor unions) are taking control of their message. I don’t know where all of this will end up, but at this time complaining about it is like two colleagues complaining about an absent third party colleague’s behavior…it is pretty much a waste of time and energy.

You can take some heart. In battleground states where huge amounts of media

continued from page 1Off the Hookmoney is being spent, there is evidence the electorate is just tuning it out as all noise and no message or no signal.

But these are not good excuses…that you are disenfranchising yourself from the process because of all of the negative campaigning or too much money in politics. If you listen you can hear messages. You can hear differences. It is akin to hearing corn grow…if you listen carefully you can hear signals. You can sort out candidates. When I was trained as a banker, an old line credit officer told me that numbers will talk to you if you listen carefully. The same is true in campaigns. If you listen carefully you can sort things out and you can find differences in positions and policies, regardless of negative campaigning or money.

Now holding those candidates’ feet to the fire, after the election, is another matter! But that is one of the major reasons Farm Bureau operates as an advocacy group.

In its August 2012 agricultural supply and demand update, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had lowered the outlook for U.S. corn production, reflecting the continued deterioration of this year’s crop due to the drought that impacted the

U.S. Corn Belt this summer.The September Report, the most recent available, was mixed. The latest USDA projection slightly raised U.S. corn production to 10.7 billion

bushels from August, World corn production is estimated at 849 million tons (33.4 bil-lion bushels), down 27 million tons (1.1 billion bushels) from last year, but 19 million tons (748 million bushels) higher than 2010/2011 due to higher production from China, Brazil and Argentina.

Globally, all corn users will face the challenge of higher prices and the need for increased efficiency, careful risk management and creative marketing strategies dur-ing the coming year. As the projections for U.S. corn use demonstrate, the high prices will ration demand in all markets and in all sectors (feed, food and fuel). Also, the rela-tively smaller decline in U.S. exports compared to domestic use reflects the resilience of global feed demand.

Across the board, the agriculture industry is trying to grapple with the drought’s impact. Evidence of this involves the formal petitions filed in August with the U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard. A decision is expected this month.

“We are in the midst of a historic and devastating drought,” said National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer. “Its impact will be felt well beyond the farm sector. We have great concern and empathy for not only our members who are suffering, but all who we supply. This includes the domestic livestock sector, our export customers, the domestic food industry and the ethanol industry. All are suffering because of the drought.

“We continue to believe in the value and efficacy of the open market system. It is

What the Drought Means to AgricultureBy Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

the most efficient and effective way of allocating resources.” In the meantime, Livestock farmers and ranchers seeing their feed costs rise be-

cause of the worst drought in a quarter-century are the ones demanding that the Envi-

6 www.azfb.org ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012

In fact, it’s a place to learn some facts your friends and neighbors may not have known. On the two Western Growers’ videos featured on Fill Your Plate, you’ll learn that California and Arizona producers grow more than 50% of the fresh fruits, veg-etables and tree nuts that are eaten nationwide. This is a statistic we should be sharing with the public every time we’re talking about Arizona agriculture with our friends and neighbors.

This archive of videos has begun to serve as a re-pository for highlighting the exciting and diverse arena of Arizona agricul-ture. It’s a one-stop spot for viewing our modern agri-culture practices.

We even have a cotton farmer demonstrating how to make cotton Bur wreaths. Tiffany Shedd of The Cot-ton Shedd has a great story on how she started making these delightfully creative wreaths. A third-generation cotton farm family in Pinal

County, the Shedd family grows cotton, wheat and alfalfa and a variety of agriculture products. Tiffany even shares how she met her husband. You’ll get some of the most classic Arizona agriculture stories by viewing videos on Arizona Farm Bureau’s Fill Your Plate.

And, a couple of my personal favorites in the video category are “The Journey of My Eggcellent Egg” which profiles Hickman Family Farms and “City Slicker: The Ud-der Story” which profiles the Boyle Dairy in the Casa Grande Valley area. Both are eye-opening stories of modern agriculture production told in an interesting and entertaining way. They show how Arizona agriculture is nutritiously, safely and deliciously feeding you, me and the world!

So, while you may not come up to a total stranger and ask them about Arizona ag-riculture, you might have a friend that’s totally clueless about agriculture in this state. If that’s the case, send them to Fill Your Plate’s Video Archives. Just go to www.fillyour-plate.org then select “view more videos.”

We no longer have the luxury of hoping people will simply understand our complex industry. In fact, we’re now at risk because so much misinformation is put forth about American agriculture. But, our resources keep improving year after year. And since Fill Your Plate has become a popular resource with our Arizona families we need to keep using it.

So whether it’s a random acquaintance or a life-long friend, you need to let them know about our Fill Your Plate Videos!

continued from page 2 continued from page 2Video Droughtronmental Protection Agency waive production requirements for corn-based ethanol.

As quoted by the Associated Press, “If not now, when?” Randy Spronk, a Minne-sota pork farmer, said of the EPA’s authority to defer the ethanol production requirement when it threatens to severely harm the economy of a state or region. “Everyone should feel the pain of rationing.”

Spronk, who is president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council, said live-stock producers will have to reduce their herds and flocks because feed is becoming scarce and too expensive. Cattlemen and chicken farmers have the same concern.

The Renewable Fuel Standard, enacted in 2005 and then significantly expanded in 2007, requires that 13.2 billion gallons of corn starch-derived biofuel be produced in 2012. The intent was to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change and dependence on foreign oil.

For producers in the Midwest growing crops and raising livestock, the severity of the drought feels like a double dose of trouble. They are not only seeing the devastation to their corn and soy crops; but they’re also wondering whether they’ll have enough hay for tomorrow’s feed requirements.

Ask any livestock producer in the Midwest or here and you’ll hear the apprehen-sion. Paul Rovey, owner of Arizona’s Rovey Dairy and chair of Dairy Management, Inc. is quite concerned. “Right now, we’re producing for less than the cost of production. You can expect a few of our Arizona dairy farms to go out of business in this current climate.”

ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012 www.azfb.org 7

The America Red Cross reports that fire kills more Americans every year than all natural disasters combined.

As fall begins and temperatures drop, all farm and ranch businesses and families are urged to be vigilant and

to be prepared for the dangers of fire, as furnaces and fireplaces begin to be used instead of air conditioning.

The first step is to develop a fire-prevention plan. This plan should include marking all emer-gency exits in your business or home as well as where fire extinguishers are located.

Make sure to test all fire-suppression systems and smoke detectors to ensure they are working.

Also, schedule some time to practice and train your employees and family members on your emergency evacuation plan and what they should do in case of a fire.

“Employers should train workers about fire hazards in the workplace and about what to do in a fire emergency. If you want your workers to evacu-ate, you should train them on how to escape,” the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends. “If you expect your workers to use

firefighting equipment, you should give them appropriate equipment and train them to use the equipment safely.”

OSHA also suggests asking these questions when developing a fire-prevention plan:

• Is your local fire department familiar with the location, construction and specific hazards of your farm or ranch? If you’re too far out to even have access to a fire department, have you worked out a plan to compensate for the lack of fire department?• Is your fire alarm system certified and tested annually? • Are interior standpipes and valves inspected regularly? • Are fire doors and shutters in good operating condition and are they unobstructed? • Are fire doors in place? • If you have them, are sprinkler systems checked periodically? • Is proper clearance maintained below sprinkler heads? • Are portable fire extinguishers provided and mounted in readily accessible locations especially in shops and work areas where welders and other highly flammable equipment is used? • Are fire extinguishers recharged regularly and when they are, is it noted on the inspection tag? • Are employees instructed in the proper use of fire extinguishers and fire protection procedures?

If you can answer these questions affirmatively and routine fire-prevention mea-sures are taken, the risk of fires in the workplace and at home can be greatly reduced.

Preparation and Training Key to Fire Safety

Your first step in fire safety is de-veloping a fire-prevention plan to protect your shop and business.

Retail, or direct-market, farmers and ranchers are often challenged with launching their agriculture business while attempting to market their new product line(s) to new and potential customers. And if their marketing budget is limited, their

efforts have to be simple, but effective.So, Arizona

Farm Bureau spent the last several years researching and in-terviewing Arizona farmers and ranchers to share some inno-vative stories about branding and market-ing their retail farms and ranchers.

Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers ap-plauds this effort. “Retail or direct-mar-ket farms and ranches is a growing segment in agriculture,” says Rogers. “But often, the business is con-strained by labor and time-to-market issues and finds itself unable to market the farm-to-consumer products effectively. Our book is an effort to help our farmers and ranchers in this area.”

The book is designed to inspire readers to more clearly understand their market niche in agriculture by providing an all-encompassing guide to branding and marketing in A Farmer’s Guide to Marketing the Direct-Market Farm.

What makes this guide special is the real-life farm and ranch stories showing what works. Plus, every chapter has quick, simple and effective tips for carrying out your branding and marketing requirements regardless of your marketing budget; even if non-existent.

Topics discussed in the book include:• Basic marketing primer for the farmer and rancher• Finding your niche• Knowing and relating to your customer• Selling to Your Customer• Building Your Customers Up• How Traditional Farms Are Branching Out

To obtain your own copy, you can go to Amazon.com and type in the book title. The Amazon version includes full-color photos, extra note pages and is perfect bound. Books will also be available for sale at Arizona Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting this month for a discounted price of $10. We will have the book available at other locations.

New Book Helps Retail Farmers Design Low-Cost Marketing Strategies

By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau

Arizona Farm Bureau Begins Publication Series Aimed at Supporting Farmers and Ranchers and Arizona Families

Rancher and Women’s Leadership Committee member Vickie Parks takes a look at Arizona Farm Bureau’s new book designed to help Arizona farmers and ranchers.

8 www.azfb.org ARIZONAAGRICULTURE•NOVEMBER/DECEMBER,2012

united states postal servicestatement of Ownership, Management, and circulation 1. Publication Title: Arizona Agriculture 2. Publication Number: 0274-7014 3. Filing Date: 10-01-12 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly (except for December ) 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 11 6. Annual Subscription Price: $50.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Arizona Farm Bureau Federation 325 S. Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Busi ness Office of Publisher: Arizona Farm Bureau Federation Arizona Agriculture 325 S Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor Publisher: Jim Klinker 325 S Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 Editor: Julie Murphree 325 S Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 Managing Editor: Julie Murphree 325 S Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 10. Owner: Arizona Farm Bureau Federation 325 S Higley Rd, Suite 210, Gilbert, Arizona, 85296 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Hold ers Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 months 13. Publication Title: Arizona Agriculture 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: 9-3-12 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Agriculture industry news a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run): Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 3202; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date —3168. b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: i. Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541. (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): Aver- age No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 3052; No. Copies of Single Is sue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 3018. ii.Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): Average No. Copies Each Issue Dur- ing Preceding 12 Months — 0; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date - 0. iii.Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 0; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 0. iv. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Pre- ceding 12 Months — 0; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 0. c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation [Sum of 15b. (1), (2), (3) and (4)]: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 3052; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 3018. d. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary, and other free) i. Outside-County as stated on Form 3541: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Pre- ceding 12 Months — 0; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 0. ii. In-County as Stated on Form 3541: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 0: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 0. iii. Free or Nominal rate copies mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 50: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date- 50. iv. Free or Nominal rate distribution outside the mail: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 months - 0: Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 0. e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 50: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 50. f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e): Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 3102: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 3068. g. Copies not distributed: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 75: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 75. h. Total (Sum of 15f and g.): Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months — 3177: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 3143. i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c. divided by 15f. times 100): Average No. Copies Each Issue Dur- ing Preceding 12 Months — 98%: No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date — 98%. 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Publication Required. Will be printed in the Nov 5, 2012 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Date 9-17-2012

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

Arizona Farming & Ranching Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Inductees

Each year Arizona’s Farm & Ranch Experience Heritage Center at Lakin Farm inducts eight agricultural pioneers, five living and three posthumously, into the Ar-izona Farming & Ranching Hall of Fame. Inductees are selected for their contributions to the agricultural indus-try in Arizona in the fields of farming, ranching, Agri-business, education or science. Since 2008 honorees have been selected from across the state by a selection panel comprised of Arizonans with a diversity of backgrounds.

This year’s inductees are: living, Dwayne E. Dobson – Chandler, Robert “Bob” Fletcher – Peoria, Norman J. Hinz Jr. – Glendale, John Lewis Roach – Goodyear, Albert E. Rovey – Parker. Posthumous inductees are: Espil Sheep Company – Litchfield Park/Flagstaff, John Marshall Jacobs – Phoenix and Kemper & Ethel Marley – Phoenix.

The honorees will be introduced at the annual Ari-zona Farming & Ranching Hall of Fame Honoree Dinner March 2, 2013 and will be included in the Hall of Fame’s second book, to be published in 2017. Arizona Farming & Ranching Hall of Fame 2008-2012, vol. 1 is available at Arizona Community Farmer’s Markets across the Val-ley, Arizona Biltmore Hotel Gift Shop, Glendale Conven-tion and Visitor’s office, the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce and online at www.arizonafarmandranch-experience.com.

New Book Available

Obtain your Own copy of the book by going to Amazon.com and searching for the book Title, A Farmer’s Guide to Marketing the Direct Market Farm.