HOUSE AG COMMITTEE PASSES FARM BILL

The House Agriculture Committee approved its version of the 2013 farm bill by a 36-10 vote on May 16.

Overall, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013 cuts farm bill spending by nearly $40 billion over 10 years.

Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) said he anticipates the bill will reach the House floor in June and could be in place before Congress takes its August recess. The Senate began deliberations on that chamber’s version of the farm bill on May 20.

According to a committee summary, the FARRM Act (H.R. 1947) repeals direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE).

The bill provides farmers with a choice of risk-management tools. Producers may choose between Price Loss Coverage (PLC), which addresses deep multiple-year price declines, and Revenue Loss Coverage (RLC), which addresses drops in revenue. PLC is designed to complement federal crop insurance and uses modern yields and an index of cost-of-production prices. RLC requires a producer to experience at least a 15-percent loss in revenue and offers coverage based on county-wide losses.

Cotton producers would not be eligible for PLC or RLC but would be allowed to purchase group-risk crop insurance under the stacked income protection plan (STAX) program. While STAX is being implemented, cotton growers would be eligible for transitional direct payments based on 70 percent of base acres in 2014 and 60 percent of base acres in 2015.

The FARRM Act repeals the Dairy Product Price Support Program, the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program, the Dairy Export Incentive Program and the Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission. It replaces them with the Dairy Producer Margin Protection Program (DPMPP). Under the DPMPP, milk producers agree to manage supply of dairy products by participating in the Dairy Market Stabilization Program. Revenue generated by the stabilization program will be used by the USDA to purchase surplus dairy products for donation to food banks and school meals. FARRM reauthorizes Dairy Forward Pricing, the Dairy Indemnity Program and promotion and research.

Under the bill’s livestock provisions, Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance is reauthorized, as are the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Program (LFP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP).

May 22, 2013 www.gfb.org Vol. 31 No. 21

Leadership Alert page 2 of 6 SENATE PASSES WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT

The U.S. Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act on May 15 by an 83-14 vote. The bill, S. 601, reauthorizes funding for a variety of water-related federal programs, including Army Corps of Engineers projects on major inland waterways. It traditionally has been reauthorized every two years, but the last two WRDA bills were passed in 2007 and 2000, creating a backlog of projects requiring authorization.

While many provisions in the bill were overdue, one section prompted concern from Georgia Farm Bureau. Section 2015 would require congressional approval for any reservoir project that would result in withdrawals that exceed 5 percent of the reservoir. In the case of Lake Lanier, this provision would limit withdrawals to about 50 million gallons per day. Withdrawals from Lake Lanier are currently around 115 million gallons per day.

Section 2015 remained in the WRDA bill that passed the Senate. However, the language was significantly changed to urge the governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama to reach water-sharing agreements in their long-standing dispute.

GEORGIA COOKS WIN $3,500 IN 30TH EGG RECIPE CONTEST

To celebrate May being National Egg Month, the Georgia Egg Commission held its 30th annual recipe contest May 15 in Perry. Ten finalists were selected from 50 entries to prepare their dishes during the contest held at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter.

Deborah Abercrombie of Flowery Branch won $2,000 as the first-place winner of the contest for her Eggcellent Sausage & Cheese Roll. Abercrombie last competed in the contest in 1986 when she won third place and $100 for her confetti chicken salad recipe. Abercrombie said she was inspired to enter the contest after coming across newspaper clippings from the previous contest while cleaning.

“I just can’t believe I won,” Abercrombie said. “My goal is to find something quick and easy and eggs are always good. It’s not unusual for me to use four dozen eggs in a week.”

Jamie Jones of Madison won $850 as the second-place winner for her Timeless Strawberry Shortcake Bread Pudding. Jones said her bread pudding recipe, which was baked in eight-ounce Mason jars, could be altered to use whatever fruit is in season – blueberries, strawberries or peaches. Debra Brooks of Byron won $650 as the third-place winner for her Greek Style Breakfast Egg Rolls. Although labeled as a breakfast dish, this creative spin on a gyro with cucumber sauce would be tasty any time of the day.

Other finalists competing in the contest were: Beth Boyd of Ludowici; Saralee Brooks of Byron; Mildred Felton of Winterville; Brenda Hammack of Byron; Rhonda Hitch of Kathleen; Besty Holt of Cartersville; and Deborah Puette of Lilburn.

“The theme for this year’s contest was ‘Eggs Any Way, Any Time, Any Place’, so contestants could do anything they wanted from an hors d’oeuvre to an entrée or dessert,” said Egg Commission Executive Director Jewell Hutto. “These cooks are amazing. They understand what eggs do in a recipe and their nutritional benefits.”

Recipes entered in the contest had to be original, use at least four eggs, serve a minimum of four and be prepared in an hour or less.

Abercrombie

Leadership Alert page 3 of 6 FARM BUREAU HOSTS LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST/TOUR FOR SEN. JONES

Georgia Farm Bureau members from Putnam, Baldwin, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Morgan and Walton counties attended a legislative breakfast hosted by GFB and Putnam County Farm Bureau May 17 for the purpose of visiting with Ga. Sen. Burt Jones. The first-term senator’s district includes the aforementioned counties, Butts County and a portion of Bibb.

“Several years ago I started holding tailgate meetings to get out in the counties to talk to our county leaders about ag issues and to make sure Farm Bureau is doing what you want us to do,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “This year we’re expanding the meetings to bring in policy makers to talk to our county leaders. Today we have the opportunity to meet our new senator in this district and to let Sen. Jones get to know you.”

Putnam County Farm Bureau President David Lowe welcomed the group to the breakfast. Lowe said that the counties in Sen. Jones’ district have a combined farm gate income of $419 million. Sen. Jones told the Farm Bureau group about his family’s beef farm in Butts County and expressed his appreciation for agriculture, saying “It’s very important as legislators that we realize that agriculture is still Georgia’s number one industry.”

After the legislative breakfast, Lowe and Duvall took Sen. Jones on a tour of several Putnam County farms. The first stop was the dairy farm of Tim Camp where the tour group discussed issues impacting dairy farms such as high feed costs and the need for reliable labor.

The tour then visited the Bailes Ranch where Pete Bailes raises registered polled Herefords. Bailes gave the group a tour of his barn and the chutes he uses when he needs to weigh and give his cattle medicine. The group talked about the importance of legislators understanding how cattle producers care for their livestock and the negative attacks animal welfare groups have made against farmers. The last stop on the tour was the Eatonton Cooperative Feed Company, Inc., a feed mill that supplies feed to about 55 dairy farmers and about 25 beef producers in Putnam and surrounding counties. Co-op employees and members told Jones how environmental regulations are negatively impacting the business.

NRCS ALLOTS EQIP FUNDS FOR SW GA. WATERSHED IMPROVEMENT

Farmers with land in four South Georgia watersheds are eligible for funding as a part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s National Water Quality Initiative, according to an NRCS press release. The watersheds are the Lower Deep Creek in Turner County and the Upper Piscola Creek, Middle Piscola Creek and Lower Piscola Creek, in both Brooks and Thomas counties. Eligible producers in these watersheds will conduct voluntary conservation practices to improve water quality. The selected watersheds were identified with help from state agencies, partners, and the NRCS State Technical Committee.

Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), NRCS will provide funding and advice to producers to install over crops, filter strips, terraces and other conservation practices in watersheds with impairments where the investment can make a difference to improve water quality. To apply for assistance under this program, visit the nearest NRCS office or USDA Service Center. Applications must be in by June 21. For more information about NRCS programs, initiatives and services in Georgia, visit http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov.

Duvall greets Sen. Jones

Leadership Alert page 4 of 7 PESTICIDE APPLICATOR RECERTIFICATION CLASS May 24 Lanier Technical College 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Gainesville Certified pesticide applicators need reecertification training and continuing education credits to maintain their licenses. Registration is $55 per person. Certified applicators can earn five hours of Georgia Commercial Pesticide Credit in categories 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 41 for attending each class. Private applicators can earn up to two credit hours. Experts from UGA Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture will teach the classes. The Dougherty County and Hall County offices of UGA Extension are sponsoring the recertification training sessions. For a complete schedule or to register online, visit the website http://www.ugagriffincontinuingedu.com. For more information, call 770-229-3477 or send an email to conteduc@uga.edu. FARM BUREAU, PEANUT PROUD WORK FOR TORNADO RELIEF Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Peanut Proud are collecting donations to help provide relief for victims of the tornado that struck near Oklahoma City on May 20. Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s main office is serving as a collection point for donations of critical items as long as they are needed. These include bottled water, sports drinks, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, individually wrapped snack foods and baby items. The address is 2501 N. Stiles, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105. Those wishing to donate money should make checks payable to Oklahoma Farm Bureau and designate the funds for storm victims. Peanut Proud is combining efforts with Texas Peanut Producers to distribute peanut butter, peanut snacks and other non-refrigerated items to donate to area food banks. To donate food products, please deliver by May 29 to Lineage/Flint River for Oklahoma Relief, 1011 Worth St., Albany, Ga., 31705. Monetary donations may be sent to Project Oklahoma Relief, c/o Peanut Proud, P.O. Box 446, Blakely, Ga. 39823. GEORGIA GROWN FARMER SHOWCASE June 1 Atlanta State Farmers Market 9 a.m. - noon Forest Park June 8 Park Market, Centennial Olympic Park 9 a.m. - noon Atlanta June 22 Park Market, Centennial Olympic Park 9 a.m. - noon Atlanta This family-friendly series features dozens of vendors from around the state, offering locally grown fresh Georgia produce and plant sales, meet and greets with local farmers and much more. For more information, visit http://www.georgiagrown.com or call 404-656-3689. USDA ACCEPTING CRP APPLICATIONS THROUGH JUNE 14 The USDA is conducting general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), through ending on June 14. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. Contracts on 3.3 million acres of CRP are set to expire on Sept. 30. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP. Producers that are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract (10-15 years). Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP's other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis and that often provide additional financial assistance. Continuous sign-up dates will be announced at a later date. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit a local FSA service center or http://www.fsa.usda.gov.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 7 POLLINATOR HABITAT FIELD DAY May 30 Foster-Brady Farm, 4290 Snows Mill Rd. 9 a.m. – noon Monroe This free event features presentations on the importance of pollinator habitat, techniques on establishing or improving habitat, a master bee keeper update and NRCS funding opportunities. Please RSVP by May 28 by contacting Jose Pagan at 770-267-8363, ext. 3, or jose.pagan@ga.usda.gov. CALHOUN BEEF CATTLE REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP May 28 UGA NW GA Research & Education Center Calhoun Workshop begins at 6 p.m. in the livestock pavilion of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center. For more information contact Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or by emailing pworley@uga.edu. GA HEIFER EVALUATION & REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT (HERD) SALE May 29 UGA NW GA Research & Education Center Calhoun Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. in the livestock pavilion of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center. For more information contact Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or by emailing pworley@uga.edu. FUNDS AVAILABLE UNDER REAP PROGRAM The Rural Business-Cooperative Service is accepting applications for funds available under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for Fiscal Year 2013. The application period has been extended to May 31 for energy systems and energy efficiency improvement projects grants and grant and loan combination applications and for renewable energy system feasibility study applications. For information about this Notice, please contact Mr. Kelley Oehler, Branch Chief, USDA Rural Development, Energy Division, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: 202-720-6819. Email: kelley.oehler@wdc.usda.gov. MAY 31 IS DEADLINE TO ENTER YF DISCUSSION MEET May 31 is the deadline to enter the 2013 GFB Young Farmer Discussion Meet. The state discussion meet winner will receive an Arctic Cat 500 ATV, $500 and an expense-paid trip to the 2014 AFBF Convention in San Antonio, Texas, to compete for national honors. The three finalists will each receive $350. The AFBF winner will receive a 2014 Chevrolet or GMC pickup truck. Visit your local Farm Bureau office for more details about the contest. The preliminary rounds of the 2013 GFB YF Discussion Meet will be held during the GFB Young Farmer Leadership Conference on Jekyll Island July 12-14. The four finalists will compete for the state title at the GFB Convention Dec. 8.  2013 GFB YOUNG FARMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE July 11-14 Jekyll Island Convention Center Jekyll Island This family-friendly event will provide educational, networking and social opportunities for young farmers. The preliminary rounds of the 2013 Young Farmer Discussion Meet, in which contestants compete for a variety of great prizes, will be held during the conference, which also features breakout sessions on a variety of topics. Registration deadline is May 31. For more information, contact GFB Young Farmer Coordinator Jed Evans at 478-474-0679, ext. 5230 or jcevans@gfb.org.

Leadership Alert page 6 of 7 CAES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ACCEPTING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS June 1 Deadline to apply for Transfer Scholarship The UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Alumni Association is accepting applications for its Transfer Scholarship for students considering transferring into a CAES program in fall 2013. For more information or to download the application form, visit http://www.caes.uga.edu/alumni/CAA/scholarships.html. PROPERTY TAX & TAX APPEAL WORKSHOP June 4 UGA Campus Conference Center 8:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Tifton This workshop will provide timber landowners with knowledge about the property tax process and tax appeal process. This seminar will address a summary of issues associated with property taxation of timberland in Georgia, potential solutions, and real life case studies on how to approach appeals. Workshop presenters will teach landowners what to expect when challenging tax appraisals and how to deal with the assessors when they feel they have been wronged. Cost for attendance is $65 per attendee and $35 for the second person in the same family. Workshop is limited to the first 150 registrants. A workshop previously scheduled for May 30 in Gainesville has been canceled. For more information on the workshop location, speakers and agenda, call the Georgia Forestry Association at 478-992-8110, email info@gfagrow.org or visit www.gfagrow.org/ taxworkshops  AGSOUTH FARM CREDIT FINANCIAL WORKSHOPS June 8 East Ga. State College Register by May 25 Statesboro June 22 Clemson University Register by June 8 Clemson, S.C. July 27 Conner Hall, UGA Register by July 13 Athens These free workshops are designed for young, beginning, small and minority farmers. All workshops run from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and include a provided lunch. Topics will include: applying for financing, preparing a business plan, record keeping, credit scores, risk management and more. Workshops are certified for FSA Direct Borrower Training Credit. To register or for more information visit http://www.agsouthfc.com/AgSouthAgAwareProgram.html or email Christy Smith at csmith@agsouthfc.com. GEORGIA SMALL FARM CONFERENCE June 20-21 Unicoi State Park Helen This conference, sponsored by the Broad River Soil and Wter Conservation District, will focus on helping farmers with small-scale operations improve their farms and run them more efficiently. Financial assistance through the Broad River Soil and Water Conservation District and the Oconee River Resource Conservation and Development Council will cover costs for 120 farmers to attend the meeting, which includes one night at the Lodge at Unicoi State Park. For other individuals interested in attending, the registration cost is $220, which includes one night’s lodging. The meeting will include general educational sessions covering major agricultural topics, as well as breakout sessions covering topics unique to small farming operations. Registration must be received by June 10.��� Farmers interested in attending should contact the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Region II office at 706-552-4479 or email region2@gaswcc.org.

Leadership Alert page 7 of 7 2013 GEORGIA-FLORIDA TOBACCO TOUR June 10-12 Waresboro, Ga. – Lake City, Fla. This annual tour provides up-to-date information on variety trials, control of tomato spotted wilt virus, insect controls and much more. The tour will begin with a kick-off supper at Mixon’s Pond House in Waresboro at 7 p.m. on June 10. For more information or to register, visit http://tinyurl.com/lrk8k7p or contact Dr. J. Michael Moore at 229-386-3006 or jmmoore@uga.edu. 23RD ANNUAL IFAMA WORLD FORUM AND SYMPOSIUM June 16-20 Cobb Galleria Center Atlanta The International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) is an international organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of globally bringing together the best minds in agriculture and agribusiness to network and stimulate strategic thinking across the food, fiber, bio-fuel, floral and forestry systems. This year’s event offers a series of presentations focused on current issues impacting the global food system given by top executives and experts. Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Dr. Michael Swanson will deliver the keynote address. To register, visit https://www.ifama.org/events/conferences/2013/Default.aspx. The Georgia IFAMA chapter meeting will be held June 20 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. following the conclusion of the World Forum.    

Freshly cut hay in a field at Pugliese Farms in Bartow County.