GFB POLICY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETS

Members of the GFB Policy Development Committee met in Macon Oct. 8 and Nov. 5 to prepare the policy GFB members will vote on at the organization’s convention in December. The committee met at the GFB headquarters to consider changes to the policy that guides Farm Bureau’s legislative initiatives. The policy development committee consists of 30 county presidents, the chairmen of GFB’s 20 commodity advisory committees, and 25 GFB board members.

This year, 86 county Farm Bureaus submitted more than 350 resolutions. The 20 GFB commodity advisory committees also offered resolutions for consideration. The policy development committee was tasked with sorting through Farm Bureau’s existing policy and the resolutions submitted this fall to make recommendations for GFB voting delegates to consider at the GFB annual convention in December.

“The main subjects on the minds of our members this year were our positions on ethanol, environmental issues, taxes, animal agriculture issues, and immigration reform,” GFB President Zippy Duvall told the committee. “You are charged with giving serious attention to all these resolutions and putting them into a useable document for our voting delegates to consider.”

A total of 64 resolutions were submitted on the subject of Farm Bureau’s ethanol position, making it the subject that drew the most attention in the policy development process. After considerable debate, the committee recommended that Farm Bureau make some changes to current policy but remain supportive of the nation’s renewable fuels standard (RFS).

The committee also expressed farmers’ exasperation at the volume of regulations coming from numerous federal agencies. Members posed for a group photo with a “Stop the Flood of EPA Regulations” banner which included more than 1,500 signatures collected during Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie last month. GFB will send this photo with a letter to EPA outlining Farm Bureau’s opposition to EPA regulatory efforts, particularly its efforts to expand its regulation of water on farms.

The committee reiterated its opposition to federal estate taxes and urged action to prevent the increase in that tax scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2013. (For more on estate taxes, see story on inside.) There was also broad consensus regarding the importance of animal agriculture and the need for national immigration reform.

The committee will meet again on Dec. 2 at 3:15 p.m. on Jekyll Island for an open session of policy development followed by a closed session for committee members only. The purpose of this meeting is to make last-minute recommendations before the voting delegates consider the final document on Dec. 4 during the GFB Convention.

November 7, 2012 www.gfb.org Vol. 30 No. 45

Leadership Alert page 2 of 6 GFB WRITES CONGRESSMEN URGING REFORM TO ESTATE TAX

With the federal estate tax scheduled to revert to a $1 million exemption and a top tax rate of 55 percent on Jan. 1, 2013, Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall wrote members of

Georgia’s congressional delegation asking for estate tax reform when they return to Washington on Nov. 13 for a lame-duck session.

The current estate tax has a $5 million per person exemption and a top tax rate of 35 percent. Duvall said GFB supports a repeal of the federal estate tax, but in the absence of that action he voiced support for retention of the current $5 million exemption and top tax rate of 35 percent.

“We urge you to take action to prevent this costly and unfair tax increase before it causes irreparable harm to farm families in Georgia,” Duvall wrote.

Duvall pointed out that roughly 85 percent of farm assets are in the form of real estate, and while estate planning offers some protection, funds spent to implement it could be better utilized in addressing operational costs on the farm.

In addition to the GFB recommendations on the estate tax structure, Duvall noted that because of the frequent changes in estate tax law, farmers have been denied certainty in their estate planning strategy. To address this, he also asked for the implementation of a permanent solution indexed for inflation.

PEANUT BUTTER, PECANS CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER

November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month as declared by the peanut industry. The Southern Peanut Growers started the celebration as Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on Nov. 4, 1990.

Nov. 4 marked the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on Nov. 4, 1895. When peanut butter had its 100th birthday, the promotion was extended to one-month.

November is also being recognized as Georgia Pecan Month. Georgia leads the nation in producing pecans, with an average of 88 million pounds harvested each season, which reaches its peak in November.

Due to favorable weather conditions, the Georgia Pecan Commission expects the crop to yield approximately 100 million pounds this year.

Eating a handful (18-20 raw halves) of pecans a day as part of a heart-healthy diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, the American Heart Association(AHA) has added Georgia Pecans to its list of certified heart-healthy foods. Georgia Pecans are also an excellent source of antioxidants.

DAVID LATHEM RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FROM EGG GROUP

Hall County Farm Bureau member David Lathem was recently named Egg Producer of the Year by United Egg Producers on Oct. 25.

Lathem, a second-generation egg producer from Pendergrass, Ga., markets eggs from his flock of approximately 1.3 million hens. He was also re-elected as chairman of the UEP board on Oct. 25. He is a past president of the Georgia Egg Association and currently serves on the organization's board, as well as serving as a member of the American Egg Board.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 6 GA. FFA WINS 17 NATIONAL AWARDS, HALL NAMED NATIONAL OFFICER

Georgia FFA won 17 national awards and Kalie Hall, a junior UGA agricultural education major, was elected National FFA Secretary during the 85th National FFA Convention, held Oct. 24-27 in Indianapolis.

Georgia brought home the American Star in Agribusiness, 10 national proficiency award winners, the high-scoring individual in the national livestock evaluation career development event (CDE), four national Agriscience Fair winners and the Outstanding Middle School FFA chapter in the nation.

Bradley Weaver, a member of the Dawson County FFA chapter in Dawsonville, was named the 2012 American Star in Agribusiness.

Weaver earned this recognition through his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). He developed Bradley’s Pumpkin Patch from a roadside stand into a thriving agribusiness that markets pumpkins, Christmas trees, daffodils, peanuts and daylilies and provides landscaping services.

The 10 Georgia students who won proficiency awards in SAE programs were: Brandon Wiley of the Screven County FFA (Agricultural Mechanics Repair & Maintenance); Jonathan Mobley of the Colquitt County FFA (Agricultural Processing); Ansley Akin of the Franklin County FFA (Agricultural Sales); Steven Cooper of the Jackson County FFA (Diversified Agricultural Production); Kyle Moore of the Early County FFA (Fiber and Oil Crop Production); Kason Lott of the Irwin County FFA (Forest Management); J.W. Oliver of the Wayne County FFA (Fruit Production); Jacob Schindler of the Lowndes County FFA (Agriscience Research – Plant Systems); Candace Barnes of the Franklin County FFA (Poultry Production); and Mary Catherine Cromley of the Southeast Bulloch FFA (Specialty Crop Production).

Gibson Priest of the Gordon Central FFA was named the top individual in the national Livestock Evaluation CDE and the Screven County Middle School FFA in Sylvania was named the 2012 Outstanding Middle School Chapter in the nation.

Georgia’s national winners in the 2012 Agriscience Fair were: Hunter Pruitt of the Sonoraville FFA (Animal Systems – Division 2); Kevin and Lori Edwards of the Sonoraville FFA (Animal Systems – Division 3); Hunter Corbett of the Pine Grove Middle FFA (Environmental/Natural Resource Systems – Division 1) and Reaud Sims of the Lowndes County FFA (Power, Structure, and Technology Systems – Division 2).

Seven Georgia FFA chapters received a national 3-Star ranking, the highest ranking offered in the National Chapter Award program. Those chapters included Colquitt County, East Jackson, Emanuel County Institute, Madison County High, Southeast Bulloch, Screven County Middle, and Wayne County.

Five Georgians were recognized for their support of agricultural education and the FFA as part of the Convention: State Rep. Terry England (Winder); Sara Clark (Calhoun); David Connell (Cairo); Dr. Larry Guthrie (Watkinsville) and David Yelton (Elko).

A total of 68 Georgia FFA members received the prestigious American FFA Degree. Complete results and a variety of highlights from the 85th National FFA Convention can be

found by logging on to http://www.georgiaffa.org and selecting the National Convention tab.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 6 FSA ACCEPTING SURE APPLICATIONS FOR 2011 CROP LOSSES

Farmers who sustained crop losses that occurred in the 2011 crop year before Sept. 30, 2011, may sign up for Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) through June 7, 2013. To be eligible for SURE, a farm or ranch must have had at least a 10-percent production loss on a crop of economic significance, have enrolled in a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for all economically significant crops, and must have been physically located in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the Secretary of Agriculture under a Secretarial Disaster Designation. All counties in Georgia qualify, having received either a primary or contiguous disaster designaion in 2011. Some exceptions apply for individual farms For more information on the 2011 SURE program, visit any FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/sure. GA MILK PRODUCERS GRAZING & FORAGE MANAGEMENTWORKSHOPS Nov. 27 Macon Co. Extension Office , 100 Sumter St. Oglethorpe Nov. 30 UGA Tifton Conference Center Tifton The Georgia Milk Producers Inc. and Dr. Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia Forage Extension Specialist, are offering a series of workshops to discuss how dairy producers can manage their grazing and forages to offset feed costs and manage nutrients. These workshops qualify for two continuing education credit hours for waste operators and nutrient management planners. Meetings are free and open to dairymen, managers and employees. All workshops begin at 10 a.m. and are scheduled to end at noon with lunch. For meal purposes, please preregister by calling Farrah Newberry at 706-310-0020 three days before the meeting you will attend. GEORGIA AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL HARVEST CELEBRATION Nov. 16 Cobb Galleria Centre Atlanta This annual event features musical guest John Michael Montgomery. Proceeds support the GAC’s program of work objectives, including state and federal legislative monitoring, agricultural education, media relation activities and coalition building within the agricultural community. Tickets are $150 for individuals, $1,500 for a table of 10 and $2,000 for a table of 10 in a premium location along with other perks. The Field of Dreams prize drawing for 45 big-ticket items and a silent auction with more than 150 sale items will also be held. Field of Dreams ticket books are $100 each or five for $400 and must be purchased by Nov. 12. For more information call 800-726-2474. DHS ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON E-VERIFY The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a notice of information collection regarding the E-Verify program. The purpose is to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies regarding items listed in the notice, specifically the estimated public burden and associated response time of E-Verify and methods to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those utilizing the system. Comments are due by Nov. 13 via email at uscisfrcomment@dhs.gov and must include OMB Control Number 1615-0092 in the subject box. Comments may also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at http://www.regulations.gov/ under e-Docket ID number USCIS–2007-0023. Further instructions within the Federal Register notice are available at http://tinyurl.com/8uzs39l.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 6 GFB TAKING ENTRIES FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AG AWARD The Georgia Excellence in Teaching About Agriculture Award is an opportunity to recognize teachers who actively engage students in learning about agriculture. County Farm Bureaus may nominate one teacher in their county for the state award, which includes $500 cash and up to $1,500 in expenses to attend the 2013 National Ag in the Classroom Conference, to be held June 25-28 in Minneapolis. The state winner will also be invited to present his or her program at the GFB Educational Leadership Conference on March 16, 2013. The deadline to enter is Nov. 16, 2012. For more information, contact GFB Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Donna Rocker at 478-474-0679, ext. 5365 or dhrocker@gfb.org. UPCOMING SURVEYS TO BE CONTUCTED BY NASS Below are upcoming surveys to be taken by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Georgia office, and the dates they are to begin. Call the Georgia NASS office at 800-253-4419 with any questions or comments. Thru Nov. 23 Grapes Production and Disposition, Blueberries, and Peach Surveys Questionnaires were mailed to producers in early October. Producers will be called for survey responses through Nov. 23. Results from this survey will be released in the Noncitrus Fruits report on January 22, 2013. Nov. 21-Dec. 14 December Agricultural Survey Data collection for the December Survey will begin with a mail-out on Nov. 21 and be followed with a call between Nov. 29 and Dec.14. Results will be published in the Annual Crop Production report on Jan. 11, 2013. Nov. 21-Dec. 12 Off Farm Grain Stocks Questionnaires will be mailed on Nov. 21 and producers will be called from the Georgia Field Office, Dec. 10-12. Results will be published in the Grain Stocks report on Jan. 11, 2013. NOV. 30 IS DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR MONSANTO CHARITY PROGRAM Farmers in 33 south Georgia counties have until Nov. 30 to register to win $2,500 for a charity of their choice in the 2nd Annual America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program sponsored by Monsanto. Eligible counties are: Appling, Baker, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Early, Grady, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Lee, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Screven, Seminole, Sumter, Tattnall, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Wilcox and Worth. The winning farmers and charities will be announced in January 2013. Visit http://www.growcommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 for eligibility rules and to apply. 2012 GEORGIA FARM BUREAU ANNUAL MEETING Dec. 2-4 Jekyll Island Convention Center Jekyll Island Georgia Farm Bureau will celebrate its 75th anniversary during its annual convention. Gov. Nathan Deal is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Convention events will include commodity conferences for Georgia’s 20 major commodities, the final round of the Young Farmer Discussion Meet, announcements of 2012 state award winners and the annual trade show. GFB members will adopt the organization’s official policy for the next year and elect the state president, Middle Georgia vice president and district directors. For more information contact your county Farm Bureau office.

Leadership Alert page 6 of 6 AG WATER PERMIT SUSPENSION MEETINGS Dec. 4 Mitchell County Ag Building Camilla Dec. 12 Terrell Co. Govt. Building Dawson The Georgia Environmental Protection Division announced July 30 it has suspended issuing new applications for ag water withdrawal permits for a 24-county area in the lower Flint and Chattahoochee River basins, which includes all or part of Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Turner and Worth counties. EPD is also suspending issuance of new ag surface water withdrawal permits for parts of Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Early, Marion, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell and Webster counties. Permit applications received by July 30 will be considered. The suspension will be re-evaluated annually beginning in November 2013. The UGA Cooperative Extension is hosting these meetings to discuss why EPD suspended issuing permits, how farmers can conserve water and the future of ag water permits. Registration for both meetings begins at 8:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9 a.m. and running until noon. There is no registration fee, but attendees are asked to RSVP by calling 229-386-3377 to ensure there is adequate meeting space. TECHNICAL LARGE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESCUE TRAINING Dec. 7-9 TLAER Facility Gray This course will provide certification training on the practical considerations behind safe extraction of live large animals fro entrapments like trailer wrecks, ditches, barn fires and more. Cost before Dec. 1 is $400 for operations hands-on training, including textbook, and $120 for awareness level training, not including textbook. Walk-in cost is $475 for operations level and $170 for awareness level on the day of the course. For more information visit http://www.tlaer.org/. SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE Jan. 10-13, 2013 International Trade and Convention Center Savannah This annual conference features 12 different crop-specific workshops plus workshops on business operations and food safety. Attendees will also have the chance to receive legislative updates from Washington and Atlanta. For more information or to register, visit http://www.seregionalconference.com. 2013 AG FORECAST MEETINGS Jan. 25 Ga. Center for Continuing Education Athens Jan. 28 ECO Center Rome Jan. 29 Georgia Farm Bureau Macon Jan. 30 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Jan. 31 Decatur Co. Livestock Complex Bainbridge Feb. 1 Toombs Co. Agri-Center Lyons UGA economists will give the 2013 ag economic outlook and guest speakers will discuss international trade and how the global economy impacts local businesses. Check-in for all sessions, except Tifton, begins at 9:30 a.m. Seminars run from 10 a.m. to noon followed by lunch. The Tifton event is a breakfast that runs from 7:30 a.m to 10 a.m. Cost is $30 per person or $200 for a table sponsorship, which includes eight seats. Advance registration is required by January 23. For more information or to register, visit http://www.georgiaagforecast.com call 706-583-0347 or email carlam@uga.edu. These meetings are a UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences program endowed by Georgia Farm Bureau and supported by the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture and Georgia Agribusiness Council.