In Farm BureauO&L Conference

Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Officers and Leaders Conference is scheduled for July 21-22 in Springdale. The conference will begin with a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. July 21 in the Northwest Arkansas Conven-tion Center next to the Holiday Inn at the junction of Highway 412 and Interstate 540. If your county has not already made hotel reservations, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Rooms are available at the Hampton Inn & Suites (479-756-3500) and Residence Inn-Marriott (479-872-9100).

The program for the conference prom-ises to be very informative. More details will be forthcoming soon.

Measure the CandidateMark your calendar. Tuesday, April 22

is the day Arkansas Farm Bureau’s state-wide Measure the Candidate meeting will be held at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock. Candidates for state constitutional offices, the U.S. Senate, the 2nd Congressional District and the state

Supreme Court have been invited to speak.Registration begins at 9 a.m. The pro-

gram will start at 9:30 a.m. and conclude in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided. To help with the meal count, county represen-tatives are urged to contact Michelle Kitch-ens at 501-228-1324 and let her know how many from each county plan to attend.

This event is important for keeping members engaged and informed about candidates. The forum also helps can-

didates for office understand that Farm Bureau cares about politics and issues. All ArFB members are encouraged to attend.

Poster contest winnersArkansas Farm Bureau has announced

the winners of its annual safety poster con-test. The theme this year was “Farm Safety: Your Only Passenger.”

The contest coincided with Ag Safe-ty Awareness Week March 3–9 and was

April 18, 2014 • Vol. 17, No. 8A

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Mollie Dykes (second from right) of Hot Springs, chair-woman of the Garland Co. FB Women’s Committee, was with HungerU members (l to r) Tray Heard, Mallory Weber and Marshall Dolch in Wash-ington, D.C. during National Ag Day on March 25. The group takes HungerU’s mobile exhibit around the country to bring awareness to the global hunger crisis and ways we can all be part of the solution. It is a special project of Farm-ers Feeding the World, an initiative of the Farm Journal Foundation.

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North Logan Co. FB Presi-dent Johnny Spellins (left)

looks at a list of county candidates with Vice Presi-dent Joe Don Koenigseder during the county’s Mea-

sure the Candidate meet-ing April 8 in Paris. Board

members and guests heard from two county judge can-

didates, five county sheriff candidates and two circuit

judge candidates.

designed to increase awareness of potential

hazards on farms and ranches. There are two categories with cash prizes of $100, $75 and $50.

In the first- through third-grade cate-gory, Halli Sisemore, a third-grade student at Hazen Elementary in Prairie County, won first place. Halli is the daughter of Brandi Sebren. Vivian Elizabeth Preston, a third-grade student at Booneville Elemen-tary in South Logan County and daughter of Larry Preston and Elizabeth Perez, won second place. Cerella Lor, a third-grader from Waldron Elementary in Scott County, was third. She is the daughter of Bee Lor.

In the fourth- through sixth-grade category, Dominick McBride, a sixth-grade student at Gosnell Elementary in Missis-sippi County, won first place. Dominick is the daughter of Rolanda Meade. Falyn Cordeiro, a sixth-grader at Gentry Middle School and daughter of Mike and Brandy Cordeiro, won second place. Elizabeth Altramirano, a sixth-grade student at Cabe Middle School in Clark County, was third. Elizabeth is the daughter of Apollonia Altramirano.

New app connects people, foodArkansas Farm Bureau, University of

Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture and the Arkansas Agriculture Department are working together to create a mobile app that will help consumers find locally grown food products.

“Right now, we’re working to populate the information in the app,” said Andrew Guffey, ArFB’s assistant director of education and

Ag in the Classroom. “We need producers and farmers’ markets to log in and create an account at localandgrown.org.”

The app, which will be released this spring, will allow consumers to search for products near them based on their location.

Some registration information entered into the site will be kept hidden from the public. For example, the contact informa-tion will only be used internally, to ensure data are kept up to date. Producers and farmers’ markets will be required to update their information annually to ensure it’s accurate. Additionally, information entered into the Locally Grown system

will be shared with the Ag Department’s Arkansas Grown program and UA’s Market Maker program.

The project received its funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. For more information, contact Amber Martin at 501-228-1300.

FB wants tax changesFarmers and ranchers need tax certainty

to thrive in a modern economy, and making permanent deductions that expired in 2013 is a good first step, the American Farm Bureau Federation told the House Ways and Means Committee April 8.

“One major goal of tax reform should be to provide stable, predictable rules for busi-nesses so they can grow and create jobs,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said. “Farm Bureau believes Congress should end its practice of extending important business tax provisions for one or two years at a time. This practice makes it very difficult for farmers and ranchers to plan and adds immense confusion and complexity.”

Stallman addressed the committee as part of a hearing about the economic disruption caused by ending a series of tax deductions during the past several years. Committee Chairman Dave Camp recently introduced a discussion draft of the Tax Reform Act of 2014 to stimulate discussion of how the tax code could be simpler and fairer, while at the same time aiding economic growth, job creation and wages.

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On April 8, President Brandon Wren (in cowboy hat) presented a $2,500 check from Miller Co. FB to Sam Clem, executive director of Runnin’ WJ Ranch. The money will help provide a teaching aide for children learning to ride and care for horses at the Christian nonprofit facility near Texarkana.

Arkansas Rice Depot President and CEO Laura Rhea has announced plans to retire after 30 years with the faith-based organization, which helps feed Arkansas’ hungry. “Laura’s service has positively influenced the lives of thousands of Arkansans,” said Rice Depot Board Chairwoman Brandy Carroll. “Her commitment to the state’s hungry for three decades is admirable and appreciated.”

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On March 21, Carole Lichti, Carroll Co. FB Women’s Committee chair-woman, visited with Jamie Hussey from radio station KTHS about Ag in the Classroom materials the Women’s Committee uses in area schools. Hus-sey was attending the county’s annual media appreciation luncheon held at the Carroll Co. FB office in Berryville.

Pope Co. FB was recently awarded the “Friend of 4-H Award.” In rec-ognition of its longtime support, the organization received a plaque that was presented during Dover 4-H’s annual banquet in March. Accepting for Pope Co. FB were board members (l to r) Jay Price, Lisa Smith, Benita Drew, Pat Bocksnick, Ida Ruth Jones and Sue Berkemeyer.

In ArkansasForestry field day

Caring for trees in urban settings and the effects of severe weather on Arkan-sas woodlands are part of the Forestry Field Day set for May 1 at the Southwest Research and Extension Center (SREC) at Hope.

“With the terrible winter we’ve had, and the effects of ice and wind on trees, many homeowners are wondering what to do for the trees on their property,” said UA forest-er Jon Barry. “This field day will focus on forest and tree health.”

The event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn at 2:30 p.m.

SREC Director Vic Ford will discuss environmental factors such as drought and flooding that impact tree health. Barry and Kyle Cunningham of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center will discuss pests and diseases of pines and hardwoods. The morning session will conclude with a field walk to examine diseased and infested trees so landowners can learn firsthand how to recognize symptoms. After lunch, Alison Litchy, urban forester with the Ar-kansas Forestry Commission, will discuss urban tree care and factors that stress urban trees.

For those who register by April 25, the fee is $10 per person. Registration at the door is $15 per person. Those who register ahead will be provided lunch. A registra-tion form can be downloaded from the

SWREC website, http://swrec.uark.edu/. To receive a registration form by email, con-tact Jon Barry at 870-777-9702, extension 112 or at jbarry@uaex.edu.

CES unveils new websiteFind what you want to know faster and

from any device on the newly launched UA Cooperative Extension Service website, www.uaex.edu.

The revamped site debuted Feb. 26. It’s the first renovation of the site since 2006. The Cooperative Extension Service first went online in the mid-1990s.

The URL sees millions of visits each month by clients seeking information from extension’s four core areas: agriculture, community and economic development, family and consumer science, and 4-H/youth development. In 2013, the site had more than 48 million hits.

The site features improved navigation to the most heavily trafficked areas; a better search appliance for faster, deeper discoveries; and responsive design, so it can be read on desktops, laptops, tablets or phones. The site also enables users to connect to extension social media chan-nels including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Plus, Flickr and LinkedIn. It retains old favorites such as Plant of the Week and various other plant libraries.

ElsewhereUSDA puts bull’s-eye on feral hogs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced it is kicking off a national effort to reduce the devastating damage caused by feral hogs. The $20 million program

aims to help the 39 states with populations of free-ranging swine deal with rapidly expanding numbers of these destructive animals. Nationwide, wild swine cause $1.5 billion in annual damage and control costs.

The program will be managed under the Wildlife Services program of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The agency will work directly with states to control populations and research better methods of managing feral swine damage. USDA Undersecre-tary Edward Avalos said, “… we aim to eliminate feral swine from two states every three to five years and stabilize feral swine damage within 10 years.”

APHIS also will test feral swine for dis-eases of concern to pork producers, such as classical swine fever, swine brucellosis, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, swine influenza and pseudo-rabies. Ensuring that domestic swine are not threatened by disease from feral swine helps ensure that U.S. export markets remain open.    

Initial goals set by APHIS aim to have the program operational within the next six months, with funding allocated for several comprehensive projects, including $9.5 million for state projects; $1.4 million for establishing procedures for disease monitoring, including the development of new surveillance and vaccination methods; $1.5 million for WS’ National Wildlife Research Center to conduct research and economic analyses to improve control practices; and $1.6 million for the central-ization of control oper-ations and for making them safer and more cost-effective.

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Rain and cooler temperatures continue to slow planting progress and crop develop-ment in Arkansas. The April 8 Crop Progress Report released by the Arkansas NASS office indicated only “2.8 days were suitable for fieldwork for the week ending April 6.” Planting progress for corn, rice, sorghum and soybeans is at or near that of 2013 and behind the five-year average.

EditorKeith Suttonkeith.sutton@arfb.com

About 40 people turned out April 3 for a University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture seminar on home poultry production at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center in Fayetteville. According to Cooperative Extension Service poultry health veterinarian Dustin Clark, raising poultry at home is now one of the fastest-growing hobbies in the nation.

In the MarketAs of April 17, 2014

Last week’s USDA report provided what many would consider a bullish outlook for both corn and soybeans. The USDA reduced stocks some 125 million bushels after the exports were increased by the same amount to 1.75 billion bushels. This decline pushed corn stocks to just 1.33 billion bushels. The soybean market also saw a 10-million bushel decline in stocks, which reduced stocks to just 135 million bushels. Last year, the market saw its tightest stock situ-ation ever, when soybeans ended the year with just 141 million bushels. Now, the USDA is forecasting even fewer beans will be available at the end of this year.

When this report came out, both corn and soybeans rallied; however, the corn rally lost its steam before the end of the day and actually closed lower on report day. While the USDA provided the bullish news to push prices higher, traders are going to need convincing that the United States can reach what they consider an optimistic export forecast. The United States needs to continue to “stronger-than-normal” export through the end of the marketing year in order to reach this forecast. Although December corn has closed as high as $5.13 in recent days, the market will continue to face tough resistance at $5.06.

Another drag on corn prices has been its recent rally in relation to soybean prices. In January, the corn-soybean price ratio had soy-bean prices more than 2.5 times higher than corn. By the end of March ratio had moved to less than 2.4 times, which may have pulled a few more acres into corn. We have seen soybeans respond to this fear

since the beginning of April. While corn prices are virtually unchanged since the end of March, the soybean price has rallied some 50 cents and is back close to $12.50.

While prices are important, most producers have probably already made their planting decisions and are in the process of preparing for the crop. The most important fac-tor to the crop mix now is weather. Forecasters are beginning to predict another strong El Niño year, which would mean a cold, wet spring followed by a milder summer, which tends to benefit crops. We are already starting to hear some chatter like: “Will the corn crop be planted late?” or “Will we even be able to plant the forecast 91.691 million acres?” How-ever, it is still early to be worrying about planting delays. Remember, a couple of years ago, it looked like the United States was not going to be able to get its crop in, then we saw a week when close to half of the U.S. corn crop was planted? U.S. farmers have the ability to plant millions of acres in a very small window.

Any significant delays in planting or prevented planting will primarily benefit soybeans acres. When the market feels that it has bought the 81.5 million acres forecast in the prospective planting report, look for new-crop soybeans to begin to soft-en. With a strong yield this fall, we are likely to see ample soybean sup-plies, which could push beans below $11. Current prices around $12.40 are likely to be among the highest prices offered this year for the 2014 crop. If you haven’t begun marketing your soybeans, now would be an excellent time to start. The potential for soybeans to move lower is much greater than their likelihood to move above $13.

While the rally in corn may have bought a few more acres, it proba-bly didn’t buy more than a million, which means this crop will still need

a 160 bushel-per-acre average to have comfortable stocks in next year. This may not be as difficult as it has been in the past. The United States has fewer acres this year, which means some of the lower-yielding acres are no longer producing corn. However, the crop will still need good weather to ensure it reaches its yield poten-tial. Look for this market to become ultrasensitive to weather forecasts throughout the summer and into the fall. Corn prices are likely to con-tinue trading between support near $4.92 and resistance at $5.06 for the near term as the market continues to be supported by strong demand and concerns over the size of the crop. Favorable growing conditions during the summer would cause prices to soften, as it would mean ample corn supplies for next year.

While it’s early to be thinking about 2015, December corn and No-vember soybeans in 2015 are hover-ing around $5 and $12, respectively. In April 2013, December corn for 2014 was trading around $5.40, and November soybeans for 2014 were trading around $12.30. Both of these prices would have been a good point to start marketing for the year, and given the potential supplies we may see in 2014, both corn and soybean prices could move significantly lower in the coming year.

CONTACT

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

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

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