Utah Farm Bureau News

On the Hill: Utah FB Leaders Visit the Capitol 22 Baxter Black: Green Jobs 12

Utah Farm Bureau News MARCH 2012VOL 58, NO. 2

Photo by Matt HargreavesFood a-plenty! The Utah Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee held its annual $500 grocery shopping spree during Food Checkout Week, with the lucky winner of the contest being from Lindon, Utah County. The group met at the Macey’s Grocery store in Pleasant Grove for the 5-minute spree. From left to right: Aurline Boyack, UFBF Director of Member Services, winner David Gross, daughter Jacquelyn, wife Sally Gross, State Women’s Committee Chair Belva Parr, and Utah County Women’s Committee member Karen Smart.

Inside:National Perspective 3Farm Bureau at Work 5Member Benefits 8Baxter Black 12 Farm Safety Column 23Classifieds 31

MONTANA continued on pg 2

In breaking news, the U.S. Su-preme Court in a unanimous de-cision has overturned a Montana Supreme Court decision that had granted more than 500 miles of streambeds on three rivers to the state long believed to be held by private property owners. In ad-dition, the state of Montana had sent PPL Montana, a hydroelectric power generating company, a bill for $50 million in back rent and interest.

The Supreme Court said the Montana decision was based on a flawed understanding of the “equal footing doctrine” which provides that states gain title to navigable rivers at statehood and can then allocate and govern those lands under state law. The High

Montana overturned in

streambed case

Farm Bureau members and lead-ers are encouraged to get involved in the political process and that begins with the March neighbor-hood party caucuses. Utah’s politi-cal process officially begins every

Utah Farm Bureau encourages members to attend neighborhood caucuses

two years in neighborhood cau-cuses throughout the state where members of each precinct vote for delegates to represent them at county and state party conventions. You have the opportunity to elect

the people you want to represent your neighborhood at your party’s county and state conventions.

If you choose not to get involved, you may not have the opportunity to determine the candidates that can best represent Utah and that best reflect what Utah voters want.

First and most important, you must be registered to vote to participate at your neighborhood caucus. If you registered and have not declared your party affiliation at the time of your caucus, you can declare your party affiliation at the meeting.

The Democrat Party Caucuses

will be held Tuesday March 13th. The Constitution Party and Re-publican Party Caucuses will be held Thursday March 15th. The Libertarian Party Caucuses will be held Saturday April 21st.

For information on where your neighborhood caucus will be held or if you have other election related questions you can visit online the State Election Office at http://vote.utah.gov.

Utah Farm Bureau News2 March 2012

Utah Farm Bureau News(ISSN 1068-5960)

Matt Hargreaves, Editor9865 South StateSandy, Utah 84070-3205

Phone Numbers:General Inquiries: (801) 233-3000Address Changes: (801) 233-3009Farm Bureau News: (801) 233-3003Classified Ads: ..........(801) 233-3010Fax: .............................(801) 233-3030FB News E-mail: [email protected] site: ...................utfb.fb.org

National Ad Rep:The Weiss Group9414 E. San Salvador Dr. #226Scottsdale, Arizona 85258(480) 860-5394 [email protected]

Local Display Ad Information:Jennifer Dahl(775) 752-3061

Utah Farm BureauFederation OfficersChairman and PresidentLeland J. Hogan, South Rim*

Vice PresidentStephen A. Osguthorpe, Park City*

CEO and Secretary/TreasurerRandy N. Parker, Riverton* Denotes member of the Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS District 1 .................Scott Sandall, TremontonDistrict 2 .....................Rulon Fowers, HooperDistrict 3 .............................. Flint Richards, ErdaDistrict 4 ................ Rex Larsen, Spanish ForkDistrict 5 ............................. Scott Chew, JensenDistrict 6 ...........Edwin Sunderland, ChesterDistrict 7 ...............................Nan Bunker, DeltaFB Women’s Chairman ...Belva Parr, LindonYoung Farmer & Rancher Chairman..

John Reese, KanabPeriodicals Postage Paid at Sandy, Utah and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, 9865 South State, Sandy, Utah 84070. Published quarterly for all Farm Bureau members (April/Spring, July/Summer, Oct./Fall, Dec./Winter). Published expressly for farmer/rancher Farm Bureau members and others who specifically request copies Feb., March, May, June, Aug., Sept., and Nov. All eleven issues published by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation in Sandy, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 9865 South State, Sandy, Utah 84070-3205.

Randy N. ParkerChief Executive Officer

Thoughts: Bold action needed!

“Sagebrush Rebellion” and “Take Back Utah” have been part of the political landscape of Utah for more than 30 years. Its support has come primarily from the people who make a living from the natural re-sources and their communi-ties are generally removed from the more populated Wasatch Front. That has all changed. From the “Sage-brush Rebels” of the late 1970s adorned in cowboy boots and hats, the more recent “Take Back Utah” crowd is the access minded recreation, education, min-ing and energy interests, who embrace sovereignty and state’s rights.

There is growing unrest

among Utahns that manage-ment of the federal lands today is based on policies dictated by radical environmental insiders, politically motivated bureau-crats and activist courts. Job stealing policies like the cancel-lation of 77 oil and gas leases highlight the assault on Utah’s future.

A package of bills targeting the federal government’s ongo-ing land holdings in Utah is be-ing championed on Capitol Hill by group of our urban cousins in business suits and packing brief cases not cattle prods and six-shooters.

Lead by State Representa-tives Roger Barrus (R-Center-ville) and Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan), legislative propos-als are moving in the 2012 Utah Legislature calling on the federal government to follow through with commitments made more than 100 years ago at statehood to transfer the ceded lands back to the state of Utah. HB 148, “The Transfer of Public Lands Act” calls on the federal government to honor the state’s Enabling Act that promises to return the lands held in common to the state. It’s been 116 years since state-hood. The United States has

failed to dispose of these lands within a reasonable time, forc-ing the state to look into legal remedies.

At the national level, Utah’s Senior Senator Orrin Hatch has authored the Western Land Distribution and Re-gional Equalization Act, an update of his earlier Sage-brush Rebellion bill, providing a mechanism for conveying the federal lands to the states. Hatch chairs the U.S. Senate’s Western Caucus Subcommit-tee on Public Lands, a group focused on public land issues and transferring federal lands to the states.

In framing the potential legal issues, it is certain Utah and the public lands states of the American West are not on an equal footing to the original 13 states of the Union. The most contentious issue the original Thirteen Colonies dealt with before agreeing to the Articles of Confederation and uniting under one flag was disposal of the unappro-priated lands. The agreement was ultimately reached in 1781 and the newly formed states withdrew their claims to their western territories, ceding

Court found that large sections of three Montana rivers were in fact not navigable at statehood and that current recreational use of the waters was not legally determinative of navigability for purposes of title.

“Farmers and ranchers pre-vailed this week when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of landowner property rights in the case of PPL v. Montana. This decision puts ownership of streambeds and stream banks in the hands

of their rightful owners,” said Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federa-tion in a statement. “This decision also helps ensure that farmers and ranchers will not have to pay government for the use of land or water from streambeds that run alongside or through their prop-erty. This decision is a win for Farm Bureau members, farmers and ranchers nationwide and all private property owners.”

The Montana “judicial taking” awarded the state ownership on three rivers – the Missouri, the

Clark Fork and the Madison. By the state changing the long-stand-ing test for determining owner-ship of riverbeds and banks, the Montana Supreme Court threatened the property and water rights of farmers and ranchers because of the relationship be-tween property and water rights to streambed ownership.

American Farm Bureau joined the Montana Farm Bureau in fil-ing an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court. Utah Farm Bu-reau and Colorado Farm Bureau also filed amicus briefs.

MONTANA continued from pg 1

PARKER continued on pg 17

Utah Farm Bureau News 3March 2012

The Ag Agenda: We can protect our farm kidsBy Bob StallmanAmerican Farm Bureau President

As a boy growing up in southeast Texas, I not only worked on my family’s farm, I lived and breathed it. What many people outside of rural America don’t under-stand is that farm work for a kid is not just a chore or a job-it’s a way of life. Learning to drive a tractor comes as natural as riding a bike and there’s noth-ing that teaches a kid more disci-pline and com-m i t m e n t t h a n milking a cow. It was ‘American Gothic’ painter Grant Wood who once said, “All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.”

Farm work has always played a significant role in the lives of rural youth across the country, whether they are milking cows on their grandpar-

ents’ farm or harvesting apples as a summer job. But, because of general misunderstanding and over-zealous activists, the ability of rural kids being able to perform tradition-al farm chores and jobs is in serious jeopardy.

Way of Life

A p r o -posed rule r e l e a s e d by the De-partment of Labor w o u l d have det-r imental effects on farm fami-

lies. No longer would kids be allowed to do many chores on their grand-parents’ farms, nor would kids under 16 be allowed to get a typical summer job at their neighbor’s farm-even with their par-ent’s consent. Under the DOL rule as it was pro-posed in September, a child can only work on

a farm that is ‘wholly owned’ by his or her par-ents.

Farm Bureau is hopeful that the recent decision by DOL to re-propose the ‘parental exemption’ will be a positive step, but we simply don’t know. If DOL decides to, it could interpret the parental exemption in a way that would make it much more difficult - if not impos-sible - for nieces, neph-ews and grandchildren to work on the family farm.

Let’s take a look at Missouri hog producer Chris Chinn, who grew up doing chores on her grandparent’s farm. As she testified before Con-gress earlier this month, she never would have had those life-shaping experiences if the DOL rule had been in place back then. Even more disturbing is that her two children won’t be allowed the same experiences of doing routine chores on their grandparents’ farm if DOL goes forward with

its initial plan.

Hazardous Rulemak-ing

The DOL rule would also put strict limits on what hired youth can and can’t do. In updating its ‘hazardous occupation orders,’ DOL is saying that a youth under the age of 16 would be mostly prohibited from working with livestock or operat-ing equipment that’s not driven by hand or foot power. Read literally, the DOL proposal would mean a 15-year old could not operate a hand-held, battery-powered screw-driver to mend fences or be hired to mow lawns.

Farm and ranch fami-lies are more interested than anyone else in as-suring the safety of our farms. We have no desire at all to have young teen-agers working in jobs that are inappropriate or entail too much risk.

But, regulations need to be sensible and within reason - not prohibiting teenagers from perform-ing simple everyday farm functions like operating a battery-powered screw-driver.

Members in the House and Senate, on both sides of the aisle, have called for the rule to be with-drawn, and Farm Bureau agrees. But if DOL pro-ceeds, as seems likely, we will be working actively to assure that any final regulation makes sense, does not infringe on the traditional rights of fam-ily farms and does not unnecessarily restrict the ability of young people to work in agriculture. In other words, we need a rule that respects the significance of youth farm work in America and the importance it plays in our system of family-based agriculture.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “Groundwater is im-portant to you!” is the core message of National Groundwater Awareness Week 2012, March 11-17.

“Groundwater remains crit ical ly important, whether you’re on a pub-lic water system or a pri-vate well,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “Everyone can play a role in preserving and pro-

Groundwater Awareness Weekset for March 11-17

tecting our nation’s pre-cious groundwater.”

Farm Bureau supports Groundwater Awareness Week because of the vital importance of groundwa-ter to farmers and ranch-ers, who use it to irrigate crops and water livestock they’re raising for food. In addition, 96 percent of rural Americans depend on groundwater for their water supply.

“This is more than just

a rural issue. Public water systems and heavily popu-lated urban areas can do much to harm groundwa-ter quality,” Stallman said. “We all need to do our part to protect groundwater.”

National Groundwa-ter Awareness Week is sponsored by the National Ground Water Associa-tion. Visit www.ngwa.org for action steps everyone can take to protect and conserve ground water.


YOUR Utah Farm Bureau at WorkWASHINGTON, D.C. – A

U.S. District Court in Tallahas-see, Fla., has ruled that Envi-ronmental Protection Agen-cy-imposed numeric nutrient criteria for Florida streams and unimpaired lakes are unlawful because they are arbitrary and have no scientific basis.

The ruling resolves several challenges to federal numeric nu-trient criteria imposed by EPA on Florida waterways. The court up-held EPA’s ability to issue federal standards under the particular facts at issue in Florida and up-held some of the particular EPA standards. However, the court agreed with arguments raised by the American Farm Bureau Federation and its co-plaintiffs that two key types of restrictions were unlawful. This aspect of the ruling underscores that sound science must support such costly, federally imposed actions.

One of the key concerns of the court, and a central theme asserted by the AFBF group, was that EPA could not show that the streams criteria were needed to prevent harm to the environ-ment, as required by Florida law.

“Aiming nutrient standards at levels designed to prevent harm to the environment is good policy and is required under Florida law,” said AFBF General Coun-sel Ellen Steen. “EPA attempted to impose standards that would prohibit any increase above natu-rally occurring nutrient levels in

Court backs need for science in federal water rules

pristine waters. The court rec-ognized that EPA was arbitrary in assuming that any increase above pristine nutrient levels is harmful.”

According to Steen, this rul-ing will help ensure that if EPA imposes federal numeric nutri-ent criteria on other states in the future, it must use scien-tifically valid methods that com-port with state laws. Numeric nutrient criteria impose costly restrictions on agriculture and other activities, so any criteria, whether issued by EPA or a state, must be based on valid scientific principles.

Some provisions of the EPA standards survived judicial scru-tiny and are set to go into effect in the near future.

Meanwhile, EPA must now decide its next steps for the stan-dards that were vacated by the court ruling.

“EPA can elect to go back to the drawing board and propose new, presumably science-based criteria, or it could attempt again to justify the standards rejected by the court,” Steen explained.

Should EPA decide to propose revised criteria, it has the option of approving a different set of nu-meric nutrient criteria recently developed by Florida’s Depart-ment of Environmental Protec-tion (DEP). AFBF is working with Florida and other industry groups in urging EPA to approve the Florida DEP criteria.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Con-gress should swiftly approve legis-lation that would correct a major flaw in the formula used to allocate Title I funds for the education of disadvantaged students, the American Farm Bureau Federa-tion said recently.

FB urges funding change for disadvantaged studentsAFBF is urging the House Edu-

cation and Workforce Committee to approve the inclusion of the All Children are Equal Act (H.R. 2485) in H.R. 3989, the Student Success Act. AFBF supports the ACE Act because a cornerstone of the organization’s rural develop-

ment policy is that strong rural schools are vital to enhancing the lives of rural Americans and will foster development of robust and prosperous rural communities.

“Approving this legislation is simply the right thing to do and will benefit students living in pov-

erty, whether they reside in rural, small-town America or an urban setting,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “The correction to the formula for allocating federal funds to state and local school districts that we are seeking is

STUDENTS continued on pg 20

Utah Farm Bureau members attended…the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer & Rancher Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Utah delegates participated in leadership training, networking, and improving the ways they can be advocates for agriculture. Additionally, Utah had two competitors in the Collegiate Farm Bureau Discussion Meet, Bret Yardley from the Southern Utah University chapter and Alyssa Chambliss from the Utah State University chapter.

Utah Farm Bureau CEO Randy Parker…was recognized by the Utah Wool Growers Association at its annual convention as a “Friend of the Sheepman.” Parker and Farm Bureau were recognized for the work that is done for all of Utah agriculture, including the sheep producers. Parker, in comments to Association members gathered in St. George, noted he was raised on Pleasant Grove Suffolk sheep farm and has a great appreciation for the sheep industry.

Utah Farm Bureau staff…provided comments at the BLM Sage Grouse EIS open house in Cedar City. They also participated in several local area working group meetings including the Tushar Working Group Annual Meeting, Monroe Mountain Working Group in Richfield, the PARM sage grouse working group in Loa, and the Sustainable Grazing working group in Salt Lake City.

Utah Farm Bureau… participated in the VIP Reception and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the new USU College of Agriculture building in Logan. Taking place on the unique date of February 29, 2012, Utah Farm Bureau was recognized in comments by USU President Stan Albrecht and Noelle Cockett, Dean of the College of Agriculture & Vice President for Extension for Utah State University, for the organizations contributions to getting the new building completed. In recognition for its contributions, the Utah Farm Bureau’s name has been etched into the glass of the main floor computer lab in the building.

Utah Farm Bureau leaders…participated in the Council of County Presidents and Women’s Leadership conferences at the end of February. Held concurrently in Sandy, the two groups met together on Feb. 23 to visit the Utah State legislature and voice their opinions on several pieces of legislation impacting agriculture.


The Federal grazing fee for 2012 will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands admin-istered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The 2012 fee is the same as last year’s.

An AUM or HM – treat-ed as equivalent measures for fee purposes – is the occupancy and use of pub-lic lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The newly calculated graz-ing fee, determined by a congressional formula and effective on March 1, applies to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases

BLM and Forest Service announce 2012 grazing fee

administered by the BLM and more than 8,000 per-mits administered by the Forest Service.

The formula used for calculating the grazing fee, which was established by Congress in the 1978 Pub-lic Rangelands Improve-ment Act, has continued under a presidential Ex-ecutive Order issued in 1986. Under that order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM, and any increase or decrease cannot exceed 25 percent of the previous year’s level.

The annually deter-mined grazing fee is com-puted by using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM/HM for livestock grazing on public lands in West-

ern states. The figure is then calculated according to three factors – current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production. In effect, the fee rises, falls, or stays the same based on market conditions, with livestock operators paying more when conditions are better and less when conditions have declined.

The 2012 grazing fee ap-plies to 16 Western states on public lands admin-istered by the BLM and the Forest Service. Permit holders and lessees may contact their local BLM or U.S. Forest Service office for additional informa-tion.

The USDA Natural Re-sources Conservation Ser-vice (NRCS) is now ac-cepting applications from private landowners and tribes for a second round of funding for the Sage-Grouse Initiative (SGI) and a third round for salinity work this year. Applications for on-farm EQIP SGI and salinity funds have been extended through March 20, 2012.

“Private landowners and tribes working to enhance habitat for sage-grouse and to reduce salinity in the Colorado River system may be especially interested in applying for technical and financial assistance since

Landowners encouraged to apply for

conservation fundingonly a third of the initial funding allocation for these programs has been con-tracted to date,” said David Brown, State Conservation-ist for NRCS in Utah.

NRCS continues to work in partnership with private landowners and conserva-tion and agricultural groups to identify and prioritize natural resource concerns within communities across Utah.

“Our mission is to solve natural resource problems by placing the money Con-gress invests in conserva-tion with landowners who have a stewardship com-mitment to make a differ-ence,” said Brown.


By Cyndie Sirekis, Director of News Services, AFBF. Contri-butions by Matt Hargreaves, Editor, Utah Farm Bureau News.

As they have done for the past decade and a half, farmer and rancher mem-bers of many local County Farm Bureaus in Utah will reach out to consum-ers in their communities during Food Check-Out Week (Feb. 20-25 this year). The official theme of the week is “Stretch-ing Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food.” The theme reflects the continuing reality that many Utahns are feeling an economic squeeze and as a result, eat out less often and prepare more meals at home.

Many County Farm Bu-reaus in Utah have held activities dur-ing and around t h i s w e e k to celebrate the value of American ag-riculture. The State Farm Bu-reau Women’s Committee has also jumped into the fray, providing a 5 - m i n u t e , $ 5 0 0 g r o -cery shopping spree. As part of a statewide contest, Utah residents had to cor-rectly answer five ques-tions about Utah agricul-ture to be entered into a drawing for the shopping spree. The winner of the contest was David Gross of Lindon, Utah. While at the shopping spree, farm-ers and ranchers from

Farmers reach out to consumers during Food Check-Out WeekUtah County will be vis-iting with shoppers and sharing with them the message of Food Check-Out Week.

Offering practical infor-mation and tips on how to put nutritious meals on the table with fewer dollars is just one aspect of Food Check-Out Week. Many participating farm-ers and ranchers also are committed to responding to broader questions con-sumers may have about food – how it is grown or raised and long-term effects on people’s health and the planet.

For many farmers and ranchers, this stepped-up interest in conversa-tions about food, whether through in-person conver-sations or social media in-teraction with consumers,

was sparked by The Food Dialogues, a new effort to bring together different viewpoints on farming and ranching, and the future of food.

The Food Dialogues is an initiative of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), a co-

alition of farmers, ranch-ers and their industry partners, committed to continuously improving how they grow and raise food that provides healthy choices for people every-where. USFRA strives to bring together different viewpoints on farming and ranching and the future of food to solve today’s most challenging problems.

“For too long, farmers and ranchers have not had a voice in conversations about where food in Amer-ica comes from,” said Bel-va Parr, who raises sheep in Utah County and is the chair of the Utah Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. “Now more than ever before, both dur-ing special observances such as Food Check-Out Week and as they go about

their day-to-day routines, farmers are committed to participating in conversations with consum-ers, to answer the questions they have about food,” she said.

Although the way farmers talk about food with consum-ers is evolving, the Farm Bu-

reau – Ronald McDonald House Charities connec-tion that was initiated when Food Check-Out Week first began remains strong.

Recognizing the need everyone has to find solu-tions to feeding families healthful foods on a tight

UFBF staff (L to R) Spencer Gibbons, Tiffiny Monson, and Aurline Boyack met with shopping spree winner David Gross prior to his 5 minute dash for $500 worth of groceries during Food Checkout Week. Photo by Matt Hargreaves

budget, the Utah Farm Bu-reau will make a financial contribution to be used for providing food to the Intermountain Ronald McDonald House as part of Food Check-Out Week. The Intermountain Ron-ald McDonald House pro-vide a “home-away-from-home” for families of seri-ously ill children receiving medical treatment, and serves families from Ari-zona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyo-

After successfully answering an agricultural question from UFBF’s Susan Furner (left) this shopper was able to pick a free grocery item as part of the Utah Farm Bureau’s Food Checkout Week ac-tivities Photo by Matt Hargreaves

ming, and Utah.On the national level,

the American Farm Bu-reau Women’s Leadership Committee will make cash and food donations to the Ronald McDonald House of Central Indiana this year. The third week of February was selected for Food Check-Out Week as a bridge to National Nutri-tion Month in March.


Member Benefit ColumnIf you need prescription drug coverage, need help with hearing or vision prob-

lems or would like to throw the eye glasses away forever, Farm Bureau can help with cost saving discounts on these health services.

COAST TO COAST VISION: Coast to Coast Vision Plan is not an insurance program. No claims to file, no forms to fill out. You will need your Farm Bureau membership card and Coast to Coast logo card to obtain the discount. Logo cards are available at utfb.fb.org>Member Benefits>Coast to Coast.

1. Discounts of 20% to 60% on a complete pair of eyeglasses. 2. Discounts of 10% to 40% on replacement contact lenses via mail. 3. Discounts of 10% to 40% on non-prescription mail order sunglasses. 4. There are no limits on frame and lens selections or the number of times Coast

to Coast members and their families use their cards throughout the membership year.

To obtain a current list of providers in your area go on line to www.coastto-coastvision.com. Scroll to bottom of page and click on “Locate a provider near you”. Insert non-member in the member # box. Insert 113 in the “Group or Client Number” box listed under “Groups”. Do not insert your FB Membership # in the “member box”.

FARM BUREAU PRESCRIPTION DISCOUNT CARD: Benefits for unin-sured or under insured

1. Save an average of 30% on prescriptions. The discount may be as much as 75%.

2. This is an open formulary program so all prescription medications are eligible for discounts. Both brand name and generic medications qualify. “Lowest price” logic guarantees Farm Bureau members will get the best pricing on prescriptions.

3. The card is accepted by over 400 participating pharmacies in Utah and by 57,000 nationwide.

4. This program is not an insurance policy and does not provide insurance coverage. Discounts are available exclusively through participating pharmacies. Cannot be combined with insurance prescription coverage, but many formularies are not covered by prescription coverage or Medicare.

5. All cards are pre-activated and can be used immediately.Each family member wanting prescription discounts will need their own card.

Cards are available by calling 801-233-3010, e-mailing your request to [email protected] or contacting your Farm Bureau Insurance agent. Visit utfb.fb.org>member benefits>UNA Rx> pharmacy list to locate the nearest partici-pating pharmacy.

CLEAR VALUE HEARING: ClearValue Hearing and Starkey, the leader of hearing instrument technology and the largest U.S. hearing aid manufacturer have combined their resources to develop a unique Hearing Healthcare Program for Farm Bureau members and their immediate family. With Farm Bureau mem-bership, you are guaranteed automatic pre-approval into the ClearValue Hearing Healthcare Benefits program – at no additional cost to you. Receive:

1. Up to 25% discount on hearing instruments manufactured by Starkey. 2. Free initial hearing tests and annual retests ($90.00 value)3. 100% guaranteed fit (free 12 month remake) free hearing aid adjustments, 60

day trial, free bi-annual hearing aid maintenance, one courtesy case of batteries with purchase, one directional mic or a switchless telecoil. ($292.00 value)

4. Free battery discount club membership -10% discount 5. Two-year full manufacturer warranty on hearing instruments ($150.00 val-

ue)

6. Eligible for “FLEX” Plan spendingCALL 1-888-497-7447 OR VISIT WWW.CLEAR-

VALUEHEARING.COM FOR A LIST OF THE PRO-VIDER LOCATIONS IN UTAH.

Member Activation Procedure: Farm Bureau members must contact ClearValue Hearing by phone, mail or email to activate their program mem-bership.*

1. Mail: ClearValue Hearing, 1010 A Broadway, Red Oak, IA 51566

2. Phone: 1-888-497-7447, TOLL FREE3. E-Mail: [email protected] more information please visit utfb.fb.org or

call 801-233-3010.(*Activation mandatory for enrollment, schedul-

ing and listed discounts and services)

QUALSIGHT LASIK* Farm Bureau has part-nered with QualSight LASIK to bring you and your family savings of 40% - 50% off the national average price of Traditional LASIK eye surgery.

1. $945/eye for Traditional and $1,350/eye for Custom LASIK.

2. Quality - URAC credentialed Ophthalmologists using FDA approved technology.

3. Financing - Use your flex dollars or financing can be arranged with payments as low as $53.00 per month**.

4. Access - 21 locations in Utah and over 800 loca-tions nationwide.

5. Experience You Can Trust – Over 2.5 million procedures performed

To obtain preferred pricing you must call 1-888-507-4448. A QualSight Care Manager explains the program and answers any questions. Select your preferred provider and set the appointment right over the phone. To Learn More Visit www.Qual-sight.com/-UTFB

*The Utah Farm Bureau Federation offers this program to members as a cost-savings initiative only and in no way recommends, endorses, or guar-antees this or any elective medical procedure. It is solely the responsibility of the member to evaluate and elect to have the procedure performed.

** Subject to GE CareCredit approval.

GRAINGER: Get a jump on spring! Grainger of-fers an impressive line of competitively priced tools, farm duty electric motors, hydraulic fittings, com-pressors, pneumatic tools, ventilation fans, cleaners and safety equipment. Grainger is a preferred Farm Bureau supplier for maintenance, repair, operations and safety products.

1. Minimum 10% off all regular stock items.2. 35% off Farm Duty Motors, pulley & sheave, and

ag fans (over 1,100 SKUs!)

BENEFITS continued on pg 28


A Woman’s ViewFarm Bureau Women - CoordinatorAurline Boyack

Utah Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is accepting applica-tions from those interested in participating in an outstanding, once-in-a-lifetime training op-portunity – the American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Communication Boot Camp, July 17-20, 2012.

This intensive training session will provide at-tendees with the skills needed to communicate for agriculture and for Farm Bureau. During the course of two days, there will be sessions on public speaking, testifying, targeting your mes-sage, working with the media and

seeking elected offi ce.One applicant from those ap-

plying to the Utah Farm Bureau will be selected for submission to the American Farm Bureau. If Utah’s nominee is accepted into the program, the participant’s airfare to Washington, D.C., hotel and registration expenses will be paid for by Utah Farm Bureau. The participant will be expected to complete the AFBF follow-up assignment and share her experience and the skills she has learned with Utah Farm Bu-reau women. The applications are due to the State Farm Bureau offi ce by April 10, 2012.

Women’s Communications BOOT CAMP – WE WANT YOU!

Comments from those who have participated in past years include:

“It gave me a huge boost of con-fi dence, through encouragement and working with other women.”

“Love it! Love it! Can hardly wait to get back and use these skills in my state and teach the women of my state.”

Applicants must be women who are members of Farm Bu-reau, and is not limited to just

those involved in women’s lead-ership committees. The only exception is that staff members of AFBF, state or county Farm Bureaus or affi liated companies are not eligible to participate.

The application forms are available by contacting Aurline Boyack at the state offi ce at 801-233-3010 or [email protected] by visiting http://utfb.fb.org. Applications must be signed by a state Farm Bureau staff person and then be postmarked or emailed no later than April 20, 2012 to the American Farm Bureau.

Washington, DC

Women’s Communications

“Keep it up!! Amazing Experience! Thank you!”

July 17–20, 2012


Money Matters A special column for the Utah Farm Bureau News provided by USU Extension

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Create your own budget envelopesBy Jana Darrington, USU Extension Assistant Professor – Utah CountyBudget envelopes are a great way to make spending concrete. Too

often, we swipe a card (debit or credit) at the counter, and studies have shown that we do not remember card swipe purchases as well as cash or check purchases. When spending seems out of control, consider using Budget Envelopes to rein it back in.

Simply put, budget envelopes are used to physically divide your money into different spending categories. You can cash your work check or withdraw the necessary money from your account and physi-cally place $150 in your “Groceries” envelope or $20 in the “Haircut” envelope or $50 in the “Utilities – Gas/Heat” envelope. When you get groceries, get a haircut, or pay your heating bill, you can use the cash from the envelope. However the cash has been spent from the envelope, you no longer have money to spend in that category until the next paycheck. Using budget envelopes allows you to better:

1) Determine spending habits: “Do I need to include more or less money in this category on a regular basis?”

2) Curb impulse spending: “Do I really need this item right now or can it wait until next month?”

3) Teach children about money: “We can’t buy that right now. See, the envelope is empty!” or “That costs $20. How much do we have in the envelope for gifts? Is there enough or not? If you buy that for Fred will you have any money left over to buy something for George next week?”

Making budget envelopes at home is an easy and simple thing to do. First, sit down and determine which categories make the most sense for YOUR budget envelopes. You may or may not want to use a budget envelope for categories such as rent or house payments that are hundreds of dollars. Or, if these categories, such as a mortgage payment, are set up on an automatic payment schedule, it may not make sense to stop that and begin to pay your mortgage in cash each month. However, for categories such as groceries, utilities, gas for your car, gifts for family and friends, entertainment and/or eating out, budget envelopes can be a big help to reining in your spend-ing and ensuring that you don’t go over your monthly income each month.

Once you have determined the categories you will use for budget en-velopes, you should identify how much money goes in each category/envelope and how often it is put in to the envelope. For example, if your paycheck comes every two weeks, you should add money to your budget envelopes every two weeks. If you receive income once a month, you should put the total amount for your monthly groceries spending into your “Groceries” envelope. However, you probably shop at the grocery store more often than once a month, so each time you shop, take your Grocery envelope with you and pay for your groceries from the cash in the envelope. For entertainment or gift categories, you may put money in once a month, but only remove it when you need to – which may be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or irregularly.

Using budget envelopes can help you better control your spending habits, make spending in specific categories concrete, and allow you to maintain control of your financial spending plan. This will, in turn, allow you the financial freedom to reach your goals and turn your dreams into reality.

Possible Envelope Catego-ries· Income/Savings (Yearly,

Quarterly, Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly) – use multiple envelopes if you receive income from varying sources

Home Expenses· R e n t o r M o r t g a g e

(Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly)

· Utilities

o Heat/Electricity/Lights (Monthly)

o P h o n e & C a b l e T V (Monthly)

o Water & Trash (Monthly)

· Cleaning Supplies & Home Repairs (Irregular)

Vehicle Expenses· Car or Truck Payment

( M o n t h l y ) - u s e m u l t i p l e envelopes – one for each vehicle – if needed

· Gas Oil/Car Maintenance (Irregular – every 3 months – or Monthly)

· Car Tag (Yearly)

· Car Repair (Irregular)

Insurance· Home Insurance (Yearly,

Bi-yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly)

· Life Insurance (Yearly, Bi-yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly)

· Car Insurance (Yearly, Bi-yearly, Quarterly, or Monthly)

· H e a l t h I n s u r a n c e (Monthly)

Family/Household Ex-penses· Groceries (Monthly, Bi-

weekly, Weekly)

· School Supplies (Yearly, Irregular)

· Child Care (Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly)

· Donations (Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly)

· School Supplies (Yearly, Irregular)

· Child Care (Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly)

· Medicine (Irregular, Monthly)

· Christmas (Yearly)

Credit· Credit Card (Monthly)

– if you use credit, PLAN your credit spending and pay it off each month

· C r e d i t P a y m e n t (Monthly) – use mult iple envelopes, one for each Credit Payment

Miscellaneous Categories· Emergencies (Irregular)

· Financial Goal (Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly) – use multiple envelopes, one for each Goal

· MAD Money (Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly) – add to this envelope whenever you have extra money to spare. It can be used for a variety of items or make up a deficit in any other category

· Other Misc: Gifts , Dues, Subscriptions, Recreation, Entertainment, Children’s Allowances, Haircuts, Hunting, Pets, Eating Out, etc.


Farmers’ and ranchers’ labor woes require a cost-effective solution that recognizes the value of people who work in U.S. agriculture, Paul Wenger, Cali-fornia Farm Bureau Federation president, recently told a House Judiciary subcommittee.

U.S. growers hire more than a million people to work on their farms and ranches and in their orchards, dairies, nurseries and other types of operations. Ac-cording to some figures, more than half of those workers are not authorized to work in this coun-try. Some analysts say 70 percent or more of the farm workforce is unauthorized.

Making E-Verify mandatory for all employers, as a bill approved last year by the subcommittee would, is not the way to go, Wenger told lawmakers. E-Verify is an Internet-based program that lets employers check a job applicant’s iden-tification against Social Security Ad-ministration and Homeland Security Department records to confirm employ-ment eligibility.

“E-Verify without a workable, eco-nomical way to ensure a legal agricultural workforce will be a disaster for American agricul-ture,” he said.

Wenger said there is little mystery about what mandatory E-Verify would do to the agricul-tural workforce. “We have ample experience from Alabama and Georgia where there is not an available domestic labor force for our industry, including prisoners and parolees.”

Wenger emphasized that ad-equately addressing agriculture’s

Farm Bureau calls for practical, effective farm labor solutions

labor problems means finding a place for the unauthorized work-ers in this country, or finding a way to replace them.

“Any solution must be practi-cal and allow current workers to step out of the shadows to do the work that is so important to feeding our nation and the world,” Wenger said, especially long-tenured and highly skilled employees and those with close family members who are U.S. citizens. A workable agricultural immigration program, he said, must recognize that “many of our workforce want and need the ability to come to the U.S., work on our farms and ranches, and return to their home country.”

Although few California farm-ers or ranchers have been able

to use the H-2A program, they do support improvements to it. Yet, even if the program could be substantially overhauled, it alone could not stabilize the farm labor situation, Wenger told the subcommittee.

“To ensure our industry a fu-ture workforce we need a new program model that is more flexible, scalable and market-oriented,” Wenger said. Key to the success of such a program is less interference from govern-ment at the state and local levels.

Biometric visas and incentives for workers to abide by the terms of their visas and return home when the work is done are es-sential, too.

“The closer a new program comes to replicating the way the farm labor force needs to move among employers and crops based on seasons and the weather, the more likely it will be able to meet the needs of farmers and farm employees,” Wenger told the subcommittee.

Noting that each on-farm job in California creates three jobs, Wenger cautioned that without a legal agricultural workforce, the state would be deprived of an important economic engine and the national economy would be jeopardized.

Photo courtesy of AFBFCalifornia Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger (2nd from left) testified in the House Judiciary Committee on the need for farmers to have a practical labor solution.

SPOKANE, Wash. – USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announces the availability of a newly created website titled: Ru-ral Tax Education (ruraltax.org) providing farmers and ranchers a resource for agricultural related income and self-employment tax information that is both up-to-date and easy to understand.

“Farmers and ranchers wanting up-to-date tax information will want to put the Rural Tax Educa-tion website in their list of browser favorites,” said Dave Paul, Director of RMA’s Spokane Regional Of-

USDA RMA funds rural

tax education program

TAX continued on pg 27


Baxter Black: Green jobs

On the edge of common sense

BAxteR BlACk

to celebrate Food Checkout Week, on Saturday February 18th, members of the Davis County Farm Bureau gave Utah’s Own shop-ping bags, prizes and literature to the first 125 customers at kent’s Market in Clearfield. Davis County Farm Bureau also presented a grand prize of grocery basket filled with food – valued at more than $200.

“Our purpose was to raise awareness that at this time of year (Food Checkout Week), Most Americans have earned enough money to pay for their food for the entire year,” said tyson Rob-erts, Davis County Farm Bureau Board Member. “Americans enjoy the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world.”

Pictured (l to R): kristi etherington – Grand Prize Winner, luAnne Roberts – Davis County Farm Bureau Women’s Chair, Cynthia Rackham – kents Market Store Manager, Thad Horne – Davis County Farm Bureau President.

Many of Utah’s young farmers and ranchers have been able to attend various events this past year sponsored by the Utah Farm Bureau. Each those who have attended a Farm Bureau function has been able to learn valuable insights about shar-ing your family’s agricultural story with others and helping to protect and enhance Utah’s agricultural industry. Now is another opportunity for Utah’s young farmers and ranchers to improve the way they tell agri-culture’s story by completing one of the YF&R award appli-cations.

Applications for Utah YF&R awards due soon

The application dead-line for both the Achieve-ment Award and Excellence in Agriculture Award is Tuesday, May 1st 2012. The Achievement Award is designed for those that receive a majority of their income from production agriculture. The Excellence in Agriculture Award is for those who have an interest in agri-culture but are not primarily involved with production agri-culture as their major source of income.

The applications for both

APPLICATIONS continued on pg 16

As part of the government’s stimulus program they are offering $500 million worth of grants to create and train “Green Jobs.” I’m not sure how they define ‘green’? But there is certainly one job description that should be at the top of the list if you’re looking for the purest form of green jobs; farming. It is a profession that recycles the land, the water, the air, the animals and the crops. Plants take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Farmers take dirt, rain, seeds and sun and covert it to protein, carbs, oxygen, minerals and vitamins essential to life on our planet.

Coincidentally, there is high-level discussion concerning the safety of children on the farm, which itself, is a controversial subject. The chasm is between two cultures and how they define “Dangerous.”

Take firearms, for instance. The Outdoor/Rural side believes firearms are to hunt. The Suburban/Urban side thinks firearms are handguns whose primary uses are self-protection and/or armed robbery.

Pocket knives are an essential tool to those who work outdoors. In the city they are used to clean fingernails and too dangerous to have in public schools.

Driving a vehicle, be it a 4-wheeler, tractor or grain truck usually in a confined area (on the farm) allows a young person to be more useful. To a city kid, getting his permit at 15 allows him to get to school and hang out with his friends. City streets and traffic make driving dangerous. 15 years old is soon enough for them.

CONCLUSION:With Uncle Sam 1) wanting to put money into green jobs, 2) ac-

knowledging that farming is the greenest job there is, and 3) concern about farm kids safety, let me make a rational suggestion: How about we pour a justified portion of the $500 million into serious vocational training for farm kids, probably through the FFA and Vo Ag. It could be voluntary, approved by parents, and start as early as grade school in a light simulator except it emulates tractors, graders, ATV’s, farm machinery and grain trucks. Finance a course in livestock handling and procedures.

In defense of farm and ranch parents, over a period of time they teach their children the vocational skills needed on their particular operation. And Vo Ag classes do exist that teach many of the farm skills that fill in the gaps. But there is no doubt that a healthy injection of funding from the “Green Job” $500 million dollar fund, would be far better spent on farm kids than on budding OSHA regulators, consultants and fly-by-night “Clean Energy” carpet baggers. No one denies that farm kids can be put in harm’s way, but it would be much more effective if we as farmers and ranchers made a visible, tangible effort to teach them safety habits and rules. We can sure do it better than the usual urban ham-handed government agencies.

Whattya think? Someone get the Department of Labor on the phone!


Photo by Matt Hargreaves

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch spoke to attendees of the Utah Farm Bureau Women’s leadership Conference held in Sandy. Hatch praised the women for their great contributions to agriculture and rural families. Hatch’s wife elaine was raised on a farm, and consistently reminds Hatch to keep watch for the farmers. Hatch also encouraged the women to participate in the upcoming local caucus meetings and took questions on the political process.

By Clark Israelsen, USU Extension Agent – Cache County

More and more we hear people worrying about adequate irr igat ion water for next summer. The weather forecast i s f o r w a r m e r t h a n n o r m a l temperatures into next week, with n o s i g n i f i c a n t s n o w f a l l . M o s t have been enjoying the relatively mild winter season. In contrast to last year, very little snow has fallen change quickly, but we really are dependent on the blessings of heaven.

The lack of insulation that comes from adequate snow cover could pose a threat to the survival of the winter wheat crop. Low temperatures kill winter wheat plants by injuring the crown.

Suffocation is another cause of winter kill in wheat. If ice forms on the soil surface, it can cut off the oxygen supply to wheat plants below. Also, puddling of water can reduce the oxygen fl ow to wheat.

Another cause of winter kill is heaving. Freezing and thawing of the soil can literally lift the plants out of the ground. Local growers are concerned but can’t do much about it.

North Dakota research indicates that a minimum of 3 inches of snow cover is necessary to prevent winterkill due to low temperatures. Three inches of snow is sufficient protection during most North Dakota winters, but 4 to 6 inches of snow will further reduce the extent of crown injury and generally increase stand survival. When the crown suffers winter injury, some plants may survive, but spring recovery is delayed, stands are thinned, and yields

Potential winter wheat damageare often reduced.

Jim Shroyer, K-State Extension agronomy state leader suggests three main questions to consider when evaluating the potential for winterkill in wheat.

How well has the wheat h a r d e n e d o f f ? W h e n temperatures through fall and early winter gradually get colder, that helps wheat plants develop good winter hardiness. When temperatures remain unusually warm late into the fall then suddenly drop into the low teens, plants are less likely to have had time to

harden properly and will be more susceptible to winterkill.

How well developed is the root system? Where wheat plants have a good crown root system and two or more tillers, they will have better winterhardiness, Shroyer said. If plants are poorly developed going into winter, with few secondary roots and no tillers, they will be more susceptible to winterkill. Poor development of secondary roots may not be readily apparent unless the plants are pulled up and examined.

How cold did the soil get at the crown level? This depends on snow cover and moisture levels in the soil. For typical Kansas conditions, Shroyer says if there is an inch of snow on the ground, the wheat will usually be protected and soil temperatures will usually remain above the critical level. Also, if the soil has good moisture, it´s possible that soil temperatures at the crown level may not reach the critical level even in the absence of snow cover. But if the soil is dry and there is no snow cover, there may be the potential for winterkill, especially on exposed slopes or in low- lying areas. Air temperatures below -10 degrees can certainly reduce WHEAT continued on pg 24


Along the CountrysideVice President- CommunicationsMatt Hargreaves

Cache Valley’s influence at the high levels of USDA

It is no surprise that Utahns or those with connections to Utah have served our nation at the highest levels of government. Utah recently had former Gover-nor Jon Huntsman serve as U.S. Ambassador to China; Kathleen Clarke, Public Land Policy Office director for Utah Governor Gary Herbert led the Bu-reau of Land Man-agement (BLM) in Washington, D.C., and former Utah Governor Michael Leavitt was the EPA director and Secretary of Health & Human Services for President George W. Bush.

Historically, a proud time may have also come during the Eisen-hower administration, when Ivy Baker Priest of Kimberly, Piute County served as Treasurer of the United States for all eight years and Ezra Taft Benson – an Idaho native but graduate of both Utah State University and Brigham Young U n i v e r s i t y – served as Secre-tary of Agricul-ture.

But thousands of miles away and knee-deep i n t h e w o r k of producing America’s food and fiber, it can be difficult at times to relate to a large agen-cy as critical to American agri-culture as the USDA. However, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack works with Congressional leaders on the 2012 Farm Bill, it is nice

to know that he’ll be receiving valued input from a Utahn with strong ties to agriculture and the Utah Farm Bureau.

Brandon Willis is currently serving as the Senior Advisor to Secretary Vilsack in Washing-ton, D.C., but his ties go back to

the farm in Rich County and his childhood home in Logan.

“My dad has a sheep ranch in Laketown and he raises hay and barley there as well,” Willis said. “During my teenage years, I also put in about 1.5 acres of raspberries, and the family has grown that to about five acres of raspberries now.”

After high school, Willis at-

tended Utah State University and studied crop and soil sci-ence. During a phone conversa-tion from his office in Wash-

ington, D.C., Willis was quick to acknowledge the Utah Farm Bureau for contributing to the scholarship he received at USU through Farm Bureau’s support of the Ag Day BBQ.

While studying at USU with the intent to return to the farm, Wil-lis’ family went through a few years of difficult times with the ranch and his raspberries. It was during this time that Willis thought about his future and perhaps another patch in which he could serve agriculture – in the policy arena. After graduating from law school at the University of Wyoming, Willis completed his master’s degree in agricultural law from the University of Arkan-sas, and interned at the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

While working as a graduate assistant at the National Agricul-tural Law Center, Wil-lis’s boss suggested he apply for an agricultural legislative assistant job with Senator Max Bau-cus of Montana.

“Sen. Baucus is one of the few people up on the hill that comes from an agricultural background – his fam-ily runs a large sheep ranch in Montana, and we worked a lot on the 2008 Farm Bill…mak-ing sure it made sense for Montana farmers and ranchers,” Willis said. “They also added

some disaster programs to that Farm Bill, which they had not done before, and I got to work a lot on some of those … including

the livestock programs which help when livestock die during drought.”

While working for Sen. Bau-cus, Willis also helped draft statements on agricultural is-sues and worked on legislation

for livestock di-saster programs. He also worked on legis lat ion that supported the use of exist-ing conservation programs to help fight the declin-ing population of pollinators.

Willis left Sen. Baucus’ staff in 2009 to work for the USDA as a confidential as-sistant for the Of-fice of the Under-

secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, and then shortly after worked as the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs for the Farm Services Agency (FSA). In this role, Wil-lis oversaw all FSA programs under the Production Emergen-cies and Compliance Division, Conservation and Environ-mental Programs Division, and Price Support Division.

While at FSA, Willis was able to work at implementing many of the programs he helped to create while working for Sena-tor Baucus, including livestock and crop disaster programs.

“Now, I get to work for Sec-retary Vilsack on whatever he wants me to do, which is a great opportunity. Before becoming governor of Iowa, the secretary was a mayor of a small rural town in Iowa, and he really understands rural America,” Willis said. “Every day here is a little bit different. I try to carry out his vision of what he sees and what he thinks needs to be done in agriculture. I focus a lot on disaster assistance. When

Photo courtesy of USDAUSDA’s Brandon Willis met with ShowMe Energy Cooperative President Steve Flick to discuss ways Biomass Crop Assistance Projects (BCAP) could improve domestic energy security as part of his role with FSA. ShowMe Cooperative was the first company to receive a grant under the BCAP Project Area.


CATTLE continued on pg 27

the tornadoes hit Alabama and Missouri last spring, we were there on the ground learning what USDA needs to help them recover. The same as with the hurricanes in North Carolina and storms along the eastern seaboard in New York. Whether it dealt with nutri-tion programs, ru-ral development in helping to rebuild houses, or emergen-cy loans with FSA, the Secretary insists we have all of USDA work together and I was there to help him with that.”

Working so closely with the USDA Sec-retary and having come from a farming background provides Willis with a per-spective few have with regard to the impact policies at USDA have with ac-tual farmers on the ground. Many know there can be a huge difference between the goals a govern-ment agency head may have and what is actually taking place on the farmsteads in the countryside. According to Willis, one of the biggest chal-lenges for USDA is taking a look at the problems facing agricul-ture, working to find remedies where appropriate, and then making it work for everyone.

“It is a challenge, but that’s re-ally what we’re here for. The one thing I try to bring to the table is that, luckily, I grew up on a farm and understand a farmer’s per-spective, and I understand the frustrations when things aren’t working the way they want them to,” Willis said. “When we’re doing a program here, I try to remember that the purpose of

the program is for the farmers. The program is not supposed to work for D.C., it’s supposed to work for the farmers. It doesn’t matter how well the programs work in D.C. if they don’t work

in the field.”While striking the appropriate

balance of matching the work farmers are doing in the field with appropriate policy tools and safety nets is a large challenge for USDA, Willis does hope farmers, ranchers and all who evaluate the government can view the work done at USDA with the proper perspective.

“One thing though, is that we often forget about how diverse agriculture is. We have to make sure that the disaster program works the same for everyone,” Willis said. “The program has to work the same for the banana

Photo courtesy of Willis familyBrandon Willis (left) walks on his family’s ranch in La-ketown, Rich County with his parents. The Willis fam-ily operates a sheep ranch in the county and Brandon Willis planted a few acres of raspberries while in high school. Willis could envision coming back to work on the farm, but for now is enjoying what he calls a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity working with USDA.

grower in Hawaii as it does the barley grower in Utah. We try to do that without making the programs overly burdensome or complicated…and that is a huge challenge we face.”

In addition to making sure farm programs and policies work for farmers and ranchers at the ground level, Willis said USDA and Sec. Vilsack are also work-ing to make sure the concerns of agriculture and rural America are understood across other seg-ments of the federal government. Citing the White House Rural Council – which is led by Vilsack – Willis explained Sec. Vilsack’s efforts in educating the Depart-ment of Labor on the potential impact any changes to child labor regulations could have on farm families, as well as the effects of actions taken by the Environ-mental Protection Agency.

Measuring the results of his time at USDA can be difficult, yet Willis is grateful for the chance to make meaningful contributions to agriculture and the lifestyle he loves.

“Maybe in 10 years or so I’ll be back making a living off the farm, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me here,” Willis said. “People here [USDA] are really working hard for agricul-ture.”

People will debate the poli-cies and priorities at USDA for years to come. Some may not agree with certain actions based on their different viewpoints and backgrounds, while others will think it is the right course to take. Regardless of political persuasions, having the halls of government staffed with tire-less advocates such as Brandon Willis will always yield positive outcomes for agriculture.

By Ann Perry, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff

Cattle that graze on range-lands in the western United States may soon have a new for-age option, thanks to work by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.

Research by geneticist Blair Waldron with USDA’s Agricul-tural Research Service (ARS) in Logan, Utah, suggests that for-age kochia (Kochia prostrata) can provide more nutritious winter forage than traditional rangeland vegetation.

Forage kochia is a shrubby Asian native that has found a new home on western U.S. rangelands. And although it is not invasive, it is still some-times more resilient than the North American native plants.

“In some rangeland soils, it’s difficult to successfully reseed with native plants,” says geneticist Blair Waldron, who works at the Agricultural Research Service’s Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah. “But we’ve shown that forage kochia can be estab-lished to enhance rangelands and compete with cheatgrass successfully. It can even protect against wildfires. Some people said that livestock won’t eat it, but we’ve found that cows will graze kochia—and that they even prefer it over lupine, which can be toxic to pregnant cattle.”

Waldron and his research partners have published find-ings that give ranchers even

A rough, tough forage for rangeland

cattle

Utah Farm Bureau News16 March 2012APPLICATIONSContinued from pg. 12

them to the United States. The agreement they reached said:

“…[T]he lands they relinquished would be “settled and formed into distinct republi-can states, which shall become members of the Federal Union and have the same rights of sovereignty, freedom and independence as the other states…”

With 67 percent of Utah “owned” by the federal gov-ernment, Utah continues to be little more than a possession of the national government. For a century, we have been forced to use a sort of “Mother-May-I” process. Ranching operations have been developed through a mix of private lands and wa-ter rights and federal grazing permits, or asking Mother-May-I permission to harvest renewable forage and provide Americans with food and fiber.

Mining and energy devel-opment have used this same Mother-May-I permitting pro-cess to put Utahns to work and grow our economy. This backwards and illogical pro-cess, which keeps Utah school children at the bottom of na-tional per pupil funding and limits jobs and economic op-portunities, is why the Utah School Board, Parent-Teacher Association, Utah Association of Counties and the Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition are joining Farm Bureau and backing lawmakers.

Federalism, the Constitu-tional proposition that federal and state governments are co-equals provides each sovereign with well defined rights. The U.S. Constitution in Article 1 Section 8 limits the authority

PARKERContinued from pg. 2

awards can be found online. To down-load an application for either award you will need to visit the AFBF YF&R website as follows: http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=programs.yfr.home. Once you get to the page, follow the links for each award and download the applications. You can also review the award descriptions and rules that apply to each award.

Each applicant is also asked to submit three pictures of themselves and their op-eration/farm/ranch with their application as well as a two-to-three paragraph bio. The application, pictures and bio need to be emailed to [email protected] or hard copied mailed to David Bailey at 9865 S. State Street Sandy, UT 84070 by 4:30PM on Tuesday, May 1st 2012. For any other questions, please contact David Bailey at 801-233-3003 or any member of the State Young Farmer & Rancher Committee.

Photo courtesy of USUUtah Farm Bureau CEO Randy Parker (left), Vice President Steve Osguthorpe (center) and President Leland Hogan were present for the ribbon cutting of the new USU College of Agriculture building. The three posed for a photo in front of the new ‘Utah Farm Bureau Computer Lab’ on the main floor of the new building. Read more about the building on page 24.


them to the United States. The agreement they reached said:

“…[T]he lands they relinquished would be “settled and formed into distinct republi-can states, which shall become members of the Federal Union and have the same rights of sovereignty, freedom and independence as the other states…”

With 67 percent of Utah “owned” by the federal gov-ernment, Utah continues to be little more than a possession of the national government. For a century, we have been forced to use a sort of “Mother-May-I” process. Ranching operations have been developed through a mix of private lands and wa-ter rights and federal grazing permits, or asking Mother-May-I permission to harvest renewable forage and provide Americans with food and fiber.

Mining and energy devel-opment have used this same Mother-May-I permitting pro-cess to put Utahns to work and grow our economy. This backwards and illogical pro-cess, which keeps Utah school children at the bottom of na-tional per pupil funding and limits jobs and economic op-portunities, is why the Utah School Board, Parent-Teacher Association, Utah Association of Counties and the Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition are joining Farm Bureau and backing lawmakers.

Federalism, the Constitu-tional proposition that federal and state governments are co-equals provides each sovereign with well defined rights. The U.S. Constitution in Article 1 Section 8 limits the authority

PARKERContinued from pg. 2

of the federal government to own property to “Places pur-chased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State…” The U.S. Supreme Court in Bond vs. United States (2012) in a unanimous decision clarified federalism. The Court said:

“Federalism secures the freedom of the individual. It allows states to respond, through enactment of posi-tive law, to the initiative of those who seek a voice in shaping the destiny of their own times without having to rely solely on the politi-cal processes that control a remote central power.”

For more than 150 years the federal government engaged in the doctrine of land dis-posal by ceding public lands to states and through homestead and land entry acts fostering equality among the states. The 20th century gave rise to the “progressive view”, giving greater power to centralized government ownership and management. Empowered federal agencies with rule mak-ing authority have redefined Utah’s relationship with our land and our natural resources. Multiple-use and sustained yield philosophies have taken a back seat to wilderness and non-use government dictates.

Now, a little more than a decade into the 21st century, we are witnessing the fruits of public land management from 2,000 miles away on the Po-tomac. Wildfires are common on federal lands due to resource mismanagement. America’s great forests are rotting while as a nation we import 90 per-cent of our timber needs. The unrestrained spread of noxious weeds is strangling these once productive lands. Federal land management policies are today

dictated by radical environ-mental lawsuits, activist courts and legal delaying actions. Adding insult to injury, the en-vironmental lawsuits are being funded by the Equal Access to Justice Act – costing American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars!

As a state, we have become more and more dependent on federal funds – PILT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes), farm pro-grams, water quality initiatives, air quality mandates, low-in-come housing, wildlife habitat incentives, food stamps, and many more. Our seventh presi-dent, Andrew Jackson, warned of the perils of dependence on the federal government in his 1833 Land Bill veto message:

“Money is power, and in that Government which pays all the public officers of the States will all political power be substantially concentrated. The State governments, if governments they might be called, would lose all their independence and digni-ty; the economy which now distinguishes them would be converted into profusion, limited only by the extent of the supply. Being the dependents of the General Government, and looking to its Treasury as the source of all their emoluments, the State officers, under what-ever names they might pass and by whatever forms their duties might be prescribed, would be in effect the mere stipendiaries and instruments of the central power.” (Emphasis added)

Farm Bureau recognizes that

all new wealth comes from the earth and that Utah has the right to judiciously use our God-given natural resources. Sustainable-yield philosophies

and multiple-use management of the lands held in common are today dictated by the political winds that blow into and out of Washington, D.C. based on 4-year election cycles.

Yes, there are still many ques-tions to be answered. Will the federal government retaliate? Will grazing rights be protect-ed? Will federal land managers ratchet up the pressure on graz-ing permits, energy develop-ment, mining and recreation access? Will PILT payments be withheld?

Money is power, but for Utahns there is one fundamen-tal question to be answered. Do we support the Utah Legisla-ture, Governor Gary Herbert, U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, Representative Rob Bishop, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Chief Deputy Attor-ney General John Swallow and many more in seeking sover-

eignty and equality among the states? Or do we simply hang a welcome sign at our borders “Utah – The National Park” and embrace a service industry future?

Andrew Jackson was President of the United States from 1829 to 1837.


See YF&R on pg. 25

County ConnectionVice President- OrganizationDavid Bailey

YF&R Leadership Conference a success in Midway

More than 220 young farm-ers and ranchers convened at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Wasatch County, for the an-nual Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Leadership Conference recently. Renowned cowboy poet, columnist, h u m o r i s t a n d veterinarian Bax-ter Black was the keynote speaker. He spoke on both days of the two-day event.

As was to be expected, Baxter did not disappoint. The young farmer and rancher crowd thor-oughly enjoyed his humor and acrobatics. Box Elder County resident Mandi Bingham at-tended the event and said “ Bax-ter was a good fit for our crowd…

he really makes you feel like we have an industry worth fight-ing for and laughing about on occasion”. Black delighted the crowd with not only his humor but also his humble attitude and unassuming demeanor.

The event was well repre-sented with attendees from all corners of the state. The pro-gram included several breakout sessions on subjects such as FSA beginning loan programs, GIP funding loans, YF&R Award ap-plications and more.

Former YF&R State Chair Gar-rick Hall lead a break-put ses-sion entitled “You Have a Story to Tell”. Hall recently graduated for the ‘Partners in Agricultural Leadership’ or PAL program, which is a comprehensive two-year leadership advanced me-dia-training program sponsored by the American Farm Bureau. Participants are trained on various leadership skills and receive valuable leader-ship networking experiences as part of their train-ing. Hall shared some of his expe-riences and train-ing concerning doing our part in speaking up for agriculture. Hall said “it’s more im-portant than ever that we stand up and speak out for agriculture from a producer standpoint”...our industry and way of life is under constant thread these days from radicals who are misguided in their perceptions about production agriculture.”

Russ and Grant Kohler led another break-out session titled “Farm to Retail”. The Kohlers recently expanded their dairy business to include a creamery and retail store near their farm in Midway, called Heber Valley Cheese. The Kohlers are fully engaged in producing, crafting and marketing their own artisan cheese products. Cheese making is a craft that takes both patience and persistence. The Kohlers have mastered several variet-ies of artisan cheeses and have developed some new unique flavors including a trial cheese, rubbed with a unique African cocoa bean.

The annual YF&R leadership conference is an opportunity for young farmers and ranchers

to network among their peers from all across the state. Sev-eral young farmers and ranchers were highlighted throughout the conference as part of a get-to-know-you activity, with pictures and life stories are shared in front of the crowd. This event helps to highlight their farms and ranches along with the struggles, difficulties, victories

and challenges common among all new farmers and ranchers. It also serves to showcase the can-do attitude that thrives among the group.

Also as part of the conference, 16 FFA students participated in the “sweet 16” FFA discussion meet competition. The competi-tors had previously competed in their respective districts and were invited to attend the lead-ership conference where they competed against their peers to win an iPad. The three runners-up walked away with $200 cash. The final four contestants were Joe Harward of Wasatch FFA, Bradie Jones of North Summit FFA, Travis Cann of South Sum-mit FFA and Morgan Miller of North Sevier FFA. Joe Harward came out the winner of this year’s event. We also had nine YF&R’s from Nevada Farm Bu-reau attend the conference. They came to participate and observe

Photo by Matt HargreavesUFBF Northern Regional Manager Spencer Gibbons (right) visits with conference attendees Daniel Buttars and his wife from Cache County


absolutely necessary.”Title I funding was intended to

send funds to school districts with high concentrations of poverty, AFBF explained in a statement submitted for the record. The cur-rent formula used to allocate Title I funds systematically discrimi-nates against the school districts it was intended to benefit—rural, small town and moderate-sized

STUDENTSContinued from pg. 5

urban districts with a high con-centration of poverty.

The ACE Act calls for a gradual correction in the weighting factors used to allocate funds to schools, over four years. Passing the ACE Act will gradually reduce the in-fluence of number weighting and make the Title I formula fairer and more effective.

Quagga and zebra mussels have devastated fishing waters, plugged water delivery systems and ruined boats all across the nation. But those things haven’t happened in Utah. How come?

Mussels in Utah: So far, so good

CounterattackIn 2007, the Division of Wild-

life Resources, the Utah Legisla-ture and several statewide part-ners launched a massive effort to keep mussels from doing the same things in Utah.

Larry Dalton, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the DWR, says –so far – the effort has been successful.

Since 2007, evidence that quagga or zebra mussels might be in Utah has been found in eight waters. However, as of January 2012, only one of those waters is still classified as pos-sibly having mussels in it.

Lake Powell has not shown any evidence of quagga or zebra mussels since inconclusive evi-dence that mussels might be in the reservoir was found in 2007.

Inconclusive evidence that mussels might be in Joe’s Valley Reservoir, Huntington North Reservoir, Pelican Lake and Midview Reservoir was found in 2008. But DNA testing failed to confirm that what appeared to be juvenile mussels – also called veligers – were actually quagga or zebra mussels.

Since 2008, no DNA evidence or evidence of adult mussels or veligers has been found in any of these waters.

“This is very good news for the state of Utah,” Dalton says.

In 2008, DNA testing did con-firm that juvenile mussels were present in Electric Lake and Red Fleet Reservoir. But no evidence has been found since that time.

“We’ll watch these waters closely to make sure the mus-sels haven’t gained a foothold,” Dalton says.

Sand Hollow Reservoir in southern Utah is the only water in Utah that’s still classified as Continued on next page


WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture launched an interactive web-site last year that invites the general public to celebrate the contribution of century farms to the heritage of our nation.

Century farms are those farms that have been in op-eration under the same fam-ily for more than 100 years. Appropriately named “Agri-culture’s Lasting Heritage,” this website tells the story of American farm and ranch families who have shaped the history of our nation. The AFB Foundation for Agriculture is currently seeking recommen-dations of century farms to be considered for feature articles and videos.

Agriculture’s Lasting Heri-tage commemorates more than the proud tradition of the American farm and ranch family, according to Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman, who also serves as president of the foundation.

“Farms and ranches that have been in the same family, and supporting family mem-bers and local communities for generations are proof of the true sustainable character of American agriculture to-day,” Stallman said. “Farmers and ranchers, by nature, are always committed to leaving the land in better condition for the next generation. We are proud to help raise aware-ness of that through this new website.”

The AFB Foundation for Ag-riculture is currently expand-ing the number of articles and

Interactive century farms site seeking recommendations

videos featuring century farms. If you would like your farm or ranch to be considered, please go to www.agricultureslasting-heritage.org/profiles and click “Submit Your Own Profile”. You may also email inquiries to [email protected].

Agriculture’s lasting heritage in our nation is enduring and beneficial, due to the commit-ment farm and ranch families continue to make to the land, and to each other. This project

would not be possible without the support of title sponsor Ca-preno® herbicide from Bayer CropScience.

To support the lasting heri-tage of our industry, visit http://www.agricultureslast-ingheritage.org/.

having mussels in it. An adult quagga mussel was found in the reservoir in 2010. And recent DNA tests of the water indicate mussels might still be in the reservoir.

“Fortunately,” Dalton says,” no more mussels or their ve-ligers have been found since the initial discovery in spring 2010. We’ll monitor Sand Hol-low closely for at least three more years.”

Keys to successSo why haven’t mussels gained

a foothold in Utah? Dalton credits the statewide effort that started in 2007.

“That effort has allowed us to decontaminate boats, includ-ing boats that have mussels attached to their hulls,” he says.

He says the effort has also allowed biologists to detect the presence of mussels early in a body of water. “If we find mus-sels quick enough,” he says, “we can take measures that will less-en the chance that more mussels are introduced to the water.

“If we can prevent additional mussels from being introduced to the water, the mussel popula-tion that’s already in the water may die off.”

Despite the good news, Dalton says the fight continues. “We can’t afford to let our guard down,” he says. “If we let our guard down, the results to the state of Utah could be cata-strophic.”

Efforts since 2007When invasive mussels were

discovered in neighboring states in 2007, Utah’s natural resource managers immediately bol-stered their resources to fight back.

The National Park Service at Lake Powell and the DWR, aided by the Utah Legislature and many statewide partners, put a small army of boat inspectors

See MUSSELS on pg. 29Continued on next page


Utah Farm Bureau Leaders Visit the Utah State Legislature

Utah Farm Bureau Federation leaders had the opportunity to visit with their local elected leaders at the state legislature in February during Farm Bureau Day at the Legislature. A luncheon was held for all legislative leaders and many took the time to visit with County and State Farm Bureau lead-

ers on issues of importance including private property, wa-ter concerns, wildlife, public lands, split estates and more. The Utah Farm Bureau continues to be an influential group on Capitol Hill at conveying the needs of agriculture and rural Utah. Below are some images taken during the event.

Rulon Fowers (UFBF Board -District 2) (left) meets with Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins (R-Plain City) on issues relating to private property.

Rep. Evan Vickers (R-District Cedar City) (right) meets with Garfield County Farm Bureau President Bruce Fuller and other Garfield County Farm Bureau members.

Lt. Governor Greg Bell (right) addresses the Utah Farm Bureau delegation on Capitol Hill prior to the group meeting with legislators in the Rotunda.

Senator Ben McAdams (D-Salt Lake City) visits with Sterling Brown, UFBF Vice President - Public Policy, during the lunch in the Rotunda of the Capitol.

Senator Ralph Okerlund (R-Monroe) (left) meets with Wayne County Farm Bureau Vice President Jesse Wood (center) and Edwin Sunderland (UFBF Board).

Rep. Don Ipson (R-St. George) (second from right) meets with the Washington County Farm Bureau delegation on issues of concern in Southern Utah.

Senator Steve Urquhart (R-St. George) (center) meets with John Reese, State YF&R Chair, from Kane County (right) and Washington County Farm Bureau Presi-dent Colette Wadsworth (left).

Rep. Kraig Powell (R-Heber City) (left) meets with Duchesne County Farm Bureau President Trent Pot-ter and Uintah County Farm Bureau President Steve Hanberg.

UFBF CEO Randy Parker (left) visits with Sena-tor Margaret Dayton (R-Orem) (center) and Utah County Farm Bureau Vice President Richard Behling (right).


Farm SafetyVice President- Farm SafetyA.J. Ferguson

Safety is your best investment

This message is developed and endorsed by the Childhood Agricultural Safety Networkwww.childagsafety.org • © 2006 Marshfield Clinic

There are many thoughts when it comes to farm safety. Some feel it is hard, labor intensive and they don’t have to have the time to do it. Yet, there are oth-ers that feel the exact opposite. Whichever side you are, safety on your farm and ranch can be “Your Best Investment.”

Taking time to institute or create a farm or ranch safety program is the first step to in-vesting in the well-being and future of employees, family and even oneself.

“Our hired workers are just like family. We need them if we are going to be successful,” said Ray Rowley, Utah County fruit grower. “Not only that but we hire our family members as well. How could I ever live with the guilt of an employee or one of my own family members get-ting hurt, losing a limb or worse having to live through a fatality of someone I care about? How do you explain to a spouse or other family members that be-cause safety wasn’t a priority, the person they love is gone? I don’t want to have to live with that feeling the rest of my life. That is why safety is my best investment.”

Direct and indirect costs of injuries and illnesses are an as-pect that many farm and ranch operations forget about when considering the best invest-ment. Often times, the focus is on what is happening now and not how will the operation be effected later on. A good way to look at these types of losses is to consider an iceberg. The top of the iceberg is easy to see. This is like the direct costs of a severe injury or illness. When someone

is hurt, it is certainly understood that you have medical costs and indemnity costs. However, the cost doesn’t always end there. Indirect costs can be anywhere

between a 1-to-1 ratio and 20-to-1 ratio. Like the iceberg, as it goes under the water, it gets bigger. Some of the indirect costs could include: possible le-gal fees; cleanup time; replace-ment or repairs to equipment involved in the injury; spoiled product; unhappy customers; increases in insurance costs; cost to train a new employee and more. In some scenarios, recov-ery from an employee or family member’s injury or illness may be lengthy.

Safety should be a priority on every farm and ranch. Take the time and see where you need to start. If you have an operation that employs several individu-als, assign a few to be on a safety committee that could look for potential hazards. If you are a small operation, consider con-ducting your own inspections or ask a spouse to walk through and write down possible chang-es for you to consider. You can also always contact the Utah Farm Bureau Farm Safety office for suggestions or assistance.

The Farm Bureau hopes you will have a safe and productive year and maintain a safety first attitude.

· Create a safety plan for your farm or ranch.

· Conduct a new employee orientation and explain what you want them to do or not to do.

· Keep restricted use pesticide information updated.

· Conduct seasonal equipment safety trainings or review the owner’s manual.

· No extra riders on equipment without additional seating.

· Inspect equipment to assure it is safe before use.

· Ensure hand tools are in good working condition.

· Confirm fire extinguishers are charged and working.

Quick tips:


USU BUILDINg continued on pg 30

WHEATContinued from pg. 13

soil temperatures below critical levels when the soil is dry and there is no snow cover.

To test for winterkill damage, producers can dig up a few plants, put them in pots, and bring them inside to warm up. If the plants do not respond to the warmer conditions, they may have suffered winterkill injury.

If plants are killed outright, they won’t green up but if they are only damaged, it might take them awhile to die. They will green up and then slowly go `backwards´ and eventually die. This slow death is probably the most common result of winter injury on wheat.

Another way to determine if plants are alive is to remove some sample crowns from the field, place them in a closed plastic bag and leave them in a warm room. Crown tissue that is severely damaged will quickly turn brown in a day or so, while healthy tissue remains white.

Most haven’t gone out to check their hibernating crops. There’s not much we can do about it anyway. But we are going to need some good snow cover to protect it from the colder temperatures. The snow not only helps increase winterkill protection, it will also improve soil moisture once it melts.

A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the official opening of Utah State University’s new Agricultural Sciences Building, February 29. The ceremony was attended by university dignitaries, government and agriculture industry leaders, and the public. Tours of the building took place following the ribbon cutting.

The $43.1 million building was funded through the Utah State legislature after approval in 2010 of Senate Bill 280. The building replaced the existing E.G. Peterson Agricultural Sciences Building, which was constructed in 1953 at the Lo-gan campus.

The prestigious location on USU’s historic Quad highlights the continuing commitment of USU to agricultural research and education, Utah’s agri-cultural economy and USU’s land-grant mission including outreach and extension. The new building opens 150 years after President Abraham Lin-coln signed the Morrill Act, which established land-grant institutions in the United States.

“There are many, many people who deserve thanks for making this beautiful building possible,” said Noelle Cockett, dean and vice president of Agriculture and Ex-

Utah State University College of Agriculture dedicates new building on historic quad

tension. “It is a wonderful tribute to the legacy of agriculture in the state and recognition of the great things that will be accomplished by our faculty, staff and students in the future. I am so excited that the move-in date is fast approach-

ing and hope people will come celebrate the building as their time permits.”

The 125,000-square-foot build-ing will open 665 days after the initial ground breaking took place in May 2010 and will feature two main sections. The section to the north contains three stories of high-tech teaching and research labs used by students and faculty. It also houses new university-operat-ed computer labs, classroom space, including lecture rooms and a 116-seat auditorium, student meeting rooms and the new Café on the Quad. The Utah Farm Bureau was recognized as a contributor and partner in this new construction with an etching of the Utah Farm Bureau name and logo into the glass of the first floor computer lab.

The second section is a four-story structure that faces south and houses the faculty and administra-tive offices of the College of Agri-culture, USU Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station, as well as several centers, includ-

ing Western SARE, West-ern Rural De-v e l o p m e n t Center and the USU Botanical Center.

V a r i o u s departments from the Col-lege of Agricul-ture and the College of Hu-manities and Social Scienc-es will call the new building home. Faculty and staff in the Animal, Dairy and Veteri-nary Sciences Department; Plants, Soils

and Climate Department; Ap-plied Economics Department; and Journalism and Communication Department will move to the new building.

The building was constructed adhering to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification guidelines. Accord-ing to the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is an internation-ally recognized mark of excellence and provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solu-tions. Solar panels were placed on the south face of the building to provide shade from the southern

A view of the new USU College of Agriculture building on the Historic Quad. The new building will house the College of Agri-culture, USU Extension, Ag Experiment Station, and staff from Western SARE, Rural Development Center, the USU Botanical Center. It will also include various departments from the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Applied Economics, and Jour-nalism & Communications.

Utah Farm Bureau News 25March 2012YF&RContinued from pg. 18

Legal Advocacy ProgramOur recent and ongoing work includes:

• Opposingactivistlawsuitsthatseektorestrictfarmers’andranchers’useof lawfullyregisteredpesticidesthroughunnecessaryandduplicativeCleanWaterActpermittingorEndangeredSpeciesAct“consultations”

• ChallengingEPAregulationof methaneemissions fromlivestockunderthefederalCleanAirAct

• ChallengingEPA’simpositionof federalland-use andwaterqualityplanningrequirementsonstatesthroughso-called“totalmaximumdailyloads”

• OpposingCleanWaterActdischargepermittingrequirementsfromnon-discharginglivestockandpoultryoperations

Thank you for your support!

TolearnmoreabouttheLegalAdvocacyProgramor tomakeadonation*,contactEllenSteen,AFBFGeneralCounsel,[email protected].

Correspondencecanbemailedto: AmericanFarmBureauFederation LegalAdvocacyProgram,LLC 600MarylandAve.,SW,Suite1000W Washington,DC20024

*Donations are not tax deductible.

The Voice of Agriculture® in the courtsTheAFBFLegalAdvocacyProgramrepresents theinterestsof farmersandranchersinthe courtsbyopposingunnecessaryorexcessive restrictionsonagriculturalpracticesand privatepropertyrights.

Ourlitigationeffortsstrivetomaintainalawful andrationalU.S.regulatoryclimatethatallowsfarmersandrancherstobeproductivestewards of ournaturalresources.

to explore ways to improve their YF&R program in their state.

In the end all the participants were able to glean new informa-tion from the conference. They also made new friends that share their common interests, suc-cesses and struggles. Retiring state YF&R Chair Dustin Cox said it best when he said “there was something at this confer-ence for everyone…they all were able to gains something to take back to their farms and ranches to help them be even more suc-cessful”

With this event Dustin and Harmony Cox fi nish their ser-vice on the State YF&R commit-tee. They served two, two-year terms as District 7 representa-

tives and one, two-year term as chairs of the state committee. Before serving in these capaci-ties they served as YF&R chairs on their county boards. They have been active in Farm Bureau for nearly all of their married

life and commented how much they are going to miss being such an integral part of the YF&R program.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to something we have put so much

time and effort into but we know the program is in good hands with newly e lected chairs, John and Dusty Reese,” Harmony Cox said. “We have thoroughly en-joyed our time on the committee and encourage other YF&R’s to get involved.”

The new YF&R C o m m i t t e e i s

Photo by Matt HargreavesNew Young Farmer & Rancher Chair John Reese presents outgoing Chair Dustin Cox and his wife Harmony with a gift basket, thanking them for their tireless service for the past two years

currently planning for next year’s YF&R Leadership Con-ference and it’s sure to be a hit. Our Utah YF&R Leadership program is very strong because of those who are involved. They volunteer so much of their time and put forth a tremendous effort in making this program a success. If you are a young farmer or rancher or know of one who could benefi t from this type of educational and social event contact your county chair or president for more informa-tion on upcoming activities in your area. You can always con-tact me at [email protected] or 801-233-3020 for more information and contacts from your area.


As Farmers and Ranchers, We’ve Raised Pre� y Much Everything.

Except Our Voices.Join us in leading a conversation about the importance of today’s agriculture and our

commitment to answering American’s questions about how we raise our food. Begin by sharing your voice at www.USFRAonline.org.

Utah Farm Bureau News 27March 2012TAXContinued from pg. 11

fice serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states.

The RMA funded project was a collaborative effort of 15 land grant univer-sities across the nation and hosted by Utah State University. The home page offers a hot topic and an-nounced upcoming infor-mational webinars. There is no charge for the webi-nars and written material will also be available before the online training.

The website recently added “Tax Guide for Owners and Operators of Small and Medium Size Farms” and offers several fact sheets and samples, including Tax Topics; De-preciation and Expensing; Farm, Farming and Who’s a Farmer for Tax Purposes; Sample Tax Return; and Small Farm Tax Guide.

The Risk Management Education and Outreach programs are designed to help ensure that farmers and ranchers effectively manage their risk through difficult periods, helping to maintain America›s ro-bust food supply and the survival of small, limited-resource, socially disad-vantaged and other tra-ditionally under-served farmers. RMA administers these partnership projects as well as the Federal crop insurance program.

A strong farm safety net is important to the vital-ity of American agricul-ture. Complete listings of the agreements can be found on the RMA Web site at: http://www.rma.usda.gov/aboutrma/agree-ments/.

more reason to like the forage perennial. Their work compared how well cattle fared after two seasons of spending the fall and winter grazing on either kochia-dom-inated rangelands or grass-dominated range-lands.

“Winter feeding can account for 50 to 70 per-cent of a producer’s an-nual costs, so we wanted to see whether ranchers could save on annual feed costs if their cattle have suitable rangeland plants to graze in the fall,” Waldron says.

In a series of stud-ies, the team found that forage kochia can be established on damaged rangelands, and that it can compete with cheat-grass successfully. It can even protect against wildfires.

The scientists investi-gated fall/winter range-land forage yields, range-

CATTLEContinued from pg. 15

land carrying capacities, nutritive values, and the livestock performance of cattle that grazed on both types of range-land from late October until the following January. The c o m m e r c i a l -scale, on-farm t r i a l s w e r e funded in part with a grant from the West-ern Sustainable A g r i c u l t u r e Research and Education Pro-gram and were conducted in Tooele County, Utah, in coop-eration with the Grantsville Soil C o n s e r v a t i o n District and the Darrell Johnson Ranch in Rush Valley.

After calcu-lating the appropriate stocking rate, Waldron and his partners stocked

each site mainly with Black Angus cattle and ran field trials in 2007 and 2008. The scien-tists found that the for-

age yield on rangelands seeded wi th kochia was 2,309 pounds per acre, which was 6 times greater than the for-age yield on traditional grazinglands. This dif-ference meant that the rangelands with kochia could support 1.38 ani-mals per acre, while the traditional rangelands could support only 0.24 animals per acre. The ex-

Photo courtesy of ARSAngus cows grazing on grass and for-age kochia in Utah. Ranchers in the Intermountain West can reduce feeding costs by grazing their animals on forage kochia in fall and winter.

perimental forage had a crude protein content of 11.7 percent—well above the recommended mini-mum—while the stock-piled grasses had a crude protein content of only 3.1 percent, which was below the recommended minimum.

Waldron says this work shows that for-age kochia can improve sustainable livestock production in the west-ern United States by increasing rangeland carrying capacity and forage nutritive value.

“Now we’re using ko-chia varieties we collect-ed from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to develop new cultivars that grow taller and have thicker stems, so they’ll be more accessible to cattle and wildlife in snow,” Wal-dron says. “We’re hoping to release an improved variety of kochia later this year.”

ARS is USDA’s chief in-tramural scientific research agency, and this work sup-ports the USDA priorities of responding to climate change and promoting international food security.

Utah Farm Bureau News28 March 2012BENEFITS continued from pg 8

Tour Info Partnership Info Media Info Hotel Info Travel Info Questions?

Building on NIAA’s 2011 Annual Conference theme, Consumers’ Stake in Today’s Food Production: Meeting Growing Production Demands, the 2012 Annual Conference will focus on how decreasing resources, both natural and financial, as well as increasing regulations are making it difficult for animal agriculture to advance. With issues such as drought, tight credit, increased capital requirements, environmental regulations, more demanding animal care standards, and misinformation about how animals are raised, animal agriculture is in an important period of change. The 2012 Annual Conference of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture will explore the many issues facing the industry. We will discuss how animal agriculture can be advanced through understanding the intricacies involved with the limited resources available and continued pressure to further regulate how animals are produced. This year’s conference includes an important and interesting tour of animal agriculture along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Partners:

3. 30% off select Safety items.4. Substantial discounts on

brand name hand and power tools, including DeWalt, Mil-waukee, Proto, Stanley, West-ward, Blackhawk.

5. More than 11,000 items available!!

**FREE SHIPPING** on all www.grainger.com pur-chases using the Farm Bureau Grainger account # 855921920. Catalog of over 80,000 items available upon request.

Access Grainger at www.grainger.com.

DISCOUNT SKI LIFT PASSES:

1. THE CANYONS: Single Day Adult Passes are $68.00. Passes are not dated, good any day until end of 2012 season.

2. DEER VALLEY RE-SORT: Vouchers for lift tickets

are $68.00. Vouchers may not be redeemed for or applied to discounted lift tickets or multi-day lift tickets.

3. PARK CITY MOUN-TAIN RESORT: Passes are $67.00 ea. Passes are not dat-ed. Purchase ahead for use any time during the season.

SEAWORLD – Single day passes are $49.99 per guest 3 and over. Regular 1-day ticket prices are $73.00 & $65.00. OR select Fun Cards for $65.00 each. These are good for un-limited visits through Decem-ber 2012. Some blackout dates apply. Must be purchased be-fore June 15, 2012.

LEGOLAND CALIFOR-NIA – passes with 2nd day FREE are just $56.00 ea. Or se-lect “Triple Play” tickets which include the Sea-Life Aquarium and Water Park for $66.00 with 2nd day FREE. All visits

must occur before December 31, 2012.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS: $67.00 per person with unlim-ited visits for six months after 1st visit.

SAN DIEGO ZOO: $ 35.50 adult or $27.00 per child (3 -11).

SAN DIEGO SAFARI PARK: $ 35.50 adult or $27.00 per child (3 -11).

Call 801-233-3010 to order tickets. Visa or MasterCard ac-cepted.

For additional information about these or other Farm Bu-reau member benefits, visit utfb.fb.org or call 801-233-3010. Visa or MasterCard ac-cepted.

David Gross of Lindon, Utah County holds up the receipt of his efforts during the 5-minute shopping spree sponsored by the Utah Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. The shopping spree, which took place at the Pleasant Grove Macey’s, was part of Food Checkout Week. Gross’ re-ceipt totaled $515.37, $500 of which was paid for by the State Women’s Committee.


(801) 675-6955 www.utahlanduse.org

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Utah Bar Law and Justice Center 645 South 200 East

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111

Presented in Association with the

Real Property Section, Utah State Bar Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman

Continuing Education Credit Pending for:

Attorneys, Real Estate, and Appraisers (Check on line at www.utahlanduse.org to verify approval)

The Utah Land Use Institute

PUBLIC ROADS ON PRIVATE LANDS:

How Rights of Way are Created by Use

on the ground at boat ramps across Utah.

Boaters in Utah can’t launch their boats unless the boats have been properly decontaminated to kill any mussels that might have attached themselves to the boat.

Laws were also changed to make it easier for DWR person-nel to check boats, and water sampling to monitor for the presence of mussels began in waters across the state.

Those efforts, coupled with a significant outreach program that informed boaters about the risks invasive mussels pose to Utah, represent the core of the fight.

“Certainly, Utah’s water man-agers understand the risk, too, since they’re helping with the fight.”

Even though news from the mussel front is good, Dalton

MUSSELS continued from pg 20

says Utah cannot give up the fight. “Utah cannot afford a widespread infestation of quagga or zebra mussels,” he says. “Not today. Not ever.”

Why the concern?The following are reasons why

Utahns should be concerned about quagga and zebra mussels:

Mussels can plug water lines, even very large diameter ones.

Dalton says widespread in-festation by quagga or zebra mussels could cost Utahns more than $15 million every year to maintain Utah’s water delivery systems. “That cost would likely be passed on to every citizen in the form of higher utility bills,” he says.

Mussels remove plankton from the water column, the same plankton that support Utah’s sport fish and native fish. The mussels could devastate fisheries in Utah.


sun as well as produce energy. The solar panels were added to the plans after a grant from the state of Utah was awarded to support innovation for building integrated solar systems.

“Looking at the south façade of the new building one can see the rows of green glass suggesting our agricultural heritage,” said Tom Peterson, project manager. “Shades of green glass express a commitment to creating a sustain-able green environment, and from the very beginning of this project our goal was to attain Silver LEED Certification. Our current calcula-tions now place as LEED Gold, the first with this distinction on the USU main campus.”

The interior of the building touts a combination of limestone, glass and bamboo wood, along with a four-story high atrium. Smart classrooms have been equipped with the latest technology and will house university classes. Research laboratories have been designed to enhance access and collaboration among researchers. The new Café on the Quad will serve various sandwiches, pastries, coffees and will bring back Aggie Ice Cream to the Quad.

A new flavor of Aggie Ice Cream was introduced and served to those in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony. The ice cream is called ‘Sunshine & Chocolate’, and is a combination of lemon ice cream with chunks of milk chocolate. The new flavor will only be served in the Café on the Quad.

The newly designed plaza over-looks the Quad and will house the College of Agriculture Memorial, which honors the students and instructor who lost their lives in a tragic van accident in 2005. The plaza also includes multiple benches and seating areas for students, faculty, staff and visitors to enjoy campus.

USU BUILDING continued from pg 24


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGIMPORTANT NOTICE1. Non‑commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members selling items they grow or make themselves, or used machinery, household items, etc., they themselves have used in the past. Each member family is entitled to one such ad free in each three‑month period. Ads can be up to 40 words or numbers such as phone number or Zip. Words such as “For Sale” are included, initials and numbers count as a word. All words over 40 cost 25 cents each. Ads over 40 words not accompanied by the extra payment, or not meeting the above requirements, will be returned to the sender. Family memberships cannot be combined to create larger ads, nor can a membership be used for free classified ad purposes by anyone other than immediate family members. Ads run for three months.2. Commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members where the member is acting as an agent or dealer (real estate, machinery, handicraft items made by people outside the member family, etc.) cost 25 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Members are entitled to one such ad. Ads run for one month.3. Ads for non‑Utah Farm Bureau members cost 50 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Ads run for one month.In all ads, short lines requested by the advertiser, extra lines of white space, and lines with words in all caps count as 6 words per line. Ads with borders and bold headlines may be submitted and placed within the classified section, but will be charged the display advertising rate. Please contact the classified advertising department for further information. No insurance ads will be accepted.***DEADLINE: ALL ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 15TH OF THE MONTH IN ORDER TO APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. EXCEPT FOR THE JANUARY ISSUE, WHICH HAS A CLASSIFIED DEADLINE OF DEC. 5.Only free ads (Category 1 ads of 40 words or less) will be accepted by telephone at 801‑233‑3010, by fax at 801‑233‑3030 or e-mail at [email protected]. Please include your membership number. Ads must be received no later than the 15th of the monthMail ads, typed or neatly printed, with any payment due, to Utah Farm Bureau News, Classified Ad Department, 9865 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070‑2305. Free ads must be resubmitted by mail, telephone or fax after running for three months. Ads for which there is a payment due will be run as long as payment is received in advance.ALL CLASSIFIED ADS will be listed on the Utah Farm Bureau web page unless the Utah Farm Bureau member specifies otherwise when placing the ad. The ads on the web site will run concurrently with the classified ads in the Utah Farm Bureau News. NOTE: The appearance of any ad in the Utah Farm Bureau News does not constitute an endorsement or approval of the service or merchandise offered. While every effort is made to ensure the legitimacy of services or merchandise advertised, the Utah Farm

Bureau News or the Utah Farm Bureau Federation accepts no responsibility or liability for services or products advertised.

FARM EQUIPMENTI BUY, SELL, TRADE AND LOCATE all kinds of farm machinery. Bale wagons, tractors, tillage, planting, harvesting equipment, etc. I have a large inventory at this time. Palmer Equipment is located one mile south of Manti on Highway 89. 435‑835‑5111 or Cell: 435‑340‑1111. www.balewagons.com.FOR SALE: Two forage probes, $25 each. Case side delivery rake, $300. Bale elevator on wheels with electric motor, $200. Three point rubber tire corral scraper, $200. 3 pt. mount windrow turner, $100.00 Earl Glenn, Wellsville UT, 435‑245‑6667.FOR SALE: 1998 hay rake, twin basket hydraulic Allen model 8827. 435‑590‑2226 or 435‑477‑8913.

FEEDHAY FOR SALE: 3x3x8 bales alfalfa, $90/bale; 3x3x8 grass bales, $85/bale; barn stored. 3x3x8 bales Triticale, $65/bale. Call John 801‑725‑6763.

LIVESTOCKWARD ANgUS RANCH “Blue Ribbon genetics” And guest Production Sale March 17, 2012 1:00 pm Anderson Livestock Auction Willard, UT. More Than 100 Head of Registered Angus Sell! 2‑Year‑Old Bulls ● Yearling Bulls ● Open Heifers ● Bred Cows & Heifers. Ward Angus Ranch. Tony Ward (801) 725‑1669 or Chris Ward (435) 757‑5140www.wardangusranch.com.YEARLINg RED ANgUS bulls. Fertility and Trich tested. Bred for calving ease & high growth. Brothers to high performing Red Angus bulls at Utah Beef Improvement bull test. Lyle Taylor, Vernal, UT. 435‑789‑0530 or 435‑790‑8880.25 TOP QUALITY Hereford bulls for sale at Johansen Herefords. Cooper/Holden Breeding. Low birth weight and high growth bulls. See more at www.johansenherefords.com or call Jonathan or Craig Johansen @ 435‑650‑8466/435‑381‑2523.SALERS & OPTIMIZER Bulls for sale. Performance tested. Semen & Trich tested. Will feed until April 1. Will deliver. Also H&S 24 food round bale feeder wagon. Like new condition, $5,000. Jasperson Cattle Co. Goshen, Utah 801‑667‑3565. BULLS FOR SALE: Registered polled Hereford bulls. Top quality. Performance tested. Semen and Trich tested. Ready to go to work. Good selection of 2 yr. olds and yearlings. Contact Phil Allen & Son, Antimony. 435‑624‑3236.gELBVIEH-ANgUS‑BALANCER bulls for sale. 12‑18 months old. Red and black. Not grain fed and will work under any conditions. Contact Larry @ 435‑864‑7879.

REAL ESTATE:UTAH VACATION IDEA 2012! Hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, horse trails, more. Everything’s close to the Rosebud Guest House. Near Ashley NF, Strawberry River, Starvation. Fully equipped cabin. Pet‑friendly. Corrals. Reservations, more information: 435‑548‑2630, 1‑866‑618‑7194, walsh.weathers@

gmail.com, www.rosebudguesthouse.com.BENSON REALTORS: Malad: 953 acre ranch with newer home, outbuildings, summer grazing. Cache Valley: 300‑400 head dairy farm, 5000sf home, double 9 parlor. Preston: 191,371 and 1743 acre farms. All will raise irrigated alfalfa. Thatcher, ID: 120 and 160 acre gravity irrigated farms. Cheap water. Bear Lake: 305 acres with rock quarries used for patios, exterior of bldgs. Contact Vaughn Benson at Benson Realtors, Logan for details. 435‑753‑0960; 435‑753‑4999; [email protected]. FOR SALE: 115 acres irrigated hay, grain and pasture land. Two miles north of City of Ephraim, UT.Contact: Gerald @ 801‑225‑0665LOOKINg for land, lease, pasture, existing operation, permits, something we can grow with. Wife & I have a small herd & would like to expand the herd & the family. Please call Chris or Kaila 435‑590‑4970, 801‑689‑3456.

MISCELLANEOUS:FOR SALE: Soil conditioner/cultivator, 5’ front 6’ back, 3 rows 4-3-4 hooks,1 row 12 spikes, 1 row finishing roller. $650. Three pt. hitch‑blade, $350. Two Gas Tanks, $300 each. Birdseye, Utah County, 801‑471‑7281.FOR SALE: 3600 ft high tensile electric fence wire w/tension devices, 600 ft coils. Like new. Stored in barn. New $1.59/lb. Sell for $0.50/lb obo. . See at 1015 E 8800 S Spanish Fork Photo to your e‑address. [email protected] Call Max 801 423‑2248.FOR SALE: Featherweight sewing machines. Carma Davis. 435‑513‑2836. Leave message and phone number.

AgRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

FARM MANAgER POSITION IN SPANISH FORK, UTAH COUNTY. Farming, Irrigation, Managing seasonal help, Construction projects, and some travel required. Full‑Time position w/ ½ Insurance. $35000 to $45000. Brett 801‑427‑6006

CIRCLE FOUR FARMS: If you are looking for a career in a fun, rewarding team environment, Circle Four Farms is the opportunity you’ve been searching for. We’re offering quality full time entry‑level animal production positions with training available. Challenge yourself with a company on the grow that offers: Starting wage $10 to $11.50 per hour plus benefits – total value $30,420. Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Life Insurance plan, Short Term and Long Term Disability, company paid Pension Plan, 401(k) Savings Plan with company match, Gain$hare Plan, Incentive programs, Paid holidays and vacation, Educational reimbursement, Ask us about a relocation package, For more information please call our office: Circle Four Farms, PO Box 100, 341 South Main, Milford UT 84751, (435) 387‑2107, Fax (435) 387‑2530, www.c4farms.com, Equal Opportunity Employer.


County Scenes

Salt Lake County▶ Spring Issue Surfacing Meeting (SISM) April 3, 7:00 p.m. at UFBF officeUtah County▶ County Banquet, March 29, 6 p.m. at Salem City Center. Guest speaker will be Kim Farah, LDS Church Public Affairs▶ Farm Field Days, April 3-6, Harward Farms in SpringvilleWashington County▶ County Banquet & SISM Meeting, March 30. SISM starts at 5 p.m. with banquet to follow. at the Staheli Barn in Washington Fields. Davis County▶ County Banquet, March 17Weber County▶ County Banquet, March 10▶ Board meeting, March 29, 7 p.m.Morgan County▶ Board meeting, March 13, 7 p.m. in MorganNorth Box Elder County▶ Board meeting, March 15, 7 p.m. at FB Insurance office in TremontonCache County▶ SISM, March 27 at Copper Mill Restaurant. Time TBA.Carbon County▶ SISM, March 13, 7 p.m. Location TBA▶ Farm Field Day, March 21, 9 a.m. at County FairgroundsMillard County▶ Board meeting, March 14, 7 p.m., Delta FBFS Insurance OfficeIron County▶ SWARM Mtg., March 15, 10 a.m. at the Cedar City Ext. Office▶ SISM, March 29, 7 p.m. at Crystal Inn in Cedar CityWayne County▶ SISM, April 2, 11 a.m. at the Wayne County Courthouse in LoaPiute County▶ Board meeting, March 13, 1 p.m. at County Courthouse▶ SISM, April 9, 11:30 a.m. at Piute County Courthouse in JunctionGarfield County▶ CCARM Mtg., March 12, 12 p.m. at Flying M Restaurant in Panguitch▶ SISM, April 9, 1:30 a.m. at Garfield County Courthouse in PanguitchEmery County▶ SISM, March 20, 7 p.m. at courthouse in Castle DaleUintah County▶ SISM & County Banquet, March 29, 5 p.m., at Western Park in Vernal▶ Farm Field Day, April 3, 9 a.m. at County FairgroundsSan Juan County▶ SISM, March 8, 7 p.m. at San Juan County CourthouseSanpete County▶ County Banquet, March 22, 6:30 p.m. at Snow College Founders Hall

State and Regional Activities▶ National Ag Day, March 8, 2012.▶ Utah Dairy Convention, March 7-9▶ Utah FFA Convention, March 8-10▶ Utah Waters Users Conf., March 12-14, St. George. ▶ AZ/UT Strip Range Conference, April 10-12, St. George.

▶ No RAC Meetings in March. DWR Board work session, March 29, on Buck-Doe ratios. RAC meetings in April will focus on Big Game permit numbers & recommendations, Antlerless recommendations & permit numbers, Division variance rule amendments, Conservation permit rule amendments, and Moose management plan for Nine Mile Unit (SERO Only). The meetings schedule is:-Southern RAC: April 10, 5:00 p.m.-Southeastern RAC: April 11, 5 p.m. in Price-Northeastern RAC: April 12, 5 p.m.-Central RAC: April 17 -Northern RAC: April 18. Visit wildlife.utah.gov. for locations.

FB County Corner

[Top]2011-12 Utah Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors: Top Row (L to R): Rulon Fowers-District 2, Flint Richards-District 3, Stephen Osguthorpe-Vice President, John Reese-YF&R Chair, Scott Chew-District 5, Scott Sandall-District 1, Randy Parker-CEO. Bottom Row (L to R): Edwin Sunderland-District 6, Belva Parr-Women’s Committee Chair, Leland Hogan-President, Nan Bunker-District 7, Rex Larsen-District 4. Photo courtesy of Wayman Studios [Bottom] Emery County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Chair Joël Hatch meets with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (center) and Utah Farm Bureau President Leland Hogan (right) at the Utah Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Conference in Sandy. Photo by Matt Hargreaves

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