USDA Offers Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Grants

John Davis February 3, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving beginning farmers and ranchers a little help getting started. This news release says $18 million in grants to educate, mentor, and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers are being made available through the the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

“As new farmers and ranchers get started, they are really looking to their community for support. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program empowers these farmers and ranchers to bring innovative ideas to the table when it comes to addressing food security, creating economic enterprises, and building communities,” said Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. “As we celebrate the first anniversary of the 2014 Farm Bill, programs like these are evidence that an investment in beginning farmers and ranchers is an investment in our future”.

The BFRDP program, first established by the 2008 Farm Bill, aims to support those who have farmed or ranched less than 10 years with workshops, educational teams, training, and technical assistance throughout the United States. NIFA awards grants to organizations that implement programs to train beginning farmers and ranchers. Today’s announcement was funded by the 2014 Farm Bill, which continued authorization of this program.

The 2014 Farm Bill mandated at least five percent of BFRDP funding support veterans and socially disadvantaged farmers. Among today’s announcement, more than 15 percent of the funded projects have a substantial component that supports veterans and farming, while about 50 percent of the projects focus mainly on socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. A fact sheet with a complete list of awardees and project descriptions is available on the USDA website.

Applications for the 2015 grant cycle are due to USDA by March 13, 2015.

Agribusiness, USDA

Fertilizer Safety Alliance Announced

Chuck Zimmerman February 2, 2015

Here is the list of organizations involved with today’s alliance signing to advance fertilizer safety.

The Agricultural Retailers Association
The Fertilizer Institute
International Fire Fighters Association
National Volunteer Fire Council
Ammonia Safety and Training Institute
Fertilizer Safety and Health Partners Alliance
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Environmental Protection Agency

In the photo is Chris Jahn, President, TFI; Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Health and Safety, Department of Labor; Daren Coppock, President & CEO, ARA; and Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA, as they sign the Fertilizer Safety and Health Partnership Alliance agreement Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2015 in Washington, D.C.

“Over the last several months, we’ve partnered with OSHA and EPA on the Ammonium Nitrate Chemical Advisory, and others to get safety messages out to our members,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “But, we discovered that there was no official communication agreement between OSHA and ARA to ensure workplace safety.”

In early 2014, ARA began working with OSHA to set up an alliance program to improve communication between retailers and first responders regarding workplace hazards and the safe handling of fertilizers. Since then, EPA and trade organizations such as The Fertilizer Institute, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Ammonia Safety and Training Institute joined the effort.

The alliance will develop several projects to strengthen fertilizer safety efforts:
– Present a joint commitment to worker safety and health to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.
– Conduct best practices seminars on effective emergency response procedures for between volunteer fire fighters and industry partners.
– Create online compliance assistance tools and resources for retailers and first responders.
– Produce case studies focusing on injuries and fatalities in the agricultural retail industry that result from ammonia releases or Ammonium Nitrate fires.
– Update and promote Ammonium Nitrate Guidance and Government Alerts.

Ag Groups, ARA, Fertilizer, Safety

WOTUS Interpretive Rule Withdrawn

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2015

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have at least ditched part of the WOTUS rule.

The Interpretive Rule Regarding the Applicability of Clean Water Act Section related to the proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) was officially withdrawn by EPA and the Corps in a memo last Thursday, January 29. Congress requested asked for the withdraw of the interpretive rule in the “Cromnibus” funding legislation passed at the end of December.

The goal of the interpretive rule was to clarify normal farming activities exempt from the Clean Water Act but National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling says it actually made it less clear. “We hope that the withdrawal of the interpretive rule will allow us to get to the true matter at hand: how the Clean Water Act is administered,” said the Maryland farmer who brought EPA officials out to his farm last fall to discuss the proposed rule. “Farmers are committed to improving water quality and conservation practices. We look forward to working with Administrator McCarthy and the EPA as they finalize the WOTUS rule, to ensure it is clear and workable for farmers.”

National Milk Producers Federation is also pleased. “Our concern with the initial proposal from last year is that it could have altered the long-standing and productive relationship between farmers and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, in a way that would have made it harder for farmers to implement water conservation measures,” said Jamie Jonker, NMPF’s Vice President for Sustainability & Scientific Affairs. “We’re pleased the EPA and Army have recognized that this regulation could have backfired, and that they’ve taken the necessary step to withdraw it.”

The interpretive rule was just part of the larger WOTUS proposal issued last year which is still under review by both EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as by Congress.

Corn, Dairy, EPA, NCGA, USDA, Water

Budget Proposes One Food Safety Agency Under HHS

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2015

President Obama’s proposed budget released today would combine USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies’ efforts into a single agency under Health and Human Services (HHS).

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spent much of a 45 minute press conference about the budget talking about and defending that proposal. “What the president is asking for is the ability to reorganize,” said Vilsack. “We want to make sure that we have as effective and efficient a system as possible.”

Answering questions from Washington journalists about whether food safety would be better handled by USDA, or if HHS was the best agency for the job, Vilsack said it wasn’t a “turf issue.”

“The point is, you’re going to have a better food safety system,” he said. “You all are asking questions in the old way of thinking. This is a new way of thinking … at the end of the day we’re focused on food safety.”

Pressed for details about the reorganization, Vilsack said Congress needs to act first to give the president the authority. “The bottom line is that we’ve got 15 different agencies involved in food safety,” said Vilsack. “The point of this is to get this on the table so people can have a conversation about it.”

Secretary Vilsack answers reporter questions on 2015 budget

Vilsack outlined USDA’s $156 billion share of the $4 trillion Obama budget proposal, which is three percent more than last year but includes a $1.6 billion cut in the crop insurance program.

Secretary Vilsack outlines 2015 administration budget for USDA

Audio, USDA

Deere Kicks Off Drive Green Events for 2015

Jamie Johansen February 2, 2015

In what has become an annual tradition across the country, hundreds of local John Deere dealerships are again hosting Drive Green Demo Days events. This year’s Drive Green events will focus on the tractor buying experience, not only giving guests the opportunity to check out a wide variety of equipment and implements, but also the many different attachments that are available to help them get more from and do more with their equipment.

In addition to featuring a wide selection of John Deere utility tractors, lawn and garden equipment, Gators and other products, Drive Green event attendees may also test drive the latest equipment and compare them with competitive models. They’ll also receive special discounts on John Deere equipment and attachments and have a chance to win a John Deere 3032E Compact Utility Tractor with loader and rotary mower package for attending.

This is the seventh consecutive year that Drive Green events have been held by dealers from February through October. These events give residential and rural property owners, farmers and ranchers, commercial landscape and grounds care operators and interested consumers a chance to see firsthand the newest John Deere utility tractors, including the popular 1 Family Sub-Compact, 3E Series and 5E Series Tractors.

According to Steve Geick, tactical marketing manager with John Deere, the Drive Green events have grown to become a popular event for thousands of customers across the United States and Canada over the past several years.

“From the beginning, Drive Green was designed to give customers a complete, positive equipment buying experience where they could test drive the tractors for themselves, get all their questions answered and compare our products to similar competitive models,” Geick explains. “Many John Deere dealerships across the country have tied their Drive Green events in with local activities to make them even bigger events for their communities and more interesting and fun for customers.”

The theme for this year’s Drive Green program is “See it. Drive it. Own it.” In addition to learning more about the equipment and attachments, customers who attend receive a $500 coupon that can be applied toward the purchase of a new tractor, as well as special discounts on attachments.

John Deere dealer experts will be on hand at all events to demonstrate the equipment and answer questions. Admission is free and no pre-registration is required to attend.

Agribusiness, John Deere

New “The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science”

Chuck Zimmerman February 2, 2015

This week we’re going to learn about a new publication that has been created by a partnership between The Lempert Report and The Center for Food Integrity. I spoke with Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report, to learn what the target of this new publication is.

He says The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science, now at www.FoodNutritionScience.com, provides readers with a greater analysis of issues related to all aspects of the food industry. “We’re excited to work with leaders in the industry to create The Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science and to provide valuable information to industry insiders as well as consumers.”

Published twice monthly, the new publication includes in-depth interviews and fact-based reporting about important food system issues from farm to table. It also includes farmer interviews and videos and corporate sustainability features highlighting how readers’ favorite brands are lowering their environmental foot print.

The first issue examines the decline in the bee population and how this affects the food chain. It also looks at potential causes and what organizations are doing to save the bees. Other features include a video tour of farmer Karen Bohnert’s 500-cow registered Jersey dairy farm and results from a recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that suggests fiber intake and fruit consumption are significantly associated with a lower risk of death among the elderly.

You can listen to this week’s program here: Food Journal and Food, Nutrition & Science

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

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Audio, Food, Media, ZimmCast

Pope Francis Calls Farming a Vocation

Chuck Zimmerman February 2, 2015

Pope Francis put agriculture in focus this weekend when he met with a group of managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators. His comments reflected on two main areas, poverty and hunger and protection of the environment. BTW. I love this photo of him from the L’Osservatore Romano. Here are a few excerpts from his comments

“There is no humanity without the cultivation of the land; there is no good life without the food it produces for the men and women of every continent. Agriculture thus demonstrates its central role”, said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in audience two hundred managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators in the Clementine Hall on the seventh anniversary of its foundation.

The name “direct cultivators”, explained the Pontiff, refers to cultivation, “a typically human and fundamental activity. In agricultural work there is, indeed, acceptance of the precious gift of the land that comes from God, but there is also its development through the equally valuable work of men and women, called to respond boldly and creatively to the mandate forever entrusted to mankind, the cultivation and stewardship of the land”.

This task, which requires time and energy, constitutes “a true vocation. It deserves to be recognised and suitably valued as such, also in concrete political and economic decisions. This means eliminating the obstacles that penalise such a valuable activity and that often make it appear unattractive to new generations, even though statistics show an increase in the number of students in schools and institutes of agriculture, which leads us to foresee and increase in the numbers of those employed in the agricultural sector. At the same time, it is necessary to pay due attention to the removal of land from agricultural use, to make it available for apparently more lucrative purposes”.

Regarding poverty and hunger he said, “Vatican Council II reiterated the common destination of earthly goods, but in reality the dominant economic system excludes many people from their correct use. The absolutism of the rules of the market and a throwaway culture in which waste of food has reached unacceptable proportions, along with other factors, have caused poverty and suffering for many families. Therefore, the system of production and distribution of food needs to be fundamentally re-evaluated. As our grandparents taught us, you do not play with food! Bread forms part of the sacredness of human life, and must not therefore be treated as a mere commodity”.

Then on the subject of the environment he refers to the Bible and the book of Genesis where man is called not only to cultivate the land, but also to take care of it. He also mentioned climate change, which he has done before by saying, “every agriculturalist is well aware of how difficult it has become to cultivate the land in a time of accelerated climate change and increasingly widespread extreme meteorological events. How can we continue to produce good food for the lives of all when climate stability is at risk, when the air, water and the earth itself lose their purity as a result of pollution?”

I’m not sure what information Pope Francis looks at when it comes to climate change but from the words I’ve seen him use he does seem to have a real concern for it and what it means to being able to feed everyone, including the poor. I personally think we have plenty of food to feed the world but have not come up with a system to distribute that food to the people who need it. There are too many political, criminal and other factors in the way right now.

Farming, Food, International, politics

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort February 2, 2015

The Great American Wheat Harvest film will make its television premiere on WQPT (Quad Citiies PBS) on Feb. 3 at 7:00PM.
The True Source Honey Certification Program applauds special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for the announcement that they have seized significant amounts of illegal honey in Houston in an ongoing effort to crack down on illegal trade in Chinese honey.
Cooper Hong Inc. is now providing day-to-day public relations support for Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas.
La Crosse Seed is pleased to announce Chris McCracken will join its team effective Feb. 2, 2015.

Zimfo Bytes

NFU Accepting Applications for Beginning Farmers Institute

John Davis February 2, 2015

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is now accepting applications for its 2015 Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI). This news release from the group says the program is open to individuals who are new to farming, in the process of transferring an operation from a relative or non-relative to themselves, or contemplating a career in farming or ranching.

“The Beginning Farmers Institute underscores NFU’s commitment to growing a new generation of family agriculture,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “One unique feature of the Institute is that participants direct the agenda, allowing them to gain information on topics that will be most relevant to their particular operations. The small size and diversity of the group also ensures valuable interaction and learning opportunities among the participants.”

The BFI program helps students gain insight and practical skills needed by beginning farmers and ranchers, including business plan writing, financial planning, and researching available programs to help starting up and sustaining a successful operation.

Applicants accepted into the 2015 program will attend three separate education sessions: Washington, D.C., Sept. 15-18; northern California, Nov. 5-8; and a final session culminating at NFU’s 114th Anniversary Convention in March 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Program topics at the education sessions will include business planning, U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, tax and record keeping, estate transfer and marketing.

Applications and information are available through the NFU website. Applications must be postmarked on or before March 30, 2015, with the announcement of selectees on May 30, 2015.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness

FFA Visit South Africa for 14-day Experience

Jamie Johansen January 30, 2015

FFA members recently returned from a 14-day educational and cultural experience in South Africa.

Members participated in the 2015 International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, an annual, international opportunity through the National FFA Organization for past and present state FFA officers. The experience allows FFA members to experience foreign culture, learn about international agriculture and become more knowledgeable of the global marketplace.

Seventy-five past and present FFA officers representing 23 states left the U.S. on Jan. 4. The contingent traveled throughout five of the country’s nine provinces while surveying the agricultural landscape. FFA officers met with government and U.S. Embassy officials to learn about U.S.-South African trade relations, toured a host of crop and livestock operations, met with business and industry leaders and explored big-game reserve Kruger National Park as well as Robben Island, the former prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years of his life. The group also met with producers and consumers of various economic classes to better understand local culture and food purchasing decisions. The most gripping encounter came with a visit to an impoverished settlement area in Soweto township outside Johannesburg.

Prior to departing the United States, the students completed ten weeks of online coursework related to cross-cultural adaptability. The program was made possible by corporate sponsors Bunge North America and John Deere.

Ag Groups, Education, FFA

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