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Illinois FFA officers reflect on own involvement

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

During FFA Week, officers in the Illinois FFA are promoting the youth organization through visits to chapters around the state. In addition to encouraging younger members to get involved in the FFA, officers have their own stories about what caused them to become involved.

Illinois FFA President Amie Burke from Fithian, Illinois, was part of a family tradition, becoming a member after her brother and uncles were first members.

“I just decided to give it a shot, and when I got in, I really realized that there was something in [FFA] for me,” Burke told Brownfield Monday. “I was able to take that experience and just go from there and grow.”

AUDIO: Amie Burke (5 min. MP3)

Illinois FFA Vice President Caroline Bremer of Metropolis, Illinois, joined to compete in public speaking. As a freshman, she was mentored by a senior student who saw potential in her.

“I got more active and I really saw some of the opportunities that [FFA] had to offer, and I think that FFA is kind of addicting like that,” said Bremer Monday. “Once you are able to embrace your own potential and do something with it, it just seems like more and more opportunities pop up for students. I think that’s kind of how it happened to me.”

 AUDIO: Caroline Bremer (6 min. MP3)

Bremer, Burke and the three other state officers each take a year away from college studies to serve the Illinois FFA. Bremer, however, doesn’t view that as a missed educational opportunity.

“I think that the experiences I’ve gained this year as a state officer are experiences I could never gain in a classroom,” she says.

Filed Under: Ag Youth, Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: ,

Campaign launched to support Neb. FFA chapters

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Nebraska FFA Foundation has launched a new campaign to raise funds in support of Nebraska FFA chapters.  It’s called “I Believe in the Future of Ag”.

Tammy Meyer is the executive director of the FFA Foundation.  “A challenge grant was put up by our very good friends at Central Valley Ag, Land O’Lakes and Monsanto for a total of 30-thousand dollars,” Meyer explains, “and over the course of the next months, we’re going to see if we can match that with individuals contributing an additional 30-thousand from the service area a Central Valley Ag.”

That area includes 39 local FFA chapters in northern and eastern Nebraska.

“In fact, the money that’s raised will be split 50-50 between local FFA chapters in that area and the state foundation,” Meyer says. “They (local chapters) are engaged in the campaign as far as having information and having pledge cards and posters—and ultimately will be the benefactor of the funds that come in.”

Meyer says the FFA Foundation recognized the need for an annual fundraising campaign after concerns last year about long-term funding from the Nebraska Department of Education to support statewide FFA programs.

AUDIO: Tammy Meyer (5 min MP3)

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News

Wisconsin Assembly considers DNR Secretary override

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Wisconsin State Assembly is scheduled to attempt to override Governor Jim Doyle’s veto of AB 138 on Tuesday. This is the bill which would take appointment of the Department of Natural Resources Secretary away from the governor and give it back to the state DNR Board like it was prior to 1995.

Wisconsin’s two biggest farm groups are on opposite ends of the issue, the Wisconsin Farmers Union president Darrin Von Ruden is calling for an override saying it would make the Secretary more “accountable to grass-roots citizens’-committee members instead of to any governor’s whims or to the whims of the day’s politics.” Von Ruden contends, “With family farmers’ lives so affected by actions the DNR takes, we’d rather have the citizens’ committee naming the secretary.”

Wisconsin Farm Bureau Public Affairs Director Paul Zimmerman sent a memo to members of the Assembly on Monday asking them to uphold the governor’s veto. Zimmerman argues that if the Secretary were to be appointed by the DNR Board, “it will take nearly two and a half years from the time a Governor is first elected until he or she would be able to appoint a majority of the Natural Resources Board due to the length and staggering of board terms. During that time period, we may have a Governor of one party having a DNR Secretary of another party. This may create more partisanship. The State of Wisconsin should not create a situation in which one state agency, the Department of Natural Resources, could operate outside the Governor’s administration.”

Also encouraging a defeat of the override attempt, the Wisconsin NFO, Wisconsin Corn Growers, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin Agribusiness Council and the Dairy Business Association.

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

The plan to save the Great Lakes

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson unveiled the Obama Administration’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative on Sunday. Speaking at the National Governor’s Conference, Jackson said the plan has five focus areas.

1) Work with state and municipalities to clean up toxic hotspots

2) Eliminate and keep invasive species such as the Asian carp out of the lakes

3) Reduce runoff from urban, suburban and agricultural sources

4) Assess and work to restore the 530,000 acre Great Lakes coastal wetland

5) Implement accountability measures, learning initiatives, outreach and strategic partnerships

The plan also provides accountability for the administration’s efforts in each of these five priority areas by including measures of progress and benchmarks for success over the next five years.

 Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, co-chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors praised the plan saying it “sets a strong course of action as we confront tremendous challenges to not only protect, but also restore the Great Lakes.”

Filed Under: News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

SD ag group offers singer Adams a free steak

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When rock singer Bryan Adams performs in Sioux Falls this week, a South Dakota ag group hopes to treat him to a free steak.

Adams is one of several music celebrities who have recently expressed support for the vegetarian movement’s “Meatless Mondays” initiative.  Others include Paul McCartney and Sheryl Crow.  So the organization Ag United of South Dakota has provided Adams with a “Beef Bucks” gift certificate good for the purchase of a beef entrée at local restaurants during his visit to Sioux Falls.

Ag United officials say they want to remind Adams of the role that meat and livestock production play in a healthy, economical diet and in boosting South Dakota’s economy.  No word of whether Adams will take advantage of the offer.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News Tagged With: ,

More cheese in storage puts more pressure on prices

February 22, 2010 By 3 Comments

The slide continues in the dairy markets, cash cheese barrels lost another three-quarter cents on Monday while blocks lost 1.75 cents. Class III futures saw 2010 contracts lose as much as 21 cents with the April contract falling below the $13.00 mark at $12.96. Traders getting a little nervous in reaction to the January milk production report which reflected the first increase in cow numbers in a year.

More bad news from the monthly cold storage report from USDA. Total cheese stocks at the end of January were 980.79 million pounds, up 14 million from the end of December. American cheese inventories up 10.3 million pounds at 595.3 million. Compared to a year ago, cheese stocks are up 98.4 million pounds with American stocks up 61.9 million. Butter stocks were 169.8 million pounds up 36.7 million, a buildup is quite common in January, stocks are actually 6.7 million tons below the end of January of a year ago.

Filed Under: Dairy, News Tagged With: , , , ,

Corn, soybeans higher on dollar, South American rain: February 22, 2010

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Soybeans were higher on technical and speculative buying, along with the lower dollar index. Weekly export inspections were more than what’s needed weekly to meet USDA projections for the marketing year. Also, there are concerns about recent heavy rainfall in Argentina and Brazil. Via Dow Jones Newswires, there was flooding in portions of central Argentina over the weekend and forecasts for late this month and early next month are pretty wet, and while northern Brazil has a less wet forecast for early this week, rain is expected to return soon. Soybean meal and oil were higher following the lead of beans but gains in oil were limited by product spread trade.

Corn hit new one month highs on fund buying and short covering, in addition to the lower dollar. Corn’s also keeping an eye on those potential weather problems and early harvest delays in South America, especially sections of Brazil. Stateside, there are early concerns about U.S. planting delays due to flooding as the large snowpack melts. Also, corn’s in a technical uptrend after moving over what had been resistance. However, the fundamentals are neutral to negative, weekly export inspections were bearish and corn looks a little overbought after the recent gains. Ethanol futures were higher.

The wheat complex was higher on fund buying, short covering and the lower dollar. Traders also noted spillover support from the rally in corn and soybeans. However, fundamentals remain very negative with a large supply and not much demand for U.S. wheat. Weekly export inspections were towards the high end of estimates but well below what’s needed to meet USDA projections for the 2009/10 marketing year. European wheat was near steady with March Paris up .2% and May London .1% higher. A Filipino feed mill bought 25,000 tons of optional origin feed wheat.

Filed Under: Closing Futures & Livestock Briefs, Markets Tagged With: , , , , ,

AFBF urges passage of EPA disapproval resolution

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The American Farm Bureau is urging Congress to adopt the resolution of disapproval against the EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding.

In a letter sent to all members of Congress, Farm Bureau president Bob Stallman says the effort to halt the EPA’s proposed regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act will need bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle.  He urges Republicans and Democrats to work together to halt the regulations, which Stallman says could “critically injure the U.S. economy.”

Farm Bureau has also filed a legal challenge to the EPA’s endangerment finding.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

Missouri producer groups band together

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Missouri is one of several states defending its livestock production practices against the state-level actions taken by the Humane Society of the U.S. The  Missouri Dairy Association Director and Missouri Pork Producers Association Director recently spoke with Brownfield about their united efforts to fight the ballot initiative that aims to crack down on dog breeders in Missouri, what they see as a first step in restricting livestock production practices in the state.

AUDIO:  Dave Drennon, Missouri Dairy Association & Don Nikodim, Missouri Pork Producers(3 min., MP3)

Filed Under: Feature Programs, Rural Issues Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

NFU likes Vilsack’s stance on biodiesel tax credit

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is applauding Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack’s call for Congress to reestablish the expired biodiesel tax credit. 

Vilsack made that request in his address at the USDA’s Ag Outook Forum last week, citing the blenders’ tax credit as a job creator in rural America. Afterwards, NFU president Roger Johnson thanked Vilsack for recognizing the importance of the tax credit in the future development and delivery of biodiesel.  Johnson says NFU has long supported the tax credit for biodiesel and will continue to work with Congress to emphasize the importance of the credit to America’s farmers.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , ,
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