The latest census of agriculture in the European Union shows a twenty percent drop in the number of farms in the EU in just the past seven years.
The 2010 census puts the number of farms in the 27 EU countries at just over 12 million.
The average size of an EU farm in 2010 was 14 hectares—about 35 acres—compared with 12 hectares per farm in 2003. The total amount of land devoted to farming in the EU last year was down two percent from seven years earlier.
Workers at the Farmland Foods meatpacking plant in Carroll, Iowa have voted to unionize.
The 125-plus employees of the Carroll plant will become members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 440. The union says it represents 12-hundred workers in western Iowa in the meatpacking and food processing industry.
The Lincoln (NE) Journal-Star reports that York County, Nebraska is on Abengoea Bioenergy’s short list of sites being considered for a new cellulosic ethanol plant.
York County officials confirm they have been part of discussions on the proposed 500-million dollar plant, which would convert cornstalks and other plant residue into ethanol. Abengoa officials have declined comment.
The newspaper report says that, if Abengoa chooses York, the likely spot for the plant would be next to its existing corn-based ethanol plant along U.S. 34 between York and Waco.
Abengoa is currently constructing its first commercial scale cellulosic plant near Hugoton, Kansas.
While last week’s National FFA Convention was held for FFA member’s across the United States, for Indiana State FFA President Casie Conley and her officer team having the convention in Indianapolis makes it feel like it’s “their convention”. Conley sits down with Brownfield to talk about what it means to have the convention in her own back yard and how attending the National FFA Convention as a state officer this year is just a little different then the four years she attended as a member of her high school FFA chapter.
AUDIO: Casie Conley, Indiana FFA (3:47mp3)
Mallory McDevitt of the Wapakoneta FFA Chapter in Ohio is the 2011 National Proficiency winner in Vegetable Production. Mallory’s SAE includes a one acre, all organic, vegetable garden where she grows 20 different vegetables. Mallory says the project has been a wonderful experience, teaching her responsibility and time management.
Audio: Mallory McDevitt, Ohio, Nat’l Proficiency winner (3:05 MP3)
Peanut butter prices are going up and up – but the National Peanut Board says it’s still a quality nutritious food for the money. USDA economist Tiffany Arthur says it comes down to supply and demand. Bad weather was a huge factor. The National Peanut Board says the cost of a serving of peanut butter, two tablespoons, is expected to increase less than four cents to about 16-and-a-half cents.
HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAM – Peanut prices rise but still a protein value (1:30 mp3)
It’s been almost 4 decades since any changes have been made to the child labor regulations for agriculture in this country. After digging into the proposed rules and implications of those rules, it appears the Department of Labor is making up for lost time.
We can all agree that agriculture is a dangerous industry, and the premise behind proposed changes is to protect youth working in dangerous environments. However, this complete overhaul of regulations will change much about how we live and work in our rural communities.
Under current law, you must be 16 years old to work in a pen or a yard with an intact male of any species of farm animal. There are also restrictions about working with nursing sows and cows. Proposed regulations would add to these restrictions, preventing anyone under 16 from assisting or engaging in any activity with livestock that could inflict pain upon the animal or cause an unpredictable animal behavior. According to Dee Jepsen, State Extension safety leader at the Ohio State University, that includes branding, breeding, vaccinating, dehorning or treating a sick or injured animal.
Proposed regulations would prevent anyone under 16 from herding animals on horseback or on an ATV. You would have to be 18 to work in a livestock auction or exchange.
So, in essence, unless you are 16, you won’t be allowed to work with or around livestock. Period.
Under current law, you must be 16 to operate a tractor rated over 20 horsepower unless you are 14 or 15 years old and have completed the 20-hour course offered by Cooperative Extension, Farm Bureau, or through an agriculture class at school.
The proposed regulation would prevent those under 16 from operating a tractor of any horsepower, which would include lawn and garden tractors, and require a 14 or 15 year to participate in a semester course on tractor safety in an agricultural education program to operate any tractor.
How many rural communities have been forced by economics to eliminate their high school ag program? What happens in those areas?
Forget about the 13- year old mowing the church yard, helping make hay, milk cows or clearing fence rows (they can’t use power driven saws or tools.) If they are not 16, they would not be allowed to do these things even without pay because they are providing an economic service that is of value to the farm, which is a violation of the child labor law.
Family farms do remain exempt from these new regulations, so if you want your son or daughter to help make hay, they don’t have to be 16. However, if you incorporated your farm with a brother or sister or parent and your farm is an LLC – the son or daughter must be working for the parent, not the uncle or grandparent – or that young person would be working for a corporation.
The new provision would not allow anyone under the age of 18 to work in a country grain elevator.
We can’t let this happen! Spread the word and go to this website today to learn more and to leave a comment:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=WHD-2011-0001-0001
If you don’t have access to the internet, go to your local library and ask for assistance in getting online. The public comment period ends November 1. If we fail to make enough noise about this proposal, we’ll all be living with these new rules in 2012.
The 2011 National Proficiency winner in Forest Management and Products is Tyler Meister of the Reedsburg FFA Chapter in Wisconsin. Tyler is the fourth generation to work in the family sawmills. Meister has done every job possible, from stacking lumber and running to saws to operating wheel loaders and calculating output. He is supported by his parents Mark and Debra and his FFA advisors Nick Casey and Todd Cherney.
Audio: Tyler Meister, WI. Nat’l Proficiency winner (2:30 MP3)
Kimberlee Gerardy of the Stillman Valley FFA Chapter in Illinois is the 2011 National Proficiency winner in Nursery Operations. Kimberlee started as the “water girl” at her local nursery. But after learning from on-the-job experience and in her agriculture classes, she has acquired more responsibilities since then. She is supported by her parents Bruce and Laurel and her FFA advisors Jay Williams and Tracey Sanderson.
Audio: Kimberlee Gerardy, Illinois, Nat’l Proficiency winner (3:40 MP3)
Private sources are reporting a few more bids on the feedlot cattle, from 119.00 to 120 live and 191.00 on the dressed. Asking prices are around 122.00 to 123.00 on a live basis and 194.00 plus dressed. Though processing margins remain poor, cutouts took another step forward on Wednesday and are higher at midday today. Box salesmen have uncovered the best buying interest seen in weeks.
Choice beef is up .80 at 188.25 and the select is 65 higher at 170.90.
Cattle receipts at the Huss Platte Valley Auction in Nebraska totaled 2480 head on Wednesday. Compared to last week, steers sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher; heifers sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. The offering consisted of several packages and strings of top quality calves and most had preconditioned shots. The demand was good. Feeder steer calves medium and large 1 weighing 622 pounds traded at 153.77. 529 pound heifers brought 144.01 per hundredweight.
Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota and Western direct trade areas are not reported due to confidentiality. Nationally the market is 1.04 lower at 87.46 weighted average on a carcass basis. Eastern direct hogs are down 1.52 at 87.72. Missouri direct base carcass meat price is steady to 1.00 lower from 83.00 to 86.00. Terminal hog prices are fully steady from 61.00 to 65.00 live.
For the week ending October 22, Iowa barrows and gilts averaged 273.3 pounds, 1 pound heavier than the previous week and 2 pounds lighter than 2010. Weights could continue to increase for the next several weeks.
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