In Farm BureauAg safety awareness week

Across the country, Farm Bureaus are making safety a top priority this spring through the Agricultural Safety Aware-ness Program (ASAP). As a part of ASAP, March 6-12 has been designated as Agri-cultural Safety Awareness Week.

This year’s theme, “Caution — Safety is No Accident,” will highlight a different safety focus each day of the week. Monday will focus on ATV safety; Tuesday, Youth Safety on the Farm; Wednesday, Tractor Safety; Thursday, Roadway Safety; and Friday, Grain Bin Safety.

“Accidents do happen, but farmers and ATV riders of all ages sometimes make bad decisions or get careless in many of the accidents they are involved in,” said Jason Kaufman, safety coordinator for Arkansas Farm Bureau. “Even machinery and tools used around the home can ruin a day if not used smartly. It’s important for farmers and homeowners to always make safety a priority. Safety is no accident.”

Arkansas Farm Bureau has two full-

time safety coordinators on staff who offer 13 different safety and informational programs free of charge.

“Farm Bureau is concerned with saving lives and preventing injuries,” said safety coordinator Amanda Williams. “Arkansas Farm Bureau is dedicated to educating Arkansans about safety concerns. We not only offer tractor and farm safety programs, but programs on ATV safety, school bus safety, ‘Where Does Our Food Come From?’ and more.”

For more information, visit the “Educa-tion and Youth” section of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s website, www.arfb.com.

In ArkansasWalker named ASPB director

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has appointed Terry Walker as director of the Arkansas State Plant Board (ASPB), a division of the Arkansas Agriculture Department.

February 19, 2016 • Vol. 19, No. 4A

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Harrison Pittman, director of the University of Arkan-sas’ National Agricultural Law Center, was one of 17 agricultural profes-sionals who spoke at the Arkansas State University Agribusiness Conference Feb. 10 in Jonesboro. Hundreds of farmers, ranchers, educators and students attended the event, which focused on the agricultural econo-my, environmental law, trade policy and business succession planning. Arkansas Farm Bureau was a sponsor.

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Columbia Co. FB President Debbie Dooly (right) recent-

ly visited Emerson Elemen-tary School to recognize

the school’s winners in the county Ag in the Classroom coloring contest. DaeQuon

Murray (left) won third place, Jasper Jones (second from left) won second, and the first place winner (next

to Dooley) was Breanna McWilliams.

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Walker has been employed with the ASPB for 13

years and is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. He has a rich agricultural back-ground in research, industry, management, sales and regulatory matters.

Walker follows previous director Daryl Little, who retired in January. Products and services such as seed, feed, fertilizer, pesticides, weights and measures, petro-leum, honeybees, plant pests, nurseries, pest control services and many others are regulated by the ASPB.

“The ASPB team does an excellent job,” Walker said. “I need to insure they have the resources to effectively and efficiently provide the services to our stakeholders and assist them in conducting their busi-nesses. Arkansas has a wealth of quality producers growing and providing excellent food products to be used by the general population. It is imperative those produc-ers and products have an effective presence nationally and internationally to promote them.”

Apply for Century Farm statusThe Arkansas Agriculture Department

has opened the 2016 Century Farm pro-gram year to qualifying landowners. The program honors Arkansas’ rich agricul-tural heritage. Since its beginning in 2012, 297 farms and families have been certified.

To qualify as a certified Century Farm,

farms must meet the following criteria. The same family must have owned the farm for 100 years by December 31, 2016. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings and nephews or nieces, including through marriage and adoption. The farm must be at least 10 acres of the original land acquisition and

make a financial contribution to the over-all farm income.

There is no cost to apply. Applications are open to any landowner who meets program qualifications. 2016 applications can be submitted electronically or by mail. Find application documents at aad.arkan-sas.gov, or call 501-683-4851. Applications must be postmarked by May 31 to be eligible for designation in 2016.

Future Scientist Mini InstituteTwenty science teachers (grades 7-12)

in Arkansas will soon be selected to attend the Future Scientist Mini Institute June 14-15 at the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville. The pro-gram is designed to increase the science teachers’ knowledge of research and enable them to inspire their students to ask ques-tions and search for answers.

Half the institute will focus on helping the teachers learn about the life cycle of the corn earworm through lectures and hands-on work in the lab and field. Partic-ipants will be shown how to grow the in-sect in the classroom and how to conduct simple experiments. The other half of the institute will focus on exposing teachers to the work of research units at the center.

Teachers chosen to participate will receive a $200 travel stipend, a digital microscope, 20 hours of professional development credit through Texas A & M

Members of the Swine Division listened as Mike Hoy with USDA’s Wildlife Services discussed feral hog problems during Arkansas Farm Bureau’s winter commodity division meetings. All 12 commodity divisions met at the Feb. 3 gathering in North Little Rock to review ArFB policy and make recommendations to the state board. More than 300 county Farm Bureau leaders attended.

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USDA’s recently released Cattle Inventory Report shows the total number of cattle in the nation rose 3 percent from last year to 91,988,000. Arkansas has a total cattle count of 1,700,000, up 4 percent. The dairy cattle inventory was unchanged both in Arkansas and for the nation as a whole. The nation’s dairy cow herd totals 9,315,000 head, while Arkansas has 7,000 head.

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Ian Thompson, a seventh-grader at Clinton Junior High School, finished first in Arkansas Farm Bureau’s “Farm-ing for the Future” Ag in the Classroom essay contest with a paper on ad-vanced farming concepts. Cindy Wilson (left), a member of Van Buren Co. FB’s Ag in the Classroom committee, and Kim Trujillo, Ian’s English teacher, pre-sented his awards at the school.

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Randolph and Lawrence County Farm Bureaus sponsored a booth at the Feb. 5 Ag Appreciation Expo at Black River Technical College in Pocahon-tas. (Left to right) Melissa North, Nick Holtzhouser, Charles Petty and Della Anderson were among the Farm Bureau leaders who attended to answer questions from the 350 area farmers who attended the event.

University, free materials/links to USDA/ARS labs and scientists/technicians, and lunches during two-day institute.

For more information, including an application link, go to www.arfb.com/education-youth/ag-classroom/teacher-re-sources.aspx.

Flower and Garden Show

The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show will celebrate its silver anniversary Feb. 26-28 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Speakers will include lifestyle and gardening television host P. Allen Smith; Billy Goodnick, author and landscape architect for the city of Santa Barbara, Calif.; horticulture specialist Janet Carson of UA’s Division of Agriculture; and Jon Zawislak, extension apiculturist, whose beekeeping short courses fill up almost as soon as they’re offered.

The show will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 26, including a special event, “Rock in the Garden,” with a live band, cooking demos and a walkabout with Goodnick. Show hours on Feb. 27 are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and, on Feb. 28, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The sale of tickets helps fund scholar-ships and beautification project grants. They may be purchased online or at the door. Adults are $10, and a three-day pass is $15. Admission is free for children 12 and younger.

For more information, visit http://ar-gardenshow.org.

Poultry Hall of Fame inducteeYvonne Vizzier Thaxton, director for

UA’s Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, was inducted into the American Poultry Hall of Fame on Jan. 27.

Hall of Fame status is conferred upon not more than five persons every three years. They are selected by a broadly based committee of 30 poultry industry and in-stitutional persons from nominations sub-mitted to the American Poultry Historical Society. The basis for selection is the effect their work and accomplishments have had on the poultry industry in North America.

“I am humbled to be included in this incredible group,” Thaxton said. “This could not have happened without all of the won-derful people who helped me along the way.”

In 2011, Thaxton joined the Arkansas faculty as professor and director for the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing. She has also written the Poultry Perspective blog on Meatingplace since 2011 after serving as executive editor of Poultry Magazine, the former sister publication of Meatingplace, from 2001 to 2010. She and her late hus-band Paul Thaxton (inducted in 2010) are the first husband and wife to be inducted into the Poultry Industry Hall of Fame.

Free spray clinicsThe University of Arkansas Division

of Agriculture will offer six free half-day spray clinics at locations throughout Arkansas in February and March. These are designed to introduce the best available application techniques and concepts to new growers, and bring experienced grow-ers up to speed on new research.

The schedule for the clinics is as fol-lows: Feb. 23, Cotton Research Station in Marianna; Feb. 24, Rice Research Center in Stuttgart; Feb. 25, Men’s Center in McGe-hee; March 8, ASU Newport in Newport; March 9, Greene County Fairgrounds in Paragould; and March 10, Conway County Fairgrounds in Morrilton. For more infor-mation, contact Jason Davis at 501-749-2077 or jdavis@uaex.edu.

ElsewhereMeat Matters

On Feb. 2, the Animal Agriculture Alli-ance unveiled a new campaign focused on promoting the role of meat and poultry in a healthy, balanced diet. The Meat Matters initiative counters claims made by activ-ist groups about the nutritional value of animal protein, as well as the sustainability of meat and poultry production.

“We’ve heard a lot of concern over the years from our members about activists pushing the Meatless Mondays movement in their schools and communities,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “This misleading movement is an-other tactic to eliminate consumer choice – the ability we each have to determine the right food choices for ourselves and our families. Our new campaign will help consumers sort through the myths and misinformation to understand the true value of meat and protein in their diets.”

For more information, visit www.animalagalliance.org/engage/#meatmatters.

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ArFB President Randy Veach (front, left) posed for this photo with the third class of the President’s Leadership Council Feb. 5 at Farm Bureau Center in Little Rock. Twenty lead-ers from around the state will attend three two-day PLC sessions designed to enhance their leadership skills and encourage active involvement in Farm Bureau activities.

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On Feb. 2 in Van Buren, Judge John Hall (center) signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 1-5 as Farm Bureau Week in Crawford County. Crawford Co. FB Membership Chairman Roy Pense (left) and President David Ford attended, along with 20 other board members, spouses and guests who helped plan membership recruitment efforts for the week.

EditorKeith Suttonkeith.sutton@arfb.com

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In the MarketAs of February 16, 2016

Cotton acreage expected to be upAccording to the National Cotton

Council’s 35th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey, U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 9.1 million cotton acres this spring, up 6.2 percent from 2015. Upland cotton intentions are 8.9 million acres, up 5.7 percent from 2015, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 208,000 acres represent a 31.2-percent increase.

The NCC forecasts abandonment of 11 percent for the United States, which forecasts harvested acres at 8.1 million acres. Using an average U.S. yield of 831 pounds per acre generates a cotton crop of 14.0 million bales, with 13.4 million upland bales and 595,000 ELS bales. This compares to 12.94 million bales in 2015. While 2015 saw production decline some 3.28 million bales from 2014, stocks only declined 100,000 bales given weak global demand. In Arkan-sas, respondents indicate a reduction in wheat, soybeans and the “other crops” category, leading to a 21-percent increase in cotton acres from 210,000 acres in 2015 to a forecast 254,000 acres in 2016.

Ships backed up at Brazilian portsOn Feb. 15, the lineup of ships

waiting to load soybeans and corn in Brazil stood at 163, with a total capacity of around 363 million bushels (275.95 million bushels of soybeans and 87.4 million bushels of corn), according to data from the shipping agency Wil-liams. This is up sharply from 66 ships waiting to load last year at this point. While the weak currency and low prices have boosted export sales, excessive rains have prevented ships from load-ing. These ships can charge demurrage fees as high as $50,000 per day.

Chinese soybean imports dropChina imported 5.66 MMT of

soybeans in January, a 38-percent drop from December and a 17.7-percent decline from the year prior, according to official customs data.

Slight decline forecast for 2016 crop prices, receipts

Crop cash receipts — the cash in-come from crop sales — are forecast to fall 0.9 percent ($1.6 billion) in 2016 as prices continue to decline for most field crops. Cash receipts for corn and soy-beans — historically the crops generat-ing the highest crop cash receipts — are both expected to be fairly flat in 2016. Since hitting a record high in 2012, corn receipts are forecast to fall 36 percent through 2016, primarily due to lower prices. While production is expected to increase slightly in 2016, continued weakening in corn prices is expected to more than offset production gains, lead-ing corn cash receipts to fall by $800 million in 2016. In contrast, increases in soybean production are expected to outweigh small price declines, leading soybean cash receipts to increase 1.5 percent in 2016. After falling sharply in 2015, rice cash receipts are expected to increase 31.5 percent ($700 million) in 2016 on higher expected production and prices.

Sharp decline expected for animal/animal product receipts

Animal/animal product cash receipts increased by 43.8 percent in real terms from 2005 to 2014, but are estimated to have declined by 12.5 percent in 2015 and are expected to fall an additional 4.3 percent in 2016 (to $181.4 billion) in nominal terms. The 2015 fall-off reflects price and cash receipt declines for most major commodities, including dairy, hogs, broilers and cattle/calves. In 2016, prices are expected to fall for all major animal and animal product commodi-ties.

After reaching a record high of $49.3 billion in 2014 and falling 28.2 percent in 2015, milk receipts are expected to drop another 6.4 percent in 2016 as de-clining prices continue to outweigh an expected increase in milk production. Cash receipts from cattle production are also expected to decline for a second

consecutive year in 2016, falling 3.9 percent as cattle/calf prices are expected to decline further. Hog production is expected to continue rising in 2016 as the industry recovers from the porcine epidemic virus in 2014. However, hog prices are expected to drop again in 2016 following a sharp decline in 2015, leading to a 5.1-percent drop in 2016 hog cash receipts.

Poultry and egg cash receipts are expected to fall 4.1 percent in 2016, due primarily to a decline in egg receipts. Poultry and egg receipts were broadly affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) in 2015, although the impacts on individual commodities are mixed. Since being detected in December 2014, HPAI has claimed 49.7 million birds, with turkeys and egg-laying chickens suffering the largest loss in numbers. Turkey and chicken egg quantities are both fore-cast to have declined in 2015, placing upward pressure on prices and leading to higher cash receipts for both com-modities.

Following 2015’s sharp rise, egg pric-es are expected to decline in 2016, out-weighing an expected rebound in pro-duction and leading cash receipts to fall by $2 billion. In contrast, higher turkey production is expected to lead turkey cash receipts 5.3 percent ($300 million) higher, despite a small projected drop in turkey prices. U.S. broiler production is expected to increase in both 2015 and 2016. The increase in broiler produc-tion, coupled with HPAI-related import bans on U.S. poultry by some nations, has increased U.S. supply and led broiler prices sharply lower in 2015. Broiler prices are expected to continue declin-ing in 2016 as production increases, leading to a modest decline in broiler cash receipts.

CONTACTMatt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com