On the face of it, few things carry a more apt name than today’s “lame duck” Congress. Indeed, how lame is it that after two years of raw partisanship and paralyzing inactivity, we believe two legislative bodies that haven’t agreed on what day it is since 2010 will — what — reform taxes, pass a 2013 budget, complete a 2012 farm bill and “save” Medicare and Social Security all in the next 30 days?

This Congress? The one with 39 House members fired by voters in 2012 and 22 others who wanted out so badly they didn’t even stand re-election, let alone 12 senators currently looking for both lobbying jobs and book publishers?

On second thought, maybe the truly lame ducks are us, because we believe this dysfunctional Congress can complete in one month the work it couldn’t do in two years.

Poor odds

What’s not lame is the galacticly long odds that any “fiscal cliff” package will be wrapped up by Dec. 31. In fact, most on Capitol Hill put the odds at intergalacticly long.

The best proof that either bet is right is November. Half of the eight weeks between Election Day and New Year’s Eve have passed with little to no discussions between any of the key players on any aspect of this massive task.

The Washington Post noticed this silence over Thanksgiving. In a Nov. 23 story outlining where the post-election power lies in the Senate, the newspaper noted that Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, “has been arguing that missing the deadline for a deal — going over the cliff — could actually make getting a deal easier.”

Murray’s view is important. Since she replaces retiring Kent Conrad, D-ND, as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in January, any “fiscal cliff” deal must go through her. If she believes a post-Jan. 1 deal is better — mostly because of Democratic gains in both the Senate and the House Nov. 6 — then a post-Jan. 1 deal becomes more likely.

Amid this cliff-watching, the Senate-passed farm bill still naps in the House. Talk of any Dec. 31 “grand bargain” often includes a line or two on how the farm bill could be part of the package.

Hopeful

That chatter, though, is more hopeful than accurate. Since farm bill discussions began two years ago, Speaker of the House John Boehner has promised “regular order” for any vote on an updated ag law.

That means members can offer amendments to the farm bill, a process loaded with time-burning talk and roll call votes. Moreover, the Boehner promise guarantees a farm bill debate would burn four days of the preciously short December House calendar.

The Speaker can abandon his regular order promise but the move likely would be challenged by his caucus’s tea party members who believe several farm bill programs — direct payments and fast-growing food assistance to name just two — need a haircut.

As such, an intra-party squabble is something Boehner can ill-afford, especially if a “fiscal cliff” deal comes to the House some time in December.

Problems

The flip side of that coin, a House-approved farm bill, presents its own problems. The biggest, again, would be time needed for a House-Senate conference to iron out differences between the two bills before a final version heads back to each chamber for a conclusive vote.

The odds of this happening lengthen every day that passes without White House or Congressional action. One agreement between the White House and Congress could, however, deliver a farm bill, a tax reform bill, a federal deficit reduction plan and a blueprint to solidify key American — and heavily rural — programs like Medicare and Social Security: agree to move the Dec. 31 deadline to, say, Sept. 1, 2013.

Lame, sure. But we’re dealing with ducks here. And there, too.

COLUMBUS — Ag economists and farm policy experts drew some final conclusions about 2012, and cast some insight into the new year during the Ag Policy and Outlook Conference, held Dec. 3 at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus.

The meeting has historically been regarded as the Dean’s preview, sponsored by Ohio State University’s dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. And it was the newly appointed dean, Bruce McPheron, who got the program started.

McPheron is an Ohio native and earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio State. He previously served as dean of the College of Ag Sciences at Penn State.

“We are the most important industry in the world because there is not a person in this world who does not wake up in the morning aspiring to shake our hand,” McPheron said. “In fact they (consumers) want to shake our hand three times a day if they can.”

Food availability and affordability were dominant topics throughout the day, as experts weighed in on everything from population growth to food riots, and what farmers can expect in 2013.

Farm bill

Ohio State Farm Policy expert Carl Zulauf weighed in on a policy that could both help farmers and consumers, and one he hopes will be resolved by the end of this year: the new farm bill.

“I honestly believe we will get it done this year, but there is a distinct possibility we won’t get it done,” he said.

Similar versions of the bill have been approved by the full Senate, as well as the House Agriculture committee, but the bill has yet to be considered by the full House, which in September declared a vote would not happen until after November elections.

Zulauf also is a farmer, and stands to gain or lose depending on the actions taken. As a professor, he has tracked the progress closely and believes a bill could be approved fairly soon, if Congress cooperates.

“I’m struck by how similar (House and Senate) these bills are,” he said. “These are really conferenceable farm bills in a variety of different ways, if Congress has the will to do it.”

As Zulauf pointed out, both bills eliminate direct payments, retain marketing loans, make risk management the safety net’s central focus, make individual crop insurance the central safety net program, and add a county insurance supplemental coverage option.

What’s different?

The major differences, he said, are the size of cuts to nutrition programs. The Senate version provides for a $4 billion cut over 10 years, compared to $16 billion in the House version.

The bills also differ on whether the Farm Service Agency should administer a farm level risk management program, and whether the multiple-year risk management program should focus on price (House version) or revenue (Senate version), and have benchmarks that are fixed (House) or change with market conditions (Senate).

Zulauf said he feels the most important changes in the farm safety net are the supplemental coverage option, and the Dairy Production Margin Protection Program.

The supplemental coverage option, or SCO, allows a farm to buy county insurance as an “add-up” to its individual farm coverage. Coverage can be bought up to 90 percent.

Zulauf said crop insurance is both a risk management program, and also a payment program somewhat similar to a direct payment. If a farmer pays for crop insurance over enough years, there is an expectation that he will receive more in payments than he pays in premiums.

“It can be looked at as a strategic investment,” Zulauf said.

Food prices

Ian Sheldon, Andersons Professor of International Trade at OSU, discussed the ways country governments respond to high food prices. He noted that many developing countries respond by enacting their own trade policies and the release of public stock, which collectively with other countries, actually increases the price of food.

Instead, he said countries should avoid direct market invention, and should instead use targeted safety nets like food stamps and cash transfers.

He showed a graph of major political unrest the past eight years, which appears to correlate strongly with the high price of food. When enough countries develop their own trade policies, it actually sends food prices higher, he explained, and adds to the issue of world food price instability.

The daylong event featured a wide variety of ag topics for the new year. Some of the information will appear in upcoming editions of Farm and Dairy.

BOISE, Idaho — National Grange President Ed Luttrell outlined “four fundamental truths” he says elected officials need to follow to move America away from the “fiscal cliff.”

He issued his challenge during his annual address Nov. 13 at the National Grange convention in Boise, Idaho.

Luttrell’s four truths for policymakers include: living within our means, which is necessary for the nation to prosper; free markets work best to find solutions and provide the best services; Congress should do away with publicly funded pension programs for elected officials, programs that encourage people to become career politicians; and economic markets hate instability, especially created by continuously fluctuating taxes and regulation.

Fiscal responsibility

The Grange leader said Congress needs to get to work immediately to initiate measures of fiscal responsibility.

“It is long past time for our elected officials to wake up, to realize their fiscal responsibility to every American, especially our children and grandchildren,” Luttrell said.

He said the nation will “begin its journey back to fiscal health and prosperity” when politicians make decisions based on these truths.

Eye on regulation

Fiscal health also requires scrutiny of expanded regulation, Luttrell said, noting the “increase of economically significant regulations, on top of massive regulations already in place, is larger than the GDP of many countries.”

Luttrell said the Grange supports “necessary regulations needed to provide reasonable safety and peace of mind to American workers, families and inventors. However, we opposed any regulation that seeks a zero tolerance of risk.”

Luttrell also said the farm bill needs to be passed during the lame duck session.

“Agriculture should never become a partisan football, as every American depends on agriculture.”

Luttrell expressed the need for a farm bill, as well as continued safety testing for genetically modified crops but no need to label GMO products.

Agricultural awareness

Luttrell said much of the tension between consumers and producers, including the need for both large and small producers and the concept and practice of genetically modified foods, is the lack of education related to agriculture.

“In order to spread the truth of agriculture, the Grange continues to call for wide-scale basic agriculture education at the primary levels and in post-secondary education related to agriculture production, research and policy,” Luttrell said.

Luttrell said research is critical in regards to the safety and efficacy of genetically modified organisms, but labeling of such would be “misleading” and would falsely imply “differences where none exist.”

Other issues

Luttrell said the Grange opposes reductions of Postal Service to rural America and in a related rural access issue, said the Grange continues to support the expansion of broadband into rural areas.

Because rural customers rely so heavily on mail delivery, Luttrell said it is imperative that Congress work to save the USPS by either eliminating the prepayment requirement for future employee retirement health benefits or by releasing USPS from Congressional oversight so they may make decisions based on market conditions.

Luttrell stressed the need for equitable access through rural broadband and noted that the Grange will work with legislators to ensure Universal Service Funds be used to bring that broadband to homes and businesses in rural America.

SALEM, Ohio — Last week’s ballots weren’t even tallied before the conversation switched to the fate of the next farm bill.

The current bill stalled in the House in October, even though the Senate version passed with bipartisan support in June and the House Ag Committee approved its measure in July.

“The election is over so it’s time to get to work,” said House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., in a statement to media. “I’m optimistic that, if given the chance, we have the votes to pass a five-year farm bill.”

He expects a vote could happen any day, and encourages swift action.

“There is no good reason not to vote on the bill when we return [Nov. 13], before Thanksgiving,” he said. “This will give us the time we need to work out our differences with the Senate and get a new five-year farm bill signed into law by the end of the year.”

Calls to House Speaker John Boehner’s office were unreturned at presstime.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said in September the House would not vote on the bill until after the elections.

“When we get back after the election, we will consult with our members and develop a pathway forward,” he said, adding “it is too early to determine right now what kind of mood members are going to be in and what kind of opinions they are going to have.”

Two directions

Carl Zulauf, farm policy expert with Ohio State University, said he sees two likely scenarios.

One is for the House to consider passing the current bill and confer it with the Senate, before the end of the lame duck session, or before Christmas.

The second option is an extension of the farm bill that expired Sept. 30. Zulauf said it would likely be for a one-year period, but could differ.

A big factor could be the debate over “fiscal cliff,” a term that defines several laws, which, if unchanged are expected to cause an increase in taxes due to the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts, and a decrease in government spending.

Zulauf said Congress can take quick action on the bill, if it wants.

“I learned a long time ago Congress can move relatively fast,” he said. “In fact, it can surprise you how fast it can move if the will is there to do it.”

But he’s still not sure whether it will most likely be a long-term bill, or a temporary deal.

“I’ve always believed that there are times when you just have to be on the Hill,” he said, adding this is one of those.

The American Farm Bureau Federation issued a statement congratulating President Barack Obama on his re-election, saying, “we (farmers and ranchers) cannot wait until 2013 for the action to start. Serious work on the farm bill, the fiscal cliff and critical tax policy fixes all must start during the lame duck session of the 112th Congress.”

(Reporter Chris Kick can be reached at 330-403-9477, or at ckick@farmanddairy.com.)

Hello again!

As I sit and go through my notes of column topics, my focus is becoming narrower. The lack of a new farm bill, or at least an extension of the old farm bill, has limited the availability of some FSA programs.

One example is the Conservation Reserve Program. While existing contracts are being funded, FSA is not accepting new enrollments. With other programs, however, FSA is proceeding with “business as usual.

One of the “business as usual” programs is the Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program. The NAP program provides disaster loss protection for crops that do not have crop insurance coverage in the county.

Deadline

November 20 is an important deadline for producers who want to obtain NAP coverage on perennial crops for the 2013 crop year. Most perennial and orchard crops, including apples, asparagus, blueberries, caneberries, cherries, chestnuts, forage (hay and pasture), grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, honey and maple sap must have a completed application by this deadline to be covered in the upcoming year.

Crops including forage sorghum, oats, potatoes, soybeans (in counties where xrop insurance is not available), sunflowers, and all spring-planted specialty crops grown for food have a purchase deadline of March 13.

Fees

FSA will keep the same fee schedule it had in 2012. Each crop will have a $250 administrative fee, with a limit of $750 per county. For producers with NAP crops reported in different FSA offices, a separate fee will need paid in each if you wish to insure all crops. There is also an $1875 total producer limit in fees.

NAP coverage follows very closely with the Federal Crop Insurance process. Applicants report past year production to establish an Actual Production History. This APH is used to determine the expected production and production guarantee for the upcoming year.

NAP coverage provides coverage of 50 percent of the unit’s APH at 55 percent of an average market price for the specific commodity established by the FSA state committee. Producers with NAP coverage in 2012 are reminded to file timely notices of loss.

Claims

Losses are to be filed on Form CCC-576 in the local FSA office within 15 days of crop damage from natural disaster or 15 days from when the loss becomes apparent. FSA will then assign an adjuster so the loss can be appraised and production counted before the crop is put to another use, abandoned or destroyed.

Contact your local FSA office for more information about obtaining coverage for your NAP crops for 2013, or to file a notice of loss for 2012.

That’s all for now!

FSA Andy

SALEM, Ohio — The issues surrounding farm policy and food production went almost unmentioned during the three presidential debates. But both candidates do have specific plans for what they say will best serve the American farmer, as well as consumers.

Here is a look at where the candidates stand on key farm issues, as well as other issues facing rural America. The responses are edited from questionnaires issued by American Farm Bureau Federation and United Fresh Produce Association.

Energy

Obama: Supports a broad approach to energy independence. Says U.S. biofuel production is “at its highest level in history” and that last year, rural America produced enough renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel to meet 8 percent of our needs, helping to increase energy independence to the highest level in 20 years.

He said the level of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline is increasing, and credited the Renewable Fuel Standard for helping to boost biodiesel production to nearly 1 billion gallons in 2011.

Romney: While also promoting energy independence, he encourages energy partnerships with Canada and Mexico. He said our domestic energy resources can create millions of jobs, while boosting businesses that supply the energy industry, as well as providing a more affordable energy and feedstock for agricultural businesses and manufacturers. He said the nation’s energy resources can be a “long-term competitive advantage” for agriculture.

The increased production of biofuels is an important part of his plan to achieve energy independence. Supports the Renewable Fuel Standard to support “increased market penetration and competition” and eliminating barriers to the electrical grid, fuel system and vehicle fleet.

Environment

Obama: Says farmers “are some of the best stewards of our environment” and that the ag economy can grow while also protecting the environment. On the matter of water quality and EPA regulations, he says his administration will not apply standards to waters that have not historically been protected. And all existing exemptions for ag discharges and waters will stay in place. Says there can be teamwork in safeguarding the waters “Americans rely on every day for drinking, swimming, and fishing, and those that support farming and economic growth.”

Romney: Says government oversight is “crucial” to protecting the environment, but statutes and regulations that were designed to protect public health and the environment “have instead” been used by environmentalists as tools to “disrupt” economic activity and the “enjoyment of our nation’s environment altogether.”

He faults the EPA and Obama for “embarking on the most far-reaching regulatory scheme” in American history, adding that “laws should promote a rational approach to regulation” that takes cost into account.

Farm policy

Obama: Like Romney, supports risk management tools to help protect farmers’ investments. Says he has increased the availability of crop insurance and emergency disaster assistance to help more than 590,000 farmers and ranchers after natural disasters and crop loss. As farmers cope with the drought of 2012, he says his administration is expanding access to low-interest loans, encouraging insurance companies to extend payment deadlines and opening new lands for livestock farmers to graze their livestock.

Says there needs to be a farm bill passed this year with “adequate” protection for farmers. Supports an extended disaster assistance program and maintaining a “strong” crop insurance program.

Says instead of making farmers pay more for crop insurance, the government should cut subsidies to crop insurance companies and make better decisions with conservation funding.

Romney: Supports passage of a “strong farm bill” that provides the “appropriate” risk management tools that will work for farmers and ranchers across the country. In the nearterm, plans to enact disaster relief for those not traditionally covered by crop insurance, to help farmers cope with the 2012 drought.

Says on the issue of subsidies, must remember American farmers compete with other countries who also subsidize their farmers, “so we must be careful” not to put our own farmers at a competitive disadvantage.

Additionally, warns against conditions that would cause Americans to become dependent on foreign nations for food, “the way we do with energy.” He said that ultimately, “it is everyone’s interest to achieve a level playing field” for American farmers to compete.

Farm labor and immigrant labor

Obama: Says “we must design a system that provides legal channels for U.S. employers to hire needed foreign workers.” Says the system must protect the wages of U.S. workers and only be used when U.S. workers are unavailable. Supports the AgJOBS Act, which allows farmers to hire workers and provide a “path to citizenship” for those same workers.

Also is setting up a new office on farm worker opportunities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the first of its kind.

Romney: Says he “understands” and “appreciates” the role that foreign temporary workers play in agriculture. Also says the current system for issuing visas to temporary, seasonal workers “is broken.” Says it takes too long for visas to be approved, with nearly half of such visas not processed on time in 2006 and 2007.

Says he will make the system “functional” for both employers and employees, while speeding up the application process. Supports a legal immigration system that provides a “lawful alternative” to workers who would otherwise enter illegally.

Also vows not to propose “heavy-handed” regulations that would limit opportunities for youth to be involved in agriculture.

Taxes

Obama: Says the tax code has become “increasingly complicated and unfair.” Many tax incentives serve important purposes, but that altogether, the tax expenditures in the law are “inefficient, unfair, duplicative, or even unnecessary.”

Calls for comprehensive tax reform by extending the middle class tax cuts for the 98 percent of Americans making less than $250,000 for another year. At the same time, asks the wealthiest to pay “their fair share.” Remains opposed to extension of tax cuts for those with household incomes above $250,000 a year.

On estate taxes, his proposal would return the top tax rate on estates to 45 percent and reinstate the $7 million per-couple estate tax exemption. Also, would return capital gains taxes to the rates they were when Bill Clinton was president, while calling for the permanent elimination of capital gains taxes on key small business investments.

Romney: Calls for tax reform that lowers tax rates, broadens the base, achieves revenue neutrality and maintains the “progressivity” of the tax code.

Says this will help jump-start an economic recovery that will help create 12 million jobs in his first term in office. Regarding the estate and capital gains taxes, he says he will eliminate the estate tax while also maintaining the current 15 percent capital gains rate for wealthier Americans, while totally eliminating capital gains, dividend and interest taxes for those who earn less than $200,000 a year.

He says these lower rates will help farmers keep more of what they earn, while helping the middle-class save tax-free for long-term costs like college tuition and retirement, and to enjoy the “freedom that accompanies financial security.”

Trade

Obama: Notes that last year, American farm income reached a record high with a record number of agricultural exports and a record agriculture trade surplus that means more of our products are being sold in markets around the world.

He signed three historic trade agreements with Panama, Columbia and South Korea that will help increase exports by $2.3 billion — supporting nearly 20,000 American jobs. And he is working to expand local and regional food markets, noting that farmers markets expanded 53 percent in number since 2008.

Romney: Says ag trade is “incredibly” important to our economy and job creation. Warns against “ineffective” trade policy that lingers in bureaucracy and does not advance our economic interests.

Says he will work to promote multilateral trade agreements and reverse the course of the Obama Administration, which Romney says has only enacted three trade agreements — all initiated in the Bush Administration.

Says he will work with Congress to gain Trade Promotion Authority in order to complete trade agreements. Will also encourage the World Trade Organization to reassert itself in order to “resolve” and “restrict” non-science based trade restrictions.

Food safety

Obama: Says major reforms were necessary when he took office, due to the high frequency of foodborne illnesses.

Created the Food Safety Working Group to help look at ways to improve food safety, and passed the “most comprehensive reform of our nation’s food safety laws” in decades, increasing Food and Drug Administration authority.

Continues to develop ways to work with the food industry and increase the traceability of contaminated foods.

Romney: Says American farmers and producers, especially the produce industry, have a long history of taking responsibility for food safety and that preventive practices “are the best tools” to reduce food-borne illnesses, while also being the most cost-effective option.

Says preventive practices are best developed by the growers, handlers, processors and others involved with the supply chain. Says the FDA must “collaborate” with the industry, along with state agencies and colleges, to develop food safety guidelines.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The fresh fruit and vegetable industry has a profound effect on all 50 states, according to updated state profiles recently released by United Fresh and provided to Congress at the recent Washington Public Policy Conference.

Results

The data in the series reveals that all 50 states grow and sell fresh produce, and the profiles also include acreage, farms, employment and production value for each state.

“The state profiles highlight the impact that the fresh produce industry has on the health and economy of every state in the country,” said Robert Guenther, United Fresh senior vice president of public policy.

“Last week, Washington Public Policy Conference attendees delivered this data to their senators and representatives to drive home the importance of passing a farm bill, and we encourage members to refer to these profiles in their advocacy efforts.”

The profiles examine each state’s share of the Farm Bill Specialty Crop Block Grants, WIC program funding and funding allotment for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, showcasing projects and success stories for each.

Impact

The state profiles also detail the impact of adult and childhood obesity and diabetes in each state, as well as the number of participants in federal feeding programs such as the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.

Data used in the reports come from federal and industry research sources. The profiles are available free of charge at www.unitedfresh.org.

Hello again!

Transitions are a part of life. Sometimes it is a long transition, such as if you have a child going to college. College bound kids are just starting their journey to adult hood and independence.

They may be out of the house, but their stuff is still in their room, they still are asking for money, and they still know where to go for a hot meal. Heck, I am in my 40s and I still know Mom will cook me a hot meal.

Sometimes it is a quick transition, like my junior high son moving from soccer season into wrestling season. You think you are going to catch a breath but then a week full of conditioning and practices suddenly pop up. Cleats come out of the duffel bag and are quickly replaced with headgear.

Here at FSA, we go through some type of transition every time a farm bill comes and goes. This time it looks like it will be a longer transition.

Farm bill

The 2008 Farm Bill expired Sept. 30, leaving the fate of several programs up in the air. Even without a renewal of the farm bill for 2013, there are still lose ends to tie up from previous years.

Payments for the 2012 contract years of both the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have been processed here in October. Participants should have already received these deposits into their accounts.

SURE

Also this month, Oct. 22 was the beginning of sign up for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program. The SURE program provides assistance to producers who suffered crop losses due to natural disasters.

Eligible producers must have a qualifying loss, which means at least a 10 percent production loss affecting one crop of economic significance due to a disaster on a farm in a disaster county.

Declared SURE disaster counties in northeastern Ohio for 2011 include Ashtabula, Coshocton, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Trumbull, and Wayne. A complete listing of disaster declared counties can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ under the Disaster Assistance Program tab.

Producers outside a declared disaster county, but with production losses greater than or equal to 50 percent of the normal production on the farm (expected revenue for all crops on the farm), also qualify for SURE.

Remember that SURE is a “whole farm” disaster loss program. SURE covers all crops in all counties that contribute at least 5 percent of the expected revenue for a producer’s farm.

Losses for one crop may be offset by other crops that show higher than average income, much the same way loses in one or two crops may pull down total farm income to qualify for benefits. The sign-up deadline is June 7, 2013; however, all interested producers are encouraged to apply well before that date.

That’s all for now!

FSA Andy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The fresh fruit and vegetable industry has a profound effect on all 50 states, according to updated state profiles recently released by United Fresh and provided to Congress at the recent Washington Public Policy Conference.

The data in the series reveals that all 50 states grow and sell fresh produce, and the profiles also include acreage, farms, employment and production value for each state.

“The state profiles highlight the impact that the fresh produce industry has on the health and economy of every state in the country,” said Robert Guenther, United Fresh senior vice president of public policy. “Last week, Washington Public Policy Conference attendees delivered this data to their senators and representatives to drive home the importance of passing a Farm Bill, and we encourage members to refer to these profiles in their advocacy efforts.”

The profiles examine each state’s share of the Farm Bill Specialty Crop Block Grants, WIC program funding and funding allotment for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, showcasing projects and success stories for each.

The state profiles also detail the impact of adult and childhood obesity and diabetes in each state, as well as the number of participants in federal feeding programs such as the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.

Data used in the reports come from federal and industry research sources. The profiles are available free of charge at www.unitedfresh.org.

The page 1 headline reads: “Will Farm Relief Be Worth Having in 25 Years?”

The year was 1932, when the A&P ad in the same issue of Farm and Dairy was offering three pounds of coffee for 59 cents and three cakes of Lifebuoy soap for 19 cents.

That was the year the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its lowest point of the Great Depression, down almost 90 percent since 1929. Many rural residents had no electricity, no phone, no car and no indoor plumbing.

Farmers in 1932 were hard hit by the economic depression and price deflation. Large drops in commodity prices reduced the value of their goods, many couldn’t make their loan payments, and farm foreclosures escalated. Between 1929 and 1932, gross farm income dropped 52 percent and rural incomes were 40 percent of urban incomes.

Still, most farmers — the rugged individualists they are — were loath to seek public assistance.

What agriculture needs, said Cornell University economist George F. Warren back in October 1932, is “legislation that will be worth as much to agriculture 25 years from now as it is in this emergency.” He was speaking to an audience of Ohio agricultural extension workers in Columbus. The following year, the first farm bill, the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act, was approved.

Those are wise words for us 80 years later. What will serve agriculture in the future? Inasmuch as we immediately think of farm bill themes, Warren reminds us that nonfarm issues have as much bearing on our industry as crop insurance.

In 1932, in his home state of New York, Warren said farmers worked to get funding for local schools, and roads, and a reforestation program that took the poorest lands out of farm production (think highly erodible land conservation programs).

It is not 1932. It’s not even 1982. Today, we would champion health care, tax and immigration issues, in addition to education and transportation — as issues that affect agriculture long-term.

Today, we need more flexible credit for beginning and young farmers. U.S. farmers are a graying lot, and who can afford to start farming at today’s land and input prices?

Today, farmers should work to improve food availability here in the U.S., and for programs that bolster employment. Today, we need to respect thoughtful, not mindless, regulation.

Today, we should demand accountability and transparency at all levels.

Today, we want it all: a healthy environment, low taxes, cheap food, profitable agriculture community and a solid rural economy.

But if we looked long-term, what is it that would be “worth as much to agriculture 25 years from now” as it is today? I’d love to hear from you.

By Susan Crowell

While we wait, the farm bill was left lying on the floor of a bickering Congress, like a bunch of defiant kids who refuse to pick up their toys, then get to go out for recess anyway. And in the face of it all, we are expected to believe that the title of the legislation is related in some way to its total contents.

Big impact

This stalemate may eventually impact all farmers, but presently dairy farmers are hit worst of all, as they operate at a loss in the face of soaring hay, grain and fuel prices.

The Milk Income Loss Contract has expired, along with the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which will accept no new sign-ups. For dairy farmers, their cows still need to eat, and they still need to be milked, in spite of the fact that milk sells for less than it costs to produce.

Farm bill expiration

The massive farm bill has been described as a hodgepodge of laws, items thrown together under the ridiculous umbrella termed “agriculture.” The farm bill expires as I write this, with no temporary net put in place, and no serious discussion of separating out some of the bill.

The summary alone of this bill is 17 pages long, and at the core of the issue is the food stamp program.

In the 1960s, the Supplemental National Assistance Program was put in place, but at that time, food assistance came in the form of food, not stamps, as the country tried to help the urban hungry benefit from the rural food supply. Surplus commodities included in this program were such things as peanut butter, chicken and cheese.

Small part of budget. It is not the fault of farmers that at some point this became a food stamp program that has its share of issues. Place the blame on legislative maneuvering for the fact that the food stamp program encompasses nearly 80 percent of the total cost to taxpayers in the farm bill, a flawed idea in the first place.

But keep in mind, this still only represents about 2 percent of the federal budget.

Instead of a mutually beneficial food assistance plan that essentially put excess food where it needed to be, we have a food stamp program that demands serious scrutiny.

This, it would seem to me, is reason enough for the food stamp program to be moved far away from the farm bill. Instead, this stall and political posturing is costing many dairy farmers what little profit they need to go on while they work harder than ever.

Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners executive director Russell Libby has said, “This year, the agreement is falling apart because there’s such a strong voice in the House to cut the food assistance program that it’s preventing the rest of the farm bill from moving forward. You have the fiscally conservative voices in the House who, in a sense, are voting against their constituents — the rural interests — in the interest of the budget.”

Agriculture alone

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need any of these programs; in a reasonable world, the farm bill would impact agriculture alone.

Libby predicted this farm bill might be the last that combines agriculture and food stamps, but others are doubtful, saying that dividing them could have consequences.

Urban areas are now home to two-thirds of the U.S. population. “You need a chunk of those votes if you’re going to pass a bill in the House,” Libby said.

Described as “wishful thinking,” nearly every farmer I know would like to see the farm bill and food stamp issue addressed in separate bills.

Safety net

In the meantime, we have to hope for extension of a temporary safety net to protect dairy farmers as soon as possible, even though that assuredly would not make all of the problems go away.

No one can go in to the red every milking time and expect to stay in business. Apparently, only our government gets to operate that way for long, not those who make up the working class.

A long, bitter year in the long, bitter Congressional session drifted into the campaign season with the U.S. House of Representatives unable or unwilling to butter the softest piece of legislative toast before them, the 2012 Farm Bill.

Speaker of the House John Boehner attempted to telegraph that likely outcome two months ago as Congress ran out of town for its August recess.

That he couldn’t organize his caucus for a farm bill vote at the height of a devastating drought was a surprise. A far bigger surprise was Boehner’s failure to organize his members for a farm bill vote after the recess’s five weeks of jabbering and jawboning.

Are we to believe that the Speaker of the House is so powerless in his own caucus that he cannot pat enough knees or twist enough arms to pass a pretty bipartisan, mostly non-controversial farm bill that would likely benefit every GOP candidate in every reliably red state in rural America this November?

Not likely, the Speaker could have steamrollered a vote. In fact, if the conservative wing of his caucus wanted more cuts to food assistance programs — a claim they made in denouncing the House Ag Committee’s 10-year cut of $16.5 billion from food stamps in the bill’s $969 billion of overall spending — Boehner could have delivered that chance through the amendment process during floor action. But he didn’t; why?

Figuring it out

One explanation is that any move to alter the Ag Committee’s bill on the House floor faced a coalescing wall of urban Democrats and rural, tea-tinged Republicans who either thought the food aid cuts were too deep (the Dems) or too shallow (the Repubs).

As such, the Speaker couldn’t find the necessary Republican noses to move forward for a vote. The Dems certainly weren’t going to save his political bacon and GOP conservatives clearly wanted more of what they called farm bill fat in the frying pan.

Separately, but together, they stymied the speaker. Another, more likely explanation is that Boehner couldn’t risk a vote on food assistance funding because his political opposition, led by the Ag Committee’s former chairman, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, probably would have won either vote.

The Minnesota Democrat, with but a handful of Republicans, probably could have held the line on the bill’s food aid budget and, probably, would have played a similar role to defeat any amendment demanding deeper cuts.

Probably is the operative word for two reasons. First, neither vote was held so we simply don’t know either outcome and, second, neither was held because — probably — the Speaker knew the outcome: Defeat.

Boehner, after all, is product of the House and you don’t ascend to the thin air of Congressional leadership without a Ph.D. in vote counting. Neither outcome, both harmful to the Speaker’s standing, was something the nation’s highest-ranking Republican wanted six weeks before an election to determine the political make-up of Congress and the White House.

Doing nothing

Still, the move to do nothing is a gamble several of his GOP colleagues in tight election races around the country must now address. For example, North Dakota’s freshman Republican House member, Rick Berg, has seen his Senate race against Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, the state’s former attorney general, tighten since Boehner failed to move the Farm Bill through his GOP-dominated House.

Berg calls the Speaker’s handling of the whole process “poor.” Worse for farmers, ranchers and rural communities is Boehner’s recent promise to “deal with the Farm Bill after the election.”

Asked what that meant — an extension of the current law or a vote on the Ag Committee’s rewrite — the Speaker would only say he probably doesn’t have the votes to pass either now.

So what’s a vote in an after-election, lame duck session — with the same members carrying even more political baggage and facing even tighter deadlines on even bigger issues — gonna’ do? It’s a gamble that carries nothing but trouble for the Speaker, his colleagues and you.

LONDON, Ohio — You would expect new technology at an exposition called the Farm Science Review. I mean, science is the event’s middle name.

But on opening day of this year’s Review, the emphasis on agricultural innovation and what it means to rural America didn’t come just from the equipment exhibitors — it was the buzzword of Ohio’s governor and the U.S. secretary of agriculture.

“Innovation is driving a new economy in rural areas,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, speaking at the Vice President’s Luncheon Sept. 18.

And it’s because of agricultural productivity and efficiency innovations, “that we enjoy something in this country that a lot of people take for granted,” he added. “Americans are food secure.”

Everything that the U.S. needs to survive “is grown and raised in our country,” a system and capacity that few countries have, Vilsack said.

“Innovation has been the key.”

He cited research at Ohio State that blends human health, nutrition and medicine, with agriculture and food science.

“We have the possibility of taking what we grow and turning it into medicine.”

The result is “an amazing, exciting, challenging new world,” Vilsack said, that is drawing young people to careers that explore the potential of agriculture.

Farm bill stalemate

Vilsack expressed concern at the lack of movement of a new farm bill in the House.

Although he was speaking days before the 2008 farm bill expired Sept. 30, it was all but certain there would be no vote in the full House before month’s end.

“The tragic thing is we’ve got momentum built in rural areas: record farm income, record exports, record acres enrolled in conservation, record expansion of local and regional food system,” along with declining unemployment, Vilsack said.

“Why would you want to stop that momentum?”

Bigger cuts looming?

He hinted at a “hidden agenda” for deeper cuts to farm programs.

“There’s been a lot of conversation about nutrition assistance programs,” Vilsack said. “What isn’t being discussed is that some members of the House want even steeper cuts to the farm programs themselves.”

His fear, he said, is that the farm programs will be “wrapped up into a much larger discussion about deficit reduction and tax policy” and lawmakers will “make the case that farm programs and the safety net have to be cut even further.”

‘We’re gaining’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich used his Farm Science Review appearance to point to the agribusiness scoreboard, and said there have been 2,000 jobs created in the state since January 2011.

He pointed to expansions of ag-related companies like Empire Packing and Dannon Yogurt, and said there’s been a $731 million investment by the state’s agribusinesses, and another 28 projects are pending.

“This is in an area where we should be just so pumped up, because this is agribusiness,” Kasich said.

“I think we’re gaining,” he added. “We’re winning, but we’re just not there yet. I’m never satisfied.”

He challenged the farm leaders in the audience to figure out a way to better leverage the state’s farm assets in an economic development push.

“We have to take our agricultural operations, our ability to commercialize, our ability to R&D, and we need to coordinate it statewide,” Kasich said.

The goal, he added, should be to “tell people about what we have here in Ohio, and why they should be here and nowhere else.”

“We’re waking up a sleeping giant, here in Ohio,” Kasich said.


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Farm and Dairy video of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at Farm Science Review Sept. 18, 2012:

Farm and Dairy video of Ohio Gov. John Kasich at Farm Science Review Sept. 18, 2012:

LONDON, Ohio — Sept. 30 will come and go with action taken in the House on the expiring 2008 farm bill. And don’t expect any until after the November elections.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, while taking questions during a Sept. 21 news conference, indicated the full House will not vote on the farm bill until after November elections.

“When we get back after the election, we will consult with our members and develop a pathway forward,” he said, adding “it is too early to determine right now what kind of mood members are going to be in and what kind of opinions they are going to have.”

The House delays have drawn criticism from farmers across the country, but Boehner said House leaders “don’t typically put bills on the floor where we are expecting certain failure.”

The Obama Administration and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture have also expressed frustration over the House vote delay.

“In a year that has brought its share of challenges to America’s farmers and ranchers, the House Republicans have added new uncertainty for rural America,” Sec. Tom Vilsack said in a statement to media.

Speaking at the Farm Science Review Sept. 18, Vilsack said he fears a “hidden agenda of sorts.”

“In the Ryan budget that was passed, there was a $50 billion reduction in commodity, conservation and crop insurance provisions,” Vilsack said, “and I fear that that is really the goal here, to get this wrapped up into a much larger discussion about deficit reduction and tax policy, and then make the case that farm programs and the safety net have to be cut even further.”

The background

The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan version of the farm bill in June and the House Agriculture Committee passed its version of in July, but the full House failed to take up the bill before its Sept. 30 expiration.

But this will not be the first time the farm bill expires before a new one is renewed.

“It’s more common than not common that the farm bill expires before another one is approved,” said Carl Zulauf, ag policy expert with Ohio State University, speaking on a panel discussion Sept. 18 at the 50th Farm Science Review.

However, “What’s uncommon is not to pass some kind of short-term extension,” said Katharine Ferguson, rural policy director for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Without an extension, farmers could be left without a disaster plan to handle the difficult year they just experienced, and wondering if and when one will be approved.

Cost savings

Zulauf said there is an “enormous incentive for farmers to act on this farm bill,” and one is the cost savings. Both the Senate and House Ag versions already save between $23 and $36 billion.

That’s in addition to the incentive of helping farmers and the nation’s nutrition programs, which depend on the bill.

One of the biggest changes in the current farm bill is the elimination of direct payments to farmers, and a stronger emphasis on risk management, mostly in the form of crop insurance and better crop insurance programs.

“The next farm bill will be about crop insurance and the cost of crop insurance,” Zulauf said. “It costs $5 billion a year now. It’s no longer a small program. We are at that point where we will be taking a hard look at that.”

Budget process

Part of the change is due to record profits in the crop commodities, but also an overall tightening of the federal budget.

Ferguson said the Senate bill combines some key programs and cuts some others, in ways that are “radically different” than the farm bill discussions in 2008. The biggest reason, she said, is “the budget process.”

One farmer asked the panel why food nutrition programs are permitted to use the majority of farm bill funds, for programs like food stamps.

Roberts said part of the reason is, the bill represents rural as well as municipal regions of the country, and amounts to “a political compromise,” to include all interests.

Because House legislators failed to act before their recess, farmers will have to wait until the lame duck session in November to learn the fate of the farm bill.

SALEM, Ohio — Two of the nation’s largest farm lobby organizations and what appears to be most of the major commodity organizations are planning a rally in Washington, D.C. Sept. 12, to encourage House lawmakers to act swiftly in voting on a new farm bill.

The current farm bill expires Sept. 30, and farm leaders say they’re working together to get a bill passed that will help them over the next five years, and during recovery from this year’s historic drought.

“Congress is coming back into session (Sept. 10),” said Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union. “We need them to pass the farm bill.”

The bill was approved by the Senate June 21, and the House Ag Committee July 12, but has not yet been taken up by the full House.

“This has been an uphill struggle from the beginning but we’ve crossed every hurdle so far,” Johnson said.

Johnson will lead the event along with American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman. Johnson said the farm bill has been a bipartisan effort so far, and he hopes it will remain bipartisan.

“At the end of the day a bill is produced and while each of us may prefer to change certain parts of that bill, the value of that bill is larger than not passing that bill,” he said.

The details. The rally will be held at Union Square at the Capitol Reflecting Pool and will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. It is being called the Farm Bill Now rally. It’s unclear what all will be involved, but Johnson said organizers will speak and he hopes to have some Congressional leaders speak, as well.

Farmers and the organizations that represent them are especially concerned about the historic drought, which in some states is the worst in 50 years. They say a bill is needed to help farmers through the current year, and into the next five.

“We appreciate all of the work done to date by Congress and look forward to working with the House to get a farm bill passed and into conference as soon as possible,” Stallman said in a released statement. “In light of the drought, it is imperative for America’s farmers that a farm bill is passed this year.”

Johnson said the House could consider the bill through conference committees, or directly on the House floor. He said he doesn’t care how it happens, as long as it’s done.

“We are indifferent as to the process,” he said. “The current bill expires the end of September. We want a new bill by the end of September.”

More about the rally is available at www.farmbillnow.com.

Recently, my agriculture pursuits allowed me a venture into pop culture, as I made time to read The Hunger Games. Now the movie has been released and it prompted me to compare the author’s theme with the future of agriculture.

Synopsis

If you are not familiar with the fictional novel, it takes place in a nation known as Panem, established in North America after the destruction of civilization by some unknown event.

As punishment for rebellion, each district annually selects one boy and one girl (called tributes) to participate in the Hunger Games. The event stages the participant in a game of survival and they must fight to the death in an outdoor arena until one individual remains. The district who hosts the winner is awarded with favor and food.

The story is narrated by a 16-year-old tribute named Katniss. For years, she has already dealt with the struggle of all in Panem (and her home district) with self preservation prompted by starvation and the need for resources.

Animals are perceived as a lifeline for survival, but Katniss’ younger sister also has a special relationship with a pet cat.

Her deceased father gifted her with knowledge of how to skillfully use the bow and arrow and she used the talent to hunt and provide for her family’s food. This necessity will now become extremely useful as she competes in the games.

Prediction

Is this novel science fiction or possibly a glimpse into our future? There is a difference between being hungry and actual hunger. By 2050, the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion which is 34 percent higher than today. It is predicted that nearly all of this population will occur in developing countries.

Urbanization will continue at an accelerated pace and about 70 percent of the world’s population will be urban as compared to 49 percent today. In order to feed the larger, more urban and richer population, food production must increase by 70 percent.

That increase must take place amidst a greater demand for food security and safety, a move towards a global trading system, and a consuming public far removed the experiences and realities of production agriculture.

“An army marches on its stomach.” This is a quote from Napoleon which indicates the power that food has as a resource.

To date, hunger is not a feeling that I have experienced, but the pictures of it are enough to cure my appetite.

Family meals

In my childhood, food was supplied three times a day for my physical needs but it also set the emotional stage for the gathering of our family. It was not prepared from a cardboard box, but it was my mother’s magic that combined just the proper amount a several ingredients to an end product that sat on our table.

Cakes, pies, biscuits, roasts, mashed potatoes were all balanced with physical activity. Refusal to sample all foods on the plate could transform into a means of discipline as we were taught to waste nothing and appreciate the bounty that starving children in India did not have.

One time I made the mistake of curtly asking my father to name one of those children. The response taught me quickly to never again question his parental judgment.

Back then, a trip to the grocery store was a weekly chore and a budget was carefully followed. Today, that same event is filled with over 38,000 choices of items on display to keep up with wide array of consumer needs, taste palates and curiosity.

On occasion, we ate out. It was a time when manners were taught and it was a genuine experience that created much anticipation as we tasted a cuisine other than Mom’s.

Treat

Soda pop was not available in our home unless my mother splurged on some root beer for a float. What a treat it was!

Today the uncommon is ordinary, or business as usual, and our taste for flavorful food can find immediate gratification with restaurants on every street corner in America, if you are willing to pay the price.

One can only imagine that amount of food waste in our homes and in extravagant proportion sizes at these establishments. Plus it is showing up on our waistlines when we do not find the time to balance caloric intake with physical activity.

In our home I take pride in those early values and we still find the time for a family meal at the table without television in the background. Maybe cows have inadvertently forced us into the routine, but it is a good one.

An agriculture background has often led to core values that are passed from generation to generation and perhaps that is our greatest product. American farmers have worked hard to feed the public and that path has led us to create more and more types on food from soil that was once barren and a transit system to deliver fresh goods to all whether the selection takes place in a store or a farmers market.

Land of plenty

The ingenuity of food is based upon the American dream as we live in the land of plenty where less than 10 percent of our income (the lowest of any country) is spent on our food purchases and a large percentage of that is devoted to eating out.

Let us not forget that much of the farm bill budget is devoted to food dollars to those less fortunate.

I realize I usually write about concerns for youth. Will the events portrayed in The Hunger Games become somewhat real for them as they are challenged to meet the food demands of the future? How will we educate and prepare for such debates that food will present? What will happen to the economics of supply and demand?

It would be fun to peek through some crystal ball to see what will take place, but at my tenured age I will defer most of that to those I have taught, and maybe influenced as an educator. I just hope I was a part of the solution and not the problem.

Bon appetit America, but every bite was conceived and created by a farmer who took pride in producing it. May the games of the future be focused around the sports we traditionally understand and enjoy.

Correction: Mike Callicrate is the named plaintiff on the lawsuit mentioned in this article. It was not filed by Organization for Competitive Markets, of which he is president.

WOOSTER, Ohio — Leather boots and cowboy hats descended upon Wayne and Holmes counties the weekend of Aug. 17-19, for the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Roundup.

There were plenty of other styles, as well, but the event drew a couple hundred people who showed tell-tale signs they belonged to the beef industry.

The event started Friday evening with a meal at Certified Angus Beef’s new Education & Culinary Center. Guests were given an overview of the company and some of the newest cuts of beef on the market.

On Saturday, the group got an early morning update from the president of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association — J.D. Alexander. He hails from Pilger, Neb., and owns a 2,000-acre crop farm that markets about 15,000 head of cattle per year.

He talked about a host of issues facing cattle farmers, from legislation in Washington, to protecting the industry from attacks by animal rights groups. He also encouraged the group to support the beef checkoff program, and assured them it’s representing their interests.

“We’re all in it together and we’ve got to work together to make sure that we keep things (going) for the next generation,” he said.

Advancing the industry

He commended Ohio farmers for their ongoing effort to increase the amount given to their checkoff program. If successful, Ohio will join about seven other states that have similar programs.

“Nobody else is going to be out there promoting our product,” he said. “We’ve got to do that ourselves.”

A current issue facing beef producers is an Aug. 10 lawsuit against their checkoff program and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, filed by Mike Callicrate, now-president of Organization for Competitive Markets — which has partnered with the animal rights organization Humane Society of the United States. Callicrate alleges misspending of funds, among other things.

“This is very disgusting,” Alexander said. “When an organization teams with an organization like HSUS, that is not good. … This is an organization — HSUS — that wants you and I out of business.”

Alexander said representation is key, and farmers can represent themselves on their own, but often don’t have the time to do what the checkoff and national beef organization can do.

A recent success story, he said, was getting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clarify and retract its effort to declare Monday, a Meatless Monday. Alexander said national cattlemen staff contacted USDA almost immediately, and he got a call from the secretary of agriculture within hours, apologizing for what happened.

“If you’re not represented, people can have their input and sway the thinking,” he said.

Farm bill

Alexander also encouraged action on the 2012 farm bill. The U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan version June 21, but the House has yet to vote on the bill, and is on recess through the first week of September. The 2008 farm bill expires Sept. 30.

“Let’s get the farm bill passed in whatever form it’s going to be,” he said, “so at least we know what we’re dealing with, and then we can help address different issues.”

One of those issues is drought — which has affected nearly all of Ohio and the Midwest and West. Alexander said conditions in Ohio are not as bad as other states, but the crop year is still off.

Glen Dolezal, of Cargill Meat Solutions, the largest processor of ground beef in the world, said cattle numbers are down and so is butchering.

“We have the capacity to harvest 9.5 million cattle annually,” he said. “We won’t do that this year because the numbers are down.”

He said total U.S. cattle numbers are not expected to rebound until 2016. The market will remain tight and producers who have ample mother cows and feed supply, will be “sitting in a pretty good position.”

The short cattle supply has already had an effect in the grocery store, where Dolezal said it’s common to see steaks sell for $12 or more a pound.

“It is expensive, but so is everything else,” he said.

On the farm

The afternoon featured a stop at Ohio State University’s Beef & Sheep Centers, and Acker Farms. Researchers Francis Fluharty and Steve Loerch talked about the improvements to beef efficiency over the years, which have seen average live weights increase from about 1,050 pounds 30 years ago, to about 1,250 pounds today.

At the OSU facility, more than 90 percent of the cattle raised are finishing choice, and are being studied for greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to other things.

Fluharty said what they’re finding is, grain-fed beef are actually producing less greenhouse gasses than grass-fed, because the cattle are more efficient and are kept for less time.

“It is hands-down that you get more greenhouse gas production per pound of product with the grass-fed animal that’s been around for 18 months,” he said. “That fermentation and that rumen from forages is not as efficient as when there are more grains in that diet,” he said.

Grillin’ beef

Auctioneer and cattle rancher Dave Acker welcomed the group to his beef farm, just south of Wooster. He’s raised beef for many years, but started his own branded program — Acker Grillin’ Beef — about four years ago, “mainly because people want to know where their beef comes from.”

His cattle are bred and raised on the farm and processed locally. He currently has about 120 head of freezer beef and sells them most weeks of the year.

Large retailers, he said, “give you a choice of three countries where their beef came from. We give you a choice of two townships where our beef came from.”

Other stops on the tour included Paint Valley Farms in western Holmes County, where the Lee Miller family raises registered Shorthorn cattle. The family sells show cattle for local and national shows and uses advanced breeding technology to produce 30 spring calving and 30 fall calving cows.

The tour also included the Wooster Cargill Feed Plant, with dinner catered by Turk Brothers of Ahland County. The feed plant manufactures 50,000 tons of bagged Nutrena feed a year and was named Feed Mill of the Year by the American Feed Industry Association.

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LOUDONVILLE, Ohio — Marcia Lahmers was recognized as Ashland County Farm Bureau‘s Distinguished Volunteer during the farm group’s annual meeting Aug. 13 at Mohican Wilderness Adventure in Loudonville.

Lahmers has been active in the county Farm Bureau, serving on committees, serving as a board member and serving as president.

U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-18th, gave an update on the 2008 farm bill, which is set to expire in late September, and said direct payments, crop insurance and food stamps are among the most hotly debated items in the bill.

Gibbs also addressed another challenge, the Maritime Transportation System, which is a primary source of transportation for agricultural products.

“The river system is critical to many industries,” he said. “We need to get locks updated and the ports updated.”

Also attending was Dave Hall, R-97th, who chairs the Ohio House agricultural committee.

Pam Haley, northeast region women’s trustee, stressed the importance of the council programs as part of the grass roots organization, and encouraged those in attendance to become part of a council.

Two of the county’s councils were recognized in the annual contest: Happy Buckeyes, and the Happy Trails Council.

Hot issues

Haley said the issue of water quality is growing in importance, and the ODA, ODNR, Ohio EPA and other related agencies have been working on establishing policies for the Lake Saint Mary watershed.

“The rules and regulations would affect farmers across the state. You need to make sure that you have your nutrient management plans in place and that you are in compliance,” Haley said.

“The last thing we need is more regulations.”

Roger Baker was introduced as the new state board member representing Wayne, Ashland, Medina and Summit counties. Baker encouraged the members to provide feedback on the proposed severance tax issue.

Recommendations on the issue were to impose a 4 percent tax on gas and oil and lower the state income tax rate, impose a 5 percent tax and remit revenue back to municipalities for infrastructure improvements and local services, propose no additional tax, or stay neutral on the matter.

“Sometimes we take things for granted,” Baker said. “The severance tax and water quality issues are critical. They could affect how we farm our land.”

Potential policies

During the meeting, members voted on county policies including conducting educational programs on new farm truck regulations, funding projects for the county’s 4-H program and working to expedite moving the local Farm Services Agency.

State policy suggestions approved included support for landowners seeking to negotiate leases to include mineral rights not included in areas used for natural gas storage; request the Livestock Care Standards Board reexamine its standard opposing docking tails on dairy cattle. They also approved a suggested code change for the OFBF’s Code of Regulations related to membership renewals.

Elected to the board of trustees were Bill Burrow, Matt Stewart and Christy Hulse. Delegates to the 2013 OFBF annual meeting will be Evan Hahn, Christina Fisher, Christy Hulse and Justin Ringler. Alternates will be Ron Dickerhoof and Erik Manges.

ABOVE: Dr. Bruce McPheron, shown here Wednesday at Penn State University’s Ag Progress Days, was named the new dean of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on Thursday.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio State University has announced alumnus Bruce McPheron will become the next vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

McPheron is currently dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University and will start his new appointment Nov. 1, subject to approval by the board of trustees.

He will succeed Bobby Moser, who has served as dean and vice president since 1991. Moser announced his retirement in September 2011.

“Dr. McPheron is an Ohioan by birth, an Ohio State alumnus, and spent three years working as a county Extension educator in the state,” said Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. “He brings a global view and worldwide experience back to Ohio to lead one of Ohio State’s most important educational programs. I am delighted that we have been fortunate enough to attract him back home.”

Background

Originally from Kenton, Ohio, McPheron began his career as a 4-H county Extension educator in Ohio in the early 1980s and, since 1988, has worked in research and teaching at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

In 2002, he was named associate dean and director of Pennsylvania’s agricultural experiment station, and he was appointed dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences July 1, 2009.

For more than a decade, he has served on the college’s leadership team, first as associate dean and director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station and as dean since 2009.

“I look forward to my return to Ohio and The Ohio State University,” McPheron said. “The importance of agriculture in the state’s economy demands that we provide cutting-edge science to solve problems in food security, human health, and food safety. Ohio State has a national reputation for translating research to practice, an absolute necessity as we demonstrate that agricultural innovation is a job creator in partnership with the private sector.

“The educational mission of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences is equally important. OSU Extension is literally the front door to the university in every community in Ohio, and our resident instruction programs will ensure that we fill the pipeline with career-ready graduates who will lead the way in food, energy, and environmental systems,” he said.

“I’m going home, and the opportunity does fill me with excitement and anticipation, but there is a bittersweet edge to those emotions,” said McPheron. “It is hard to think of leaving my family’s home for the past 24 years.”

Experienced advocate

McPheron has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the farm bill and the importance of the programs authorized under that legislation for the integrated research, Extension, and higher education mission of the nation’s land-grant universities.

A highly respected scholar, McPheron is known globally for his research in insect genetics, including the development of new genetic tools for monitoring the spread of invasive fruit fly species. His scholarly interests also include international agriculture and agricultural biosecurity with research conducted throughout much of Latin America, in Africa and in Australia.

McPheron has a national reputation in agricultural leadership that includes serving as chair of the experiment station component of the Board of Agriculture Assembly of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). He now serves as chair-elect of APLU’s Policy Board of Directors of the Board on Agriculture Assembly and has served nationally in LEAD-21, the country’s professional development program for agricultural leaders that promotes linkages among research, academics, and extension.

McPheron earned his bachelor’s degree in entomology with honors at Ohio State, and his master’s degree in biology and his doctorate in entomology at the University of Illinois.

Personal life

McPheron and his wife, Marilyn, an artist and children’s book author and illustrator, have two children. Their son is a Navy rescue swimmer and antisubmarine warfare specialist, and their daughter is a senior majoring in photography at Penn State.

Penn State said it will appoint an interim dean as soon as possible and initiate a national search to identify McPheron’s successor, with the objective of having a new dean in place by July 1, 2013.

WOOSTER, Ohio — The countdown is on until Sept. 30, when the nation’s farm bill — last approved in 2008 — is set to expire.

The U.S. Senate approved a bipartisan five-year farm bill June 21, and the House Committee on Agriculture passed its version of the bill July 12 with a vote of 35 in favor and 11 opposed.

But the bill has yet to be taken up by the full House, which is now on recess until Sept. 10. The House would have about 20 days to pass the bill if it plans to approve something before the current bill expires.

In the short-term, the House has passed a disaster assistance package called the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012, to help farmers who are facing significant financial loss as a result of this year’s record-setting drought.

Separate bill

The disaster bill is not a replacement for the farm bill, House Ag Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said after the vote.

“This is not a long-term solution, but it takes care of the problem until we can get a five-year farm bill on the books and put those policies in place,” Lucas said in a statement to media. “I am committed to giving certainty to our farmers and I plan to work toward that goal when we return in September.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said a long-term plan is essential because farmers need long-term certainty.

“If they [House] just want to do a one-year, that doesn’t get us to where we need to go,” he said during a media conference call Aug. 1.

Brown and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke about the importance of a full farm bill Aug. 3 at the Ohio State Fair. If the farm bill isn’t passed by Sept. 30, Brown said it probably won’t get done until after elections and will become entangled with other discussions — like taxes, unemployment and budget cuts.

More cuts to farming

It will likely mean even deeper cuts to the farm programs, if the bill is delayed.

Those “risks to rural America are too great,” Vilsack said, adding it’s “a serious risk if this thing gets mixed up in the larger discussion about across-the-board cuts and defense spending and tax cuts. I guarantee you rural America will rue the day the House didn’t take action.”

U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, said passing a farm bill before Sept. 30 “is a priority.” He recently visited with farmers in northwest Ohio, who are experiencing some of the state’s worst drought conditions.

“As one of the largest agricultural districts in the state, many farmers have expressed the need for stability to make planning decisions,” he told Farm and Dairy in an email. “Disasters, such as the drought, are inevitable and unpredictable, but knowing what will be available to farmers will help to mitigate the impacts of harsh farming conditions.”

The nation’s largest crop and livestock organizations have expressed frustration over the farm bill uncertainty, and some say the disaster package is a political tool.

In a letter to Congressional leaders, dated Aug. 2, farm organizations said they “do not oppose passage of a disaster assistance bill, but note that almost identical provisions to retroactively extend these four programs are included in the Senate-passed farm bill and the bill reported by the House Agriculture Committee. …

“It is imperative that we pass a comprehensive, long-term farm bill. Farmers and ranchers always face decisions that carry very serious financial ramifications, such as planting a crop, buying land or building a herd, and we need clear and confident signals from our lawmakers.”

Duplicative step?

Roger Johnson, president of National Farmers Union, said all of the programs in the disaster bill could be extended for the full life of the 2012 farm bill, if it were enacted.

“This duplicative step only wastes precious legislative time,” he said in a statement to media.

“This proposed disaster package is designed to make it appear as though Congress is taking action to help farmers in need before members go home to their districts this month. However, this ill-considered action only holds farmers hostage with uncertainty, and does nothing to address specialty crops, dairy, commodities and other non-insured produce.”

Fixing a problem

But Lucas, in his Aug. 2 testimony, insisted the disaster package was because the 2008 farm bill did not provide a final year of disaster assistance.

“I have heard people calling this ‘extending disaster assistance by a year,’” Lucas said. “No. What we are doing is fixing a problem. We are backfilling a hole or fixing a deficiency. … We have a drought. We don’t have a disaster program. I am here to provide a solution.”