Utah Farm Bureau News

June 2010 Page 1UtahFarmBureauNews

Groundwater PlansManaging Utah’s Groundwater P. 9

Baxter BlackSwing Bag Betty P. 15

In MeMorIaMCFO Kim Frei Passes Away P.2

national Perspective................................P. 3Farm Bureau at work...............................P. 5Member Benefits......................................P. 6Farm safety column................................P. 10Baxter Black.............................................P. 15Classified Ads ..... ....................................P. 23

inside

Utah Farm Bureau NewsJune2010 NewsandviewsfromtheUtahFarmBureauFederation Vol.56,No.5

Anewdayforagriculture!UtahFarmBureauPresidentLelandHogan(farleft)andCEORandyParker(thirdfromright)joinwithotherdignitariesattheground-breakingforthenewCollegeofAgriculturebuildingonthehistoricUtahStateUniversityquad.

Photo courtesy of Utah State University

>Traceability Continued on P. 11

USDAtoholdmeet-inginSaltLakeCityonnewframeworkforanimaldisease

traceabilityMeeting will be opportunity for Utah farmers and ranchers to get information and provide

feedback to USDA and APHISAgriculture Secretary Vilsack has announced

that USDA is developing a new, flexible frame-work for animal disease traceability in the United States, and is undertaking several other actions to further strengthen its disease pre-vention and response capabilities.

“After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification System in 15 cities across the country, receiving thousands of comments from the public and input from states, tribal nations, industry groups, and rep-resentatives for small and organic farmers, it is apparent that a new strategy for animal dis-ease traceability is needed,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I’ve decided to revise the prior policy and offer a new approach to animal disease traceability with changes that respond directly to the feedback we heard.”

The framework was announced in February at the National Association of State Depart-ments of Agriculture (NASDA) Mid-Year meet-ing, providing the basic tenets of an improved animal disease traceability capability in the United States. USDA’s efforts will:

* Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce;

* Be administered by the states and tribal na-tions to provide more flexibility;

* Encourage the use of lower-cost technology; and

* Be implemented transparently through fed-eral regulations and the full rulemaking pro-cess.

“One of my main goals for this new approach

Make your plans early to attend the 2010 Utah Farm Bureau Midyear Conference in Logan, whose theme “Securing a Better Tomorrow” is something all in agriculture are striving for. With the convention being held in a new conference center in beautiful Cache County, Farm Bureau leaders are hoping all interested members will be able to attend. The conference will be packed with powerful information and presentations from members of Utah’s congressional delegation, candidates for Utah’s Governor, and members of the state legislature.

The many topics and activities scheduled at this year’s Midyear Conference, scheduled July 15-16, 2010, will provide something of interest to everyone. Hotel accommodations will be with the SpringHill Suites Marriott, which is adjacent to the Riverwoods Conference Center, where the conference will take place. Early registration is recommended to ensure that all rooming needs are available and to accommodate any special requests. Please contact your County Farm Bu-

CongressmenBishop&Chaffetz,Lt.GovBellandcandidatePeterCorroonheadline

2010MidyearConferenceinLoganreau Secretary to register for the conference. A registration forms is also provided on page 22 of this month’s issue of the Utah Farm Bureau News. The registration deadline for the conference is June 11. After that date, a late registration fee will be included.

“We think this will really be a timely conference, with issues impacting all in agriculture,” said Le-land Hogan, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. “While our current economic state is quite uncertain, some preparation now from farm-ers and ranchers can lead to new opportunities in the future. We hope to uncover some of the ways to prepare at this conference.”

Experts will be reporting on areas of high priority already identified through our Spring Issues Surfacing meetings (SISM). There will be presentations on developments in the water arena from Kent Jones, Utah State Engineer, and a new Irrigators Association by Troy Rindlisbacher.

>Midyear Continued on P. 14

Page 2 June 2010UtahFarmBureauNews

Utah Farm Bureau News(ISSN 1068-5960)

MattHargreaves,Editor

BusinessAddress:9865 South StateSandy, Utah 84070-3205

PhoneNumbers:General Inquiries: . (801) 233-3000Address Changes: (801) 233-3009Farm Bureau News: (801) 233-3003Classified Ads: ...... (801) 233-3010Fax: ..................... (801) 233-3030FBNewsE-mail: [email protected]:...... ................utfb.fb.org

NationalAdRep:The Weiss Group9414 E. San Salvador Dr. #226Scottsdale, Arizona 85258(480) 860-5394 [email protected]

LocalDisplayAdInformation:Jennifer Dahl(801) 233-3005

UTAHFARMBUREAUFEDERATIONOFFICERS

ChairmanandPresidentLeland J. Hogan, Stockton*

VicePresidentStephen A. Osguthorpe, Park City*

CEOandSecretary/TreasurerRandy N. Parker, Riverton

Chief Financial OfficerM. Kim Frei, Sandy* Denotes member of the Board of Direc-tors

BOARDOFDIRECTORSdistrict 1 ....................... John Ferry

corinnedistrict 2 .................. rulon Fowers

Hooperdistrict 3 ...................Flint Richards

ErdaDistrict 4 ...................... rex larsen

Spanish Forkdistrict 5 ...................... Scott Chew

JensenDistrict 6 ........... Edwin Sunderland

ChesterDistrict 7 ......................nan Bunker

deltaFarm Bureau Women’s Chairman......

Ruth Roberts, PenroseYoung Farmer & Rancher Chairman..

Dustin Cox, AltonPeriodicals Postage Paid at Sandy, Utah and at ad-ditional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, 9865 South State, Sandy, Utah 84070. Published quarterly for all Farm Bureau members (April/Spring, July/Sum-mer, Oct./Fall, Dec./Winter). Published expressly for farmer/rancher Farm Bureau members and others who specifically request copies Feb., March, May, June, Aug., Sept., and Nov. All eleven issues published by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation in Sandy, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 9865 South State, Sandy, Utah 84070-3205.

THOUGHTSRandyN.

ParkerChief Executive

Officer

Are we nuts?

>Parker Continued on P. 8

It is with sadness and deepest sympathy that we share the news of the passing of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation’s longtime Chief Fi-nancial Officer M. Kim Frei. Kim passed away on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at his daughter’s home in Ogden, Utah. Kim was doing what he loved best, visiting his grandchildren and serving his fam-ily when he suffered a heart attack. Kim was 62 years of age. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues for his sense of humor, dedication and leadership in managing the financial affairs of the Utah Farm Bureau for more than a quarter of a century.

Kim was a native of Santa Clara. Early on he learned the value of hard work on the Frei family ranch. His work ethic and “can do” attitude assured success in the classroom, as an athlete and in his professional

KimFrei,longtimeUtahFarmBureauFederationChief Financial Officer, passes away

career. After graduation from Dixie High School, Kim earned a Bachelor Degree in Accounting from Southern

Utah University and a Master in Account-ing Degree from Utah State University.

Mostly out of the spotlight during his 27 year career with Farm Bureau, Kim was the rudder that kept the organization’s fi-nancial ship on the right course. Kim was “steady as she goes” in handling the financial affairs of Farm Bureau.

To the officers, board, staff and mem-bers Kim was a counselor, a financial wizard and a friend. He fulfilled his responsibilities in a professional and friendly manner. His “old school” attention to detail was legendary.

Farm Bureau friends and associates have shared many personal thoughts and professional recognitions at Kim’s untimely passing. He was recognized as always friendly and appropriate in his actions with fellow

employees, Farm Bureau members and business associates. Some noted he was always impeccably dressed and that a “military officer would blush at the pressing of his shirts and the crease in his pants.” You could always count on Kim be-ing rock solid in his leadership and professionalism. Kim’s detailed fi-nancial binders and account ledgers are legendary.

Kim enjoyed sports, especially baseball and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He especially enjoyed sporting events, dance recitals, plays and art shows when his children or grandchildren were involved. Kim is survived by his four daughters, Tina, Kristan, Lindsay, and Tamara and his be-loved dog Sawyer; grandchildren, Riley, Lauren, and Cole; mother, Joey; brothers, Nick, Keith, Russ and a sister, Debbie. Also survived by his ex-wife, Candy, and her children, Josh, Jason, Valerie and Heather, and their grandchildren, Trevor, Tristian, Dartanian. Kim was buried near his boyhood home, in the Santa Clara Cemetery in Wash-ington County.

It’s May 24th. The snow is flying and there is about two inches on the ground. Local news is reporting the latest snow accumulation ever recorded in the Salt Lake Valley. At the same time, the global warming alarmists continue their apocalyptic warnings of a climate Armageddon if we don’t act immediately, regard-less of the cost.

The United State Congress is at an impasse on climate legislation. Based on a flawed “endangerment finding” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to step in. Unless Congress acts and acts quickly, on January 2, 2011 full regulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) by the EPA under the Clean Air Act is scheduled to go into effect.

Are we nuts? Recent science and legitimate

climate statistics don’t back them up. Hasn’t a decade of cooling got somebody’s attention?

A current scientific review now tells us, Michael Mann’s “hockey stick” theory hyped in Al Gore’s “An Incon-venient Truth” has been discredited. Climategates’ damning emails reveal cooked books, manipulated data and hijacked science. The discredited Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told us Himalayan glaciers

will be melted out by 2035. These are but a few of the falsehoods that have most Americans viewing global warming as a hoax at best and a me-dia concoction at worst.

More than a decade of global warming consensus is today em-broiled in a blizzard of controversy and finger pointing.

The alarmist die-hards, includ-

ing Barry Bickmore, Ph.D., Sum-mer Rupper Ph.D. and a handful of their Brigham Young University colleagues, continue to cry “trust us” while attacking Representatives Mike Noel and Kerry Gibson and the Utah Farm Bureau for our efforts in passing H.J.R. 12.

HJR 12 “Climate Change Joint Resolution” overwhelmingly passed by the Utah Legislature, calls on the EPA to withdraw its endangerment finding due to numerous flaws in climate data, identifies legal ques-tions to regulating CO2 under the Clean Air Act and ultimately calls on EPA to abandon plans to regu-late GHGs until a full review of the

data and science is conducted. HJR 12 appropriately asked the tough questions on the impacts to farmers and ranchers, America’s future food security, energy costs, jobs and our economy.

Resolutions are moving in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives disapproving the “endangerment finding” and the EPAs intention to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. The basis of this historic power grab is the 2007 U. S. Supreme Court ruling that EPA has author-ity to regulate GHGs. Recognize, the peer-reviewed science and EPA arguments made before the Court occurred before the 2009 Climategate revelations.

A reality check tells us, if Congress passed a Resolution of Disapproval, President Obama would have to sign it in order for the EPA to back off. Does a snowball’s chance in hell come to mind?

EPA regulating under the Clean Air Act will be devastating, not only to American agriculture but to the entire U.S. economy. American Farm Bureau and 48 other farm organiza-tions have joined together urging Congressional action. Farm Bureau wants to reverse the EPA finding, ultimately allowing the complex is-sue of man-made climate change to


ANATIONAL

PERSPECTIVE

BobStallmanamerican Farm

Bureau President

Today’s farmers and ranchers grow more food with fewer re-sources. Conservation tillage is up and soil erosion is declining. As farmers and ranchers, we know this based on our experience. Now, a new report confirms this has oc-curred nationwide.

The 2010 National Resources Inventory (NRI) recently released by the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service shows that farmers and ranchers are careful and caring stewards of our nation’s natural resources. The massive report, coupled with the latest USDA productivity figures, confirms the shrinking environmental footprint of our efforts to produce food and fiber in the United States. This is good news that should not go un-reported.

Farmersareputtingthe‘skinny’inproduction

A Lot Can Happen in 60 YearsThe NRI is a compilation of a

broad range of 50 years of data related to the environment, U.S. land use and productivity, water consumption and many other fac-

tors. Careful analysis of the data by AFBF quantifies how farm and ranch productivity has increased over the past two and a half de-cades, while at the same time envi-ronmental performance and water quality have improved.

There are several major points from the survey that I think tell a compelling story about agricul-ture.

First off, today’s farmers produce more food with fewer resources. While farm and ranch productivity has increased dramatically since 1950, the use of resources (labor, seeds, feed, fertilizer, etc.) required for production has declined mark-edly. For example, in 2008 farmers produced 262 percent more food with 2 percent fewer inputs, com-pared with 1950.

Secondly, farmers can feed more people thanks to the miracle of productivity. Total U.S. crop yield has increased more than 360 per-cent since 1950, helping America’s farmers and ranchers do our part to feed a growing world.

What Makes a Happy Cow?Additional points of importance

include how America’s dairy farm-ers are producing more milk with

less feed. It takes 40 percent less feed for a cow to produce 100 pounds of milk than it did 30 years ago.

Further, U.S. farm land used for crops has declined by 70 million acres or 15 percent, since 1982. And soil erosion continues to decline. Careful stewardship by America’s food producers spurred a nearly 50 percent decline in erosion of cropland by wind and water since 1982.

These facts, based on in-the-field science, are worth sharing. Farm and ranch families today are car-ing for our natural resources while feeding our nation. In fact, we are doing so with greater efficiency than ever before. I guess you could say we are cutting the fat and put-ting the “skinny” in production. Any way you slice it, that makes sense for people and our planet.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Follow-ing two years of tough economic times for livestock producers, 2010 is shaping up to be a much better year thanks to an improving economy and tighter supplies of beef, pork and poultry.

“Livestock producers have seen a return to profitability in the past two months after going through probably the worst economic situation anyone can remember in 2008 and 2009,” said John Anderson, livestock economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation. “This is certainly good news for livestock producers because it provides a good opportunity to rebuild equity.”

The Agriculture Department re-leased its initial assessment of the U.S. and world crop and livestock supply and demand estimates today. USDA also released its first calendar-year 2011 projections of U.S. live-stock, poultry and dairy products.

USDA expects total meat produc-tion to be down in 2010, compared to 2009. USDA forecasts a 2 percent increase in broiler production this year, but a 1 percent drop in beef production. USDA estimates a 3.5 percent drop in pork production this year.

“Pork producers were the hardest hit during the economic decline in 2008-2009, and the big drop in pro-duction this year is evidence of that,” Anderson said.

Total U.S. meat production for 2011 is projected to be slightly higher than 2010, as increased pork and poultry production more than offsets a de-cline in beef production, according

ReportReaction:ABetterYearforLivestockto USDA. Beef production for 2011 is forecast to decline due to tighter supplies of cattle.

“The reason USDA is showing a decline in beef production is that it takes a cattle producer at least two years from making the decision to increase herd size to having cattle ready for market,” Anderson said. “Poultry producers can turn things around pretty quickly, while the lag time for pork producers isn’t quite as long as it is for beef producers.”

Anderson said the forecasts for increased meat production in 2011 is a positive sign that shows livestock pro-ducers are optimistic enough to increase their herd sizes, following two years of reducing herd sizes.

“Meat and poultry producers have just come through a two-year period during which they consistently lost money,” Anderson said. “Beginning in late-2008, weak demand both here at home, as well as in the export markets, drove product prices down. Producers are now finally able to take advantage of higher prices.”

An improving demand picture is also welcome news for livestock producers.

“Evidence for improving demand has been mounting in recent weeks,” Anderson said. “Department of Commerce data shows consumer spending at food service and ac-commodations facilities grew at a

remarkable 8 percent rate (quarter over quarter) in the first quarter of 2010. This was the first quarter-over-quarter increase since the second quarter of 2008. The National Res-taurant Association’s Restaurant Per-formance Index for March indicated that the restaurant industry entered an expansionary phase for the first time in 29 months.”

As for USDA’s May crop report, Anderson said the forecasts of larger

U.S. and global grain stocks is the big news.

“The increase in stock levels is due to forecasts for good crop production in 2010 and strong world competi-tion,” Anderson said. “However, USDA’s corn stocks projection fell below many forecasts due in part to better export demand.”

Demand for corn and other coarse grains is strong, but production levels are still high. According to Anderson, the corn crop is off to a good start this year. Planting is 81 percent complete, the fastest on record, which gives producers a better chance at achiev-ing good yields, he said.

Photo courtesy of USU Extension

WASHINGTON, D.C. — American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman called for Congress to stop dragging its feet and pass the Colombia, Panama and South Ko-rea free trade agreements. In a press conference with other agriculture groups, Stallman said Congress’ inaction on the FTAs is costing U.S. agriculture lost market share and competitiveness.

“We are seeing all around us FTAs being negotiated or already negotiated by our competitors, increasing their export potential and putting the U.S. at a disadvan-tage,” said Stallman. “The three FTAs combined, which are stalled in Congress, represent almost $2.5 billion in additional exports.”

Because the FTAs have not been implemented, Colombia, Panama and South Korea are moving for-ward on trade deals with U.S. competitors. Panama has just com-pleted an agreement with Canada and South Korea has completed negotiations with the European Union and is currently negotiating with Canada.

Stallman also said that jobs be-yond rural America are at stake, from processors and packers to transportation workers and long-shoremen. The USDA estimates that 9,000 U.S. jobs are supported with every billion dollars in exports.

CongressshouldstopdraggingitsfeetonFTAs



Utah Farm Bureau attended multiple… County Farm Bureau Spring Issue Surfacing Meetings (SISM). At these meetings, Farm Bureau staff reported how Farm Bureau policy was implemented on Utah’s Capitol Hill. In addition, county Farm Bureau leaders and members surfaced many new issues and that will be discussed this year in the policy devel-opment process.

This spring Farm Bureau staff and 49 volunteers read accurate agri-culture books to 1,308 elementary school children and donated 43 books to classrooms. These volunteers also shared information about their own farming operations with the children. Several dressed up as characters from the book they read. One brought a calf with him to the school. Many shared bread, pizza, tomatoes, cheese, milk, yogurt or ice cream with the children. Several followed up the book reading with a fieldtrip to a farm.

Stream Access …. Farm Bureau participated in a landowner meeting with Governor Gary Herbert’s environmental advisor Ted Wilson regard-ing implementation of HB 141. The Governor has asked landowner and recreation interests to look at market opportunities that provide accom-modation and access to waters that cross privately held land. Representa-tive Kay McIff, author of HB 141, noted some waters would be identified through historic use easement as open to the public. Other options for future discussions included some type of enhanced fishing license pro-viding access to streams on private property similar to DWR’s “Walk in Access” program. Of critical importance in this discussion, protect private property rights while accommodating recreational interests.

Ag Land Preservation … Farm Bureau participated in an informational and brain-storming meeting held in Rey Allred’s fruit or orchard in Pay-son. State legislators, local mayors and planners, industry leaders and farmland conservation advocates discussed easements, zoning, legislation and property rights while viewing the advancing development and human encroachment in the south end of Utah County. All agreed Utah needs to find a mechanism that will allow economically viable and sustainable agriculture operations to continue as part of Utah’s history, culture and economy.

Ag Day Barbeque…The organizing committee in charge of hosting the annual Agriculture Day Barbeque and promotion at Utah State Univer-sity has determined the event will be placed on hold for one year. Held in conjunction with a USU football game, numerous scheduling conflicts necessitated the one-year hiatus. Since 2000, the Ag Day event has been the catalyst for more than $75,000 in scholarships to deserving agriculture students at USU. A commitment was made by the committee to continue providing $10,000 in scholarships for the 2010-11 scholarship cycle, even without this year’s barbeque. Businesses and individuals who have con-tributed in the past or those who would like to contribute are encouraged to support this worthy cause. The organizing committee notes plans are already underway for the Ag Day Barbeque to be bigger and better in the Fall of 2011.

By John Hart, Director of News Services, Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation

If it were so inclined, the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency could highlight the herbicide atrazine as a farm chemical that is clearly safe and effective. For more than 50 years atrazine has been a primary crop protector for 60 percent of corn, 75 percent of sorghum and 90 percent of sugarcane produced in the United States.

However, America’s farmers are concerned that the use of atrazine may be threatened by a new EPA review of its safety. Despite a proven safety record and demonstrated eco-nomic need, EPA in October launched a comprehensive evaluation of atra-zine’s effects on humans, which will culminate in a decision whether to revise the compound’s risk assess-ment and impose new restrictions on its use.

Atrazine has a stellar safety record. In 2006, the EPA completed a 12-year review that included 6,000 studies and 80,000 public comments. When agreeing to re-register the product, EPA concluded that it provided no harm to people. Moreover, the World Health Organization has found no health concerns with atrazine.

The latest EPA review comes on the heels of claims by two environ-mental groups that atrazine found at excessive levels may have nega-tive effects on the hormonal balance of frogs. Other unfounded claims charge that atrazine in groundwater causes cancer, birth defects and other maladies.

Extremist groups fail to acknowl-edge the EPA’s own findings that atrazine has not proved to be car-cinogenic in humans. They live in a fairy tale world where food can be produced without the judicious use of crop protection tools. And they claim atrazine can be replaced with other compounds. University of Min-nesota research proves otherwise, as

Atrazine:Safe,neededandeffective

weed scientists have declared “there are no direct replacements for atra-zine in pre-emergent weed control” registered in Minnesota.

Farmers like atrazine because a little goes a long way. As Manhattan, Ill., corn farmer John Kiefner puts it, “We can use half amounts of two dif-ferent herbicides and get better weed control than you would with the full amount of just one.”

Like many farmers, Kiefner re-lies on no-till production practices, which retains carbon in the soil and minimizes erosion. Atrazine is vital in both no-till and conservation till-age. It is a must for keeping a broad spectrum of weeds from robbing nutrients from corn, sorghum and sugarcane crops.

Kiefner and other farmers worry that the cost of farming will go up if atrazine is banned. They simply can’t do without atrazine. The EPA’s own numbers back this up – losing atrazine would cost farmers $28 per acre in lost yields and increased weed control costs. U.S. corn, sorghum, sugarcane and other growers would suffer losses of more than $2 billion if atrazine were no longer available.

When he was campaigning for the White House in 2008, President Barack Obama wrote Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Carl Shaffer regarding his thoughts about govern-ment agencies and science. He stated, “I will restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best available, scientifi-cally valid evidence and not on the ideological predispositions of agency officials or political appointees.”

With clear scientific evidence that atrazine is safe and effective, it’s now time to see that promise put into practice. EPA must do the right thing and ensure that atrazine continues to be a crop protection tool available to America’s farmers and ranchers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House is expected to vote soon on legislation that includes a number of tax provisions vital to farmers and rural America.

The American Farm Bureau Fed-eration is urging the House to pass the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. In a letter sent to members of the House today, AFBF President Bob Stallman called for prompt passage of the bill to re-instate many tax provisions that

AFBFbacksbillwithvitalfarmandranchtaxprovisions

expired at the end of 2009.“This bill includes a number of

tax provisions that many farmers and ranchers have turned to over the years to protect the bottom line,” said Stallman. “Among these are extension of tax incentives for biodiesel and renewable diesel, five-year depreciation for farming business machinery and equipment and a number of other tax deduc-

>Tax Continued on P. 8


Member Benefit Column** New Southern California Entertainment option: Utah Farm Bureau and the San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park have partnered to offer members a discount on single day admissions. Renowned as one of the best zoos in the world with more than 4,000 rare animals, including giant pandas, orangutans, gorillas, polar bears and koalas, the San Diego Zoo is a can’t miss destina- tion when you are in Southern California. At the Wild Animal Park you can get up close to some of the world’s most exotic animals. Located just 30 miles north of the San Diego Zoo you won’t want to miss the journey into Africa bringing a whole new dimension to the Park. Or the 20 passenger helium balloon ride above the plains of Africa. Choose tickets for either the San Diego Zoo or the Wild Animal Park for just $31.00 per adult and $22.50 per child. Zoo admission includes a guided bus tour, Skyfari® Aerial Tram, the Children’s Zoo and all exhibits and shows. Wild Animal Park admission includes Journey into Africa Tour, Conservation Carousel and all exhibits and shows. Call 801-233-3010 to make arrangements for your tickets. Add SeaWorld, Legoland or Universal Studios tickets for a once in a life-time Southern California vacation.

* Days of ’47 Rodeo discounted tickets available for Farm Bureau members. America’s Original Ex-treme Sport, The Days of ’47 Rodeo is traditionally Utah’s largest rodeo, drawing world champion cowboys, cowgirls and rough stock. Performances nightly July 19 -24, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the E Center of West Valley City. Save $5.00 per ticket for the first three price levels. $40.50; $15.50 and $7.50 + applicable ticketing fees. Savings available at http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/e15tb4. Other entertainment options for summer fun:

* New This Year From Lagoon! Season Passes – just $93.67 ea. (includes tax) LAGOON – single day passes are $34.30 ea. (includes tax)

* Seven Peaks Water Park – Take a cool, refreshing dip on hot summer days! Passes are just $15.00 ea.

* Salt Lake Bees – call 801-233-3010 to arrange for vouchers exchangeable for best available seats based on type of voucher purchased. “Fun” vouchers are only $5.00 ea. “Bees” vouchers are just $8.00 ea. Save enough for burgers and drinks! Take the whole gang to a ball game this summer!!! Support the home team!

* Choice Hotels: Traveling this summer? Spend less on your hotel room and more on your vacation adventures! Farm Bureau members receive a 20% discount on hotel room rates and when you join Choice Privileges and stay 2 separate times you can earn a $50.00 restaurant gift card. Make your reservations in advance using the Utah Farm Bureau Special Rate ID 00800599 and your Choice Privileges number.

* WestPro: Your source for custom sportswear, apparel, and corporate promotional items. WestPro can supply you with all your art creation, screen printing and embroidery needs under one roof. WestPro offers complete idea-to-product solutions customized for your needs. They specialize in embroidery and screen printing on custom apparel as well as promotional items, and gifts. West-Pro can outfit your county board with jackets or shirts displaying the Farm Bureau Logo each at the Farm Bureau discount. Learn what WestPro can do for you, your county Farm Bureau, or your sports team! Visit WestPro’s display at the upcoming Farm Bureau Mid-Year conference.

* SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AMUSEMENT PARK TICKETS:SeaWorld – 2 days for the price of 1. Adult passes are $55.00 & Child passes (3-9) are $48.00. Regular 1-day ticket prices are $69.00 & $59.00. Legoland California – passes with 2nd day FREE are just $49.00 ea. Legoland Triple Play: $60.00 (Reg.$87) 2nd day FREE (Legoland, Aquarium & Water Park) Universal Studios: A three day pass is just $59.00 per person. A regular two day pass is $67.00 for adults.

For additional information about these or other Farm Bureau member benefits, visit utfb.fb.org or call 801-233-3010. Call 801-233-3010 to purchase tickets. Visa or MasterCard accepted.

http://utfb.fb.orgFarm Bureau News - Classifieds - Calendar of Events -

Registration Forms - Current Agriculture Headlines...and MORE!

The USDA-ARS Bee Biology & Systematics Laboratory and Utah State University Cooperative Extension have collaborated to create this first-time pollinator workshop for the public. It will be held June 25, 2010, on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, Utah starting at 8:00 a.m.

The morning session will include experts who will speak about the spectacular world of bees, pollination of crops, wild bees, and landscaping for pollinators. The afternoon session will consist of the following hands-on workshops:

-Raising Bumble Bees. This workshop will provide methods for raising Western bumble bees. -Managing Cavity-Nesting Bees. This workshop introduces solitary, cavity-nesting bees found in the Western U.S., with special attention given to blue orchard bees and alfalfa leafcutting bees. Topics cover practical use as pollinators, managing for sustainable populations, and general attraction of these bees to home, garden, and crop. -Landscaping for Pollinators. This workshop will present five intermountain native plants that are good pollinators and show how these plants can be used and managed as part of an attractive low water use landscape. -Identifying Bees. Learn how to identify some common bees found in Utah and beyond. Learn the difference between honey bees, bumble bees, sweat bees, squash bees, leafcutting bees, orchard bees, and more! -Bee Diseases. Come learn about a new approach to disease management for honey bees, including some new methods such as the use of ozone to decontaminate hives. Also gain hands-on knowledge about what different bee diseases look like and their biology, including foulbrood, chalkbrood, Nosema, and varroa mites. -Keeping Honey Bees. Like honey? Need pollinators? Wondering how much time, money, effort, and risk is involved to keep a hive? This workshop is designed to help you decide if keeping honey bees is for you. Topics include honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, and management tasks.

Click the workshop graphic to view/print more information. Registration is required to attend the presentations and workshop of your choice. Lunch will be provided for each registered attendee. Seats are limited so please register now at http://www.ars.usda.gov/npa/logan/beelab

Discoveringtheworldofbees-

pollinatorworkshopavailableJune25


SYRACUSE, Utah – Utah Onions, one of North America’s most repu-table onion growers, has hired Darcie Liptrot to oversee its increased mar-keting efforts.

Liptrot brings with her a wide va-riety of relevant experience to aide in her new role. Most recently, she has worked as a contracts negotiator for the oil industry and before that, marketing director in Utah’s resi-dential and commercial construction industries.

“Our business has been growing by leaps and bounds this season, and we only expect it to continue in the coming seasons,” said Shawn Hartley of Utah Onions. “Hiring a marketing director seemed to be the next natural step. Darcie under-stands the sales and marketing world very well. We are eager to see how she will apply her knowledge here at Utah Onions. “

Darcie will be responsible for implementing promotional and sales strategies, website and internet mar-keting and public relations for Utah Onions.

“I am very excited to bring a fresh perspective to Utah Onions and the

UtahOnionshiresnewmarketingdirector

produce industry. I was immediately drawn in by the positive atmosphere and dedication Utah Onions has in producing the highest quality Onions

on the market,” Liptrot said. “We have some very exciting things com-ing up for our customers.”

Utah Onions, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Syracuse, Utah. They are one of the country’s leading grower-shipper of quality yellow, red, white and sweet onions. For more information about Utah Onions, contact Darcie Liptrot at 801-814-8086 or [email protected].

Growing up in Morgan has built my love for agriculture. When I was young Morgan was a small farming community. Now houses dot the farm fields in Morgan County and the volume of agri-culture has de-creased in re-cent years. The face of agricul-ture is chang-ing across the state, but I am excited to be a part of the fu-ture of agricul-ture in Utah.

I am attend-ing Utah State University du-ally majoring in Agriculture Communica-tions as well as Journalism & Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. Agriculture and public relations are my passions. I want to combine them to promote agriculture in Utah and would like to handle public relations and publicity for agriculture organi-zations in Utah.

While in high school I learned the importance of agriculture through the opportunities of my local FFA chapter. My father encouraged me

JillLittlepickedasFarmBureauCommunicationsDivisionsummerintern

to explore the opportunities in the FFA organization. As a freshman I decided I wanted to participate in the Parliamentary Procedures Career Development Event. Through the

dedicated service of my FFA advisors and patience of my team members I was able to become the first freshman to win the state level Parliamentary Procedures Career Devel-opment Event. I had the privilege to be a chapter officer in the Morgan FFA for three years. I was for-tunate enough to win six state level Career Devel-opment Events, and the Agriculture Communica-tions Proficiency Award at the state level for my Supervised Agricultural Experience. My FFA ex-

periences built a strong foundation that my education at Utah State University has added to.

I am excited to work with the Utah Farm Bureau and learn more about agriculture across our state. I am eager to learn how to better promote agriculture and positively influence legislation while interning at the Utah Farm Bureau. The opportunity to work on the Midyear conference is going to be a great opportunity.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Amer-ican Farm Bureau Federation and 48 other farm groups have joined to-gether in urging the Senate to adopt a resolution that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act without prior congressional approval.

AFBF President Bob Stallman said virtually all of American agriculture is united in the belief that regula-tion of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases should be decided by Congress and not by fiat from a federal regulatory agency.

“Farm Bureau has said all along that the Clean Air Act is not the place to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA’s scheme will lead to increased input costs and costly regulations for farmers and ranchers. Passage of a disapproval resolution by Congress is the best way to ensure that national policy is set by policymakers accountable

FarmgroupsurgeSenatetodis-approveEPAGHGregulation

to the people and not by unelected bureaucrats at EPA.”

The Senate is expected to vote soon on the resolution introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that will effectively veto the EPA’s scheme to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as pollutants.

In a letter sent to members of the Senate on Tuesday, the broad coali-tion of agricultural groups, repre-senting crop and livestock producers and allied industries, explained that without relief from Congress, agri-culture could suffer severe economic impacts from the EPA’s plan to regu-late stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Regulation of stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions will begin on Jan. 2, 2011, when these sources will be affected through such programs as Prevention of Signifi-cant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V

>EPA Continued on P. 10

Page � June 2010UtahFarmBureauNews

be addressed through congressional debate and action.

While EPA suggests they want only to regulate larger emitters, in excess of 50,000 tons annually, that decision is not discretionary. The Humane Society of the United States and PETA have already filed suit requiring animal feeding operations to be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Only Congress has the authority to provide exemptions. Under today’s guidelines, EPA will regulate farms and ranches with emission levels as low as 100 tons annually. According to EPA’s own estimates, full implementation would cost farmer and ranchers more than $866 million just to obtain the proper Title V operating permits.

With regard to the Title V permit requirements, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in comments to EPA said, “Even very small agricul-tural operations would meet a 100-tons-per-year emissions threshold. For example, dairy facilities with more than 25 cows, beef cattle operations of more than 50 cattle, swine operations with more than 200 hogs, and farms with more than 500 acres of corn may need to get a Title V permit.”

According to the USDA publication “Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations, 2007 Summary” National Agricultural Statistics Survey, (February 2008) dairy operations with more than 25 cows comprise 98.8 percent of milk produc-tion, beef operations more than 50 head comprise 89.4 percent of beef inventory, and hog operations more than 500 hogs comprise 96.8 percent of hog inventory.

Are we nuts?Utah Farm Bureau has analyzed the economic

impact on our livestock producers. After EPA Title V permitting and implementing a carbon tax at the 2009 “minimum presumptive rate” of $43.50/ton CO2 equivalent, more than $100 million will be taken from Utah farmers, ranchers and the rural communities they support. Beef producers will pay nearly $68 million, hog producers more than $16 million, dairy families nearly $15 million and sheep producers around $5 million.

The U. S. economy is built on carbon energy. Every time we turn on the lights or fill up our gas tanks, we will feel the effects of EPA regulating GHGs under the Clean Air Act. Do the Obama Administration, EPA bureaucrats and environ-mental radicals have America on a path to rolling blackouts, skyrocketing energy costs, lost jobs and higher food costs?

Americans continue to express concerns with greater government control of our economy and our liberties. There would be no better way for government to control our economy and our lives than controlling the energy that drives it.

Is there wisdom for America to embrace a green agenda and unproven experiment to transition our economy from reliable coal, oil and natural gas to wind and solar – or is this an irresponsible power grab by the Washington, D.C. left?

And, does anyone really think China, India or Brazil will join America in cutting CO2 emissions 80 percent by 2050? There is scientific consensus on the measurable outcome of such draconian regulatory measures – less than one-tenth of one degree of cooling by 2050.

Again, are we nuts?

>Parker Continued from P. 2

tions that farmers and ranchers rely on to manage cash flow.”

In his letter, Stallman pointed to biodiesel tax incentives as vital for the development and expansion of renewable energy in the U.S.

“Clean, renewable, domestic energy is helping achieve economic growth, create a cleaner environment and shield our economy from unreliable foreign energy sources. Farmers and ranchers are playing a bigger role in supplying our nation with the energy it needs through the production of agricul-tural-based renewable energy resources,” Stallman wrote.

Tax provisions that provide incentives to upgrade operations, donate food and pre-serve farmland are also key elements in the bill for rural America, according to Stall-man.

“Most farmers and ranchers pay taxes as individuals which means that individual tax rates and deductions have a huge impact on the amount of after-tax income that they have,” Stallman wrote.

“Farm Bureau supports extension of the standard deduction for state and local real property taxes and the deduction of state and local sales taxes and other provisions that increase after-tax dollars for farm families.”

>Tax Continued from P. 5

June 2010 Page �UtahFarmBureauNews

PracticalPolicySterlingC.Brown

Vice President-Public Policy

Ground water supplies approximately 850,000 acre-feet of water annually to Utah residents. About 60 percent is used for irrigation, 30 percent for public water supply and the remaining 10 per-cent or so is used for domestic, stock and industrial purposes. The quantity of ground water diverted over the past 15 years has ranged from a low of 735,000 acre-feet annually to nearly 950,000 acre-feet annually. Ground water aquifers generally hold large quantities of water in storage and thus pro-vide adequate water even during periods of drought. Ground water is the pri-mary source of water in many areas of the State, and because of its availability and generally good quality, it is used extensively to supply individual domestic needs in many rural areas. It is a valuable resource that needs proper management to meet the state’s future water needs.

Management of these natural and fragile water systems begins with a partnership between local and state government. Local government and its citizens have an interest and stewardship to en-sure these subsurface water systems are protected – both now and the long term. Utah’s Division of Water Rights is charged with providing order and certainty to the beneficial use of Utah’s water. This partnership, when working together, has proven to produce safe and long-term ground water man-agement plans for the primary purposes of meet-ing the needs of the public, growing the economy and protecting our natural resources.

In the early 1980’s, the Snyderville Basin Ground Water Management Plan was developed to en-sure the underground water resource would be adequately managed for future needs. This was the first of many ground water management plans throughout the state. Today, there are 12 ground water management plans. Under Utah law, the Division of Water Rights is required to develop ground water management plans. In recent years,

ManagingUtah’sgroundwaterthe Division has extended themselves further to obtain local government and citizens input prior to developing and implementing ground water management plans.

Both the Beryl-Enterprise, located in western Iron and Washington counties, and the Salt Lake Ground Water Management Systems are exam-

ples of fragile and natural ground water resources that have been over-ap-propriated throughout the years. In 2003, Utah’s Water Engineer reported the annual recharge to the Beryl-Enterprise aqui-fer was 33,000 acre-feet. Withdraws from the same basin for the period of

1993-2002 averaged about 82,000 acre-feet. In 2002, withdrawals were 99,000 acre-feet.

The Salt Lake Ground Water Management System is currently not experiencing overdraft of ground water, but faces critical ground water management issues. In June 2002, the State Water Engineer implemented the Salt Lake Valley Man-agement Plan. The plan divides the Valley into four regions and sets guidelines on the quantity of water that should be withdrawn in each region so that average, long-term withdrawals do not exceed safe yield. Safe yield is defined as the amount of water that can be withdrawn from a ground wa-ter basin without producing an undesired result. The safe yield for the principal aquifer in the Salt Lake Valley has been set for 165,000 acre-feet per year. An evaluation of the existing perfected and approved ground water rights show that poten-tial withdrawals could exceed 400,000 acre-feet annually. When the amount of water withdrawn exceeds recharge, ground water levels decline, water quality generally decreases, the potential for land subsidence increases, wells need to be drilled deeper, and pumping costs increase.

The State Engineer has reported that signifi-cantly more water than the safe annual yield of the Salt Lake Valley aquifer could be withdrawn from

the Salt Lake Valley ground water system based on existing water rights – many of which are undevel-oped. By some estimates, water rights have been issued as much as three times the aquifer’s safe annual yield. There are several ground water ba-sins in the state that have experienced substantial declines in water levels, because the annual quan-tity of water pumped far exceeds the recharge. The State Water Engineer’s authority to regulate perfected ground water right holders is not clearly defined in state law nor does the law specify how to divide a ground water supply among claimants where the supply is inadequate.

Utah Farm Bureau believes the state of Utah should manage ground water resources to ensure the greatest benefit to agriculture both in the short and long-term. The consideration and develop-ment of ground water management plans should first be private, voluntary and local and in coordi-nation with the state’s safe yield policy. Further, Utah Farm Bureau supports the principle of senior water rights remain as a priority and intact.

One of the fundamental principles of Utah wa-ter law is priority between appropriators. This principle is critical in creating a tiered system for managing and allocating a limited, natural resource. There are two ways that priority is es-tablished. If water was put to beneficial use prior to 1903, the priority of the water right is the date the appropriator placed the water to beneficial use. After 1903, the priority is the date of the ap-plication for appropriation was filed with the State Water Engineer.

Farm Bureau’s input is critical in the ground wa-ter management process – both in the modification of state law and in the development of manage-ment plans and regulation efforts for each ground water management system. There are interim discussions going on and Farm Bureau members need to address these plans through our grassroots policy process to decide what we are comfortable with. Are we comfortable with current law? Are we comfortable with current water plans? Are we comfortable with the State Engineer’s authority to make plans? These and other questions are be-ing talked about around the state and Utah Farm Bureau is making sure its members have all the resources needed to make the best decisions.


FarMsaFetY

JournalA.J.Ferguson

Vice President -Farm Safety

operating permits, according to the coalition’s letter.

While EPA has indicated it will start regulating larger emitters in excess of 50,000 tons annually, it does not have the discretion not to regulate smaller emitters. Only Con-gress can address that question, and existing provisions of the Clean Air Act put these levels at 100 and 250 tons of emissions annually, accord-ing to the agricultural groups. The letter states that according to EPA’s own estimates, full implementation “would cost farmers (more than)

>EPA Continued from P. 7

Summertime brings an increase of farm machinery traffic onto rural highways. As farmers and ranch-ers rush to meet dead-lines, vehicles and farm machinery can create a dangerous mix on rural highways. All operators need to be keenly aware of their equipment’s capa-bilities and should main-tain safe speeds and dis-tances at all times.

All farm equipment operating at 25 MPH or less must have an orange slow-moving vehicle emblem (SMV),

Visiblysafeonruralhighwayswhich is clearly visible on the rear of the tractor or machinery. Compli-menting the SMV emblem should

be lights, on both t h e f r o n t and rear of the tractor along with flashing am-ber lights, if available, to warn other v e h i c l e s about their presence on t h e h i g h -

ways.

There are numer-ous highway accidents involving farm equip-ment each year that re-sult in severe injuries, scores of deaths and considerable prop-erty damage. Those who operate farm equipment on public roads must make sure it is properly lit and marked so all drivers can see and identify it as a slow-moving

vehicle in time to avoid a collision.

These are a few tips to help:

• Make sure farm equipment has proper lighting, reflectors and the slow-moving vehicle (SMV) em-blem required by law.

• Keep lights and reflectors clean. Replace faded emblems - the bright orange fades out and become unserviceable usually in 2 to 3 years.

• Replace burned-out bulbs and lamps promptly. Use your flash-ing lights when you travel on a public road. If you have turn signals, be sure to indicate your intention well in advance.

• Avoid travel during peak travel times.

• I f p o s s i b l e move wide equip-ment during the day when traffic volume is relatively low. Switch on all lights. If transport-ing equipment on a flatbed, make sure to comply with lo-

cal and state highway regulations.

• Use an escort car or a look-out to help you on blind curves or bridges.

• When hauling, make sure both the load and the hitch are se-cure.

• Obey all traffic laws and be courteous to other drivers. Pull over to the shoulder and allow traffic to pass if you are detaining traffic and causing long lines. Impatient drivers will try to get around the traffic and may cause an accident.

• Make sure all farm equip-ment has been inspected and is safe for road travel.

Important fact: Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Farmers and ranchers are a group that ends up working during the peak time for solar exposure, which is from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is recommended to minimize work activities at this time. However, that is not always pos-sible, so follow these tips:• Wear wide brimmed hats.• Wear a long sleeved shirt.• Apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15 or higher.• Reapply sunscreen throughout the day as water and perspiration decrease the effectiveness of sunscreen.• More than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed yearly. • Melanoma cancers are responsible for 8,420 of the 11,200 average deaths from skin cancer each year.

For more information and sun safety tips visit the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org.

Keepingitfuninthesun

$866 million” just to obtain Title V operating permits for their farms and livestock operations.

The groups warned that farm-ers and ranchers will likely incur increased input costs because of the regulatory impacts and agricultural producers will eventually be directly regulated.


$ $ $$

Money Matters A special column for the Farm Bureau News provided by USU Extension

is to build a collaborative process for shaping and implementing our framework for animal disease traceability,” said Vilsack. “We are committed to working in partner-ship with states, tribal nations and industry in the coming months to address many of the details of this framework, and giving ample op-portunity for farmers and ranchers and the public to provide us with continued input through this pro-cess.”

One of USDA’s first steps has been to convene a forum with ani-mal health leaders for the states and tribal nations to initiate a dia-logue about the possible ways of achieving the flexible, coordinated approach to animal disease trace-ability we envision. Last month, USDA hosted three public meet-ings to discuss Secretary Vilsack’s new framework. These took place in Kansas City, Missouri; River-dale, Maryland; and Denver, Colo-rado.

A similar meeting will take place in Salt Lake City on June 24, 2010 at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Ho-tel (Bryce room). The meeting is open to the public and will take

place from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. The hotel is located at 150 West and 500 South in Salt Lake City.

Following a welcome from the meeting moderator and brief lo-gistical remarks, meeting partici-pants will be offered a presenta-tion prepared by the California Department of Food and Agricul-ture on the needs for and benefits of animal disease traceability, from the perspective of the State of Cali-fornia (which has been grappling with traceability issues as it works to combat bovine tuberculosis).

USDA officials will then offer de-tails of the new framework.

The presentation portion of the meeting will be concluded by a member of USDA’s state/tribal/federal regulatory working group (which is working to develop the parameters of a proposed rule on animal disease traceability) who will offer an update on the work-ing group’s activities. Included in this presentation will be an over-view of traceability performance standards that the WG is consider-ing.

Following the opening presen-tations, the meeting will move to small breakout discussions. Meet-

ing attendees will group them-selves according to the species group that interests them most (they could choose from cattle, swine, sheep/goats, equine, poul-try, and non-specific species). In their groups, participants will ad-dress several questions related to two broad issues: traceability per-formance standards and evaluat-ing tracing capability (each issue will be discussed for approximate-ly one hour). Following the discus-sion of each topic, each table will report out to the larger group and offer a brief summary of their con-versation. Discussion participants will also be given a handout that summarizes the performance stan-dards under discussion.

Throughout the meeting, partici-pants will be asked to write down any questions or concerns they have about animal disease trace-ability generally and about the material presented at the public meeting specifically.

Additionally, USDA will be re-vamping the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health to address specific issues, such as confidentiality and liability.

Although USDA has a robust system in place to protect U.S. ag-

riculture, the Department will also be taking several additional ac-tions to further strengthen protec-tions against the entry and spread of disease. These steps will include accelerating actions to lessen the risk from diseases – such as tu-berculosis – posed by imported animals, initiating and updating analyses on how animal diseases travel into the country, improving response capabilities, and focus-ing on greater collaboration and analyses with states and industry on potential disease risk overall.

More information on USDA’s new direction on animal trace-ability and the steps to improve disease prevention and control is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability.

>Traceability Continued from P. 1

By Adrie Roberts, USU Extension Family and Consumer Science Agent, Cache County

It is difficult to manage your finances if you don’t know how much money you have or where it is being spent. That is why budget-ing is an important key to successful money management. A budget has two parts — income and expenses. The object is to keep expenses at or below your income. Sounds easy, but as most have experienced, it can get a little tricky at times. Consider these budgeting tips adapted from author Dave Ramsey:

-Track the small expenses. This can be done by carrying a small notebook in your pocket or purse for a month or so. List those items you purchase for yourself or others that you often forget to budget for, such as soda pop from the machine at work, a treat for the kids or a donation to a co-worker’s retire-ment gift. These “budget-busters” can make or break a budget if you haven’t planned for them.

-List expenses. Look through your checkbook for the past few months and write down all expenses. These expenses can then be categorized into the following areas: housing

How does your cash flow?(this includes mortgage payment or rent, a second mortgage and property taxes); utilities (electricity, water, sewer, garbage, natural gas, basic phone and long distance, cell phone/pager, cable TV and inter-net connection); necessities (food/household supplies, clothing, school lunch, child care/sitters, diapers/for-mula and child support payments); transportation (car payment/lease, insurance, fuel, repair allowance and license/registration); monthly debts (student loans, other loans and debt including credit card payments); other expenses (laundry/dry clean-ing, health, hair and personal care, pet/veterinarian and dues/member-ships); education (tuition, books, paper supplies, uniforms, lessons and sports); entertainment (eat-ing out or take out, entertainment debt payment such as a boat or RV, crafts, computer expenses, sports, hunting, bars, gambling, cigarettes); insurance, if not deducted from your paycheck (medical/dental, life/dis-ability, home/renters, co-pays); gifts (children’s allowances, contributions to church/charity, holidays, birth-days, weddings, 1/12 of total holiday expenses).

-Tally expenses. Figure all expenses as a monthly amount. For example, items that are due once a year, such as property taxes, can be divided by 12 to get a monthly figure. Holiday bud-geting can be done the same way.

-Keep a record. Write down the date(s) you are paid each month. Divide your expenses as evenly as possible among paychecks, taking into consideration due dates. If your largest bills are due at one time, pay several bills early rather than try-ing to fit them all into the same pay period.

-Determine if you need to cut back. Compare your actual expenses to the plan you made. If you overspend in one area, adjust your plan the next month. No spending plan is perfect the first time. If overall expenses are greater than income, it will be neces-sary to cut expenses somewhere — or increase income. Usually it is easier to cut expenses. Start by determining how much you need to trim. To do this, subtract income from expenses. The figure may seem daunting at first, but if you look hard enough, you can usually find a few items that are easy to cut. Give yourself leeway on one or two things you enjoy. Otherwise you may end up feeling deprived and toss the entire budget.

-Consider the envelope system of cash management. Each payday, write a check to yourself to cover food and other out-of-pocket ex-penses for that pay period. Cash the check and put the cash in an enve-

lope marked for each expense. As you need to buy food, for example, take money from that envelope and from nowhere else. This does several things. It provides you with instanta-neous cash management in that you will rarely spend more than allotted. The only way to spend more is to get the money from somewhere else. If you feel it has been a hard week and you deserve to eat out on Friday night, simply pull out the food enve-lope to see if you can afford it. If you can’t, don’t eat out. You don’t need a complicated bookkeeping system to track your budget. When you spend cash, it hurts a little, so you will end up spending less. It is much easier to sign a check or credit card receipt than it is to lay down cold, hard cash to pay for something.

-If possible, set aside a personal allowance each month. For a single person, a personal allowance allows small indulgences within self-im-posed limits. Married couples often find a personal allowance tends to cut conflicts. Two people seldom agree completely on how to spend money. Personal allowances allow each partner to exercise complete dis-cretion over an agreed-upon amount of money without having to answer questions about how it was spent.

These tips can help get you started but remember that a budget is an adjustable tool. Don’t be afraid to reset your guidelines within the framework of your goals.

FarmBureauontheWeb:http://utfb.fb.org


Alongthecountryside

MattHargreaves

Farm Bureau newsEditor

The latest attempt to use technology to make our lives easier may have a direct benefit for farmers and ranchers in Utah, as well as others shipping products throughout the country.

Capitalizing on the competitive bidding concept used by eBay and other e-retailers, Kirk Harris has developed a website for use in contracting loads shipped by truck across the country. Instead of the traditional time-intensive methods of searching out bids and contracts to ship your product, being limited to the specifications of the shipping company, and dealing with a set list of prices, the website user can customize the parameters behind shipping their product and open it up for bids to the lowest bidder.

“There are many sites that list loads already, but that’s as far as they go,” Harris said. “You have to pay to look at the loads and they are not very effec-tive – essentially you’re paying to window-shop. With our site, anyone can look for loads and post a load for free.”

Harris, a board member of the Sevier County Farm Bureau and a turf grass farmer in Richfield, came up with the idea four years ago while lament-ing the fact that he had to pay a fee to search for shipping loads. In addition to his work in agri-culture, Harris has been involved in the trucking industry for nearly 25 years, including owning his own trucking company, hauling for others and occasionally hiring carriers.

“I was frustrated with the current methods of finding loads, collecting money, transferring infor-mation and the rest of the paperwork nightmare,” Harris said. “I have seen the industry from the eyes of a shipper and a carrier for many years. So while I traveled up and down the road, I contemplated how to solve the problems that I had no-ticed.”

Users of the website are able to set require-ments for what kinds of trucks can take their product , the safety & insur-ance require-m e n t s t h e y want the ship-pers to have, and can even restrict bids to those companies with higher customer ratings.

By setting up an account, users begin by deciding what product they are listing for bids and can in-clude information on the date it needs to be picked up & delivered, pictures of what the goods look like, and what kinds of equipment will be needed to load/unload, deliver or secure the cargo. Harris said this can be a great advantage to the carrier.

“There are no surprises when a carrier goes to pick up a load, and that is very helpful,” Harris said. “I know there have been times when I’ve

KirkHarrisaimstomakeshippingprod-uctseasierwithnewwebsite

gone to pick up a load and wasn’t aware of certain safety equipment I needed to bring – which I didn’t have – and it put me in a bind. This way, you know exactly what you’re taking, where to take it, and you know you’re getting paid as soon as you’ve dropped it off. No other company does this.”

After a company has listed the description of the load and the details as to where it needs to go,

shippers are able to list the pricing options that will be bid on. For in-stance, shippers list a price that they would like to begin the load bid on, such as

$1,000, and then carriers who bid on the ship-ment will gradually bid that price down until the deadline passes. That shipment may only receive a few bids and be reduced to $900, or it may receive many bids, ultimately ending up at $550. The shipper benefits because he learns what the minimum cost for shipping his load can be.

The other pricing option available to ship-pers is called the ‘Load It Now’ price. Shippers may list the initial bid price at $1,000, hoping to see it go as low as possible; however, they also know that they would be happy to get the product out the door at $750. If a shipment needs to be picked up soon, they may be just as happy to settle for $750 rather than waiting a long time to have it bid down to $550. In this case, carri-ers can select the ‘Load It Now’ feature and “win” the bid immediately.

When a bid is won by a carrier, the ship-per is charged a fee based on a percentage of the load amount. That fee also includes a cost for ultimately using the site to carry out business. While Harris does receive a portion of that fee, much of it goes towards covering charges for online bank-ing services that are made available through the site. Payment for us-ing the site can be done via e-check,

credit card or via e-commerce web services such as PayPal, which acts as a payment intermediary between financial institutions (including banks, credit cards, etc.) and online retailers. All the while, both parties can feel comfortable knowing the site is secured and verified by multiple organizations.

“In the past, most shippers have had the tradi-tional 30-60 days to pay for shipping loads. Our website requires that payment be made up-front. This may take some time for people to be comfort-able with,” Harris said. “It will take some cash

management decisions, but eventually people on both sides will be comfortable with the ease in which this takes place. It will save time, personnel costs, and money in arranging loads, paperwork, etc. For the carrier, it’s a great deal because they get paid just as soon as they drop off their load. They don’t have to wait.”

Upon delivery, carriers receive a payment code from the receiving party which the carrier will input into the Easyloadpro.com website. Once that code is entered, payment will be credited directly to the carriers chosen account. The website is set up to temporarily hold that money once the ship-ment is picked up until the time it is dropped off, so both the shipper and carrier are protected.

Once products have been picked up and deliv-ered, both parties are able to rate the other on a 5-star rating system. Again, this is similar to the procedure on eBay and gives future customers

the ability to do business with others that are higher ranked. This system provides incentives for both parties to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. After rankings become established, shippers can restrict carriers attempting to bid on their products by requiring an established mini-mum ranking.

With the myriad of websites that are created everyday and the emergence of blogs and social media sites, it could be easy to discard this effort as “just another website”, but the fact is that Har-ris’ site has already been vetted and researched to ensure an effective experience for users. Back when the website was only an idea in Kirk’s head, he en-tered the “concept to company” contest sponsored by the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative (USTAR). USTAR is a long-term, state-funded investment to strengthen Utah’s “knowl-edge economy” by matching dollars and expertise with ideas. The contest had 60-70 applicants, and proposals were evaluated by as many as 12 judges to see if it was feasible and worth pursuing. As one of the winners, Harris received assistance in turning his website idea into a reality.

“I’m just a farmer, I had never developed a web-site before. This contest really helped me turn my ideas into reality,” Harris said.

With the assistance from USTAR, Harris hopes the website will be a benefit to all who use it, ul-timately helping shippers and carriers alike. The site can be used for all types of products, from agricultural to manufacturing and everything in between. For more information on how to use the site, visit www.EasyLoadPro.com and click on the tutorial, or contact Kirk Harris at 435-896-7391 or [email protected].

Photo courtesy of Stoddard Honey Company


CountyConnectionDavidBaileyVice President-Organization

Each and every year, dairy produc-ers and ice cream lovers everywhere celebrate National Dairy Month in June. Originally established in 1937, National Dairy Month was first developed to celebrate the many contributions the dairy industry provides soci-ety. It was also an effort from the industry to stabilize milk consump-tion during periods of peak production. The first slogan that was used in promoting Na-tional Dairy Month was “Keep Youthful – Drink Milk”. The National Dairy Council was the first organization that supported the pro-motional events. In 1939 June Dairy Month became the official name of the promotion. Later in 1955, the American Dairy Association became the lead sponsor for National Dairy Month. Initially it was funded by a one cent per pound butterfat assess-ment in June.

Over the years, National Dairy Month has been the vehicle for vari-ous promotions that have anything and everything to do with milk products. Originally started as a pub-lic relations program, the program now focuses on sales promotion for dairy products as well as advertis-ing and merchandising programs for the dairy industry. Overall it’s a cooperative effort by dairy produc-ers, processor and retailers to pro-mote, enhance and help stabilize the dairy indus-try - some-thing that is needed now more than ever. I find it cu-rious that i n 1 9 4 7 , shortly af-ter World War II, the goal of Na-tional Dairy Month was “Sales not Surplus”. That same s l o g a n rings true today.

In my of-fice hang three historical promo-tional flyers from the 1940’s depicting June Dairy Month campaigns. One reads “Make America Strong by Making Americans Stronger”. The photo depicts several favorite dairy products along with a healthy look-ing woman holding a glass of milk.

JuneDairyMonth–Lookingaheadtogreenerpastures!

The photo is a reminder to me of the healthy impact dairy products offer our society. Another flyer depicts a steel worker high above a growing city with the words “MILK Builds Steel Nerves”. Of all the products

that are produced by the American farmer, dairy products are high on my list of those needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The dairy industry historically has always found a way to inno-vate its way out of most any hard-ship that has come along. The Na-tional Dairy Month campaign is just one way dairy leaders unify together to overcome challenges and promote the healthy benefits of consuming dairy products. Today may be the most important time in the history of modern dairy farming for dairymen to unify their voices to overcome the rising challenges.

As the dairy industry continues to face challenges to an extent not seen before, it’s critical that ideas be aired out and a healthy debate takes place on the issues at hand. What was once thought to be

part of the “normal” dairy economic cycle continues to test the patience and forti-tude of dairymen and women across the country. Months of low prices have now turned into years and the horizon doesn’t seem to be getting much brighter. With the worldwide de-mand for protein products down due to the wide-reaching economic slump and production remain-ing strong, it seems like the perfect storm for the dairy indus-try has come to stay

awhile. Dairy leaders and industry experts thus far have not been able to stabilize the unforeseen conditions that exist in today’s environment. Many wonder what will happen in the coming months if things remain the same.

What is a dairy producer to do?

There is no question many dairymen have asked themselves this question recently. The answers don’t come easy and often the realities are hard to swallow. Recently, the Holstein Association has proposed a “Dairy Price Stabilization Program” to deal with the growing uneasiness with under break-even prices. Although the program idea isn’t necessarily a new one, it is being pushed to the forefront of much of the debate. Other ideas are surfacing as well and the debate on these key issues needs to be thoroughly discussed.

With all of progress and innovation the dairy industry has experienced in the last 80 years it’s critical that likeminded forces join together and hash out what the dairy industry re-ally needs. Just like those dairymen

in the 30’ and 40’s came together to create National Dairy Month, dairy-man today need to join together with one unified voice and come up with workable solutions that work not only in the short term but in the long term as well. As founding member of the Dairy Farmers Working Together organization, Amanda St. Pierre put it “Dairy Producers it is time to find your producer voice…”

For now I’ll do my part in June by consuming as much Ice-cream, cheese, yogurt, butter and milk as possible. As I look into the future of the dairy industry here in Utah I’m a little nervous with so many of our dairy producers that have invested so much of themselves personally and financially and having it all be at risk of having it washed away without passing it on to a new generation of dairy farmers. In fact, recent studies from the California Department of Agriculture & Food and the USDA, estimate that more than 4.5 billion dollars in producer equity has been transformed into debt since Janu-ary 2009. I do think there are much greener pastures ahead. For many Utah producers, I hope the answers come sooner than later.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A total of 50 $1,000 scholarships for agricul-tural studies have been awarded by the National FFA Organization in conjunction with the American Farm Bureau Federation and Ram Trucks, a division of Chrysler Group LLC.

Ram Trucks provided funding for the scholarships with the stipula-tion that winning FFA students had to be from a Farm Bureau fam-ily. Selection of winners also was based on the applicant’s academic record, FFA and other school and community activities, supervised agricultural experience in an agri-cultural education program and the student’s future goals.

“It’s an honor to recognize these 50 students from Farm Bureau families who have dedicated their academic and social activities to agriculture,” said Will Gilmer, AFBF Young Farmer and Rancher chair. “With their commitment and enthusiasm, U.S. agricultural pro-duction will have a bright future.”

Ram Trucks sponsors the schol-arships as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. Scholar-ships are presented to the winning students by Ram Trucks dealers on behalf of the company.

In awarding scholarships to an FFA member of each state, the win-ner of the Ram Trucks scholarship in Utah was Colton Gust, a mem-ber of the Dixie FFA Chapter in St. George, Utah.

The National FFA Scholarship Program was funded by 132 spon-sors, providing 1,589 individual scholarships (having grown from 16 scholarships in 1984) worth more than $1.9 million. A total of 8,305 students applied.

Additionally, other Utah FFA students earned scholarships spon-sored by a variety of organizations, including the Ford Trucks/Built Ford Tough FFA Scholarship, the Cargill Community Scholarship Program, the Irrigation Association Education Foundation scholarship, the American Veterinary Medical Association scholarship, and the Monsanto Company Commit-ment to Agriculture scholarship. Recipients included the following students:

Winners of the Ford Trucks/Built Ford Tough-FFA $1,000 Scholar-ship include the following: Wade Donaldson, North Summit FFA;

FFAscholar-shipsawarded

toFBfamilystudents

>FFA Continued on P. 15


Thursday will also include an update on greenbelt valuation, a look at how the slow economy is impacting agri-culture and rural communities, and comments from candidates running for the Utah Governor’s office.

Thursday evening will feature a BBQ diner and activities put on by the State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Attendees can expect to participate in a ‘Minute to Win It’

game, based on the NBC television show.

Friday will include commodity breakout sessions in the morning. The general session will start with remarks from President Hogan, fol-lowed by presentations on public land issues by State Representatives Herrod and Sumsion, the state’s bud-get situation by State Senator Lyle

Hillyard, and will close with remarks from Congressmen Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to raise and address issues while in attendance. Utah Farm Bureau’s policy positions will officially be adopted and formal-ized during the State Convention in November.

We encourage you to promote at-tendance within your county Farm

Bureau membership and continue to build the spirit of coopera-tion and unity that is unique to the Farm Bureau. Conference attendees will also be included in door prize give-away’s and have a wonderful opportu-nity to rub shoulders with other friends in agriculture. Please con-tact Susan Furner for

more information at [email protected] or 801-233-3040.

We look forward to seeing many Farm Bureau members at the con-ference.

>Midyear Continued from P. 1

TheMorganConservationDistrict, inpartnershipwith theMorganCounty Farm Bureau, Morgan FFA and others, hosted a Farm FieldDayonThursday,May20,2010attheMorganCountyFairgrounds.ThepurposeoftheFarmFieldDaywastoteachchildrenaboutagriculture,wheretheirfoodcomesfrom,andwhyagricultureisimportantinourlives.

A.J. Ferguson, Utah Farm Bureau Vice President of Farm Safety,teacheskidsattheMorganCountyFarmFieldDayaboutATVsafety.

Inattendancewere104fourthgradestudents,fourteachers,andpar-entvolunteersfromMorganElementarySchool.Thestudentsrotatedthrough12engagingdemonstrationsandactivitiesthatrangedfromsoil erosion, water quality and dairy production to sheep shearing,ropingandporkproduction.

Whenaskedwhattheirfavoritethingswerestudentsmentionedlearn-ingaboutanimalbranding,roping,thepettingzoo,andlearningwherefoodcomesfrom.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Conservation District


Baxter Black:

Nicole was a tomboy…no, more accurately she was a COWboy! She favored cow work to Barbie Dolls. She was Dad’s right hand man. By age 15 she could pull her weight from building fence to pulling calves.

Last spring to celebrate the coming of sunshine, the community of Hanna in southeastern Alberta was having “supper and a do.” Nicole had strict instructions from her mother that her attendance was mandatory and she would be required to dress like a lady and behave appropriately.

On the big day she spent two hours at the hairdresser (aka the next door neighbor in her basement) trying to control her unruly white-man’s fro. Hair-sprayed and coiffed like a maiden in King Louie’s court, she returned home where she was commanded to remain until it was time to leave.

Meanwhile, out in the barn lot, Swing Bag Betty, an aging curly-haired whiteface grandma, was shut up in the pen on calving watch. An hour before departure time Dad mentioned he was going to run her in the chute and check her before he showered to go to town.

Nicole had been trapped in the house since noon doing housework and fidgeting. Every step she took she could feel her hairdo ping and bounce like a beehive full of aluminum ping-pong balls! Finally on the edge of a nervous breakdown she dropped her dust rag and slipped out of the basement window.

Dad wasn’t surprised when she showed up to help. He laughed as they started pushing Betty toward the barn. It was tough slogging in the mud. They’d had the cow on the cull list for three years due to the obvious name-sake reason, plus she had hind hooves like sleds, and a horn that had to be sawed every year to keep it from growing into her head.

Betty balked at the barn door and no amount of hoorahin’, hollerin’, or tail twisting would move her forward. Then, with the quickness of a star hockey player for the Brandon Wheat Kings, she reversed direction! Nicole gave chase down the alley through the ankle deep mud, manure and as-sorted calving goobies! Overtaking the plunging cow, she whirled to make a stand! Holding out her hand like a traffic cop she realized simultaneously, that the cow had the advantage of momentum and ski-traction feet over Nicole’s recently shined, leather-soled, mud coated boots.

At that very moment, Mom arrived in search of her cow-lovin’ daughter. She watched in horror as Swing Bag Betty ran over Nicole like a footlog! The entire cotton candy hairdo disappeared in the quagmire, along with the rest of her body, leaving only her nose and toes protruding from the mud, like tiny islands. In departure, as Swing Bag Betty mowed her down, her pendulous moniker smacked across Nicole’s face as a final salute, or obscene gesture, if you will.

I’m sure there is a moral to this story, or a lesson to be learned…but for the life of me, I can’t think of one.

SwingBagBetty

Calcium: 30% Daily Value An 8-oz serving of milk provides 30% of the Daily Value of calcium. Cal-cium helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth. This mineral also plays an important role in nerve function, muscle contraction and blood clotting.Vitamin D: 25% Daily Value When fortified, a glass of milk provides about 25% of the Daily Value for vitamin D. Vitamin D helps promote the absorption of calcium and en-hances bone mineralization. Milk is one of the few dietary sources of this important nutrient.Protein: 16% Daily Value The protein in milk is high quality, which means it con-tains all of the essential amino acids in the proportions that the body requires for good health. Protein builds and repairs muscle tissue and serves as a source of energy during high-powered endur-ance exercise. An 8-oz glass of milk provides about 16% of the Daily Value for protein.Potassium: 11% Daily Value Potassium regulates the body’s fluid balance and helps maintain normal blood pressure. It’s also needed for muscle activity and contraction.Vitamin A: 6%-10% Daily Value A glass of 2%, 1% or fat-free milk provides 10% of the Daily Value of vi-tamin A; a glass of whole milk provides 6%. This nutrient helps maintain normal vision and skin. It also helps regulate cell growth and maintains the integrity of the immune system.Vitamin B12: 13% Daily Value Vitamin B12 helps build red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to working muscles. Just one 8-oz glass of milk provides about 13% of the Daily Value for this vitamin.Riboflavin: 24% Daily Value Milk is an excellent source of riboflavin, providing 24% of the Daily Value. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, helps convert food into energy—a process crucial for exercising muscles.Niacin: 10% Dietary Reference Intake (or Niacin equivalent) Niacin is important for the normal function of many enzymes in the body, and is involved in the metabolism of sugars and fatty acids. A glass of milk provides 10% of the Dietary Reference Intake for niacin.Phosphorus: 20% Daily Value Phosphorus helps strengthen bones and generates energy in the body’s cells. Milk is an excellent source of phosphorus, providing 20% of the Daily Value.

NationalDairyMonth:Anutrient-by-nutrientlookatmilkandthe

health benefits it provides.

Brandee Espinoza, Wasatch FFA; Niccole Haslam, Morgan FFA; Samantha LeFevre, Delta FFA; Shyanne Ovard, North Summit FFA; Shaun Stokes, Syracuse FFA; Kelby Swallow, Millard High School; and Alexis Sweat, Wa-satch FFA.

Additional scholarship winners include $1,000 Cargill Community schol-arships to Romy Franks of Timpview High School and Heidi McPhie of Tooele High School; a $1,000 Irrigation Association Education Foundation scholarship to Kyle Mitchell, Spanish Fork FFA; a $1,000 American Veteri-nary Medical Association scholarship to Audrey Raby, Wasatch FFA; and a $1,500 Monsanto Company Commitment to Agriculture Scholarship to Jacob Stout, Hurricane FFA.

Congratulations to all FFA scholarship winners.

>FFA Continued from P. 13


Women’sCommitteeAurlineBoyack

women’s committeeCoordinator

Farm Bureau is pleased to an-nounce the state winners in the 2010 “Celebrate Agriculture” creative story contest.

“Where Does My Bread and But-ter Come From?” was the topic cho-sen for the 2010 contest. The annual contest is sponsored by Utah Farm Bureau Women. “The purpose of this contest is to foster a greater un-derstanding of Utah’s agricultural industry and the role which farm-ers and ranch-ers play in sup-plying our food, fiber and fuel,” e x p l a i n s R u t h R o b e r t s , S t a t e Women’s Com-mittee Chair. “We appreciate every teacher who encourages their stu-dents to participate.”

This year school children were encouraged to use their imagina-tion to create a story explaining where wheat comes from and how

Winnersannouncedforcreativestorycontest

it becomes bread and/or how milk from a dairy cow becomes butter. Farm Bureau Women’s Commit-tees in each county sponsored the contest in their local schools. First place county winners in each of six grade levels were then entered into the state competition.

The first-place winners received a check for $100. Second-place win-ners received $50 and third-place

winners received a check for $25.00. Teachers of the six first-place win-ners each received accurate agricul-ture storybooks for their classroom, a “Farm Facts” booklet which is published by the American Farm

Bureau, “Ag Quest” cards contain-ing questions & answers on various agricultural subjects published by USU Extension’s Agriculture in the Classroom and a hands-on activity for each member of the class. West-ern AgCredit sponsored a pizza party for the class of each first place state winner.

The topic for the 2011 Cre-ative Story Contest will be an-nounced early this fall. Contact your county Women’s Committee Chair for county contest deadline and complete contest rules. Con-tact information for the County Women’s Chairs can be found at ufbf.fb.org >programs>women’s committee>County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Leaders.

Congratulations to the following:

3rd Grade:First place – Madison McCandless

– Emery County Second place – Takeo Kano – So.

Box Elder County Third place – Makayla Dalton

– Beaver County

4th Grade: First place – Ally Bragger - So.

Box Elder CountySecond place – Sydney Shae Nay-

lor – Salt Lake CountyThird place – Samuel Lowe - Gar-

field County

5th Grade: First place – Makenzy Palmer

– Sanpete CountySecond place – Mason Morgan

– Piute CountyThird place – Nathan Fairhurst

– Beaver County

6th Grade:First place – Riley Cook – Wayne

County Second place – Jameson Griffiths

– Iron County Third place – Macy Call – Beaver

County

7th Grade: First place: Julie Crowell – Iron

CountySecond place: Justin Hunt - Wayne

CountyThird place: Cheyenne Young

– Summit County

8th Grade: First place: Ellissa Clark – Morgan

CountySecond place: Alyshia Baker – Mil-

lard County

1st Place Winner – Grade 6 – Riley CookWayne CountyParents: Kerry & Paige Cook

My life has been adventuresome. Growing up is challenging if you are a seed of grain. I have seen the inside of a 12-foot header combine and been locked in a cell that got up to 350 degrees and could not get out. But that is not how it started. So I had better rewind a bit.

My life started when I was just a seed. The good farmer had plowed the field in order to make a nice soft bed for me. As he planted, I became familiar with other grain seeds. We were planted in the same hole. As we grew, we inter-twined to form a nice strong stock. I got watered once a day. When the water would hit me it felt soothing especially on the hot summer days. It was the life until I was cut down by the combine. I was separated from my roots and could not grow anymore. The seeds that I produced were important. That is why the farmer planted me, to get my seeds. After my seeds were harvested, they were sent to a granary to await their fate. Soon they were ground into a fine powder, but one of the grains did not get crushed. One day it will be planted by a good farmer and start its own life cycle.

The powder that was made from my seeds is flour. It was sent to a bakery and made into bread dough. I was mixed with other ingredients, one of them was yeast. Yeast made me rise and then get punched down. It was great fun, like riding a roller-coaster. I was made into a neat loaf and put in a pan. This is the point when I was held captive and put into a 350 degree oven. I was baked until I was a nice golden brown. It wasn’t very pleasant. A plastic bag was slipped over me and the others who shared the same fate. A truck came and picked us up and took us to a strange place called a city. I was placed on a shelf for someone to buy.

I was bought by a nice family with a little boy. He took me out of the bag and spread a big slab of butter on me. I asked the butter where she came from. She told me about her journey from a cow to the table. She started out as cream in the milk. She went on a long ride to a processing plant. At the plant she went into a fancy machine that made her dizzy. But when she was finished, she was separated from the milk. Then she got churned. When this happened she went around and around in a special container that separated the moisture from her. She said it kind of tickled. Then all that was left was the fat. They sprinkled her with salt and made her into a nice little rectangle.

As she was being spread over me I made a new friend. In the end, it was fun to take the journey from the farm to the table. The best part was the little boy sinking his teeth into me. I was glad I became bread because I made the little boy happy.


HURRICANE — Divers have found what appears to be a live adult quagga mussel in Sand Hol-low Reservoir.

The reservoir is about eight miles southwest of Hurricane in southern Utah.

“After the divers made the dis-covery, two aquatic invasive species (AIS) biologists confirmed that the mussel appeared to be an adult quagga mussel,” says Douglas Mes-serly, regional supervisor for the

Division of Wildlife Resources.“If it is an adult quagga mussel,

there’s a good chance more of them are in the reservoir,” Messerly says. “And if that’s the case, that’s bad news for boaters, anglers and water users. Quagga mussels can do all kinds of damage, including clog-ging systems that deliver water and devastating fish populations.”

The mussel has been sent to the DWR office in Salt Lake City. From there, it will be flown to Colorado, where two laboratories will per-form DNA tests. The DNA tests will help confirm whether the mussel is a quagga mussel or another type of mussel.

“ T h e D i v i s i o n o f Wildlife Resources is taking this suspected sighting seriously,” Messerly says. “We’re working closely with Utah State Parks and the Washington Coun-ty Water Conservan-cy District to develop short- and long-term plans to contain and manage the problem.”

Decontaminating your boat

To lessen the chance that mussels are spread to other waters from the reservoir, on May 22, DWR Director Jim Karpowitz signed a legal rapid response plan

QuaggamusselmayhavebeenfoundinSandHollow

notice. The notice is now in ef-fect at Sand Hollow and at waters throughout Utah.

The notice requires that any type of recreational equipment that’s been in Sand Hollow during the past 30 days must be decontami-nated before launching at any other water in Utah. This includes any piece of recreational equipment capable of carrying or containing reservoir water or a quagga or zebra mussel, including any type of boat,

vessel, personal watercraft, motor vehicle or trailer.

Also, all boats leaving Sand Hol-low must be in-spected for mus-sels and drained and cleaned by DWR AIS techni-cians.

“ D e c o n t a m i -nating your boat is the only way to stop the spread of these mussels,” says Lynn Cham-berlain, DWR re-

gional outreach manager. “The decontamination process won’t harm your boat. In fact, it can ac-tually help your boat by removing mussels that could clog your boat’s pumps and hoses.”

Chamberlain says there are two ways to decontaminate your boat after pulling it out of the water:

Clean mud, plants, animals or other debris from your boat and equipment. Drain the ballast tanks, bilge, live wells and motor. Dry your boat (seven days in the sum-mer, 18 days in the spring and fall, and 30 days in the winter.

OR

Get your boat professionally decontaminated. Certified person-nel will wash your trailer and boat

inside and out, flushing your ballast tanks, bilge, live wells and motor with high-pressure, scalding (140 degree Fahrenheit) water.

The DWR offers this service for free at popular waters across Utah.

“No matter which decontamina-tion method you prefer, you should make a habit of completing the de-contamination process after every boating trip,” Chamberlain says. “In addition to stopping the spread of mussels, your efforts will also help limit the spread of whirling disease.”

Chamberlain says the DWR will have decontamination units at Sand Hollow and will provide the service free to boaters as they leave the park. “Hundreds of boaters use this reservoir, so you’ll likely have to wait several minutes to use the service,” he says.

Regular divesSand Hollow is one of the waters

at which the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WC-WCD) conducts regular dives to search for quagga and zebra mus-sels.

Divers found the possible quagga mussel during a dive on May 21.

Kent Walker was diving with fellow diver Troy Guard under docks near the main boat ramp on the northwest side of the reservoir when he felt something suspicious in a crevice between two floatation buoys under the dock.

He pulled the item out and brought it to the surface. Michelle Deras, an AIS biologist with the WCWCD, and Crystal Stock, an AIS biologist with the DWR, were among several DWR, Utah State Parks and WCWCD personnel who were contacted.

After examining the mussel, Deras and Stock confirmed that it had all the markings and characteristics of an adult quagga mussel.

“At this point, we don’t know where the mussel came from or how many are in the reservoir,” Deras says. “What we do know is that we found one and there are likely more. We must take every precaution pos-sible to make sure mussels aren’t spread to other waters in Utah.”

Sand Hollow Reservoir is still open for boating and fishing.

For more information about the rapid response plan notice and how you can prevent spreading quagga mussels in Utah, visit wildlife.utah.gov/mussels.

DWRtechniciandecontaminatesaboatleavingSandHollowReservoir.

Photo by Lynn Chamberlain

Thislikelyquaggamussel,shownagainstametricruler,wasfoundatSandHollowRes-ervoironMay21,2010. Photo by Lynn Chamberlain

By Lyle Holmgren, USU Extension Agent – Box Elder CountyGrasshoppers and black grass bugs are native insects in Utah. They play an important role, serving as food for wildlife but outbreaks occur through-out the state that can significantly impair crops and rangeland.

UDAF has two cost share programs to help producers provide control for these insects.

Grasshopper and Mormon crick-ets:

UDAF pays 75% of the cost to con-trol grasshoppers or Mormon crickets on privately owned rangeland and cropland. After being qualified to participate by UDAF, Utah State Uni-versity or USDA personnel, partici-pants spray their land with pesticide labeled for use on these insects.

Participants pay applicator and submit a state contract for reimburse-ment. Maximum reimbursement for aerial spraying is $3.00 private share and $9.00 State share (25/75) for a total of $12.00 per acre. Maximum reimbursement for ground spraying is $3.50 private share and $10.50 State

UDAFprovidesfinancial helpto farmers andranchers forGrasshopperandBlackGrass

Bugcontrol

>Bugs Continued on P. 20

Page 1� June 2010UtahFarmBureauNews


Utah Farm Bureau has a strong commitment to the conservation of our natural resources. No other in-dustry is more dependent on clean water and air than agriculture. Conservation (versus preserva-tion) is defined as the wise use of resources. Many of the innovations leading to better control of agri-cultural pollution and improved soil and water conservation have come from farmers and ranchers often aided by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, land grant universities, and others.

In an effort to further stimulate innovation by landowners to con-serve resources, the Utah Farm Bureau Federation has partnered with Utah Cattlemen’s Association, Western AgCredit and the Sand County Foundation to sponsor a Leopold Conservation Award. Ap-plicants are critiqued by a Review Panel comprised of government leaders and resource specialists. The winner will receive $10,000 this fall. More information about the Sand County Foundation and the Leopold Conservation Award, including an application brochure, can be found at www.leopoldcon-servationaward.org.

A person may nominate himself or herself, or be nominated by others. Letters of recommenda-tion from others familiar with the nominee’s accomplishments are encouraged. A specific requirement is that the nominee be a bona fide farmer or rancher. The conserva-tion efforts could focus on soil and water, wildlife habitat, pollution control or any other natural re-source conservation program asso-ciated with agricultural production. The judging criteria for this award have been designed to recognize efforts in a wide variety of areas. We hope you’ll consider submit-ting a nomination. The nomination deadline is Wednesday, July 28 2010. Submit all applications to the Utah Farm Bureau office - attention David Bailey. If you have ques-tions, please contact David Bailey at 801-233-3020.

NominationsunderwayfortheLeopold

ConservationAward

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ag-riculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that landowners na-tionwide are invited to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CSP offers payments to producers who maintain a high level of con-servation on their land and who agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. Eligible lands include

USDAurgeslandownerstosignupforConservationStewardshipProgram

Applications Will Be Accepted Through June 11, 2010

cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial forestland. The deadline to be considered for the next ranking and funding period is June 11, 2010.

“Voluntary conservation practices by private landowners are an essen-tial part of our effort to improve soil and water quality,” said Vilsack. “Broad and diverse participation in the CSP program will provide landowners with many benefits such as enhancing wildlife habitat

and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change.”

Congress limited enrollment for CSP nationally at 12.7 million acres per year. Applicants will compete within state-identified ranking pools. CSP is offered in all 50 states, District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through con-tinuous sign-ups with announced cut-off application dates for rank-

>Conservation Continued on P. 20

June 2010 Page 1�UtahFarmBureauNews

Kyle & Shelly MatthewsState Young Farmer & Rancher Committee ~ District 3(Davis, Salt Lake & Tooele Counties)

As Kyle and I thought of things we could write about, the recurring thing that keep coming to us was how grateful we are to be a part of Farm Bureau. We have had some wonderful experiences being part of the Young Farmer & Ranchers Program. When we first became member of the Young Farmer & Ranchers, we really didn’t know what we were getting into. At the time I just thought it was one more thing to do and I wasn’t really excited. We had been married about two years, and I was working full-time and Kyle was farming full-time and I thought we already had enough on our plates. Unfortunately I felt this way for a couple years, then we attended a Leadership Conference in Sandy and things just clicked for me at the time. I realized how lucky we were to be a part of an organization that was so passionate and dedicated to agriculture. I learned a lot of things at the conference and for the first time I really felt like I was a part of something that was very important to our lifestyle. I felt a connection to the other couples there that I hadn’t felt before when I finally realized that we were all connected through our love of agriculture. I was not raised on a farm and when Kyle and I began dating I had several people warn me about marrying a farmer, but being headstrong and in love I jumped right in. It didn’t take me long to realize what I was being warned about, farming is definitely not the easiest occupation or lifestyle. But nothing beats ridding in a combine at sunset with a handsome farmer.

Some of the experiences we have had are being able to attend a National Young Farmers and Ranchers leadership Conference in Sacramento, California and a National Farm Bureau Conference in Seattle, Washington. We were able to meet so many other wonderful couples from around our country that are just as passionate and excited about agriculture. We were able to listen to present-ers speak about everything from the economy to generational differences. We have been able to learn things from people who understand our business and have given us ideas and tips that have helped us to improve our farm.

Being on the Young Farmers and Ranchers state committee has been my fa-vorite experience by far. It has given us the opportunity to really get to know other couples from around the state and that we have so much in common with. As we attend leadership conference together, travel together and even play together at or midyear meeting we have grown very close to these other couples and it has really made the experience so much more personal. I would have never thought that it would grow to mean so much to me.

Kyle took the opportunity to attend a Leadership Experience training pro-gram that was offered through Farm Bureau. He attended conferences in Iowa, Park City, and Washington, D.C. It was hard for him to leave the farm to attend these meeting. But we were lucky enough to have family more than willing to help out so he could attend this training. Kyle learned a lot from the session and he really enjoyed his trip to Washington, D.C. It really opened his eyes to the political system and gave him an opportunity to meet with several representatives from our state.

We also took the opportunity to compete for the Achievement Award. This was a challenge for Kyle and me. It was really hard to take the time to sit down and fill out the application. I felt so overwhelmed by the questions and I was

resentfully about giving up my time to help Kyle fill it out. The first year was a struggle. We really fought about what to put on the application and what our goals were. I think this is the first time we really talked about goals together and, surprisingly, we realized that maybe we weren’t on the same page. But it gave us the opportunity to really talk about what each of us wanted and where we wanted to go. I didn’t realize at the time what a big deal this was for us. We were pretty confident when we turned in our application. We thought we had filled out the best application ever submitted. Then we didn’t win. Well, we tackled the application again, and to my astonishment, we hadn’t done that great of job filling it out the first time. I realized that we hadn’t really put in the time and it showed. But I also realized that we were accomplishing some of the goals we had set. As we filled it out a second time, I thought “okay, now it is the best application ever written”. We lost again. I was surprised again when filling the forms out for the third time at how we had left out such important things and that we still hadn’t put in the time that we needed to. But not only had we accomplished our goals from the previous year, we had surpassed some of them. We spent a lot of time filling it out the third time. I felt like through this processes we were really becoming a team. We were getting on the same page so to speak. Then we won. We got the opportunity to compete at the National Farm Bureau Conference in Seattle. We had a great time meeting all the other contestant from around the country. What bright and hardworking couples there are in our industry. We were thrilled to make the Top Ten. It was great to win in Utah and the prizes are well worth the effort, but I felt like that best thing was the feeling of becoming a team and working together and achieving our goals. I am not sure if we would have achieved our goals without this process, so if anyone out there is debating on whether to take the time to fill out an application I say do it – you won’t regret it.

I am so thankful to Farm Bureau for the experience I have had. Not being raised on a farm, Farm Bureau has helped me to learn so much about agri-culture, it has helped me to learn about the issues that threaten our industry, it taught me to be passionate about something that I love, it has cultivated in my a desire to be more outspoken and to help those around me understand the importance of agriculture to our country and our families. Thanks Farm Bureau for helping us to become leaders and for all the opportunities to learn and grow along with all of you.


ing periods. Under the interim final rule pub-

lished July 29, 2009, eligible pro-ducers may submit an application to enroll eligible land in CSP on a continuous basis. Producers are encouraged to apply for CSP now to ensure their applications will be considered during the next fund-ing and ranking period. However, they can make their final decision to participate in the program once the CSP final rule is issued. The final rule will establish the policies and procedures for the program.

Potential applicants are encour-aged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine if the new program is suitable for their opera-tion. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations and potential payments. It is avail-able from local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices or on the NRCS website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/pro-grams/new_csp/csp.html.

CSP offers payments for adding conservation practices and main-taining and managing existing conservation practices.

For more information about CSP, please visit the CSP website.

>Conservation Continued from P. 18

By Rebecca Dixon, Intermountain Wind and Solar

The U.S. Energy Information Agen-cy recently reported that U.S. electric-ity rates increased 33.6 percent from 1997 to 2008 (in 2008 dollars). The Northwest Power and Conservation Commission predicts that regional electric rates will increase somewhere between 35.5 percent and 112 percent by 2020 (in 2010 dollars). Numbers like these have many small business

owners looking for electricity alter-natives. Federal incentives, worth up to 55 percent as cash back this year only, are causing many to seriously consider wind or solar power.

For those living in windy areas,

Can you dodge power rate increases?June 25 deadline for Cash-back and depreciation incentives available this year.

Free solar and wind site assessments available

wind turbines can produce electric-ity for ranch houses and equipment shops, center pivots, gas stations, motels, restaurants and many other rural businesses. Electric companies now allow customers to produce their own solar or wind power and “turn the meter backward.”

The federal renewable energy in-vestment tax credit (ITC) is available as a 30 percent cash back grant this year only due to stimulus funds. Eligi-

ble recipients include small businesses in rural areas or ag producers earning more than 50 per-cent of their income from agriculture.

In addition, the USDA’s R e n e wa b l e Energy for America Pro-gram (REAP) will pay 25 percent of an

eligible small business renewable en-ergy project costs as a cash grant. The USDA will also guarantee a loan for 75 percent of project costs to eligible wind or solar power applicants.

In windy places, a wind turbine

can offset enough electricity cost to significantly reduce or eliminate electric bills. For those interested in wind power, your wind resources need to be in the top 70 percent to get a good Return On Investment. If you’re below 70 percent, a solar power system is eligible for the same financial incentives. Once your renewable energy system is paid off, you will own your own energy source and steer clear of continually rising electricity rates.

Federal incentives, protection from increasing electric bills, low interest rates and accelerated depreciation allowances make renewable energy an attractive tool for increasing the financial sustainability of rural and/or ag businesses. Time is short, how-ever. The USDA REAP grant must be submitted by June 25th.

Intermountain Wind and Solar, a company based in the Salt Lake Val-ley, is offering no-obligation solar and wind assessments of proper-ties in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and southwest Montana. If you choose to pursue the federal incentives, the company’s grant writer is available to fill out the paperwork before June 25th. To schedule an assessment, call 801-298-5255 or e-mail [email protected].

share (25/75) for a total of $14.00 per acre.

Participants must complete UDAF paperwork and provide an aerial or plat map of the area being sprayed outlined or colored in. Submit a photocopy of the paid spray bill or if you spray the property yourself, write a bill for yourself documenting your cost to spray your own prop-erty showing it as dollars per acre and a photocopy of the insecticide purchased receipt. For more infor-mation, contact your county agent or UDAF agricultural inspector.

Black Grass Bugs:UDAF pays 50% of the cost to con-

trol grasshoppers or Mormon crick-ets on privately owned rangeland and cropland.

After being qualified to participate by UDAF, Utah State University or USDA personnel, participants spray their land with pesticide labeled for use on these insects.

Participants pay applicator and submit a state contract for reimburse-ment. Maximum reimbursement for

aerial spraying is $6.00 private share and $6.00 State share (50/50) for a total of $12.00 per acre. Maximum reimbursement for ground spraying is $7.00 private share and $7.00 State

share (50/50) for a total of $14.00 per acre.

Participants must complete UDAF paperwork and provide an aerial or plat map of the area being sprayed outlined or colored in. Submit a photocopy of the paid spray bill or if you spray the property yourself, write a bill for yourself documenting your cost to spray your own prop-erty showing it as dollars per acre and a photocopy of the insecticide purchased receipt. For more infor-mation, contact your county agent or UDAF agricultural inspector.

>Bugs Continued from P. 17


ComealongwithyourUtahFarmBureaufriendstoAtlanta,Georgia,siteoftheAmericanFarmBureauFederationAnnualConvention,January9-12,2011.

Inadditiontogreatdiscussiononthecurrentagriculturalis-suesoftheday,you’llbeabletovisitsitessuchastheWorldofCoke,CNNHeadquarters,Atlantaaquarium(thenation’slarg-est),1996OlympicPark,andmore!!

ContactSusanFurnerformoreinformation.

See you in Atlanta!!!

By Mike Pace, USU Extension Agent, Box Elder CountyA multi-county research project that USU Extension agents from Box Elder,

Cache, Weber and Beaver counties have been involved in over the last 5 years has evaluated the practice of early spraying of alfalfa weevil while the alfalfa was dormant. In 2008, they also looked at developing a new economic thresh-old values for alfalfa weevil. Many alfalfa producers in Utah have incorporated the practice of applying an insecticide as an early treatment for alfalfa weevil control. This preventative application is often made in combination with a herbicide, and before an alfalfa weevil infestation has been identified.

Three years of Utah data (2004-2006) show that weevil numbers, collected per 180 degree sweep with a 15-inch net, are often below the generally accepted economic threshold of 20 larvae per sweep. Crop consultants and entomolo-gists have used the 20 larvae threshold as the minimum alfalfa weevil popula-tion to economically justify an insecticide treatment. Hay growers and crop consultants are questioning the validity of this threshold, given the increased value of alfalfa hay the last couple of years.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that non-treated fields, especially after the harvest of first crop, are extremely slow to recover. As such, yields and net returns appear to be lower than what is observed in treated alfalfa fields. The demand for quality alfalfa hay for dairy cows, horses and other specialty niches has been increasing regionally and worldwide. Additionally, new in-secticidal chemistries are becoming more expensive and frequently the only registered products available. In general, economic thresholds for insects are not intended to be static, but are highly dependent on production costs and crop values.

In an effort to better understand economic thresholds and to safeguard environmental quality, USU Extension Agents established trials in Box Elder, Beaver, Weber and Cache counties in 2008. Fields were selected for sampling and monitoring that had an alfalfa stand that had been established for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years. Portions of each field received an insecticidal application to control alfalfa weevil (i.e., Treated). The remaining portion of the field did not receive an insecticidal treatment regard-less of alfalfa weevil populations (i.e., Untreated Control). Replications were repeated four times in each field and in each county.

The selected fields were sampled for weevil at least twice before the first cutting and twice again before the second cutting. The first crop sampling took place approximately 3 weeks before anticipated harvest and again just days before the hay was actually swathed. Second crop sampling was done approximately 10-14 days after the first crop was harvested and again just days before the hay was swathed for second crop. Each monitoring session consisted of counting alfalfa weevil larvae found in three sub-samples from each field replication. The sub-samples were collected by taking ten 180º sweeps with a 15 inch sweep net through the top of the foliage (similar to the data collected from 2004-2006). We also did larvae counts on individual stems. In addition to weevil larvae counts, each field was assessed for dry matter tonnage per acre using Electronic Rising Plate Meters (www.jenquip.co.nz/pasturem.htm) and by taking replicated quadrant clippings from the control and treated plots that were oven dried to determine forage mass.

Researchers anticipated significant differences between the treated and con-trol plots, especially during the initial re-growth of second crop hay. Blended data from all four counties, however, showed no significant difference in for-age yield between the treated and control plots. We did find an increase of alfalfa weevil larvae in the control plots, but saw no statistically significant differences in forage mass yields between the control and treated sites. Insect numbers were not high enough in any of the four Utah counties to warrant an insecticidal treatment in 2008.

The opinion is that regular insect monitoring with a 15 inch sweep net for alfalfa weevil larva makes economic and environmental sense for alfalfa hay producers. Then make an insecticide application based on insect thresholds, the cost of the insecticides, the application costs and the breakeven price of the hay.

Alfalfaweevil-Whenshouldyou or shouldn’t you spray?


Got Photos?? 2010 Photo Contest

CallingAllShutterbugs!!Areyouready toputyourhobby to thetest?? Submit your photos for the 2010 UtahFarmBureauphotocontest.Dead-lineisAugust1.

Winners receive $100 and may be pub-lished in the Utah Farm Bureau maga-zine.

Thisyear’scategoriesinclude:**AllinaDay’sWork****KidsintheCountry**and**Utah’sBest(naturescenes)**.

Emailentriestomatt.hargreaves@fbfs.comormailtoMattHargreavesat9865S.StateStreet,Sandy,Utah84070.Prize winners agree to hold harmless and release UFBF, its staff, officers, and affiliated entities from loss, claim, injury,damageorexpense.UFBFmay,withoutofferinganyconsiderationtoorobtainingthepermissionofitssub-mitter,useanysuchphotographforanypurpose,suchaspublishingitinCountrysidemagazine,useonUFBF’swebsite,orreproducingitforUFBFuse.

The Utah state office of the Natu-ral Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced an initiative designed to help agricultural produc-ers transition to more energy efficient operations. This initiative will make funding available for individual on-farm energy audits designed to save both money and energy when fully implemented.

“Reducing energy use on Utah’s farms and ranches will not only help our agricultural producers become more profitable, but also help the United States become more energy independent,” said Sylvia Gillen, NRCS State Conservationist. “Through this initiative, producers who apply for and are approved will receive a set rate upon completion of an Agricultural Energy Manage-ment Plan (Ag EMP), conducted by a certified Technical Service Provider, who conducts the on-farm audit in accordance with NRCS standards and specifications.”

The energy audits will be funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in fiscal

NRCSinitiativetoimproveagriculturalenergy

conservation and efficiencyIndividual Energy Audits will Help

Producers Reduce Energy Useyear 2010. The audits will be individ-ually tailored to ensure coverage of each farm’s primary energy uses such as milk cooling, irrigation pumping, heating and cooling of livestock pro-duction facilities, manure collection and transfer, grain drying, and simi-lar common on-farm activities.

Implementation will occur in stages beginning with the short-term immediate goal of providing the on-farm energy audits to help identify how the operations can become more energy efficient. Longer term goals will involve development of agri-cultural energy management plans for cost effective implementation of the recommendations provided in their on-farm energy audits. More information about agricultural en-ergy management plans is available at: www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov, or by contacting Lynn Larsen, Utah NRCS Energy Initiative Coordinator, at 435-979-3368; or by email at [email protected].

Midyear Conference Registration

Riverwoods Conference Center 615 S. Riverwoods Parkway

Logan, UT 84123 (435) 750-5151 July 15-16, 2010

Please return to: Susan Furner Utah Farm Bureau Federation 8965 South State Street Sandy, UT 84070 [email protected] (Phone) 801.233.3030 (Fax)

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

Name_______________________________ Telephone_______________________

Address____________________________ County__________________________

City________________________________ Zip______________________________

Please PRINT ALL names as you want them to appear on the name badges.

____________________________________ _________________________________

____________________________________ _________________________________

# of Tickets ______ $55 Registration fee/person by June 11 ______ ______ $65 Late Registration fee/person after June 11 ______ ______ $25/person for dinner only—July 15 ______

(Total due at time of registration)

Hotel Registration Information: SpringHill Suites Marriott—625 S. Riverwoods Parkway Arrival Date ______ Departure Date ______ Room Preference ______ Number of Rooms ______ Adults ______ Children ______ (king or 2 queen)

(All room charges should be paid at time of checkout directly with the hotel.)


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGIMPORTANTNOTICE1. Non-commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau mem-bers selling items they grow or make themselves, or used machinery, household items, etc., they them-selves have used in the past. Each member family is entitled to one such ad free in each three-month period. Ads can be up to 40 words or numbers such as phone number or Zip. Words such as “For Sale” are included, initials and numbers count as a word. Allwordsover40cost25centseach.Adsover40wordsnotaccompaniedbytheextrapay-ment,ornotmeetingtheaboverequirements,willbereturnedtothesender. Family member-ships cannot be combined to create larger ads, nor can a membership be used for free classified ad purposes by anyone other than immediate family members. Ads run for three months.2. Commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members where the member is acting as an agent or dealer (real estate, machinery, handicraft items made by people outside the member family, etc.) cost 25 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Members are entitled to one such ad. Ads run for one month.3.Ads for non-Utah Farm Bureau members cost 50 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Ads run for one month.In all ads, short lines requested by the advertiser, extra lines of white space, and lines with words in all caps count as 6 words per line. Ads with borders and bold headlines may be submitted and placed within the classified section, but will be charged the display advertising rate. Please contact the classi-fied advertising department for further information. No insurance ads will be accepted.***DEADLINE:ALLADSMUSTBERECEIVEDBYTHE15THOFTHEMONTHINORDERTOAPPEARINTHENEXTISSUE.EXCEPTFORTHEJANUARYISSUE,WHICHHASACLASSIFIEDDEADLINEOFDEC.5.Only free ads (Category 1 ads of 40 words or less) will be accepted by telephone at 801-233-3010, by fax at 801-233-3030 [email protected]. Please include your membership number. Ads must be received no later than the 15th of the monthMail ads, typed or neatly printed, with any pay-ment due, to Utah Farm Bureau News, Classified Ad Department, 9865 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070-2305. Free ads must be resubmitted by mail, telephone or fax after running for three months. Ads for which there is a payment due will be run as long as payment is received in advance.ALLCLASSIFIEDADSwillbelistedontheUtahFarmBureauwebpageunlesstheUtahFarmBureau member specifies otherwise when placingthead.Theadsonthewebsitewillrunconcurrently with the classified ads in the Utah FarmBureauNews.NOTE: The appearance of any ad in the Utah Farm Bureau News does not constitute an endorsement or approval of the service or merchandise offered. While every effort is made to ensure the legitimacy of services or merchandise advertised, the Utah Farm Bureau News or the Utah Farm Bureau Federation accepts no responsibility or liability for services or products advertised.

AUTOMOTIVEFORSALE:Sheep or cattle transport; 81 K.W. (maroon colored); 400 Big Cam; 11:24:5 tires. Merritt Box, 1 pup; like new trailer, new 22 foot aluminum sheep loading chute, major overhaul with good tires, new steering, and interior deck lights, original owner (Brian Webb Heber) 435-835-2021. For Sale: 1991 Eldorado class C motor home, Model J24, 460 Ford engine, A/C, cruise control, generator, 4 new tires, 2 new batteries, sleeps up to six, enclosed shed storage. 42,390 miles. Call 435-723-6704. FORSALE: 1978 Ford F 7000 2.5 ton truck with grain bed

and heavy duty hoist. Good condition. Asking $6,500.00. Cur-rently licensed and fully road worthy. 435-563-5492.FORSALE:1986 Ford F150 XLT with camper shell. In very good condition. Recently passed inspection. Phone 435-752-4308, Logan.

FARMEQUIPMENTIBUY,SELL,TRADEANDLOCATEall kinds of farm machinery. Bale wagons, tractors, tillage, planting, harvesting equipment, etc. I have a large inventory at this time. Palmer Equipment is located one mile south of Manti on Highway 89. 435-835-5111 or Cell: 435-340-1111. www.balewagons.com.For Sale: 4000 gallon Mueller milk tank, excel-lent condition. $19,500. 435-528-5835FORSALE:H & S 24’ round bale feeder wagon. Used very little, like new condition. Cost new: $5,550.00. Will sell for $4,700.00. Goshen, UT 801-667-3289.FORSALE: D6 CAT Dozer. Heavy duty winch, 12’ 6-way blade, ROPS, sweeps, dual hydraulic tilt, manual angle, brand new turbo, direct electric start, recent new tread cleats on tracks, new brake lining, just lubed and serviced. $15,000. 801.597.0754.FORSALE:8555 Case International baler. 1486 Case International tractor with good rubber. Mac-Don 14’ swather. Not used for two years, shed stored, all in excellent condition. 801- 698-7014. FORSALE:2004 Prioliet 1600 low profile feed wagon, 570 cubic feet, asking $18,500. Bed-master 12” composter, $12,000. Call 801-821-0633.WANTTOBUY:3 pt. tractor mounted sickle bar mower, side-delivery rake. Call 435-784-3305.FORSALE:Squeeze chute, Powder River. Double neck catch, rear gate. Good condition. $1,400 – offer. Fillmore, UT. 801-372-4019. Can deliver. JDTRACTOR:4755 (RW4755P003013). 4 wheel drive. 6,047 hrs. Very good condition. $42,500. 435-979-7720 or 801-226-1948.FORSALE:Peerless grain roller with 2 com-modity bins, $3,000 OBO. 300 bushel grain bin on legs $1,500. 440 bushel grain bin on legs, $2,200. 2 used Western Saddles: Saddle King, $400 & Brad McClellan, $500. Call 435-279-0675 west corinne. FORSALE:150 gal JD sprayer, 3 pt. hook-up, 30’ boom, $600. 3 pt. Sitrex saw, $600. 3 pt. to-mato and pepper planter, $400. 30 old Safeway galvanized 4x4 storage bins, $5.00 ea. Bostitch 1’ box stapler, $200. Container box stapler, elec-tric, Model CE, $400. 801-825-1701. FORSALE:Irrigation turbine pump assembly: United 460 volt 75 hp electric motor, $2,000. 10 inch diam. seven stage Gould pump, $2,000. 160 ft. of 6” diam column, 2” drip, shaft and bear-ing assembly, $2,000. Panel box, $1,000. Used seven seasons; replaced with larger system. Capacity 750 gpm @ 266 ft. dynamic head. Well maintained system in excellent condition. 435-234-1135.

LIVESTOCKRegistered Suffolk and Whether Sire Ewes. Productive, framey, 240% lamb crop this year. Bloodlines include Donner Trail, Buckeye Acres and more. Contact Justen 435-421-9533, Weber County, Circle-S-Fabrication.com, [email protected] YEAR OLD CHARLOIS bulls for sale. 801-768-4112. WANTED:Well broke gelding, 14 to 15.2 hands. 6-12 years old. Hunting, mtn. type. (I’m 69 yrs. old) Also 4-horse trailer and saddle. 801-255-2251. BULLSFORSALE:Red Angus yearling bulls. Trich and fertility tested. Bred for calving ease and high growth. Lyle Taylor, Vernal, Utah. Call 435-790-8880. PUREBREDGELBVIEH and Balancer Bulls for sale. Current on all testing and will increase performance and weight gain on your cattle. Contact Richard Pace: 435-425-3805 (evenings) or 435-691-4703 (cell) daytime. PURE BREED Angus Yearling Bull for sale. Telephone 435-646-3575, Gerald PeckFORSALE:Purebred Columbia ewe lambs. Over 27 years of breeding to the best. Past 5 year Micron average: 24.66. Contact Reed F. Christensen, Moroni, UT. 435-436-8792.

REALESTATEFORSALE: 300 acres in central Utah. Excellent soil, water rights, pivots. Raises excellent hay and corn. 2 older homes, corrals, shop, dairy barn, bunker silo. $1,725,000.

435-528-5835Legacy Ranch Townhomes:$119,900, 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 1,500 square feet. LandByOneidaNar-

rows: 400 acres. Borders Maple Grove Campground and boat dock. Heavily wooded. Seller financing. Can subdivide. Dairy Farm in Cache Valley: 41 acres of irrigated ground. Updated home, excellent crops. Double 5 Herringbone parlor. Mink Creek Idaho: Large price reduction 26.9 ac hillside property, along Hwy 36. Irrigation rights. Beautiful home site. Land in Clarkston: Price Reduction! Seller Financ-ing. $95,000 for 42 acres. Beautiful farm against foothills. County road goes through. 194.6 acres in 3 parcels and 105 acre parcel. RanchinThatcherIdaho:Seller Financ-ing! Cattle ranch. 760 acres. Mountain pasture with 48 BLM AUMS. 72.77 acres irrigated land with new system. Early water right. FarminThatcherIdaho:Excellent meadow/farm. Half mile of Bear River frontage. 3 large pivots. Seller financing. CommercialBldginWillard:Along Highway 89. Built as fruit stand and office. Has 15’ x 15’ walk-in cooler. Excellent retail opportunity. LandinCacheValley:72.14 acres in Young Ward. Water rights and grazing land. LegacyRanchHomes:In Franklin, Idaho. Equestrian, lakeside and view lots. Homes from $149,900. Contact Brent Parker, @Home Realty, (435)881-1000 250ACRERANCH: lovely home, detached garage – only $295,000. Fenced, cross fenced, three acre Bass/Catfish pond, water wells, au-tomatic waterer, pastures, corral, near Branson-Springfield, MO airport. For details/photos, www.omrelistings.com/OMRE229L or call, Jay Lee, 435-635-4959 (home) or 435-635-1209(work).FORSALE:25 acres next to Walmart distribu-tion center, Corinne, UT. Water tap available. $500,000 OBO. Phone Ken Davis, 435-279-0675.UTAHVACATIONIDEA! Hiking, fishing, hunting, moun-tain biking, horse trails, more. Everything’s close to the Rose-bud Guest House. Near Ashley NF, Strawberry River, Starva-tion. Fully equipped cabin. Pet-friendly. Corrals. Reservations, more information: 435-548-2630, 1-866-618-7194, walsh.

[email protected], www.rosebudguesthouse.com.

MISCELLANEOUSFORSALE: Vintage horse-drawn buggy. Circa 1880s. Original undercarriage & hardware, immaculate condition, leather seat, golden oak hardwood, chavs, rubber treaded wooden wheels, manual lever brake. Great parade buggy or just for family buggy rides. $4,000 obo. 801.597.0754.BORDERCOLLIEPUPPIES for sale. Born april 14. $75 ea. Leamington, UT. 435-857-2412.FORSALE:8 x 11 Hilsboro aluminum diamond plate flatbed with 150 gal. fuel cell, 3.5 pt. GPM transfer pump. 264 x 16 x 18, top mounted tool boxes, 5th wheel receiver, all matching aluminum diamond plate. $3,000. 801-725-6653. FORSALE: Approx. 175’ of used Model 75 (2.38”) Chore Time flex augur & tubing. Includes 2 used single phase 1 hp power heads. $1,200. Call Mark at 801-455-2069 or 435-336-5975. ABCregistered puppies for sale $300.00 each. Both parents are excellent, papered working dogs. If you are interested please call 435-820-0089 and ask for Jesse.

AGRICULTURALEMPLOY-MENTOPPORTUNITIESThe following vacancy is posted on USAJOBS: *Position: State Wildlife Biologist, GS-486-12; *Location: State Office, Salt Lake City, UT. *Announcement: NRCS-UT-10-19 (merit) and NRCS-UT-10-20-DEU (public); *Open: 5/11/10; Close: 6/10/10; Relocation expenses will be paid as applicable if selectee is a current permanent federal employee.Any questions can be directed to the NRCS Utah HR Staff. Phone: 801-524-4575CIRCLEFOURFARMS:If you are looking for a career in a fun, rewarding team environment, Circle Four Farms is the opportunity you’ve been searching for. We’re offering quality full time entry-level animal production positions with training available. Challenge yourself with a company on the grow that offers: Starting wage $10 to $11.50 per hour plus benefits – total value $30,420. Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vi-sion Insurance, Life Insurance plan, Short Term and Long Term Disability, company paid Pension Plan, 401(k) Savings Plan with company match, Gain$hare Plan, Incentive programs, Paid holi-days and vacation, Educational reimbursement, Ask us about a relocation package, For more information please call our office: Circle Four Farms, PO Box 100, 341 South Main, Milford UT 84751, (435) 387-2107, Fax (435) 387-2530, www.c4farms.com, Equal Opportunity Employer.

By Cyndie Sirekis, Director of News Services, Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation

A recent article in the San Fran-cisco Chronicle (“Battle Over Slow Food Heats up in Heartland”) highlighted our nation’s agricultural diversity. The article illustrated how the “tiny but fast-growing” number of farms that sell local and grow organic food contrast with “commodity farms that make up the great bulk of production and sell into a global food chain.”

The closing quote of the article, by California dairy farmer Ray Prock Jr., cut to the heart of much of the discord in the farming and ranching communi-ty today and even offered a solution.

“Instead of automatically thinking conventional ag is the enemy, and instead of conventional ag always thinking that organic and local food is the enemy, we need to sit down and fig-ure out where we can work together,” Prock said.

Fortunately for Prock and others who are like-minded, addressing er-roneous beliefs that have led some to think of any form of agriculture as “the enemy” got a little easier with the recent release of the latest National Resources Inventory report from the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Con-servation Service. The NRI is a compila-tion of a broad range of 50 years of data related to the environment, U.S. land use and productivity, water consump-tion and many other factors.

The massive NRI survey results clearly show that farmers and ranchers are careful and caring stewards of our nation’s natural resources. They are producing more food using fewer re-sources. In fact, farm and ranch produc-tivity has increased over the past two and a half decades, while at the same time environmental performance and water quality have been improving.

The shrinking environmental foot-print of food and fiber production in the United States is the envy of the world. A few key examples from the NRI survey tell the story.

While farm and ranch productivity has increased dramatically since 1950, the use of resources (labor, seeds, feed, fertilizer, etc.) required for production has declined markedly. In 2008, farm-ers used 2 percent fewer inputs while producing 262 percent more food, compared to 1950.

Careful stewardship by America’s food producers spurred a nearly 50 percent decline in erosion of cropland by wind and water since 1982.

Fifty years of data tells the story—farm and ranch families, most of whom fall under the “conventional ag” um-brella, care for our natural resources while feeding our nation. Let’s not let another 50 years go by without making Prock’s plea for civil discourse among all types of food producers a reality.

Can we talk?


Contact Matt Hargreaves at 801-233-3003 or [email protected] by July 15 to place a County Corner listing for the Aug. 2010 Farm Bureau News.

Cou

nty

Cor

ner

CountyScenes

SaltLakeCounty-Board meeting, June 2, 7:30 p.m. at UFBF State office in Sandy.

UtahCounty-No June Board meeting.

WashingtonCounty-Board meeting, June 2, 8:00 p.m. at the insurance office.

JuabCountySquarerose Knappweed Tour, County Rd. Shed, eureka. � .a.m. on June 1.

WeberCountyTractor Certification course. June 16 at the Gibson Green Acres dairy in Ogden. Starts at 9 a.m. Lunch is provided, but all attendees must RSVP to Evonne Howard at 801-731-5924. This course is highly recommended and a must in teaching safety to young men & women that will be working with power equipment or livestock. It is required for 14 & 15 year old youth to be certified to work on a farm or ranch that is not owned by that person’s parents.

EmeryCounty-Board meeting, June 15, 7:30 p.m. at the county courthouse-Hay Tour, June 12, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Meet at Castle Dale courthouse for bus.

CarbonCountyBoard meeting, June 8, 7:30 p.m. at Insurance office

SanJuanCountyBoard meeting, June 8, 8:00 p.m. at county courthouse

DuchesneCountyBoard meeting, June 2, 7:30 p.m. at Insurance office

UintahCountyBoard meeting, June 10, 7:00 p.m. at insurance office

SevierCountyBoard meeting, June 24, 8 p.m. at Insurance office in Richfield

StateandRegionalActivities-UFBF Distinguished Service Award Recommendations due June 1.-June 1, 2010. Tushar Mtn. Workgroup field tour-June 16, 2010. CCARM Field tour-June 15, 2010. SWARM Tour.-Statewide Board meeting for Division of Wildlife Resources, June 10, 9 a.m. at the boardroom of the Dept. of Natural Resources (1594 W. North Temple) in Salt Lake City. The meeting will address the 2010 Fishing informational, Upland Game Guidebook & Rule, Conservation & Sportsmen rule (R657-41), Wildlife Conservation Permits Rule (R657-55), and the Lifetime Hunting & Fishing License Rule (R657-17).

There are no RAC Meetings scheduled for June.

JulyRACMeetings: Visit wildlife.utah.gov. The July RAC Meetings will deal with the Cougar Guidebook & Rule, Furbearer Guidebook & Rule, Waterfowl Guidebook & Rule, Turkey Hunting Guidebook, Rule & permits numbers, Statewide Otter Management Plan, and fee proposals.

-Southern RAC, July 27, 7 p.m. Beaver High School (1�5 e. center st.) in Beaver.-Southeastern RAC, July 28, 6:30 p.m. John Wesley Powell Museum (1765 E. Main St.) in Green River.-Northeastern RAC, July 29, 6:30 p.m. Uintah Basin Applied Technology College (450 N. 2000 W.) in Vernal.-Central RAC, Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m. Central Region conference center (1115 n. Main st.) in springville.-Northern RAC, Aug. 4, 6 p.m. Brigham City Community Center (24 N. 300 W.) in Brigham City.


MadisonMcCandless(front,center)ofEmeryCountyshows her certificate and winnings from the 2010 CelebrateAgriculture Creative Story Contest. Mc-Candlesswonthe3rdgradecompetitionwritinganessayunder the theme“WheredoesmyBread&Butter Come From?”

MariaNye(topright)talkstostudentsfromDeltaElementarySchoolastheyarriveattheNye’sdairyfarminDeltaforthe1stMillardCountyFarmBureauFarmFieldDays.CongratulationsgotoPollyTolbertfororganizingtheevent,theNyefamilyforhostingit,andallMillardCountyFarmBureauvolunteers.

MorganCountyFarmBureauPresidentShanePentz(topleft)talkstostudentsatthecounty’sFarmFieldDayaboutshearingsheepandthevalueofsheepandwooltoUtah’sagriculturaleconomy.TherewereadditionalpresentationsonATV&farmsafety,thedairy,beefandhogindustries,soil&waterconservation,androping.

Documents

Utah Farm Bureau News