Utah Farm Bureau News

Ag Nuisance: What you need to know 21 Baxter Black: On the Bright Side 12

Utah Farm Bureau News JUNE 2012VOL 58, NO. 5

Western agriculture issues were top of mind during a meeting recently at the Utah Farm Bureau building in Sandy. Among those attending were (L to R) Randy Parker, UFBF CEO; Senator John Barrasso (Wyoming); Utah Senator Orrin Hatch; and Steve Osguthorpe, Utah Farm Bureau Federation Vice President and a sheep rancher from Summit County. Photo by Matt Hargreaves

Inside:National Perspective 3Farm Bureau at Work 5Member Benefits 8Baxter Black 12 Farm Safety Column 23Classifieds 31

MIDYEAR continued on pg 12

SENATORS continued on pg 26

SANDY – The Utah Farm Bu-reau hosted a recent visit from U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and John Barrasso of Wyoming, where the pair talked about is-sues impacting agriculture in the west and what can be done

U.S. Senators visit Utah Farm Bureau for dis-cussion on western issues impacting agriculture

in Washington, D.C. to assist farmers and ranchers.

Barrasso, chairman of the U.S. Senate’s Western Caucus, was in Utah to assist Sen. Hatch in campaigning prior to his GOP primary on June 26. Hatch, who

is currently serving as the chair of the caucus subcommittee on public lands, wanted to express his support for Farm Bureau and Utah agriculture in general in its continued battle against, what he called, overreaching regulations from agencies in Washington, D.C. and abuses of the law by environmental activists.

Attending the meeting at the Utah Farm Bureau headquarters were Randy Parker, CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau; Stephen Os-guthorpe, Vice President of the Utah Farm Bureau; Noelle Cock-ett, Dean of the College of Agri-

Make your plans early to attend the 2012 Utah Farm Bureau Midyear Conference in Ogden, whose theme “Building Bridges for a Brighter Future” is something all in agriculture can benefit from. With the convention being held in historic downtown Ogden, Farm Bureau leaders are hoping all interested members will be able to attend. The conference will be packed with powerful information and presentations on issues important to a wide range of agricultural producers, and will include appearance from the candidates for Utah’s race for Governor.

Rather than a debate, which can turn into a simple point-counterpoint exchange, the c a n d i d a t e s f o r g o v e r n o r

C andi d ates f o r U t a h G o v e r n o r to speak at M i d y e a r Conference in

Ogden

Utah Farm Bureau News2 June 2012

Utah Farm Bureau News(ISSN 1068-5960)

Matt Hargreaves, Editor9865 South StateSandy, Utah 84070-3205

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

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

Local Display Ad Information:Jennifer Dahl(775) 752-3061

Utah Farm BureauFederation OfficersChairman and PresidentLeland J. Hogan, South Rim*

Vice PresidentStephen A. Osguthorpe, Park City*

CEO and Secretary/TreasurerRandy N. Parker, Riverton* Denotes member of the Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS District 1 .................Scott Sandall, TremontonDistrict 2 .....................Rulon Fowers, HooperDistrict 3 .............................. Flint Richards, ErdaDistrict 4 ................ Rex Larsen, Spanish ForkDistrict 5 ............................. Scott Chew, JensenDistrict 6 ...........Edwin Sunderland, ChesterDistrict 7 ...............................Nan Bunker, DeltaFB Women’s Chairman ...Belva Parr, LindonYoung Farmer & Rancher Chairman..

John Reese, KanabPeriodicals Postage Paid at Sandy, Utah and at additional 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/Summer, 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.

Randy N. ParkerChief Executive Officer

Thoughts: Legislature has broad Constitutional authority

PARKER continued on pg 24

FSA continued on pg 17

Following written briefs, oral arguments and two months of deliberation, Judge Derek Pullan from Utah’s Fourth Distr ict Court did little to change the dynamics of the stream-bed access debate that has pitted recreational interests against the state’s landown-ers in recent years.

By way of warning, be-cause this column contains case law and legal jargon, there may be an opportu-nity for the reader’s eyes to glaze over. However, stick with me for a property rights legal roller coaster ride that likely has not ended.

In posturing a media re-sponse, counsel for the

Utah Stream Access Coalition (USAC), told the Salt Lake Tribune that the judge “ruled not only that the state owns the waters, but also that the public is entitled to an ease-ment for purposes including recreation.” USAC is made up of a small group on anglers un-happy with the legislature for halting their unfettered access to privately owned streambeds

Missing in the spin was the fact Judge Pullan clearly af-firmed the legislature’s author-ity to regulate the use of the public’s resources, including the water.

To frame this ongoing con-flict, one must go back in his-tory to the 1982 Utah Supreme Court decision in the J.J.N.P. case that declared that the public has a “right to float” on the state’s water regard-less of who owns the streams bed. Two decades later, Kevin and Jodi Conatser challenged the limitation by walking the bed of the Weber River in Morgan County. Arrested for trespass, the Conatsers were convicted of criminal trespass

in district court. The case was ultimately appealed to the Utah Supreme Court where the Morgan County Justice Court ruling was overturned.

The now famous, or infa-mous, Conatser decision of 2008 was the result. With JJNP a quarter-century on the books, the High Court chose not to follow its own earlier limitations of floating on the water. Instead they expanded the recreational entitlement through establishment of “their own rule.” That expan-sion included a recreational easement “to float, hunt, fish, wade and participate in any lawful activity while utilizing that water.” Where the Utah Constitution and Utah State Statutes were basically silent on the stream beds, the Court provided a “common law” de-cree through judicial action.

Judge Pullan embraced the Conatser recreational expan-sion pointing out that Article XVII of the Utah Constitution recognizes and confirms “all existing rights to the use of

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Ag-riculture (USDA) announced today its decision on Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office consolidations pro-posed in January as part of USDA’s Blueprint for Stron-ger Service. In total, FSA will consolidate 125 of the 131 offices originally proposed for consolidation with other USDA service centers, con-sistent with provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill. Included in

USDA proceeds with office consolidation planthe list of office closures is the Washington County, Utah FSA office, located in St. George.

Records for farmers and ranch-ers working with FSA in Wash-ington County or Clark County, Nevada will have their records transferred to the FSA office lo-cated in Cedar City, Iron County. Ranchers from Kane County that worked previously with the Washington County office will have their records transferred to the FSA office in Panguitch, Garfield County. However, FSA

will provide farmers and ranch-ers affected by consolidations an opportunity to choose the most convenient neighboring county office to conduct their future business.

The Blueprint included US-DA’s plan to close or consolidate 259 domestic offices includ-ing the FSA offices, additional facilities and labs, and seven foreign offices.

USDA followed statutory requirements provided by

Utah Farm Bureau News 3June 2012

The Ag Agenda: Immigration war hitting close to homeBy Bob StallmanAmerican Farm Bureau President

Labor shortages have been a significant chal-lenge to U.S. agricul-ture for as long as I can remember. On my rice farm in Texas growing up, it seemed we were always running short of farm-hands when it came time to harvest.

But now, un-like the sim-pler days of my youth when we could just hire teenagers and retirees, farm-ers and ranch-ers are facing new challenges with la-bor issues. From border security concerns and state versus federal au-thority questions to I-9 audits and government-caused labor delays un-der the H2-A program, finding a reliable agri-culture workforce is be-coming more and more

difficult.

From the Border to the Court

Farmers and ranchers in states like Mississippi and Arizona are currently caught in the crosshairs of an immigration battle

that’s been waged over s t a t e v e r -sus federal control. Ari-z o n a t o o k their case for state author-ity (based on legislation S1070) al l the way to the U.S. Su-

preme Court in May and is expecting a decision later this month. In the meantime, other states are waiting in the wings to determine the impact the court’s decision will have on them.

For Arizona farmers, S.1070 is only a band-aid that has been ap-plied over the festering,

underlying problem of border security and of reforming the visa pro-gram to enable farmers to get the temporary and seasonal workers needed for their farms. Farmers and ranchers who live along the Mexican line deserve a secure border and a major component of that is having a visa program that allows a legal flow of workers back and forth across the bor-der so border security officials can concentrate their resources on the il-legal activities.

The American Farm Bureau Federation sup-ports federal jurisdic-tion, as well as increased presence and coopera-tion of all branches of law enforcement on both sides of our borders, to eliminate border issue challenges facing many of our members, like theft, drug and human traf-ficking, as well as illegal crossing. We must secure our borders by the most

technologically advanced means possible and in a way that has minimal impact on farmers and ranchers.

Stepping off the FenceWith proposed imple-

mentation of mandatory E-verify (a system that allows businesses to de-termine the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S.) in our near future, an agricultural guest worker program that addresses farmers’ unique needs has become a necessity. AFBF will only support a mandatory E-verify program if there is a workable solution for agriculture. Absent that solution, if E-Verify is implemented, agriculture faces losing millions of dollars in productivity due to labor shortages.

In hopes of finding a workable solution that meets the needs of our members, Farm Bureau created a work group charged with looking at

labor challenges more closely and how best to use our policy to resolve them. Made up of Farm Bureau leaders and staff from across the nation, the work group is looking at all parts of the equa-tion, including options that provide a secure workforce, allows por-tability, addresses the needs of all commodities and limits bureaucratic red tape.

Everyone is affected by the ensuing immigration battle playing out in our nation. Unfortunately, no one feels its impact more than farmers and ranch-ers living and working on our borders, as well as those who are continually faced with labor shortages on their farms. Band-aids will not work. Congress must get to the root of the problem by providing a guest worker program that works for the entire agricultural sector.

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) Commissioner, Leonard Blackham and UDAF Marketing Di-rector, Jed Christenson traveled to Singapore and South Korea to pro-mote Utah-grown agri-cultural products during a 10-day trade mission earlier this spring.

The trip was hosted by the Western U.S. Agricul-tural Trade Association (WUSATA) and included state agriculture leaders

UDAF markets Utah agriculture in South Korea and Singaporefrom 13 Western states. This was the first West-ern trade mission to Korea since the United States signed the Ko-rean Free Trade Agree-ment March 15, 2012. The new agreement means many new op-portunities for U.S. ag exporters to sell more made-in-Ameri-ca goods.

C o m m i s s i o n e r Blackham and Chris-tenson were introduced to 130 food buyers who are interested in American

products such as fruits,

vegetable, beef, poultry, hay and other crops. No Utah companies partici-

pated in the trade mis-sion, but Christen-son will meet with Utah producers who have an inter-est in expanding their markets. Buy-ers in South Korea and Singapore are interested in Utah products such as beef, dairy, alfalfa hay, pork, and or-ganic grains.

“South Korea has an expanding economy and their consumers are able to afford higher qual-

ity foods,” said Commis-sioner Blackham. “Utah and the U.S. are in a good position to supply the Korean market with our raw and processed food products.”

South Korea’s agricul-tural production is not keeping up with their con-sumer demand for higher quality foods. As a result the country imported $7 Billion in U.S. food prod-ucts last year. Twenty-five percent of their food imports came from the United States.

An example of a Utah product on grocery store shelves in South Korea. Photo courtesy of UDAF



YOUR Utah Farm Bureau at Work

WORK continued on pg 16

Utah Farm Bureau leaders …visited with Chuck Conner of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) at the Utah Farm Bureau headquarters in Sandy. Conner, who is the CEO of the NCFC was on a national media tour to talk about farmer-owned cooperatives, their impact on local economies, and the role they play in connecting consumers in the grocery store aisles with farmers in the fields. Farmer co-ops based in Utah include IFA and Norbest. All told, farmer co-ops in the state produce more than $1 billion in sales annually.

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in the Executive Water Task Force conducted by Mike Styler, Executive Director for Utah’s Department of Natural Resources. This Task Force is comprised of various water users for the purpose of discussing and drafting future legislation on water issues. This group meets monthly throughout the interim.

Utah Farm Bureau…serves as one of several committee members in drafting rules for the new Surface Owner Protection Act passed earlier this year. This Act gives further protections to landowners when negotiating with oil and gas companies. With legislation passed, rules are now being drafted to further clarify what procedures and protocols in implementing the law.

Utah Farm Bureau…attended a conference at the American Farm Bureau Federation offices in Washington, D.C. on developing and implementing Farm Bureau policy. Farm Bureau Public Policy staff from many states attended and helped share ideas on new and improved methods in engaging Farm Bureau members in developing Farm Bureau policy.

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in a meeting with livestock and wildlife interests in helping to determine how new state appropriated funds will be spent on predator control efforts. State agencies are close to finalizing what this new program will look like and how it will be administered.

Utah Farm Bureau…hosted a meeting with Utah Aquaculture leaders. Various challenges associated with the industry were discussed at the meeting with options to consider in addressing the challenges.

Utah Farm Bureau…attended a public hearing conducted by Utah’s Office of Consumer Services relating to the proposed Rocky Mountain Power rate increases for Utah’s irrigation pumpers.

Utah Farm Bureau…attended the first 2012 Interim Session. The Natural Resources, Environment and Agriculture Committee, Public Utilities, and Revenue and Tax Committees all discussed issues of interest to Utah Farm Bureau.

Utah Farm Bureau…attended the annual Utah Taxpayers Association Conference held in Salt Lake City. This year’s conference agenda pertinent agricultural topics such as: funding future open spaces, funding future water projects, stressing water conservations and meeting the challenges of maintaining and building Utah’s transportation needs.

Joël Hatch, Women’s Chair in Emery County, has been selected as one of 15 partici-pants nationwide to attend the 2012 American Farm Bureau Women’s Communications Boot Camp, which will be held July 17-20 in Washington, D.C.

Utah Farm Bureau wom-en were invited by the State Women’s Commit-tee to apply to be considered as Utah’s candidate for this prest ig ious Boot Camp with regis-tration fees, hotel and airfare to be paid for by the State Women’s Commit-tee. Joël Hatch was selected to be Utah’s nominee.

T h i s i n t e n s i v e training session pro-vides participants with the skills need-ed to communicate for agriculture and for Farm Bureau. Participants come prepared to give a brief speech on one of AFBF’s prior-ity issues. During the course of two days, there will be sessions on public speaking, testify-ing, targeting your message, working with the media, tes-tifying before lawmakers and seeking elected office. Upon completion of the training, each participant will be asked to use her enhanced skills in her community to speak out for agriculture to a group other than Farm Bureau or to run for

Emery County’s Joël Hatch selected to participate in

Women’s Media Boot Campan elected position.

“Communicating agricul-ture’s story remains critically important for America’s farm-ers and ranchers. To be able to do that, you must have the right tools and training, which is what this program provides. In addition to speaker presen-tations, attendees will benefit

from individual coaching ses-sions tailored to the agricul-tural issues of their choice,” said Terry Gilbert, chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Commit-tee, which sponsors Women’s Communications Boot Camp.

Congratulations to Joël on her acceptance into this pres-tigious program! We look forward to her sharing her newfound skills in a variety of settings back home here in Utah.

Photo by Matt HargreavesJoël Hatch (left) visits with Utah Sena-tor Orrin Hatch (center) and Utah Farm Bureau President Leland Hogan after the Women’s Leadership Conference earlier this year. Joël Hatch was recently selected to participate in the Women’s Media Boot Camp in Washington, D.C.


By Dennis Hinkamp, Utah State University Extension Communications

LOGAN, Utah – Bumblebees are sort of the monster trucks of the bee world; thick, colorful and seemingly too large to move about gracefully.

The 2012 Bumble Bee Workshop, hosted by USU Extension and the USDA-Ag Research Service, will explore the possibilities of using wild bumblebees as pol-linators in agriculture and home gardens. The workshop is held June 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Poison-ous Plants Research Lab, 1150 East 1400 North, just north of campus.

“Bumble bees are great pollinators for fruit and seed crops such as alfalfa seed, onion seeds, berries and fruit trees,” said Jamie Strange, re-search entomologist at the USDA Research unit. “They are also often used in green houses. ”

The workshop will have something for ev-eryone, including grow-ers who need to augment pollination services.

Registration is $35. To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/Bumble-BeeWorkshop.

USU Extension and USDA

off er bumblebee workshop


By Mariesa Bergin, UFBF Programs Assistant

Whether perusing the aisles of an all-natural foods store, or elbow-ing your way through a crowd of starving col-lege students at your local Wal-Mart grocery center, one el-ement of your shopping expe-rience remains unchanged – you want food. Your kids want food... heck, your dog wants food, and your husband has likely just devoured the last of your bread, tuna, cheese, spaghetti, and milk in one sitting.

Now, consider your shopping experience. Will dairy be on the menu today? How about Maca-roni n’ Cheese for your addicted seven year-old? Milk, butter, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, creamer for that morn-ing coffee? Let’s hope you’ll indulge in a little ice cream. It’s likely that you’ll need 20 lbs. of all of these products to concoct the funeral po-tatoes, cheesy casserole, ice cream sundaes, and cream cheese brownies to ensure your church host-ed activity is every bit as raved about this month as it was last month. Whole foods peruser or Wal-Mart skimper, you have the same funda-mental need that every human you know does to

Milk & manure and satisfying a hungry nation

eat; and any doctor will assure you that you need your dairy.

It might interest you to know that your choice to

consume t h e s e products d i r e c t l y affects the l i v e s o f w o r k e r s o f more than 400* o p e r a t -ing dairy farms in

the state of Utah. Men, women, and children across the state arise be-fore the sun peaks over the horizon to put in a full day’s work and get grub on the table, not only for themselves, but for all of us. The evolv-ing dairy industry has required some adjust-ments for this group of farmers, and a slew of environmental activists demanding a return to the old ways.

At seven years old, I re-member countless morn-ings spent sheepishly hiding in the corner of my uncle’s barn and watch-ing as he sat on a stool with that big brown cow towering over him. At the time, I couldn’t imagine anything different than a good hand milking, Little House on the Prai-rie style, which is exactly what he did.

These days, howev-er, even milking a cow has become automated. Dairy farmers have gone

from being able to milk six cows-per-hour to more than 100. Lucky for them, your dairy-filled church activity has made this modern-day luxury a necessity. Perhaps this ultra-productive way of getting milk is why the industry has shifted so much in the past years. Since 2001 the number of cow operations in the United States has de-creased by more than 30 percent, but the number of dairy cows producing milk, and the amount of dairy products hitting those grocery store aisles has increased by more than 15 percent. Larger operations are on the rise, as technology has lent itself to increasing productivity on the farm.

As dairies have grown larger, that has also meant more concerns over waste. Cows are producing about as much manure as they are milk, and dairy farmers are having to come up with safe places to store bil-lions of pounds of you know what. Not an easy feat. Unfortunately, there are dairy farmers that have been cited for ma-nure contamination of water supplies. Fortu-nately for us in Utah, the Utah Farm Bureau and its water quality team has worked proactively with farmers and gov-ernment regulators – making Utah one of the leaders in proper waste management.

Sadly, environmen-tal activists have gone to great lengths to dub “factory dairy farming” as socially irresponsible agriculture, and are vy-ing for small operations (Little House on the Prairie style) to be the only way. They ignore the great strides farmers and ranchers have made in working with Farm Bureau and the Utah Di-vision of Water Quality.

With all of these forces working in opposition – or collaboratively, de-pending on the day – it is important to remem-ber that ultimately we all want a clean envi-ronment, we all want to conserve those pre-cious natural resources we have left, and we all want to eat!

The Utah Farm Bu-reau Federation (UFBF) in particular has gone to great lengths to en-sure that farmers are doing all that they can to protect water supplies and eliminate pollution while continuing to milk those cows! Farmers and ranchers are interested in the wise use of natural resources as well as the production of commodi-ties that are essential to our very existence – dairy products named among them. Our ability to sup-

port farmers in their pro-duction of Utah’s food supply would not be pos-sible without ensuring access to clean water.

Since 2009, UFBF members have gone to work by doing on-site assessments of farms, participating in countless Manure Management Workshops and educa-tional presentations to inform farmers of the laws and how to comply. More than 30 farm-to-farm tours have been organized and farmers have been highly encour-aged to collaborate on ideas, band together and actively work to remain efficient farmers who are also protectors of the environment.

U t ah f arme rs and ranchers are doing their best with the means that they have been given, to continue filling up gro-cery store aisles, your re-frigerator and your hus-band’s growling stomach, while managing waste in a cost-effective, environ-mentally friendly way.

* There were 450 operating dairy farms in Utah as of the 2007 USDA Agriculture Cen-sus. Numbers are not reported in between the years of the cen-sus, produced every five years.


Member Benefit Column

** Choice Hotels: Two Stays Pay -- Stay 2 Separate Times*, Earn A$50 Gift Card for Gas, Dining or Shopping: • Register now at www.choicehotels.com to earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion. After your second stay with arrival between May 17 and August 15, 2012 you’ll receive enough Choice Privileges® points to redeem for a $50 gift card of your choice for gas, dining or shopping. • Remember to enter Utah Farm Bureau’s Special Rate ID - 00209830 - and your personal Choice Privileges Member ID to take advantage of your member benefit while earning points• Terms and condition apply. Go to www.choiceprivileges.com for details.

** Car Rentals: Check out the savings on car rentals because you are a Farm Bureau member. Choose from Alamo, Avis, Enterprise or National. Visit utfb.fb.org for complete details for each rental option. You can book online using the designated promo code for Utah Farm Bureau members or call the listed 800 number. Please note for Enterprise you will need your Farm Bureau membership number rather than a promo code to make reservations. Look for additional opportunities to save on car rentals via downloadable coupons at utfb.fb.org/ Alamo or National.

** New Benefit: SPLASH INTO SAVINGS at Cherry Hill! 1325 South Main Street, KaysvilleAre you looking for a family get away close to home? With water attractions, miniature golf, rock climbing wall, batting cages and

arcades, Cherry Hill has something for every member of your family. Come for the day! Or stay longer by taking advantage of the camping facilities offered at Cherry Hill! Discover all the attractions this family fun park has to offer at www.cherry-hill.com.

To access your discounts at www.cherry-hill.com, click “group deals” then enter the Farm Bureau code: summerfun360 in the corporate login field then print your discount coupons and take them with you to Cherry Hill. Or present your Farm Bureau member-ship card at the ticket window to receive the Farm Bureau discount. 1325 South Main Street, Kaysville.

** Lagoon: All day passes: just $36.16 ea. (includes tax), a savings of $11.71 off the regular ticket price. This is the best price for anyone over 4 planning to go on the rides. SeaSoN PaSSeS: $ 98.99 ea. (includes tax).

Order your day or season passes in advance by sending a check for the number you want to the State Farm Bureau Office or call 801-233-3010 to pay by Visa or MasterCard then the tickets will be mailed to you. You can also call 801-233-3010 to make arrangements to pick up your tickets at the state office. Advance ticket purchase only. Non-refundable.

** Seven Peaks Water Park: Cool off on hot summer days with a visit to one of Utah’s premier water parks. You pay just $17.50 (includes tax) per all-day pass – the regular price is $24.95+ tax. Order your passes in advance by sending a check for the number you want to the State Farm Bureau Office and they will be sent to you by return mail or call 801-233-3010 to pay by Visa or MasterCard or to make arrangements to pick up your tickets at the state office. Tickets are non-refundable. Choose either: Seven Peaks – Salt Lake (1200 W. 1700 S.) or Seven Peaks - Provo (1330 East 300 North)

** Salt Lake Bees: Take the whole gang to a BEES baseball game! Call 801-233-3010 to purchase your “Bees Vouchers” for $8.00 ea. Exchange vouchers at the ticket window for the best available seats in the stadium excluding Diamond seating. Not good for July 4 or 24.

Count the ways the savings add up when you use your Farm Bureau discounts!!

Is Southern California in your travel plans this summer?Check out the savings!!!

Legoland: $56.00 per guest with 2nd day free within 90 days. Legoland Park Hopper: (includes water park and aquarium) $66.00 per guest with 2nd day free at all three attractions. LEGO-

LAND and Water Park must be visited on the same day. Sea Life visit must occur within 9 days of LEGOLAND visit. All visits must occur before Dec. 31, 2012.

San Diego Zoo: $ 35.50 Adult $27.00 Child (3 through 11)Safari Park: $35.50 Adult $27.00 Child (3 through 11)SeaWorld: $49.99 single day admission per guestSeaWorld Fun Cards: $ 65.00 ea. Multi-day ticket good for unlimited visits through Dec. 2012. Some blackout dates apply. Avail-

able for purchase through June 15, 2012 only. Universal Studios: 3 days for $69.00 per person (Less than the price of a single day!). Ticket is valid for 6 months from your 1st

use which must occur by January 31, 2013. Some blackout dates apply. Visa/MasterCard accepted.

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


A Woman’s ViewFarm Bureau Women - CoordinatorAurline Boyack

If you were a farmer for a day, what would you do that day? Students in grades 3-8 were chal-lenged to respond to this question, was the topic for the 2012 Creative Story Contest. This annual contest is sponsored by the Farm Bureau Women’s Commit-tee. The purpose of the contest is to foster a greater understanding of Utah’s agricultural industry and the role which farmers and ranch-ers play in supplying our food, fi-ber, fuel and other farm products.

Students are invited to enter the contest within their county. These entries are judged by the county Women’s Committee and winners in each age group are selected. The first place winners in each age group are then entered into the State Creative Story Contest.

Congratulations to the 2012 Creative Story state winners:3rd grade1st place - Samantha Griesbach So. Box Elder County2nd place - Morgan Olsen Iron County3rd place - Makayla Luzuriaga Utah County

4th grade 1st place - Brinley Richards So. Box Elder County2nd place - Audri Richins Summit County3rd place - Vienna Lewis Sevier County 5th grade1st place - Bailey Huggard Emery County2nd place - Kayli Bennett Davis County3rd place - Hannah Cluff Iron County

6th grade 1st place - Maxwell Young Utah

Utah school kids are telling the farmers’ story2nd place - Ashton Smith Sevier3rd place - Jody Jensen North Box Elder County

7th grade: 1st place - Kate Sorensen Sanpete County2nd place - Breann Bitner North Box Elder County3rd place - Kambrea Harris Uintah County 8th grade:1st place - Kylee DraperSanpete County2nd place - Martina HebertSummit County 3rd place - Jameson Griffiths Iron County

The first place state winners received a check for $100. Second place winners received $50 and third place winners received a check for $25. Teachers of the six first place winners each received accurate agriculture storybooks for their classrooms, a “Farm Facts” booklet which is published by the American Farm Bureau, “Ag Quest” cards containing ques-tions and answers covering various agriculture subjects published by USU Extension’s Agriculture in the Classroom and a hands-on activ-ity for each member of the class. Western AgCredit sponsored a pizza party for the class of each first place state winner.

The topic for the 2013 Cre-ative Story Contest will be an-nounced this fall. Contact your county Women’s Committee Chair for the entry deadline and complete contest details. Con-tact information for your County Women’s Chair can be found at utfb.fb.org>programs>women’s committee>County Farm Bureau

Women’s Committee Leaders. Call 801-233-3010 if you have addi-tional questions about the contest.

3rd Grade 1st Place Winner’s entry:

“Thank You to Our Farmers”

By Samantha Griesbach – South Box Elder County

If I were a farmer I’d work hard just like my dad,I’d own the finest farm in town just like the one he had.

With cows, pigs, and chickens galore,Horses, goats and so much more.

Fields and orchards of grains and fruit of all sorts,Meat, milk, and eggs, and homemade apple tortes.

The animals and grains each serve their own purposeTo support the farm and the people that purchase.

From morning ‘til night I’d work my fingers to the bone,Caring for the farm that I can call my own.

Feeding the animals while cleaning out their stalls,Gathering the fresh laid eggs as the rooster calls.

Milking the cows and shoeing the horses,And all the extra chores that this fine farm enforces.

Plowing, planting, and cultivating crops,Harvesting and selling, the working never stops.

Pruning the orchards and gathering her fruit,And watching the grain as it flows down the chute.

To bask in the sunshine or pray for the rain,To a hard working farmer they’re both needed the same.

There’s never a dull moment in the life of a farmer,To those that are grateful he’s a knight in shining armor.

If I were a Farmer I’d work hard just like my dad,I’d own the finest farm in town just like the one he had.

Standing proud and true, working hard like farmers do,“For it is Their Way of Life, to Care for Me and You.”

You can read an additional entry on page 29.


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

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Eat better on less~reduce the cost, not the quality

By Margie Memmott, USU Exten-sion-Juab County

In today’s economy it pays to be frugal. We’re all look-ing for ways to help make ends meet. One area that we have control over is our food budget. You can learn to save money, change your eat-ing habits and create dishes without sacrificing the qual-ity and flavor of your meals.

Stretch Your Food Dollar· Stretch your food dol-lar through budgeting

· Stretch your food dol-lar through food selec-tion

· Stretch your food dol-lar through low-cost reci-pes

Ways to Eat Better on a Budget

1. Look for new recipes and thrifty meal ideas on websites such as usda.gov.

2. Learn to cook quick and easy meals. Look for recipes with 5 – 7 ingre-dients. Use items you have on hand and plan to make good use of left-overs.

3. Good food habits last

a lifetime. Make smart choices by paying atten-tion to food guidelines and getting enough fruits and vegetables. Buy items that require the prep-work to be done at home. They are usually cheaper.

4. Get the full benefit of using coupons. Only use coupons for items that you already buy and use. Make sure the coupon price meets or beats the store brand item price. Stock up when sales and coupons coincide.

5. Balance what you eat with physical activity. Be-come physically active for at least 30 minutes per day. The more you move, the better you feel.

6. Homemade can be healthier, cheaper and a great activity for fam-ily members. If you knew that a dozen cookies cost $5 at the store but only $3 at home, which would you choose?

7. Keep trying new foods. Don’t be afraid to substi-tute applesauce for cook-ing oil. It might take you a few tries to get a new rec-ipe down, but before you know it you will be adding

more variety to your diet and loving it.

8. Make a list. If you plan before you go food shop-ping you will know what you have on hand. Using a grocery list helps avoid impulse buying.

9. Limit fast food. It is fast and convenient but not healthy or budget friendly. If you need to eat out, make careful selec-tions and watch your por-tion size.

10. Eat what you buy. Many people toss out nearly half of what they buy simply because of poor planning, busy schedules or overbuying. By planning ahead and sticking to your menu, grocery bills can be re-duced.

11. Cook when you have more time. Make casse-roles, soups and stews to freeze for future meals. Every meal that you pre-pare at home saves you money. With ready-to-eat food in the freezer, you can resist the urge to eat out when you don’t have enough time to prepare a meal.

12. Cook once for every-one. If you have family members that like plain food, set some aside be-fore you add spices or other ingredients. You’ll save time and money by not having to cook differ-ent food for your picky eaters.

13. Cook quick meals. Try salads or meals pre-pared with canned chick-en, tuna or beans. Or make cold sandwiches. If you don’t have to cook elaborate meals that take a lot of time, you’ll be less tempted to eat out.

14. Kids like finger foods. Try raw fruit or vegeta-bles and yogurt dip.

Cooking can be fun. In-volve your family members. Many times children want to help and learning how to cook is an invaluable tool for life. When they want to help, it’s the perfect time for a teaching moment. As they learn to cook over years of time, they will develop con-fidence and skills that are in-valuable.


By Kelby Johnson, Cache County farmer

Agriculture has been in the Johnson family for hundreds of years; you can say it runs in our veins. For as long as I can remember, all that my brother, Braydon, and I wanted was to be farmers.

Dad, Braydon and I have always raised traditional Cache Valley crops, (hay, wheat, barley etc.) but our farm needed a change of direction. In 2007, we started raising produce row crops and marketing them at the local farmers market. We started with a very small operation, and we grew gradually to what we have today.

My family, for generations, has raised large gardens, so a lot of the basic skills and knowledge needed for this venture were already in place. We quickly came to find that large scale produce production was different from growing a garden. There is a huge learning curve associated with these kinds of crops; they are more sensitive and particular than alfalfa. We are now six years into commercial production, and we are still learning new things hand over fist. In the spring of 2011, I graduated with a degree in agronomy, with an emphasis in produce production from Utah State University. Braydon is now following the same educational path. Our education has proved to be invaluable, so far.

Produce production requires a lot of hard, labor-intensive work, “crawling” up and down thousands and thousands

Learning while adding fresh produce to

traditional crop farmof feet of row. There is little mechanization for produce and definitely not for small-scale operations like ours. The equipment that is available is geared for the Arizona and California producers, which have thousands of acres of produce. Over the years, we have built several pieces of equipment to help improve efficiency. Our

manufacturing business has been key in giving us a leg up in this area, but labor is still our biggest expense by a large margin.

Johnson Family Farms grows more than 60 different produce crops through the season. We have all the staple crops that everyone recognizes – tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, peppers, squash, cucumbers, etc. We also produce some more unique items like eggplant, arugula, cilantro, purple asparagus and purple carrots. One thing that sets us apart from other growers in the

valley is our ability to produce heat sensitive crops, like leaf lettuces and radishes through the summer. Using education we gained by taking green house production classes, we designed and built our own greenhouse that keeps crops cool in the summer, rather than warm in the winter.

Some of the conservation practices used on Johnson Family Farms include drip irrigation, an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system, and the use of organic matter. Early on in our experience, we learned the value of drip irrigation especially on small seeded crops. We can raise a much better crop of lettuce with drip irrigation than by any other system. It puts the water right where it is needed, and I can apply it precisely, to the gallon, per foot of row. We are excited to increase our drip system’s capacity in the future. IPM has also been a valuable tool in

raising beautiful crops without as many inputs. Here again, a college degree has been infinitely valuable in setting up this system. We also use a lot of intensive crop rotations to help keep pest and disease pressures down as well as increasing soil organic matter and manage soil nutrient levels. Some future conservation projects we are excited to explore are incorporating cover and green manure crops into our crop rotations over the winter. We are also looking into some energy efficiency systems for the greenhouse and shop.

An unexpected perk to direct marketing of fresh produce to the public is the opportunity that we have to teach people about agriculture and share our experiences with them. We explain to them why we do what we do and what we are doing to improve. We try to take

Photo courtesy of Johnson FarmsKelby Johnson and his brother Braydon in their greenhouse, planting lettuce with a vacuum planter that they built.

JOHNSON continued on pg 20


Baxter Black: On the bright side

On the edge of common sense

BAxtER BLACK

MIDYEARContinued from pg. 1

(incumbent republican Gary H e r b e r t a n d D e m o c r a t i c challenger Peter Cooke) will speak to conference attendees at separate times during the conference.

The many topics and activities scheduled at this year’s Midyear Conference, scheduled July 19-20, 2012 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, will provide something of interest to everyone. Hotel accommodations will at the Hampton Inn, which is adjacent to the Eccles Conference Center (2415 Washington Blvd.) in Ogden. Early registration is recommended to ensure that all rooming needs are available and to accommodate any special requests. The room rate for the conference is $104 per night.

Please contact your County Farm Bureau Secretary to register for the conference. A registration forms is also provided on page 13 of this month’s issue of the Utah Farm Bureau News. The registration deadline for the conference is June 25. After that date, a late registration fee will be included. Registration for the conference will be $55 per person, which includes the two-day conference, dinner on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday. Additional dinner tickets may be purchased for $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-12).

“We think this will really be a timely conference, with issues impacting all in agriculture,” said Leland Hogan, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federat ion. “Whi le there are challenges, this is also a wonderful time to be involved in agriculture. The future can be even brighter depending on how we prepare today. We hope this conference will help our farmers and ranchers prepare for that brighter future.”

Experts will be reporting on areas of high priority already identified through our Spring Issues Surfacing meetings (SISM) at the Commodity Committee meetings. There will be presentations on the impacts of the sage grouse, options for farmers and ranchers on where to sell their products locally – such as local schools, restaurants, and food distribution channels, water development/funding, labor & immigration, models of success when grazing on public lands, and how spending 15 minutes of your time can make a big difference telling your story on social media.

Thursday evening will feature a family reunion-styled diner, with activities put on by the State Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. There are also many entertainment options available in downtown Ogden, such as the Egyptian Theatre, which is adjacent to the Eccles Conference Center where our meetings are held.

Because the strength of Farm Bureau comes from individual members and their ranch farming or ranching experiences, President Leland Hogan has asked that each county Farm Bureau board member extend a personal invitation to at least one Farm Bureau member, family or friend who has not previously attended a Midyear Conference to come to the conference in Ogden. Please contact Susan Furner for more information at [email protected] or 801-233-3040.

We look forward to seeing many Farm Bureau members at the conference.

There always seem to be folks who need to say something good, even at the worst of times. Like Mrs. Custer. She might have said, “Well, on the bright side, at least he was wearing clean undies.”

Last spring on a gather we set out to find an evasive 300 lb steer, we’ll call him Rompy. We made a big circle and never found him but we did discover a leak in the water line. Just luck, maybe, but on the bright side, it made the ride worth it.

The next day we rode out early and found him with his mother and a couple other cows. All went well, we sorted off Rompy at the trap and took him to the headquarters with intentions to hold him overnight for the sale the next day. We unsaddled and I stuck a water hose through the boards of the little pen where Rompy was being held. Pretty good morning, I was thinking, then Rompy came unglued!

He could see daylight through a 3’ wide pipe gate into the loading alley. He took four runs at it. I ran around the other side to frighten him back. It didn’t work! On his fifth try he crashed over the top, bending the rail perpendicular. I dove out of the way as he sailed over me!

I looked back over my shoulder and remember thinking, this must be what a torpedo looks like leaving a submarine! We would see him again 30 minutes later on a big ridge overlooking town. We tracked him half a mile, through one fence and into a big BLM canyon. With a huge dose of luck (finding him), enough opportunities (catching him), and two stout horses (dragging him), we got him to a road. My partner hog-tied him and I went to get the rescue unit.

Our location was unreachable by trailer so I brought the old pickup. I loaded it up with an assortment of possibly useful items and returned to the scene. The steer was still on the fight and too heavy to lift or manhandle. After much cowboy cogitation we took two 8’ two by twelves and laid a ramp from the tailgate to Rompy. We tried to push him up but he wouldn’t slide.

I dug through the box and came up with a come-a-long, however, we had no place to chain it.

“Wait a minute!”, I said, “Flip over that gooseneck turnover ball and hook it there!”

We flipped it over, chained it to the ball, pulled out the cable and ran it through some cotton rope we had wrapped around the hog-tie. My partner started cranking and I kept the head and tail-ends balanced as we drug Rompy into the bed of the pickup an inch and a grunt at a time. It was as much fun as changing a split rim tire off a Peterbilt. All three of us looked like we had been drug through a knothole. Even Rompy had lost his steam.

But, on the bright side, I guess. We could have been grape farm-ers. I don’t think we’d ever been able to load a 300 lb wild raisin..ain’t nothin’ to tie to!


Midyear Conference

Registration

Ogden Eccles Conference Center

2415 Washington Blvd.

Ogden, Utah 84401

(801) 689-8600

July 19-20, 2012

Please return to:

Susan Furner

Utah Farm Bureau Federation

8965 South State Street

Sandy, UT [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 25 ______

______ $65 Late Registration fee/person after June 25 ______

______ $25/person for dinner only—July 19 ______

(Total due at time of registration)

Hotel Registration Information: Hampton Inn

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.)

Leading OutAt the Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Chair Conference, April 22-25, in Wash-ington, D.C., 35 women volunteer leaders from 26 states focused on their theme of “Farm Bureau Women: Engaged – Empowered – Strong.” Utah Farm Bureau’s new State Women’s Committee chair, Belva Parr (3rd from left, in white)was in attendance at the conference. In addition to attending sessions on rural develop-ment, grassroots advocacy and agricultural literacy, participants got out of the conference room and up to Capitol Hill, discussing Farm Bureau’s policy priority issues with more than 70 legislative contacts.

Photo courtesy of AFBF


Along the CountrysideVice President- CommunicationsMatt Hargreaves

SEVIER continued on next page

RICHFIELD – It would be easy to assume that kids grow-ing up in rural Utah would have an advantage over kids along the urban areas of Utah when it comes to knowing where their food comes from. However, with farmland shrinking throughout the state, even rural kids are having a harder time con-necting to agriculture.

“Some of these kids in town are just further and further removed from [agriculture],” said Jason Goble, Sevier Coun-ty Farm Bureau Board member and the FFA Advisor for North Sevier High School in Salina. “If their parents aren’t involved in agriculture for a living, it’s harder for even these rural kids t o k n o w h o w their food is pro-duced.”

F o r m a n y years, the Sevi-er County Farm Bureau has par-ticipated in the county’s Natu-r a l R e s o u r c e Festival, held at Snow College’s Richfield cam-pus, where kids and parents could wander and visit educa-tional booths on a variety of topics including; forest land, minerals, sod and agriculture. While effective, the County Farm Bureau Board felt it could get more impact by trying something new and hosting its own Farm Field Day.

Sevier County Farm Bureau hosts inaugural Farm Field

Day with great successThree hundred 4th-grade

students attended this year’s event, visiting from Salina El-ementary School in Salina and Pahvant Elementary School

from Richfield.While venturing in a new

direction can be difficult and time consuming, Sevier Coun-ty’s efforts were greatly aided by the efforts of the North and South Sevier High School FFA Chapters, who spearheaded

much of the organization and running of the Farm Field Day. Students were in charge of bringing in exhibitors, help-ing classes transition between stations, and organizing the busing arrangements with the schools to get them to the coun-ty fairgrounds in Richfield.

“While there were some first-

time challenges and a learning curve to overcome, the stu-dents did a great job,” Goble said.

The event greatly benefits the FFA students by giving them responsibility over a real-world, applicable assign-

ment of agricul-tural education. It also gave the FFA chapters great ma-terial for compet-ing in the Food for America award, put on by the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom pro-gram.

Food For Ameri-ca is an education-al program focus-ing on agricultural literacy in elemen-tary schools and communities. It is a program devel-

oped to assist FFA members and all agricultural education students in leadership skill development as they reach out to youth, peers and their entire communities by sharing the world of agriculture. As part of this program, the Sevier FFA students are largely respon-sible for the carrying out of this

new Farm Field Day event.This year’s event featured

educational stations on sod production, safety, sheep and wool, dairy, chickens & turkeys, swine, goats, farm-raised trout, equine, and hon-ey. The stations were staffed by a mixture of FFA students, USU Extension, County Farm Bureau members, and other volunteers. All sacrificed time and resources to make this event a great success.

“I thought they did a very good job at putting this on – especially for the first time,” said John Keeler, Southern Regional Manager for the Utah Farm Bureau Federa-tion. “This is a perfect envi-ronment for these FFA kids, and I heard many positive comments from the teach-ers. Those comments are needed because they help the superintendents to be more comfortable with the program and continue or even increase support in the future.”

That support from schools includes both the commit-ment to attend the Farm Field Day, as well financial resourc-es provided to bus kids to the event. Keeler recommended

Photo by Matt HargreavesSheep rancher Matt Goble (center) shows 4th graders in Richfield how he cares for his sheep and the many ways in which sheep are used in society.

Photo by Matt HargreavesRanchers Ginger Johnson (center) and husband Jared (right) talk to kids about the nutrition found in beef at the Sevier County Farm Field Days. Ginger was showing kids how many servings of tuna (12 3-ounce cans) would be needed to equal the amount of zinc found in one three ounce serving of beef.


all County Farm Bureaus, es-pecially those with fairly new traditions of events like these, to visit with their school dis-tricts early in the summer to ensure commitments to events like these are made early in the budgeting process rather than trying to fit them in at the end.

Mrs. Braithwaite’s 4th grade class from Salina Elementary School was very impressed with the event because it both gave the students a first-hand look at those producing food in the county, and also because it fit in nicely with the curricu-lum they had been studying in school.

“When we got to the station about grazing and the proper ways of doing that, it fit in nicely with the discussion on the dust bowl that we’d just had in school. It was neat to see those academic materials applied,” Mrs. Braithwaite said. “It’s sad, because there aren’t many kids that have ac-cess to food production – even in Salina.”

Beyond introductory knowl-edge about the different ani-mals or crops shown at each station, presenters talked to students about what potential careers are available in agri-culture or connected to it, as well as talking about the care farmers and ranchers provide for the animals involved in agriculture. In addition to the students and school officials, the event drew interest from the local media and was fea-tured in its local coverage. In all, a successful start to a hope-fully long-term tradition.

SEVIERContinued from previous page

By Clark Israelsen, USU Extension Agent – Cache County

Obesity is unquestionably in the public consciousness, and it is definitely becoming a more serious problem. Most American adults, like me, are packing some extra pounds, though we don’t consider ourselves obese. Part of our problem is an unprecedented access to high-calorie foods-which are widely available, heavily pro-moted, relatively low in cost and usually good tasting. We also enjoy conveniences like automatic garage door openers, remote controls for television, comfortable automobiles, drive through windows, riding lawnmow-ers and relaxing recliners. The world is full of incen-tives to discourage physical activity. Our tendency to easily gain weight suggests a need for changes in diet, exercise and behavior.

Plumpness is also an issue with the younger generation. It is almost abnormal to be “normal” weight. Though the causes of obesity can be complex, portliness usually occurs when a person eats more calories than the body burns. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise are common rea-sons for this growing trend among youth. Fewer manual jobs, more computers and television, parents afraid to let their children outside to play without supervision, and easy access to fast foods all con-tribute to the fattening of America. First lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to combat child-hood obesity is an example of an effort to reverse this development.

The National Dairy Council is also involved in a significant way, having pledged $250 million in 2010 to the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program. Funding from the National Dairy Council comes from check- off dollars provided by America’s dairy farmers. This

Obesity and dairy productsfive-year commitment to promote healthy eating habits among our nation’s youth is meant to pig-gyback on the National Football League’s “Play 60” campaign. The purpose of “Play 60” is to encour-age children to get at least 60 min-utes of physical activity each day. 250 million dollars is a significant investment from the dairy indus-try, but one worth making if it can help reverse the obesity crisis in this country.

In announcing the program,

three National Football League players, along with NFL commis-sioner Roger Goodell, joined with U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Tom Gallagher, CEO of Dairy Management, Inc. to kick off the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program. Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the smaller players in the NFL, told a group of New York City middle-school students that he has to eat a healthy diet, in-cluding low-fat milk, and lots of cheese in order to compete with the bigger players. There is a grow-ing body of research that suggests dairy products, because of their calcium content, can help people lose weight. That is music to the ears of dairy producers.

The “Fuel Up to Play 60” pro-gram encourages students to “fuel up” with nutrient rich foods such as low-fat milk and dairy prod-

ucts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and to buy fewer sodas and high-calorie, high-fat snack foods. Equally important is the en-couragement to “get up and play” with a minimum of 60 minutes of daily physical activity. More than 60,000 of the nations private and public schools are already enrolled in “Fuel Up to Play 60”.

Many people cut back on eat-ing dairy products when trying to lose weight, but that is a mistake according to Dr. Michael Zemel, Professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Medicine at the University of Tennessee. Zemel’s

peer-reviewed clinical research shows that con-suming low-fat dairy products may actual ly support weight loss because of calcium’s pro-posed effect on fat metabolism. Data shows that the high calcium content of dairy products helps the body break down stored fat. Zemel has writ-

ten a book titled “The Calcium Key: The Revolutionary Diet Discovery That Will Help You Lose Weight Faster”. Zemel writes that replacing high-calorie foods or beverages with low-fat dairy foods; such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, appears to be one of the best ways to boost calcium intake and support weight loss efforts.

As First Lady Michelle Obama reminds us, obesity is an issue that affects everyone. And all of us-as parents, community lead-ers, and concerned citizens-can be involved and supportive of efforts to improve the health of our nation. The best place to start is in our individual homes. Dairy farmers are anxious that healthy dairy products become a greater percentage of our family diets.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Dairy CouncilMaurice Jones-Drew, one of the smaller players in the NFL, meets with kids at the launch of the Fuel to Play 60 event.


See SOYBEANS on pg. 29

WORKContinued from pg. 5

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in a meeting conducted by Utah’s Department of Agriculture and Food dealing with recently passed legislation that made efforts to minimize swine disease spreading and potential feral populations of swine.

Utah Farm Bureau…

participated in several meetings relating to sensitive species, including UPDRIP meetings on prairie dogs, UBARM meetings on sage grouse, and the Utah Lake Commission meetings relating to June Sucker. Staff also participated in the DWR RAC meetings relating to elk issues.

U t a h F a r m B u r e a u …attended various Utah County Commission meetings relating

to Agricultural Protection Areas for landowners around the Provo River Delta relating to the June Sucker and for mink farmers also applying for APA protection.

U t a h F a r m B u r e a u …attended several county YF&R Socials, and meetings for the USU Ag Alumni Committee, Sustainable Grazing Committee, and also participated in the radio program on ag policy issues on KSVC in Richfield.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are going to be more soy-beans grown across the United States this year, but that increase will be dwarfed by the amount of soybeans that will be used and exported. The scenario will mean U.S. soybean supplies will fall to a mere 16 days of inventory, ac-cording to American Farm Bureau Federation analysts.

According to the Agriculture Department’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for May 2012, this year’s soybean crop is projected at 3.205 billion bushels, an increase of 149 million bushels from 2011. That boost, however, is not projected to keep up with strong demand from exports, which are expected to increase by 190 million bushels and the crush use of soybeans, which will increase by 10 million bushels.

“When all is said and done, our ending stocks of soybeans will drop to just 145 million bushels,” said AFBF Senior Economist Todd Davis. “That equates to a 4.4 per-cent stocks-to-use ratio, which is just over a two week supply of soy-beans at the end of the year. That will tend to be a bullish factor and should keep soybeans positioned as the market driver.”

Prices will reflect soybean stocks being projected at historically low levels. The 2012-2013 U.S. marketing year average prices is pegged at $13 per bushel, which would eclipse the 2012 record of $12.35 per bushel, Davis ex-plained.

Davis said there are several fac-tors leading to this perfect storm for soybeans. South American soybean production continues

Soybean crop increases, but supply to dip to historic low


Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill for FSA of-fice consolidations. Two sets of criteria were used to identify FSA offices for consolidation. First, USDA identified FSA of-fices located less than 20 miles from another FSA office that had two or few-er permanent, full-time employees. Additionally, the proposal included all FSA offices with zero permanent employees regardless of location.

Public meetings were held within 30 days of the original announcement in every county affected by the proposal. Comments gathered during this pe-riod were reviewed by the department prior to for-mally notifying Congress of the proposal on Feb. 27, 2012. During the fol-lowing 90-day Congres-sional notification period, the department reviewed data used to create the proposal and public com-ments received during this period. During this

FSAContinued from pg. 2

review, USDA determined that 6 of the original 131 proposed offices did not meet the 2008 Farm Bill criteria for consolidation. As a result, they are not included in the final plan announced today.

FSA is striving to bal-ance budget reductions, staff reductions, and in-creasing workloads while focusing the efforts of agency staff on continu-ing to provide high quality service from the remain-ing 2,119 office locations.

Since 2011, FSA has seen 1,230 permanent employees leave the agency through volun-tary early separation and normal retirement that were needed due to bud-get reductions made by Congress. FSA has also reduced discretionary ad-ministrative expenses by more than 30 percent in the last fiscal year alone.

For a complete list of FSA county offices affect-ed by this decision, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/officeconsolidations.

Soybean crop increases, but supply to dip to historic low The Arizona/Utah

range livestock workshop put on by the combined forces of USU and Uni-versity of Arizona Exten-sion have been selected as the national winners of the ‘Search for Excellence’ award in the category of Livestock Production by the National Association of County Agriculture Agents.

The purpose of the award is to recognize an NACAA member(s) who has developed and car-ried out an outstanding extension educational program in livestock production. The award chiefly recognizes Rob Grumble (University of Arizona Extension), Kev-in Heaton (USU Exten-sion), Chad Reid (USU Extension) and Paul Hill (USU Extension) who are the conference co-chairs for the excellence in putting the successful workshop together.

The award will be pre-sented in Charleston, South Carolina on July 17, 2012.

The workshop is a free, full-day event held in Kanab and St. George, Utah usually in April. The planning committee, sponsors and speakers travel between workshop locations. After the two days of workshops, an all-day field tour highlights and complements the workshop learning.

“This is probably the longest running, bi-state,

AZ/Ut Range Livestock Workshop to receive award from National

Association of County Ag AgentsCooperative Extension program ever,” said Kevin Heaton. “There are a lot of people working to make this workshop a success, BLM, NRCS, Conservation Districts, Forest Service, private ranchers, etc. are all part of the winning team. But if you were to single out one guy, Rob Grumbles (UA Extension) would be that guy. He’s been working on this range livestock workshop for 34 years.”

The workshop addresses general livestock manage-ment topics, as well as tackling controversial is-sues head on by presenting both sides of a controver-sial issue. The last three years have included such controversial topics as wolf reintroduction, national monument designation, native vs. non-native plant materials, wildfire, and grazing annual grasses for fuels reduction.

In southern Utah and northern Arizona, ranch-ers graze livestock on a five million acre parcel of public land known as the Arizona Strip. Forage resources on the Arizona Strip provide a sustainable feed source for 24,300 head of cattle and provide $26 million in economic activity.

In the mid 1970s, live-stock grazing was a con-tentious issue in southern Utah and northern Ari-zona, due to the comple-tion of the “Hot Desert”

Environmental Impact Statement and listing of the Desert Tortoise as an endangered species. During this time, federal agencies closed grazing allotments, which forced ranchers out of business. Heated arguments and emotions ensued on both sides of the issue.

Ranchers and land man-agement agencies request-ed Utah State University (USU) Extension and Uni-versity of Arizona (U of A) Extension to collaborate on a science based work-shop to improve knowl-edge and understanding of the issues. This is how the AZ/UT Range Livestock Workshop and Tour was born.

Early on this science-based educational pro-gram developed produc-tive relationships among all parties. Since its incep-tion in 1978, more than 7,300 participants ben-efited from this workshop. During the last four years, workshop participation has spiraled to all-time highs. In fact, the 2012 participation reached 407 participants.

The range livestock workshop provides the most current information in range ecology and man-agement, wildlife man-agement, animal science, agriculture economics and marketing to participants. This program improves the participant’s knowl-edge of range monitoring

See AWARD on pg. 30


County ConnectionVice President- OrganizationDavid Bailey

Cattle thieves strike in Grand County

The Utah Farm Bureau has teamed up with the Utah Cattle-man’s Association and Grand County Sheriff’s office to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a recent livestock theft in Grand County.

The cattle were taken from a re-mote area, pre-sumably during the night. Don Holyoak, of Holy-oak Land & Livestock, discovered that 22 pairs of a mixed Angus breed were missing recently from his range pasture near the Colo-rado border along I-70. From the evidence that has been gathered so far, it appears the cattle were taken on or around May 6th. It also appears that those respon-sible for the theft knew how to handle cattle and were familiar with where the cattle would be. From the tracks that were left behind, investigators conclude that the perpetrators used up to seven horses along with three or four trailers and portable panels to round up and haul the cattle away. It also appeared that hay was used to lure the cattle to an area where they could more eas-ily be gathered up.

The stolen cattle have various identification markings. Some have a fresh rafter H brand and an orange ear tag. Others may be marked by a right ear under-bed and overslope and left ear overslope. Some have a Lazy H quarter circle brand on the right hip as well as a swallow fork and underbit on the right ear and oversloped left ear.

The thieves accessed the area from the Windy Mesa Road off of exit 128 from I-70 about 35 miles west of the Colorado state line.

The Sherriff’s office is looking for any eyewitnesses that may have seen trucks and trailers going in or out of the area on or around May 6th. Any other information that is relevant to the area could also be helpful to investigators.

Farm Bureau offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

Farm Bureau members can take advantage of this deterrent if their personal property is ever stolen. This Farm Bureau reward program has been around for close to 40 years and has been used as an incentive to help solve these types of crimes on a regular basis. Any Farm Bureau member can take advantage of this valuable reward program by simply contacting Farm Bu-reau if any personal property has been stolen. We also have Farm Bureau reward signs that can be purchased and placed on personal property, as a deterrent to would be thieves.

As cattle prices remain strong, modern day rustlers have un-fortunately become more com-mon here in Utah and across the country. Farm Bureau is committed to defending private property rights, and this reward program is just one way of ac-complishing that goal. If you have any information about this livestock crime, please contact Sherriff’s Deputy Brent Pace of the Grand County Sheriff’s office or the Utah Livestock Investiga-tor, Dave Carter. Deputy Pace can be reached at 435-259-8115

and Mr. Carter can be reached at 435-253-0633

For more information about the Farm Bureau Reward pro-gram, you can contact Aurline Boyack here at the Farm Bu-reau offices in Sandy. Aurline handles all program details and

Photo courtesy of Utah NRCSCattle in Utah often graze in open, public land such as the photo above. The multiple-use nature of these public lands makes it possible for people to go unnoticed alongside livestock. This has resulted in is-sues of livestock theft in the past. Farm Bureau has a reward fund for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

processing associated with the reward program as part of Farm Bureau’s Member benefits. She can be reached at 801-233-3010.


YF&R Focus: Brett & Jenna MadsenSanpete County Young Farmer & Rancher Committee ChairsAfter four years of playing Di-

vision I Football at the Univer-sity of New Mexico, Brett Mad-sen packed up and headed back to Utah to pursue a career as a . . . farmer?

“I guess that’s what happens when you marry a farmer’s daughter!” is Brett’s reply to those who ask how such a thing happens to a sports guy. Now in his fourth year of being a full-time farmer, sixth year of mar-riage, and two kids later, Brett couldn’t be surer about the life he chose.

Being from a small town any-way, rural life is nothing new. His great- great-grandfather helped found the Sanpete val-ley where he lives and being able to work the ground with his family close by is definitely an added bonus. His two boys, Maddox 4 and Trexon 2, love being taken around the farm on his motorbike during irrigation time (always wearing a helmet of course!). Tractor rides and checking up on the baby tur-keys are also among their favor-ite activities.

What about myself – the wife of a farmer and mother of two crazy little farm boys? I’m just grateful they love going with dad so much! We all love where we live and the life we have. I’m sure there are things we miss out on but how many people get to sit on their patio swing with their kids and have great entertainment such as watch-ing tractors go back and forth across the field during harvest time, or watch cute baby tur-keys grow into big beautiful white birds? These are the little things we enjoy and try not to ever take for granted.

So what do we like to do be-sides farming? Well, sports are definitely not a lost cause. Mad-

dox has started tee-ball and al-ready his little brother wants to be just like him. Dragging him out of the dugout is not an easy feat! And Brett has not entirely given up sports either. Each fall he finds himself, once again, at the football field. This time though it’s his turn to donate his time, energy and knowledge to help the local high school boys live their dream and become stalwart young men.

There was a time not so long ago when I too was out in the fields changing water, cutting the hay, and sometimes running the baler. I no longer find myself in any of those places, but instead I am home running a household and still staying extremely busy. Sometimes during my kids’ nap time, you can find me out in my little salon coloring, cutting, or styling various heads of hair. I am also an avid reader. If I find an interesting title I will usually download the audio version to Brett’s phone so he can listen while he works, so we are still able to share in some of our in-terests. I have not left farm work entirely though. I do have some farm bookkeeping responsibili-ties that I never seem to com-plete! I like it though; it makes me feel like part of the farm still and keeps me up to date on all our business happenings.

While farming doesn’t leave much time for recreational and other pursuits, Brett and I have seen the difference that being involved in a group has made in our lives and those of our friends as well. Even though our time is extremely limited, we just can’t walk away from things that have made such a difference in our lives. I think it is also how and why we see the importance of being actively involved in Farm Bureau. The benefit Farm Bu-reau brings to agriculture is

clearly seen but the benefit to the individual who chooses ac-tive involvement is also there and something not to be taken lightly.

A little over a year ago Brett and I were given the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for the Young Farmer & Rancher’s Leadership conference. It was what I consider to be an opportu-nity of a lifetime. Not only was it so much fun to travel with other farmers our age, it was also com-pletely eye opening. There is so much that happens there that af-fects all of us. Sometimes it feels so overwhelming that it’s easier to just turn a blind eye or give the excuse that someone else is do-ing it for us. We can’t have that attitude anymore. The most im-portant thing I learned on that trip was that it takes every one of us to make a difference and there is always something we can do. If a law is impacting you nega-tively, make a phone call and tell

your story. You have to let your-self be heard or things will keep going the way they always have. You have to take charge, be ac-countable and know that YOU can make a difference.

Working and living on a farm has definitely made lifelong dreams come true. But there is always room for more. Soon Brett will know the responsibil-ity that comes with owning part of the farming operation and I know he won’t stop there. I hope to finish my bachelor’s degree and since reading is such a favor-ite of mine, maybe I’ll write my own book someday!

I will always cherish and nev-er forget the memories I have of growing up on a farm; that’s what Brett and I love the most about farming. Everyday we are making memories for ourselves and for our children so that one day, they too will have memories to hold and cherish forever.


Alyssa Call has been selected as an intern for the Utah Farm Bureau’s Communications Division. The annual internship p r o v i d e s s t u d e n t s with opportunities to put public relations and communications skills they’ve learned in classes to practical use. The internship c o m b i n e s s t r a t e g i c c o m m u n i c a t i o n s planning skil ls with writing, photography, event planning and more with the unique demands and issues of agriculture.

Call is a senior at Brigham Young University studying communications with a public relations emphasis. Along with her communications degree she is pursuing a minor in sociology.

When not studying, Alyssa enjoys building her photography portfolio as well as hiking and horseback riding. A native of Dallas, Texas, Alyssa and her family currently live in Portland, Oregon.

At the Utah Farm Bureau,

Alyssa Call picked as Farm Bureau Communications Division summer intern

Call hopes to learn about corporate communications to help her decide on pursuing that area of communications after

g r a d u a t i o n . A l y s s a h a s e x p e r i e n c e a s a n e v e n t planner for BYU Conferences and Workshops and hopes to utilize that experience i n h e r w o r k with the Utah Farm Bureau at its upcoming M i d y e a r

Conference. Currently, she is also the Vice President of Public Relations for the BYU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, a student chapter of the professional organization for public relations practitioners.

Call will begin her internship June fifth and will work at the Farm Bureau’s offices in Sandy through the summer.

JOHNSONContinued from pg. 11

advantage of every opportunity to share with them something about agriculture. We strongly believe that farmers in general must step out into the public light and help the consumer get to know who we are and what we do – not only for their benefit but also for the land and environment. Otherwise, the false notions that the antagonists feed to the public will be the only view of agriculture the consumer will know, and we all – civilians and farmers alike – will suffer

the consequences of a poorly informed public and government making decisions for us.

We are excited for our future in agriculture and in applying our education in what we do here on the farm. We have the best job in the world; there is nothing else I would rather do.

Kelby Johnson and his family’s farm are in Benson, Cache County. For more information on conservation practices at the farm, contact Kelby at [email protected] or you can find them on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johnson-Family-Farms/126027507438137.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Farm Bureau Federa-tion President Bob Stallman at a recent hearing on Capitol Hill reemphasized his organizations’ support of a single commodity option and a strong crop insur-ance program in the 2012 farm bill. Speaking before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, Stallman said he was confident AFBF’s approach could easily provide a safety net that meets regional and com-modity differences, while also staying within the budget.

“Continuation of a multi-legged stool re-mains the best approach for providing a fair and effective safety net, which should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continuation of the cur-rent marketing loan provi-sions and a catastrophic revenue loss program,” said Stallman. The purpose of the hearing was to review commod-ity programs and crop insurance options for 2012 farm bill.

Stallman’s testimony was based on the premise that the House Agriculture Committee will draft farm legislation that reduces spending by $23 billion over the next 10 years, with pro-portional cuts of $15 billion in commodity program reductions, $4 billion in conservation pro-gram reductions and $4 billion in nutrition program reductions.

In its farm bill proposal, AFBF has prioritized: (1) protecting and strengthening federal crop insurance funding and not reduc-ing funding for that program; (2) developing a commodity

AFBF: Multi-legged stool best approach for farm bill

title that encourages producers to follow market signals rather than making planting decisions in anticipation of government payments; and (3) refraining from basing any program on cost of production.

“As a general farm organiza-tion, we place high priority on ensuring the bill benefits all American agricultural commod-ity sectors in a balanced, coordi-nated manner,” said Stallman.

“Conceptually, our proposal can cover all specialty crops that have crop insurance available, but we thought it best to walk before we run.”

AFBF’s proposal covers apples, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes and sweet corn.

“The new farm bill must en-sure that producers continue to take production signals from the marketplace rather than enticing them to chase federal program benefits,” continued Stallman. “Approaches that allow produc-ers to pick and choose between various program options would impose severe challenges and drive production decisions.”

Stallman also said that AFBF continues to oppose payment limits and means testing of farm program benefits in general.

Photo courtesy of AFBF

An effective safety net should consist of a strong crop insurance program, continued marketing loans and creation of a catastrophic revenue loss program, AFBF President Bob Stallman (center) said at a recent congressional hearing on the 2012 farm bill.


Practical PolicyVice President- Public PolicySterling Brown

A nuisance lawsuit can happen to any farmer. All farmers should be familiar with Utah’s nuisance laws. Nuisance as a legal doc-trine means an unreasonable and substantial interference with a person’s quiet use and enjoyment of their property. This doctrine stems from the concept that a per-son should use their own property so as not to injure that of another.

In Utah, livestock production amounts to 65 percent of our state’s $1.5 billion in farm gate sales. Livestock pro-duction generally involves the storage and disposal of large quantities of animal manure with associ-ated odors, insects and other problems. Live-stock operations are frequently the target of nuisance actions by neighboring landowners.

Over the years when determin-ing nuisance lawsuits, courts consider who was there first, the character of the neighborhood, the reasonableness of the use, and the nature and degree of the interference. Clearly, a finding of nuisance has a serious impact on any agricultural operation, either resulting in an injunction or in money damages. As a result, it is wise to try to minimize the potential for such complaints to arise. The old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is one worth remembering.

Knowing about nuisance liabil-ity is important. In 2002, Utah lawmakers passed legislation en-suring agricultural producers are held to the same standard civilly as criminally in the application of ag-riculture nuisance liability. Sound agricultural practices do not en-danger public health and safety. The law states, “Agricultural op-erations that are consistent with sound agricultural practices are

Utah’s agricultural nuisance laws: What you need to know

presumed to be reasonable and do not constitute a nuisance unless the agricultural operation has a substantial adverse effect on the public health and safety.” This law does not prevent the filing of nuisance suits, but does protect the right to farm and provide a defense.

The 2002 law also allows the courts to define sound agriculture practices in criminal proceedings on a case by case basis taking into consideration the ever-changing

dynamics and innovations within agriculture and the circumstances of a particular case. Defining sound agricultural practices is no more burdensome on the courts than defining negligence or reasonable doubt. In short, the 2002 law ensures that properly-managed farm operations are not subject to criminal liability for normal agricultural practices.

In fact, when the nuisance law was changed in 1995 and again in 1997 to protect farmers utilizing sound agricultural practices, it was assumed there was no need to extend it to the criminal arena. The discovery that criminal nui-sance could be applied to normal farm practices was the very reason the 2002 legislation was spon-sored and passed. No one ever as-sumed that standard agricultural practices could be considered a criminal activity.

Agricultural lands that are en-rolled in “Agricultural Protec-tion Areas” are given additional protection. A primary purpose of “Agricultural Protection Areas is to create the ability for local gov-

ernments to designate an area for the express purpose of encourag-ing the development and viability of agriculture. In these cases, local laws and ordinances must exclude normal and sound agricultural op-erations or activities from public nuisance definitions. These added protections are important to agri-culture because of growing urban encroachment into traditionally rural areas.

Utah Farm Bureau works very actively with both small and large animal feeding operations, most of which are run by Utah families, to assist in proper waste disposal. In fact, Utah’s method for dealing with animal waste has been la-beled the “Utah Model” and is be-ing held up as a standard to other states because of its voluntary, grassroots and incentive based nature. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are very strictly regulated by the Utah Division of Water Quality based on the Utah Water Quality Act

and the federal Clean Water Act. All CAFOs must obtain a permit from the state which requires a comprehensive nutrient manage-ment plan detailing how waste will be properly stored of so that it will not pose a threat to health and safety. No waste discharges into any body of water or ground water are permitted.

Utah’s criminal law (76-10-801) defines a nuisance as “any item, thing, manner, condition, whatsoever that is dangerous to human life or health, or renders soil, air, water, or food impure or unwholesome.” If a nuisance complaint develops despite your best efforts to avoid it, consider available alternatives to using the court system to resolve the disagreement. Mediation is one of those alternatives.

For more information on ag-ricultural nuisance issues, and alternatives for resolution, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 8001-233-3040.


By Lynne Finnerty, Editor, FB NewsYou know the saying, “…and the crowd goes

wild!” often uttered after someone shoots a basketball straight into the net? When the Labor Department announced recently that it was withdrawing its proposal to limit the types of farm work that minors could do and whose farms they could work on, the response from farm country was instanta-neous. Farm families had scored the winning basket. The crowd went wild! The sense of relief was palpable.

“This is great news!” someone commented on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s page on Facebook. “Many farms, including our own, are family run and it should be the decision of the parents of the children work-ing on the farm whether they are old enough to work. We are thankful for this decision as I’m sure many are!”

“Grassroots efforts work!” said another.The Labor Department’s proposal would

have barred anyone under 16-years-old from using power-driven equipment, in ad-dition to other restrictions, and limited the parental exemption to farms that are wholly

What went right on youth farm labor proposalowned by a parent. After Farm Bureau and others pointed out that the proposed rule could make it illegal for young people to use even a battery-powered screwdriver and did not take into account the way that many farms are organized nowadays, with owner-ship shared by several family members, the Obama administration withdrew it. DOL said the decision was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposal on small, family-owned farms.

It’s tempting to just sit back and relish this victory. But it’s important to look at what really worked, just as a winning team will review video of the game.

The first thing that worked was that all of agriculture used the same playbook. The ad-ministration didn’t get conflicting messages from different farm groups or agricultural sectors. Everyone came together behind one rallying cry: the child labor rule had to go!

Second, farmers and ranchers never gave up.

Even after submitting more than 10,000 comments on the proposed rule and after

the comment period ended, farmers and ranchers kept expressing their opposition on social media websites, in newspaper and magazine articles and even on Capitol Hill. The din from farm country was relentless, much like the noise one might hear at a basketball game when the fans are letting their team know that they’re behind them all the way.

Finally, farmers told their personal sto-ries about how the proposal would affect their farms and their families. Some harked back to when they were young and learned important life lessons by doing farm work—lessons that helped them become better farmers and responsible adults, lessons that they want to impart to their own children. Even if someone didn’t grow up on a farm, he could probably relate to that. Farmers talked about shared values and made a connection with the public.

So, what should we set our sights on next, and how can farmers and ranchers apply the lessons learned to win more victories? Game on!

Lynne Finnerty is the editor of FBNews, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s newspaper


Farm SafetyVice President- Farm SafetyA.J. Ferguson

I hope that this will help clear any misunderstanding as to who needs workers compensation insurance and what to do if y o u d o n ’ t n e e d w o r k e r s compensation insurance. In 1998 the Legislature passed an amendment to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance statute that affects many agricultural producers in the state. The implementation date of this bill was July 1, 1999. The legislation aligned with Farm Bureau policy that was adopted at its 1997 Annual Convention.

The law represents a good compromise b e t w e e n t h e emotional debate a b o u t h o w t o provide agricultural workers with adequate coverage when catastrophic injuries occur without putting small and medium size operations out of business by forcing them to carry expensive insurance coverage when limited wages are paid to non-family employees.

The new law is three-tiered. It is based on annual payroll for the previous calendar year of all non-immediate family members. For those farmers and ranchers whose:

· Annual payroll exceeds $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 ; m u s t ca r r y workers’ compensation insurance.

· Farms having annual payrolls between $8,000 and $50,000; have the opt ion of a minimum $300,000 workers’ liability insurance coupled with $5,000 medical, hospital, surgical benefit, or workers’ compensation insurance.

What YOU need to know!Safety is more than goggles and coveralls…

· Farms having an annual payroll that is less than $8,000; are exempt from the requirement of having any type of insurance coverage. It is still recommended that you have coverage of some sort.

Is it wise to operate any farm without some type of coverage? Probably not, but then that decision has been left up to you.

The advantage of workers’

compensation coverage is that it provides a simple, speedy, and e f f i c ient method for covering all medical care and wage replacement to injured workers. This is an Accidental NO FAULT insurance for employees during working hours only.

Now what kind of coverage does workers’ compensation insurance provide?

· E x c l u s i v e r e m e d y provides protection from lawsuits brought against operators by employees who were injured in job-related accidents.· Total medical, surgical and hospital benefits at absolutely no cost to you – no deductible, co-pay or medicine expense.· Salary replacement – If an employee is totally unable to work at all, he or she will be paid 662/3 percent of his or her average weekly wage until he or she is able to return to work. The employee

will be eligible to receive compensation starting on the fourth day of his or her disability after the day of injury. If the employee is still completely disabled after 15 days, he or she will receive compensation starting from the day after the injury. · Disability – employees who are injured in work-related accidents are entitled to limited compensation for any wages they lose while they are unable to work. There are four types of disability:· T e m p o r a r y p a r t i a l disability· T e m p o r a r y t o t a l disability· P e r m a n e n t p a r t i a l disability· P e r m a n e n t t o t a l disability· Death benefits – If an employee dies due to a work-related injury or accident, workers’ compensation insurance will pay for the following:· Burial up to $8,000· Wage compensation – multiply the average gross weekly wage at the time of the accident by 66 2/3 percent + $5 for dependent spouse + $5 for each dependent child under 18 years old (up to 4 dependent children) = the weekly wage benefit.

Those operators who fall within the second annual payroll tier

($8,000 - $50,000) have been afforded the option of providing a workers’ liability insurance coupled with a medical rider versus workers’ compensation to make it more affordable, but must realize there are differences in the coverage.

Our goal is to provide as much help as possible in assisting each operator to make the best decision for his or her operation and come into compliance. The last thing the Farm Bureau wants to see are operators being cited for failure to comply.

Penalties for non-compliance w i l l b e t h r e e t i m e s t h e annual premium for workers’ compensation insurance plus the responsibility or liability for all cost of treatment, salaries, and disability and court costs.

Making sure your employees are properly protected should be top priority as well as protecting you and/or your operation with the appropriate insurance coverage. Visit with your agent, assuring both you and your agent understand exactly what takes place on your farm operation. Disclose, all activities that occur on your farm or ranch to your agent including machinery that you will have operational during the season, also if you perform any custom farming you should include that information as well. Remember, no matter who your insurance provider is they can only cover what you have disclosed to them.

Please call me if you have any questions or need assistance at (801) 233-3006.


any of the waters of this state for any useful or beneficial purpose.” Interestingly, five justices on the Utah Supreme Court didn’t interpret as broad-ly or liberally Article XVII in Conatser as the Wasatch Coun-ty Justice Court Judge did.

In fact, the Court’s estab-lishment of their own rule provided an invitation to the legislature to address a prior legal void. HB 141, authored by Representative Kay McIff was ultimately written to change the result of Conatser. McIff, a retired judge and constitu-tional authority, questioned the High Court’s expansion of the J.J.N. P ‘s floating right to hunting, fishing and wading on privately-owned property, and even allowing some level of damage as awarded in Co-natser. McIff pointed out that Article I, Section 22 of Utah’s

PARKERContinued from pg. 2

Constitution demands “just compensation” where private property is taken or damaged for public use.

Pullan seems to dismiss or ignore landowners’ impacts and the “inalienable right to…acquire, possess and protect property” as provided in Article I, Section 1 of the Utah Consti-tution. In an inordinate judicial focus on recreational rights associated with the state’s water, Pullan boldly asserts “the public’s easement exists irrespective of the ownership of the bed and navigability of the water.” Farm Bureau ar-gues there is no independent right to follow public water wherever it flows, unless the stream is navigable and the bed is recognized as belonging to the public. If navigability adds nothing to this judicial inquiry, the claimed recreational right should have been recognized thirty years ago in JJNP.

Noting the lack of constitu-tional underpinnings in Conat-ser, HB 141 was passed over-whelmingly by both houses of the Utah State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in 2010. It nar-rowed the recreational ease-ment again to floating and re-turned private property rights to Utah’s streambed owners, where they were for nearly 100 years.

Unhappy with the political outcome, anglers formed USAC to sue landowners along the Provo River, charging that HB 141 is unconstitutional.

O n t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l -ity question, Pullan notes the broad authority granted to the legislature in the Utah Consti-tution to regulate the public resources of the state. Consid-erable deference has been give to the legislature by the courts in determining the lawful use of the water. The legislature,

elected by the people, is in the best position to weigh the com-peting interests and determine public policy so long as their actions are not illegal, arbitrary or capricious.

Now, to muddy the waters, Pullan is seeking briefs from the plaintiffs and defendants on the legislature’s obliga-tions under the public trust doctrine. This appears to be a fishing expedition whereby the judiciary seeks to limit legisla-tive authority. Constitutional experts point out that no public trust doctrine is incorporated into the Utah Constitution, which should be the extent and measure of the Judge’s inquiry.

HB 141, while continuing to be challenged, is the legal standard. Trespass is trespass and seeking permission still a common courtesy associated with property rights!


One hundred fifty years ago, as the Civil War raged and the fate of our union was in doubt, Presi-dent Lincoln established what he called the “People’s Department.”

Lincoln was raised on rural land in my home state of Illinois. He understood the importance of farming to the American way of life. And he knew the agency he had founded—the Department of Agri-culture—would play a role unlike any other in shaping the lives of everyday Americans.

W h e n t h e U S D A opened its doors for the first time, almost half of Americans identified themselves as farmers. A century and a half later, less than 1 percent do. But even as revolu-tions in technology have reshaped the American landscape, agriculture remains a cornerstone of our economy and our way of life. It continues to be one of the most important tools we have to make sure that all of our children, no matter what they look like or where they come from, can go as far as their dreams and hard work will take them.

Op-Ed by President Barack Obama marking the 150th Anniversary of the Department of Agriculture

Today, Americans enjoy the most abundant and safest food supply anywhere in the world. As a portion of our take-home pay, we spend less than 10 percent of our earnings on groceries—compared to more than 20 percent in most developed nations, and up to half in developing nations. As a result, families are able to put more of

their income toward everything from starting a business and buy-ing a house to saving for college and planning for retirement.

Rural America plays a critical role in guaranteeing security for Americans all across the country. And today, that role is more im-portant than ever. As we recover from the worst economic crisis

since the Great Depression, we can’t go back to an economy built on outsourcing, bad debt and phony financial profits. We need an economy built to last; an economy built on the things we make and produce—on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers and, yes, American agriculture.

Last year, agriculture was responsible for more than $137 bil-lion in export sales—an all-time record. Farm products represented a trade surplus of nearly $43 billion. And the agricultural industry supported more than 1 million American jobs.

That’s good news. But we still have a long way to go to make sure that America’s agricultural industry is healthy for

years to come. At the end of World War II, the average age of an American farmer was 39 years old. Today, it’s almost 60. For years, our rural communities have been under severe economic strain—both from the effects of the recession, and from the difficulties of dealing with a shrinking and

aging population.That’s why my administration

launched the White House Rural Council to provide rural Ameri-cans with the resources and sup-port they need to grow. And that’s why I’ve also kept the pressure on Congress to pass a farm bill this year that includes a safety net for farmers when weather disasters strike, or when prices fluctuate be-yond their control. This bill should also include provisions to help young Americans who are inter-ested in farming get established. And we need to keep supporting innovation and research, so that American farming can continue to lead the world.

The Department of Agriculture will change over the next century, just like it has over the last one. But the USDA will continue to improve the lives of every Ameri-can—from the child who sits down to a healthy school lunch, to the customer who can buy produce that is safe and healthy; to the farmers who feed this country, just like they have for generations.

Agriculture is who we are. It’s how our nation became what it is today. And as long as I’m presi-dent, I will do everything I can to keep America growing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is calling on America’s farmers and ranchers to sign up for the 2012 Census of Agriculture and to share stories about how Census data benefits them. Recognizing the central role of agriculture in Americans’ lives, USDA wants to make sure it counts all farmers and ranchers in the upcoming Census. USDA’s

Farmers asked to sign up for Census, tell story of agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts the Cen-sus of Agriculture every five years and is currently preparing to send the Census form to all agricultural producers in December.

“This is an opportunity to cele-brate the important contributions of America’s farmers and ranch-ers,” said Renee Picanso, direc-tor of NASS’ Census and Survey

CENSUS continued on pg 28

Utah Farm Bureau News26 June 2012SENATORSContinued from pg. 1

culture at Utah State Uni-versity and Vice President of USU Extension; Com-missioner Leonard Black-ham, Utah Department of Agriculture & Food; Brent Tanner, Executive Vice President of the Utah Cattlemen’s Association, Wally Schulthess, Presi-dent of the Utah Cattle-men’s Association; Allen Olsen, President of the Utah Woolgrowers As-sociation; Commissioner Darlene Burns, Uintah County (Utah); and LaMar Barrington; Executive Vice President for Western Ag-Credit. Staff from the Utah Farm Bureau and office of Senator Hatch also joined the group.

“More and more, [agen-cies and environmental groups] are trying to throw us off the public land,” Hatch said. “But I’m not sure the Interior Depart-ment is even run by Sec-retary Salazar. It is run by czar’s in the White House’s office of economic advi-sors.”

Senator Barrasso echoed Hatch’s frustrations with how public lands in the west are being managed.

“Too many in charge of public lands now want no use,” Barrasso said. “But the farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of that land.”

In response to concerns from farmers and ranch-ers, Hatch & Barrasso outlined some of their (and the Senate Western Caucuses) legislative ef-forts regarding grazing permits, H2A visas and immigration, agricultural trade, dust regulations and public lands access.

They also touted some of their efforts at preventing agency rules from being enforced, which would harm agriculture, includ-ing defunding Interior Secretary Salazar’s ‘Wild Lands’ program and the withdrawal of the Depart-ment of Labor’s child labor rule.

The efforts by depart-ments and agencies within the Obama Administration to use rules, as opposed to

the congress passing laws, to achieve policy outcomes was emphasized often dur-ing the discussion.

“Senator Barrasso and I, and all of the members of the Senate Western Caucus have spent the past 3 ½ years combat-ting this ad-ministration’s use of the fed-eral rulemak-ing process as a way to get around Con-gress,” Hatch said. “There are bills that have been in-troduced that would clarify what authority the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have under the Clean Water Act. Even if those bills don’t pass both houses of Congress, they send a message to the adminis-tration. Sometimes that message is strong enough to influence the actions of the agencies.”

Though both senators emphasized what suc-cesses they’ve had over the past few years, they were clear in their desire to win back the majority in order to more effectively protect their state’s western in-terests.

Species recovery was another topic of great con-cern addressed during the meeting. Many at the table expressed frustration with having to deal with rules to protect species – even when recovery goals have been achieved.

“We’ve become species ranchers as well as cattle ranchers,” said rancher Wally Schulthess. “We don’t need to remove cattle to save many of these spe-

cies. We’ve been here for more than 130 years, and many of these species are still here because we are there, not in spite of our being there.”

Speaking of species being protected beyond recovery goals, Senator

Hatch spoke on the need to change both how Endan-gered Species Act (ESA) plans are completed along with the loopholes that al-low environmental groups to aggressively push their agenda while taking mon-ey from the public trea-sury.

“After the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service delist-ed the Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf in 2009, it was immediately sued by a group of environmental non-profit organizations. Wolves were given ESA protections once again by a judge. This is a very seri-ous problem,” Hatch said. “We are also concerned about the tactics that are being used to force the ESA listing of the Sage Grouse. The way to keep this from happening again and again is to reform the Equal Access to Justice Act. Over the years, it has been used and abused by environmental groups as a way to make millions of

dollars and push an ex-tremist agenda.”

The Equal Access to Jus-tice Act (EAJA) was in-tended to benefit veterans and social security recipi-ents who needed to be able to sue the government for their benefits. However, it has become a tool for

environmen-tal groups to sue in order to achieve their p o l i c y o u t -c o m e s , a n d then be com-pensated for t h e i r c o s t s from taxpayer funds.

“They just put their straw in the federal t r e a s u r y t o suck out mon-

ey,” Senator Barrasso said.As a result of this, Sena-

tors Hatch and Barrasso have introduced the Gov-ernment Litigation Sav-ings Act, as a way to keep extreme environmental groups – which are well-funded – from being able to abuse the system and change the law through litigation, all the while be-ing reimbursed for legal costs.

Lastly, the group talked about immigration and visa concerns, and its im-pact on ranching interests, as well as fruit growers and dairy farmers. Ranch-ers attending the meet-ing were concerned that the Labor Department continues to change rules relating to H2A visas and making them retroactive, which is hard for ranchers to deal with.

“If we know the rules, we can play the game; but you can’t keep changing the rules,” said Steve Os-guthorpe, Utah Farm Bu-

Photo by Matt HargreavesUtah Farm Bureau Vice President Stephen Osguthorpe visits with Senator Hatch after the meeting in Sandy.

Utah Farm Bureau News 27June 2012dollars and push an ex-tremist agenda.”

The Equal Access to Jus-tice Act (EAJA) was in-tended to benefit veterans and social security recipi-ents who needed to be able to sue the government for their benefits. However, it has become a tool for

environmen-tal groups to sue in order to achieve their p o l i c y o u t -c o m e s , a n d then be com-pensated for t h e i r c o s t s from taxpayer funds.

“They just put their straw in the federal t r e a s u r y t o suck out mon-

ey,” Senator Barrasso said.As a result of this, Sena-

tors Hatch and Barrasso have introduced the Gov-ernment Litigation Sav-ings Act, as a way to keep extreme environmental groups – which are well-funded – from being able to abuse the system and change the law through litigation, all the while be-ing reimbursed for legal costs.

Lastly, the group talked about immigration and visa concerns, and its im-pact on ranching interests, as well as fruit growers and dairy farmers. Ranch-ers attending the meet-ing were concerned that the Labor Department continues to change rules relating to H2A visas and making them retroactive, which is hard for ranchers to deal with.

“If we know the rules, we can play the game; but you can’t keep changing the rules,” said Steve Os-guthorpe, Utah Farm Bu-

reau Vice President and a sheep rancher in Millard and Summit Counties. “We’re out of business without these workers. We’re not taking away jobs from those living here. We’ve advertised locally for 15 years and have had zero apply. It’s a waste of resources.”

Sheep rancher Allen Olsen added that the way the labor department conducts their audits makes it impossible to be in compliance.

“We had a Department of Labor speaker at one of our sheep meetings say there wasn’t an operation in the state that could pass an audit without some kind of violation,” Olsen said. “If we weren’t treat-ing our workers well, they wouldn’t come back every year. I’ve had some of the same workers for years and years. The money they make changes the lives of these workers.”

In closing, Dean Noelle Cockett praised efforts from the senators at try-ing to alleviate the pres-sures on farmers and ranchers from opposition groups.

“These people [farmers and ranchers] are what America is all about,” Cockett said. “It’s dis-heartening to hear of people that are trying to make their life harder.”

Before departing for their next appoint-ment, the senators again thanked those at the table for their efforts at provid-ing food and jobs to Utah, Wyoming and the rest of the country, and for working with their elected officials in partnership to ensure western agricul-tural issues remain in the public debate.

SALT LAKE CITY — State Conservationist Dave Brown announced the launch of a new National Water Quality Initiative committed to improving three impaired waterways in Utah. USDA’s Natu-ral Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS) will manage the initiative by making funds available to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in the selected watersheds.

“The Water Quality Ini-tiative will further NRCS’ partnership efforts to im-prove water quality using voluntary actions on pri-vate lands,” Brown said. “This initiative is a fo-cused approach in areas facing significant natural resource challenges. It bol-sters the positive r e s u l t s of land-s c a p e conserva-tion ini-t i a t i v e s N R C S a n d i t s partners a l r e a d y have un-derway in Utah.”

Through this effort, eligi-ble producers in the South Fork of Chalk Creek (near Coalville) and in Cutler Reservoir and the Pullum Hollow areas of the Bear River (in Cache Valley) will invest in voluntary conservation actions to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities. The selected

NRCS announces National Water Quality Initiative conservation in Utah

Agricultural Producers located in three priority watersheds will be able to participate

watersheds were identi-fied with help from state agencies, partners, and the NRCS State Technical Committee.

Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, NRCS will provide funding and advise to producers to in-stall conservation prac-tices such as cover crops, filter strips and terraces in watersheds with impair-ments where the federal investment can make a dif-ference to improve water quality.

“American farmers are good stewards of the envi-ronment, especially when they have the tools they need to protect or improve fish and wildlife habitat and water quality,” said

NRCS Chief Dave White. “We look forward to col-laborating with produc-ers in key watersheds to help them have a positive impact on streams with impaired water quality.”

Brown explained that the water quality conser-vation work on the two watersheds along the Bear River in Cache County will focus on reduction of

nutrient loading, especially phosphorus, coming from animal feeding operations and fertiliz-er applica-tion on sur-r o u n d i n g farmland. The Lower Chalk Creek watershed project, lo-cated near C o a l v i l l e in Summit C o u n t y , w i l l s e e k to improve Bonneville Cutthroat trout habi-tat by re-moving barriers to fish movement. Irrigation efficiency and manage-ment practices will also be applied to help improve water quality along Chalk Creek.

NRCS accepts applica-tions for financial assis-tance on a continuous ba-sis throughout the year. Remember to check with your local NRCS office to see if you are located in a selected watershed. All applications for fund-ing consideration, during

this fiscal year, must be received by June 15, 2012. This summer, NRCS will notify all applicants of the results and begin develop-ing contracts with selected applicants.


Division. “Census data can help us to better tell the amazing story of American agriculture, but that story will be incomplete if farmers aren’t all counted.”

To put together a complete list of agricultural producers, NASS sent out the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) early in 2012. This initial survey helps identify all potential agricultural activities in the United States and who should receive the Census form later this year. Producers who did not fill out the NACS can still sign up for the Census by vis-iting www.agcensus.usda.gov and clicking “Be Counted – Make Your Voice Heard.”

Federal law requires all agri-cultural producers to participate in the Census of Agriculture. The same law requires NASS to keep all information confidential. In the Census, and in all related sur-veys, NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents, ensuring that

no individual operation or pro-ducer can be identified.

The Census of Agriculture data benefits farmers and communities considerably, and NASS invites producers to share their Census stories in their own words. NASS recently launched the “Share your Census Story” web page, where producers can tell how local, state and national farm services, pro-grams and policies were shaped by Census of Agriculture data.

“Sharing information about how agricultural and rural programs enhance their quality of life will help others understand the impor-tance of Census information and encourage them to sign up and be counted,” said Picanso.

For more information about NACS and the Census of Agricul-ture, or to add your name to the Census mailing list, or share your Census story, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov. NASS will mail Census forms on December 29, 2012, to collect data for the 2012 calendar year.

CENSUSContinued from pg. 25


By Kylee Draper. 8th grade creative story contest winner from Sanpete County

The sun beat down off my back. I push and I pull and I work in the heat of the day. I haul the hay through the field and carry buckets of chicken feed. I work until the job is finished. When all the ani-mals are fed and watered I scurry to the field. I pass everlasting rows of corn, squash, carrots and other vegetables.

It is almost harvesting time, and my family and I would be working hard. We would take most of the crops into town and sell them in the local market. It was hard work but it was all worth it.

The sunflowers turn to the sun as it crosses the sky. My work lasts almost as long. The big old school bus pulls up the dirt road and my two sons and daughter climb off. Just as the sunflowers it is like clockwork. They put on their gloves and get to work. Pushing wheel barrows, collecting eggs, and milking cows.

The chores of the day are al-most finished but our real work is never done. We are rewarded with the smell of cooking meat and veggies. The whole family has worked all day and now it’s time to dig in. My wife can’t only drive a tractor; she can cook up some mean stew.

As the stars twinkle in the sky I think how beautiful they

If I were a farmerare. They all shine together in unison. Just like my family. We are great as individuals but we are something amazing when we work together. We all work and help the farm grow, and as it grows so do we.

I fall asleep on that thought and it brings a restful night. Though I

rest the world does not. Thunder and lightning roll in on a silent fog.

Dull morning light shines in my dusty window. Our old sheep dog is going nuts outside. I go to the window and look down at the damp earth that the storm left in its wake.

The storm looks like it left as fast as it came. The crops all stand, refreshed from the cool, sweet rain. Everything seems normal. I look out into the right field. I look into its emptiness. Where are the cattle?

“Annie,” I say waking her. “The storm spooked the cattle and they broke the fence! They are all loose.” Annie, my wife, sits up and steps out of bed in one fluid motion. She pulls on her boots

and we head to the kitchen.Mary, Kyle, and Sam are all

awake. They had made us break-fast. To bad there was no time. It sure did smell great.

“Morning daddy.” Mary says smiling. “What’s wrong?” I feel bad ruining her morning.

“The cattle are loose.” I say. Mary, Sam, Kyle all quickly put on shoes. Soon enough we are all outside in our pajamas.

We all mount our horses. As they run their hooves fling mud this way and that. We chase the cattle, which were all the way down the road.

Hannah, our dog, is hot on their tails. She had them pretty much rounded up. We caught up fast and we herded them down the road. In all the excitement and worry, we don’t even notice it had started pouring again.

BOOM! The cattle took off again. Hannah tried to round them up but it was a stampede!

“Whoa” I hear Mary say. Soon after she is face first in the mud. Kyle dismounts his horse to help her. The cattle are coming up behind them fast. Kyle throws Mary over his shoulder and gets out of the way quickly.

Annie, Sam, and I finish round-ing up the cattle. We get them back to the fence and I patch up the gap in the fence. We find the only thing Mary suffers from af-ter the fall is a couple of bruises and muddy pajamas.

That starts yet another morn-ing on the farm. I start again pulling and pushing. Hauling hay, and feeding chickens. After my morning job is done my wife and I sit on the porch swing with cool sweet tea. We smile at each other as we watch the sunflowers.

They keep their heads to the sun. They can only see the bright side of things. I’m like a sunflow-er. I’m happy with everything I have. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

to decline, with Argentina’s pro-duction reduced by 91.8 million bushels and Brazil’s production reduced 36.7 million bushels from April. According to Davis, as the harvest wraps up in South America, the market is now grasp-ing a better understanding of how their drought cut into production. On the world level, ending stocks for soybeans will be the tightest they have been since the 2007-2008 marketing year, 53.24 mil-lion metric tons, or a stocks-to-use ratio of 15.5 percent.

This report also carried signifi-cant news on the corn side, Davis said. The 2012 U.S. corn crop is now projected at 14.8 billion bushels, which would be a record if realized. That is 2.4 billion bush-els more than what was harvested in 2011.

USDA projected a record 2012 yield of 166 bushels per acre based on the rapid pace of planting and crop emergence, according to Davis. Demand for corn is also projected to increase due to in-creased feed use (up 900 million bushels) and exports that should increase by 200 million bushels.

“Corn production will outpace stronger demand and that will likely result in lower prices, but those prices will help fuel the robust demand we see both do-mestically and abroad,” Davis explained.

Davis said 2012-2013 ending stocks for the domestic corn sup-ply will be at 1.88 billion bushels. That is an increase of more than 1 billion bushels. The stocks-to-use ratio is projected to increase to 13.7 percent, which is the largest since 2009-2010. Davis said that because of the large increase in corn stocks, the U.S. marketing-year average price is projected to decline sharply to $4.60 per bushel, compared to the 2011-2012 price of $6.10 per bushel.

But there was a little surprise in the latest report, according to Davis.

SOYBEANSContinued from pg. 16


techniques, noxious weed iden-tification and control, vegetation management, water development, selection of cattle, and animal health procedures. This workshop helps maintain livestock produc-tion as a viable interest in the Arizona Strip region.

Success of this workshop is due to excellent partnerships and collaboration, industry sponsors, addressing current and sometimes controversial issues and effective evaluations. During the last three years, the annual range livestock workshop has brought cutting-edge, science-based knowledge to the participants and strengthens relationships among all parties. Interested parties can look for more information about the 2013 conference toward the beginning of 2013. For more information, please contact Kevin Heaton at [email protected].

AWARDContinued from pg. 17

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Farm Bureau Federation, along with 14 state Farm Bureau organizations and 16 other national and regional agricultural organiza-tions, filed a motion seeking to intervene in Gulf Restoration Network, et al. v. Jackson, et al., a lawsuit seeking to force the Environmental Protection Agency to establish federal numeric nutrient water qual-ity standards for all states in the Mississippi River Basin. The resolution of the lawsuit could be significant for farm-ers, municipalities and others throughout the 31-state basin because numeric nutrient standards could lead to more

AFBF intervenes in Mississippi River Basin case

costly and stringent limits on nutrient runoff to waters that ultimately contribute to the Mississippi River.

Under the Clean Water Act, states may use either “narra-tive” or “numeric” standards as a method for determining water quality. Most states in the Mississippi River Basin use narrative standards, such as “no nutrients at levels that cause a harmful imbalance of aquatic populations.” How-ever, if this lawsuit is success-ful, EPA would be forced to override existing state stan-dards with federal water qual-ity standards and to express those standards as specific numeric limits on nutrients.

“Setting appropriate nu-meric nutrient standards is a complex and difficult sci-entific undertaking and EPA has proven it is not up to the task,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Farmers have no reason to believe that EPA

could establish scientifically defensible standards for any one state, much less for 40 percent of the U.S. land mass.”

According to AFBF, there are limited circumstances under which the Clean Water Act allows EPA to step in the place of a state government to establish federal water quality standards. The organization is seeking to intervene in the lawsuit to clarify those limi-tations to the federal District Court in Louisiana, where the case is being heard.

“Farmers and their state governments in the Missis-sippi River Basin have worked successfully for years to min-imize nutrient runoff and will continue to do so,” said Stallman. “But we oppose a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach.”

The following state Farm Bureaus intervened in the law-suit: Arkansas; Illinois; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Minnesota; Mississippi; Mis-souri; Nebraska; Oklahoma; South Dakota; Tennessee; and Wyoming.

Farmers and ranchers are headed to Los Angeles – the enter-tainment capital of the world – for the second Food Dialogues event, June 20-21, 2012. Four separate discussions – being held over two days –will bring together entertainment movers and shakers, chefs, academics, large restaurant operators, journalists, local leaders, farmers and ranchers for an in-depth conversation about food. All panel discussions will be available at www.Food-Dialogues.com (either live streamed or taped) so that you and oth-ers can join the conversation during or following the actual events. Additionally, individuals with a Twitter account can follow all of the panel discussions by following @USFRA using #FoodD.

For more information, including a full schedule and updates on details, please visit www.FoodDialogues.com.

Lights, camera, food: Percep-tions and realities of farming

and ranching in America


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGIMPORTANT NOTICE1. Non-commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members selling items they grow or make themselves, or used machinery, household items, etc., they themselves 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. All words over 40 cost 25 cents each. Ads over 40 words not accompanied by the extra payment, or not meeting the above requirements, will be returned to the sender. Family memberships 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 classified advertising department for further information. No insurance ads will be accepted.***DEADLINE: ALL ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 15TH OF THE MONTH IN ORDER TO APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. EXCEPT FOR THE JANUARY ISSUE, WHICH HAS A CLASSIFIED DEADLINE OF DEC. 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 or e-mail at [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 payment 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.ALL CLASSIFIED ADS will be listed on the Utah Farm Bureau web page unless the Utah Farm Bureau member specifies otherwise when placing the ad. The ads on the web site will run concurrently with the classified ads in the Utah Farm Bureau News. 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.

AUTOMOTIVE’02 CHEVY SILVERADO HD: 8.1 liter, big block with Allison trans. Extended cab, long bed, white with grey cloth. LS pkg. with cruise, power windows & seats. Service work performed at Chevy dealer. All service records included. 39,256 miles. Call Paul, 435-901-0748.2006 HARLEY DAVIDSON, 1450 FXWG, excellent condition. (435) 828-7435FOR SALE: 1967 Chev C30 1 ton, rear dual wheels, steel 12’ bed, $1,000. 1941 Ford truck, $2,500. Call Doug 801-277-1578.

FARM EQUIPMENTI BUY, SELL, TRADE AND LOCATE all 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: 6410 John Deere tractor 90hp 4500hrs 2wd 16powerquad rh reverser open station with canopy 18.4xR38 rear 11.00x16 front 90% 3pt 540/1000 pto good condition 22000.00 John Deere 38 forage chopper hay pickup and corn head good blades 540 pto good condition 3500.00 obo 435-678-2984. JD 346 BALER: Ex cond. Bales 800 bales ea. year. $3,500. Fillmore, UT. 801-372-4019.FOR SALE: 5 hp Berkley Pump with starter panel. Excellent condition. Call Keith 435-823-5620.FOR SALE: 1953 Allis Chalmers Model CA. $1,000. Call Doug 801-277-1578.

LIVESTOCKFOR SALE: American Celtic Cattle Association Long Yearling Irish Black Bulls. Visit www.777ranch.org for pictures. For more information, call Rick Benson at (435) 749-9016.ALPACAS REgISTERED BREEDINg age Females, Young Breeding males, fiber males, the ultimate livestock business for small acreage farms. Want to learn more?? Call and come for a visit Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill – Ted & Linda Kenison 801-367-1629.CHAROLAIS BULLS for Sale: Yearlings and 2 year olds also 2 red factor Charolais X Polled Hereford bulls. Call Riley Taylor 435-691-4037

REAL ESTATE:UTAH VACATION IDEA 2012! Hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, horse trails, more. Everything’s close to the Rosebud Guest House. Near Ashley NF, Strawberry River, Starvation. Fully equipped cabin. Pet-friendly. Corrals. Reservations, more information: 435-548-2630, 1-866-618-7194, [email protected], www.rosebudguesthouse.com.*Malad, Idaho 953 acre Standing Rock Ranch – SOLD. *Thatcher, Idaho 160 acre gravity sprinkled ranch with home, machinery, good fences and year round stream. *Bear Lake 89 acre recreational retreat north of Liberty with trees, wildlife and privacy. *Preston, Idaho 191 acre gravity sprinkled farm with home, outbuildings and corrals. *Preston, Idaho 400 cow Grade A Dairy on 56

acres with 5 bedroom 5000 square foot home, 414 lock-ups and double 9 parlor. *Several other great properties also available. Contact Vaughn Benson at Benson Realtors, Logan 435-753-0960.

@HOME REALTY, BRENT PARKER, (435)881-1000. 40 Acres in Cache Valley. Excellent soil and water right. Ideal for hobby farm. 170.82 Acre Farm in grace Idaho. Great farm ground. Very scenic. Early water right. 242.93 Acre Farm in grace Idaho. Borders Bear River. Gravity pressurized irrigation. Dairy Farm in Cache Valley. 41 acres. Irrigated. Updated home, excellent crops. Double 5 Herringbone parlor. 23 Acres in grace, Idaho. Mini ranchette with home,barn and hay shed. 40 Acres Outside Soda Springs. Beautiful forest land with year around stream. 1 To 4 Acre View Lots in Mt. Sterling, Cache Valley, with well permits. Paved road to each lot. Animal rights. Starting at $75,000.

MISCELLANEOUS:HI NEIgHBORS: Can you help me? I’m in need of someone’s old striped overalls to complete a heritage quilt. Call ASAP if you have some. Audrey: 435-864-3202. Jg SEALCOATS: asphalt sealing and crack repair. 435-749-0915. 4 CORNERS MANAgED INTENSIVE gRAzINg: “More Profits from Your Natural Resources”. August 6th to 9th with Jim Gerrish. August 10th with Dr. Tom Noffsinger. Stockmanship and low-stress cattle handling. For more information or to register contact Charles Redd. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 435-459-1848.YOU ARE INVITED TO: Crooked Fence Alpacas & Mill Open Farm Day – July 14, 2012 – 8am to 8pm – 390 E 1700 N – Mona, Utah. This is our 6th Annual Open Farm Day, come and join us for an alpaca educational experience. Watch and hug the alpacas, see how we make yarn from their beautiful fiber in our processing mill, learn how to make rugs on a peg loom, check out our warm and cozy alpaca slippers, hats and scarves. Get answers to all your Alpaca questions. For more information contact [email protected] EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESCIRCLE FOUR FARMS: 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 $30,420. Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vision Insurance, Life Insurance plan, Short Term and Long Term Disability, company paid Pension Plan, 401(k) Savings Plan with company match, Gain$hare Plan, Incentive programs, Paid holidays 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.


County Scenes

Salt Lake County▶ Board Meeting, June 5, 7 p.m. at the UFBF Board Room in SandyWashington County▶ Board Meeting, June 6, 8 p.m. at Insurance Office in St. GeorgeWeber County▶ Board meeting, June 28, 7 p.m.Sevier County▶ Monroe Mountain Working Group meeting, June 18 in Richfield, 9 a.m.N. Box Elder County▶ Board meeting, June 20, 8 p.m.San Juan County▶ Summer Social, June 21, 6:30 p.m. at Lewis FarmsTooele County▶ FFA teachers conference at Tooele Conference.Duchesne County▶ Summer Social, June 25, 6:00 p.m. at Roosevelt Park. All Duchesne Farm Bureau members are invited.Wasatch County▶ Board meeting, June 5, 7 a.m. at the Hub restaurant in Heber City

State and Regional Activities▶ UFBF Midyear Conference, July 19-20 in Ogden

▶ RAC Meetings in May. Cougar Guidebook & Rule; Furbearer Guidebook & Rules; Waterfowl Guidebook & Rule; Fee Proposals.

The meetings schedule is:-Southern RAC: July 31-Southeastern RAC: August 1 (in Moab)-Northeastern RAC: August 2-Central RAC: August 7-Northern RAC: August 8 Visit wildlife.utah.gov. for locations.

FB County Corner

[Top] Washington County’s Kathie Iverson drives a tractor with kids at the family’s Farm Kids Camp in Hurricane. The camp is held to help kids gain a perspective for work done on the farm. [Middle] Regional Manager John Keeler holds the remains of coveralls stuffed with hay, showing kids at the Sevier Farm Field Days the dangers of playing near tractors. [Bottom] Grant Kohler of Heber Valley Artisan Cheese gives out samples during the USDA’s 150th anniversary in Salt Lake City.

[Above] Dairy royalty were also celebrating the USDA’s 150th anniversary at the federal building in Salt Lake City.

Documents

Utah Farm Bureau News