Utah Farm Bureau News

Historic Barns: Bicycle Barnstorming Tour 15 Baxter Black: Compassionate Cowman 12

Utah Farm Bureau News MAY 2012VOL 58, NO. 4

Students from Art City Elementary School in Springville, Utah County pose for their class picture as part of the Farm Field Days put on by Utah County Farm Bureau. Other County Farm Bureaus also sponsored Farm Field Days recently or will in upcoming weeks. More photos can be found on page 32. Photo by Matt Hargreaves

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

Dear Farm Bureau Member:

You belong to an organization that provides an infrastructure for its members to learn, grow, experience and express themselves. Farm Bureau’s mission is a journey – not a destination. For 96 years, the content of Farm Bureau’s policy book has changed. Each year, it’s reprinted and published. This continual process is evidence that Farm Bureau policy reflects the needs of farmers and ranch-ers. This process begins and ends with Farm Bureau members and families. Farm Bureau members assemble to explore ideas and draft policies. This grassroots process begins in the spring of each year following the legislative session and concludes in November at the annual Utah Farm Bureau Convention. The Midyear Conference is one stop along the journey to develop Farm Bureau policy. This timetable allows for Farm Bureau members to be actively involved in the policy making process.

You are invited to attend Utah Farm Bureau’s annual Midyear Conference scheduled for July 19-20, 2012 at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center in Ogden, Utah.

The Midyear Conference is an integral part to this policy making process. Already, important agricultural issues have been identi-fied that need further understanding, education and discussion. The primary purpose of Utah Farm Bureau’s Midyear Conference is two-fold: First, provide a forum for Farm Bureau members to communicate with local, state and national government agencies and industry leaders on pertinent agriculture issues. Second, allow for Farm Bureau members to discuss and debate among themselves in preparation for policy action later in the year.

Tentative conference topics include: sage grouse restoration ef-forts and impacts to production agriculture, protections for farm-land, exploring direct marketing (farm-to-fork) opportunities, water

From President Leland Hogan: Come to Midyear

Conference in Ogden

HOGAN continued on pg 2

development/funding, labor and immigration, models of success when grazing on public lands and hearing from the candidates for Utah Governor.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend and participate in the conference. Look for final reg-istration costs and deadlines in

Utah Farm Bureau News2 May 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: Sensationalism trumps science in beef smear campaign

PARKER continued on pg 22

your June edition of the Farm Bureau News publication or our website http://utfb.fb.org. We invite each of you to extend a personal invitation to at least one Farm Bureau member, family or friend who has not previously attended a Midyear Conference to come join with us. I look forward to seeing you all in Ogden.

Contact your county Farm Bureau Secretary to register. You may also contact Susan Furner, Ex-ecutive Assistant for the Utah Farm Bureau, to learn more about the conference at [email protected] or 801-233-3040.

Sincerely,

Leland HoganPresident, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

HOGAN continued from pg 1

The media blitz over lean, finely textured beef – shame-fully dubbed “pink slime” – has led to lower beef prices for ranchers, plant closings and lost jobs, all based on false, unproven claims and media arrogance. In the wake of the smear campaign waged by electronic and social media, ABC News reported in April that “Pink Slime Maker AFA Foods Filed for Bankruptcy.” But what went unreported was the biased, one-sided ABC investigative report that left 650 Pennsylvania based employees without a job.

In addition, three Beef Products Inc. plants in Texas, Kansas and Iowa were shut down as demand for the low-fat beef product plummeted

and more than 600 jobs were lost. The company has indicated the plants will remain closed until “people know the truth” and demand increases.

Food safety is the highest priority for America’s food producers and processors. But that doesn’t stop the anti-meat activists or the sensationalized media headlines, which are often driven by ratings. Truth and real, old-fashioned, Wal-ter Cronkite-style investigative journalism are victims as well.

The modern day “food-scare” marketing agenda began in high gear with the 1989 Alar scare. Media arrogance and influential celebrities cost America’s apple farmers millions of dollars and for a time, the trust of the Amer-ican public. Actress and politi-cal advocate Meryl Streep on 60 Minutes warned that Alar, a pesticide used on apples, was a carcinogen and was “killing our children.” Streep and talk show host Phil Donahue called apples “the most potent cancer-causing agent in our food sup-ply.” Sadly it was not until 1991 that Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said, “Alar-treated apples

posed no health hazard.” And by the time science told us it would require a person to drink 13,000 liters of apple juice a day to increase the risk of cancer, the economic dam-age was done!

So here we go again! The pink slime controversy lines up like another media ratings-driven food scare campaign, using sensational headlines, de-rogatory terminology, alarmist rhetoric and a lack of scientific underpinnings all aimed at a trusting, but naive American public. As with Alar, it cer-tainly is not science based.

Let’s examine a few facts. All beef does not end up as a steak or a roast. When the carcass or the cuts are trimmed to re-move excess fat and connective tissue, there is valuable meat protein being removed in the trim pieces. A safe and effec-tive process separates meat protein from the fat and con-nective tissues producing lean, finely textured beef. This 97 percent fat free product is then used in products like ground beef to reduce the fat content.

Utah Farm Bureau News 3May 2012

The Ag Agenda: Celebrating 150 years of innovationBy Bob StallmanAmerican Farm Bureau President

President Abraham Lincoln is known for many achievements dur-ing his lifetime, but a little known triumph of his — that affects farmers and ranchers greatly — was the estab-lishment of the United States Department of Agriculture 150 years ago.

On May 15, 1862, President Lincoln signed into law a bill establishing a new Depart -ment of Agri-culture, which was specifically directed to acquire information through “practical and scientific experiments” and to collect and propa-gate “new and valuable seeds and plants” and distribute these to the nation’s agriculturists. It is clear, Lincoln was a man beyond his time.

A Man with a VisionLincoln understood the

importance of agricul-ture to America, and, as importantly, he realized science and technology played a major role in the farming industry. With-out a doubt, I believe Lin-coln today would embrace the many technological

a d v a n c e -ments farm-ers use on their farms, i n c l u d i n g biotechnol-ogy.

L i n c o l n once wrote: “Every blade of grass is a study, and to produce two, where there

was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure. And not grass alone, but soils, seeds and seasons—hedg-es, ditches and fences, draining, droughts and ir-rigation—plowing, hoeing and harrowing—reaping, mowing and threshing—saving crops, pests of crops, diseases of crops and what will prevent or cure them … the thousand things of which these are

specimens—each a world of study within itself.”

The federal government was, from the beginning of its involvement in agriculture, dedicated to scientific progress in farming. This commit-ment continues today and is shared by farmers and ranchers across the country, regardless of the methods of food and fiber production they use—or-ganic, conventional or biotechnology. They all need science.

Full Speed AheadThe importance of sci-

ence and innovation—biotechnology in par-ticular—to agriculture will be significant as we face several challenges in the years ahead. The world’s population just passed the 7 billion mark. According to the World Food Program, the best estimate is that 1 billion people (one in seven) are hungry and food insecure. By 2050 the world’s pop-ulation will rise to 9 bil-lion people. This means we must double world

food production by 2050 in order to meet this chal-lenge.

Further, we must ac-complish this hefty goal while realizing that our Earth is fragile. To take care of our environment, we must embrace agri-culture research, science, innovation and biotech-nology. When it comes to medical care, communi-cation and transportation we accept the importance of innovation. We need to do the same when it comes to the production of food.

Earlier this year, the United Nations issued a special report recog-nizing that “new ‘green’ biotechnologies can….improve resistance to pests, restore soil fer-tility and contribute to the diversification of the rural economy.” Sound familiar? Seems a lot like what Lincoln described as a goal 150 years ago.

Scientists have devel-oped new seeds that can improve yields while re-sisting disease and re-quiring less water. That is

critical as 70 percent of all fresh water is used by ag-riculture. American con-sumers and consumers all over the world can feel safe with this technology and confident it will im-prove our environment.

While meeting these quantitative challenges and meeting our envi-ronmental goals, we will strive to focus even great-er attention on the quali-tative side, to also meet the needs of consumers who express a preference for foods grown “their way.” Science is the an-swer for all these mis-sions, and today’s USDA is helping to blaze that trail.

So, Happy Birthday USDA and best wish-es as we continue down the road for another 150 years. America’s farmers, ranchers and research scientists can lead the way to a new 21st century Green Revolution if we follow the vision of Abra-ham Lincoln. As Honest Abe said, “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.”

W A S H I N G T O N , D.C., April 24, 2012 – “American beef and dairy products are safe. The safeguards our gov-ernment has in place to detect any incidence of this disease are clearly working. The report of a cow with bovine spon-giform encephalopathy, discovered during the pre-rendering process,

Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding April 24 Detection of BSE

is proof that our detec-tion system works.

“Government officials have confirmed that the animal in question was a dairy cow from Cali-fornia. This animal did not enter the food chain. Scientists say the animal displayed an atypical case of BSE, meaning it is a rare form not gener-ally associated with feed

consumption. USDA sci-entists said they remain confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products.

“We are pleased to hear that the Agriculture Department is conduct-ing a comprehensive and immediate investigation into additional details surrounding this case.”



YOUR Utah Farm Bureau at Work

Utah Farm Bureau…has a Governor-appointed position on Utah’s Schools and Institutional Trust Lands Association (SITLA) Nominating Committee. This committee recently met to surface, interview and recommend individuals to fill a SITLA board position. The Governor is expected to review these recommendations and make a decision in the next couple months.

Utah Farm Bureau…facilitated and participated on a conference call with county, state and industry leaders regarding recently passed legislation dealing with the administration of brucellosis (bangs disease). This call is the beginning step in UFBF’s grassroots policy development process in determining what new rules will look like in managing brucellosis in Utah.

Utah Farm Bureau… staff and state leadership met with Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) and USDA Wildlife Services representatives to review post-legislative action regarding predator control efforts. UDAF, USDA Wildlife Services, & Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources are developing a new plan to administer predator control, specifically the predator bounty program.

Utah Farm Bureau…serves on a Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) Committee that is charged to draft and recommend new rules governing recent legislation called “Surface Owner Protection Act.” This legislation and subsequent rules will further guide DOGM and oil and gas companies in their negotiations with landowners while developing oil and gas minerals.

Utah Farm Bureau…visited with staff from Utah’s Office of Consumer Services regarding recent Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) rate proposals. RMP is proposing a 13.5% rate increase for irrigation pumpers. Utah Farm Bureau is working to reduce this proposed rate increase.

Utah Farm Bureau…visited with leaders of the Utah Lake Commission regarding preliminary proposals to minimize productive farmland near the Provo River delta in order to establish habitat for the June Sucker fish. Many landowners of the farmland are seeking to enroll their property in an Agricultural Protection Area, to provide them further protection from encroachment and nuisance complaints.

Utah Farm Bureau…attended 16 county Spring Issue Surfacing Meetings throughout the state. Attending these meetings were: county and state Farm Bureau leaders & members, local, county & state elected leaders and agricultural industry representatives. The purpose of these meetings was to surface issues that need further grassroots discussion and begin the policy development process in Farm Bureau.

Governor Gary Herbert …has called together a statewide working group charged with identifying a plan of action for addressing concerns related to listing the Sage Grouse. Developing a management plan to keep the Sage Grouse from being listed under the Endangered Species Act and allow ongoing multiple use management is critical. Farm Bureau is at the table to make sure the positive interaction between the birds and proper grazing practices is recognized. In addition, the need to maintain access to federal land grazing for economically viable ranching operations is critical, otherwise private base ranching properties are vulnerable to sale and development.

“Farm families won a hard-fought battle late last month when the U.S. Department of Labor formally withdrew the proposed rule that would have prevented many young peo-ple from working in agricul-ture. This is the right decision for our nation’s family-based agriculture system.

This announcement shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action. Farm families throughout Utah should be proud of the influence that they had in this process and the contribution they made to the outcome. It is sometimes hard to see the impact thoughtful and deliberate grassroots com-munication has on legislators and regulators, but involvement in the process really does work. We had widespread involvement from Farm Bureau members throughout our state and great support from our congressio-nal leaders to help the Labor Department see the wisdom in withdrawing this proposed rule change.

In its official statement, the Department of Labor said the “decision to withdraw this rule – including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ – was

Statement by Leland Hogan, President,Utah Farm Bureau Federation, regarding with-drawal of the overreaching child labor proposal

made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders – such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the FFA, and 4-H – to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working prac-tices.”

The Utah Farm Bureau and the Utah Labor Commission have worked together for years to promote safer working en-vironments for Utah’s farm-ers, ranchers and other related groups. Having the state’s only bilingual safety trainer, the Farm Bureau has worked successfully at educating youth and adults on safe practices on Utah farms and ranches, with an 83 percent decrease in fatalities since 1986.

Utah Farm Bureau thanks its members for working to educate the Utah congressional delega-tion on this issue and submitting comments to the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor.

Utah DWR reminds Utahns that Prairie Dogs cannot be

shot after April 1White-tailed prairie dogs that

live in Coyote Basin in north-eastern Utah and Utah prairie dogs are fully protected – you can’t shoot them. On April 1, all of the other prairie dogs in Utah will join that protected list for a short period of time.

Just like game animals, Utah has a hunting season for Gun-

nison- and white-tailed prairie dogs. However, hunting for Gunnison- and white-tailed prairie dogs is prohibited on public land across Utah from April 1 to June 15.

The closure does not apply to private property, however. On private property, a landowner

PRAiRiE DOGs continued on pg 11


M a r i e s a B e r g i n is the newest face to join the Farm Bureau staff as the programs assistant. Visitors to the Farm Bureau b u i l d i n g w i l l m e e t M a r i e s a a s t h e y e n t e r the federation of f ices , where s h e r e p l a c e s Tiffiny Monson.

Bergin spent her high school years in Sandy, t h o u g h s h e sti l l considers L o g a n h e r hometown. She attended Utah State University for a f e w y e ars , be f ore t r a n s f e r r i n g t o t h e Univers i ty o f Utah, w h e r e s h e i s w i l l f i n i s h h e r d e g r e e i n c o m m u n i c a t i o n s – e m p h a s i z i n g i n journalism – in spring

Mariesa Bergin joins Farm Bureau staff as programs assistant

2013.In between the two

schools, Bergin served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-

d a y S a i n t s . B e r g i n served in the San Jose, Cali fornia, Spanish-speaking mission and returned a last summer.

“It ’s been great to be here so far and I’m excited to learn more about agriculture and

the lives of the farmers and ranchers who are a part of the Utah Farm Bureau,” Bergin said. “I didn’t grow up in agriculture but spent a lot of time at my friend’s farm in Tabiona growing up and know the quality of people found working the land. I look forward to learning more.”

Oustide the off ice, Bergin enjoys hiking, m o u n t a i n b i k i n g , camping and recently starting running.

“ W e ’ r e f o r t u n a t e t o h a v e a q u a l i t y individual like Mariesa c o m e o n b o a r d t o the federation,” said Randy Parker, Chief Executive Officer for the Utah Farm Bureau Federation.

“At the same time, we’ve benefitted greatly from Tiffiny’s service and wish her well as she and her new husband start their life together i n N e v a d a , ” P a r k e r continued.

B e r g i n ’ s p r e v i o u s experience inc ludes working as a job coach for individuals with disabilities, as well as learning the in’s and out’s of the printing business from working at several Alphagraphics locations in Utah.

Please join with us in giving Mariesa a warm Farm Bureau welcome when you see her next.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) is once again seeking proposals for the federally funded Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. Specialty Crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture).

The Specialty Crop Grant stems from the U.S. Farm Bill which authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture to partner with state departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop producers in areas such as marketing, promotion, education, research, trade, and increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops.

Individual producers, p r o d u c e r g r o u p s , o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d associations, as well a s s t a t e a n d l o c a l organizations, academia and other specialty crops stakeholders are eligible to apply either as single entities or in combined efforts. Each project must demonstrate measurable benefits for the specialty crop industry and must assist more than just a single producer or company.

In 2011, 19 projects were awarded a total $285,000. This year, approximately $260,000 of grant money will be available for the State of

$260,000 available in specialty crop grants

Utah on a competitive a p p l i c a t i o n b a s i s . Proposals and projects that assist new specialty crop producers or socially disadvantaged farmers are also encouraged. Matching funds are not required but are strongly encouraged.

U D A F & U S D A timeline:- Grant proposals due to Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) by June 8, 2012

- U D A F s e l e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e s u b m i t winning proposals to USDA by July 11, 2012

- USDA announce their awards in September, 2012

- UDAF issue grant agreements/contracts to recipients by late October, 2012

Application information and forms are available on line at http://ag.utah.gov or call David Bailey at 801-538-4931. For more information on the program, lists of eligible products and the federal requirements, go to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp.


Bar J Wranglers are back in town again, on May 5, 2012 at the Spanish Fork High School auditorium. The Spanish Fork FFA would like to invite all to attend this great country musical group. Tickets will be going fast, so order today! Tickets can be purchased at www.spanishforkffa.com or at the Salem Chevron, Reams in Spanish Fork, the Spanish Fork High School Office or from any Spanish Fork FFA member. Preferred tickets are $20 and include a dinner sponsored by the Utah Pork Producers (dinner starts at 6 p.m.) and general admission tickets cost $15.00. All proceeds go to the Spanish Fork FFA to fund their FFA trips, students’ agricultural projects, and many awards. “Bar J Wran-glers from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, deliver some of the purest harmony, the best musicianship, and the funniest ranch humor ever seen on stage. As soon as the Bar J Wranglers take to the stage, listeners leave behind their busy life and settle into a time long ago - a time of the singing cowboy,” states their many fans. You do not want to miss this event!

For more information, visit www.spanishforkffa.com.

Spanish Fork FFA presents Bar J

Wranglers in Concert

Make your plans early to attend the 2012 Utah Farm Bureau Midyear Conference in Ogden, whose theme “Building Bridges to a Brighter Future” is something all in agriculture can aspire to. With the many changes that are facing agriculture, taking steps to proactively build towards a successful future in agriculture will benefit all farmers and ranchers.

The many topics and activit ies scheduled at this year’s Midyear Conference, scheduled July 19-20, 2012 at t h e O g d e n E c c l e s Conference Center, will provide something of interest to everyone.

Hotel accommodations will at the Hampton Inn, which is adjacent to the Eccles Conference Center ( 2 4 1 5 W a s h i n g t o n B l v d . ) i n O g d e n . Early registration is r e c o m m e n d e d t o ensure that all rooming needs are avai lable 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. The registration deadline f o r t h e c o n f e r e n c e is Monday, June 25. After that date, a late registration fee will be

Farm Bureau members to meet at 2012 Midyear Conference in Ogden

included. Registration for the conference will be $55 per person, which includes the two-day conference, dinner on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday. Additional d i n n e r t i c k e t s m a y be purchased for $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-12).

Some changes have been made this year to

the conference format to improve the experience for all attending. Instead of one general session, there will be an hour of breakout classes held b o t h T h u r s d a y a n d Friday.

We hope this change provides every attendee a choice to attend a class on issues that are most important to them. Tentative conference topics include sage grouse populations and habitat management, exploring direct marketing (farm-to-fork) opportunities for local food, 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.

A d d i t i o n a l l y , conference attendees will be hearing from the candidates for Utah Governor in a panel discussion.

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 t o c o m e t o t h e 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.

Utah on a competitive a p p l i c a t i o n b a s i s . Proposals and projects that assist new specialty crop producers or socially disadvantaged farmers are also encouraged. Matching funds are not required but are strongly encouraged.

U D A F & U S D A timeline:- Grant proposals due to Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) by June 8, 2012

- U D A F s e l e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e s u b m i t winning proposals to USDA by July 11, 2012

- USDA announce their awards in September, 2012

- UDAF issue grant agreements/contracts to recipients by late October, 2012

Application information and forms are available on line at http://ag.utah.gov or call David Bailey at 801-538-4931. For more information on the program, lists of eligible products and the federal requirements, go to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp.


Member Benefit Column

By Michael Webb, ClearValue Hearing Co-Director

With the spring season in full force, May is “Better Hearing Month” and a time when ClearValue Hearing and hearing professionals try extra hard to get the word out about the consequences of untreated hearing loss and the negative impact hear-ing loss has on individuals’ lives. Raising the general public’s knowledge relating to all aspects of hearing during the month of May has been occurring for more than 75 years. Currently, 36 million Americans suffer from hear-ing loss with more than 40 percent being under the age of 65 years old.

If one stops and thinks about the people they care about, almost everyone has at least one person in their life who suffers from hearing loss to some degree. Does having to repeat what you said and hearing “what?” ring a bell to anyone? Only about 20 percent of people with hearing loss have sought treatment, and the financial impact of untreated hearing loss is estimated as high as $26 billion dollars annually. More importantly, hearing and being able to effectively communicate with loved ones is a quality of life issue. The inability to hear and under-stand others causes people to

NEW BENEFiT!!Splash into Savings at Cherry Hill!Are 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 the park. Another option is to present your Farm Bureau membership card at the ticket window to receive the Farm Bureau discount. The park is at 1325 South Main Street, Kaysville.

LOOKiNG FOR OPTiONs FOR sUMMER FUN? HAVE FUN & sAVE MONEY UsiNG YOUR FARM BUREAU DisCOUNTs!

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 - 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.

Clear Value - May is “Better Hearing Month” so don’t let outdated hearing aid technology and stereotypes keep you from seek-ing help for your hearing difficulties. Farm Bureau and ClearValue Hearing provide members with a 25% discount on hearing aids. Eliminate the barriers to enjoying all the sounds of life! Visit utfb.fb.org or call 801-233-3010 to learn how you can access the exclusive hearing benefits available to all Farm Bureau members. Additional information is available at www.clearvaluehearing.com.

GM - Travel in style this summer in your new GM vehicle! Farm Bureau members save $500 by taking advantage of this private offer from General Motors. Log on to fbverify.com to print your member verification certificate which when presented to your GM dealer will enable you to get your discount. **Save an additional $500 if you lease or purchase a new GM Truck or van for your business and equip it with one of five Business Choice option packages available from your GM dealer!**

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. LEGOLAND 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 guest SeaWorld Fun Cards: $ 65.00 ea. Multi-day ticket good for unlimited visits through Dec. 2012. Some blackout dates apply. Available for purchase through June 15, 2012 only. Universal Studios: 3 days for $69.00 per person (Less than the price of a single day!). 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.


By Michael Webb, ClearValue Hearing Co-Director

With the spring season in full force, May is “Better Hearing Month” and a time when ClearValue Hearing and hearing professionals try extra hard to get the word out about the consequences of untreated hearing loss and the negative impact hear-ing loss has on individuals’ lives. Raising the general public’s knowledge relating to all aspects of hearing during the month of May has been occurring for more than 75 years. Currently, 36 million Americans suffer from hear-ing loss with more than 40 percent being under the age of 65 years old.

If one stops and thinks about the people they care about, almost everyone has at least one person in their life who suffers from hearing loss to some degree. Does having to repeat what you said and hearing “what?” ring a bell to anyone? Only about 20 percent of people with hearing loss have sought treatment, and the financial impact of untreated hearing loss is estimated as high as $26 billion dollars annually. More importantly, hearing and being able to effectively communicate with loved ones is a quality of life issue. The inability to hear and under-stand others causes people to

May is “Better Hearing Month” and the perfect time to take advantage of your

Farm Bureau hearing benefitdecrease or eliminate some activities in their life that were once enjoyed. Parties, family gatherings, and din-ners out are just a few exam-ples where untreated hearing loss can make for an undesir-able experience. As a Farm Bureau member, hearing loss is not something that must be tolerated or put up with.

Farm Bureau, partnered with ClearValue Hearing, provides its members with a

25 percent discount on hear-ing aids when comparing the actual cost of hearing aids instead of the inflated sug-gested retail price. Reduc-ing the cost of hearing aids helps eliminate the number one barrier to hearing loss treatment. This is the fun-damental goal of ClearValue Hearing Healthcare Program and its founder Dr. Kent L. Webb. Past stereotypes of those who wear hearing aids and the benefit from hearing aids need to be reconsidered since almost 75 percent of hearing aid users are satis-fied patients. Don’t let past hearing aid technology and stereotypes keep you from seeking help for your hearing difficulties from your local ClearValue Hearing Provider.

Contact ClearValue Hearing by phone, mail or email to

activate your program mem-bership and obtain a list of providers:

1. M a i l : C l e a r V a l u e Hearing, 1010 A Broadway, Red Oak, IA 51566

2. Phone: 1-888-497-7447, TOLL FREE

3. E-Mail: [email protected]

For more information please visit www.clearvaluehearing.com or call 801-233-3010.

(*Activation mandatory for enrollment, scheduling and listed discounts and services)

The popular agricultural gaming site MyAmericanFarm.org just re-leased an enhanced version of an engaging game, My Little Ag Me.

My Little Ag Me is a fun, scenario-based game that introduces young learners to careers in agriculture. The enhanced version offers users the chance to choose new careers for exploration.

Students select from 10 diverse career areas, as they discover what it might be like to be in an agriculturally related field such as farming, cattle ranching, or being an agricultural marketing designer.

The My American Farm educa-tional gaming resource is a special project of the American Farm Bu-reau Foundation for Agriculture.

New game invites K-2 stu-dents to explore


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

$$

$

Tax tips for next yearBy Dean Miner, USU Extension Profes-sor – Utah County

Tax filing season is done for another year. Generally, tax-payers who received refunds tolerated the process much better than those who had to pay. Reports are that the average refund this year was around $3,000.

Annually, financial experts point out that getting a big refund means the government has enjoyed an interest-free loan of your money. But, given the low, low interest rates that savings accounts are earning, many consumers figure they really are not missing out on much money at all and believe the “forced” savings is well worth it.

There is another aspect to the big refund question that taxpayers should consider when determining withhold-ing amounts. Many taxpayers carry credit card debt and often at much higher interest rates than just a few years ago. Taxpayers who carry a credit balance may want to reduce their withholding amounts and their big refunds and put that additional monthly in-come toward debt reduction.

Consider the case of a tax-payer with a $4,000 credit card balance and a 21 percent interest rate who regularly uses the card each month but pays off the new charges and accrued interest every 30 days. This taxpayer plans to put the $3,000 refund in the spring all

toward debt reduction. However, by reducing the

w i t h h o l d i n g a m o u n t a n d spreading the big refund over 12 monthly debt payments of $250 each, the taxpayer would save $225 in interest charges.

Generally speaking, if you receive a large refund, you may want to consider having less withheld so you have more cash on hand to reduce expenses such as the interest costs in this example. If you owe a signifi-cant amount, it may be best to have more withheld so you can avoid a crisis next April.

Taxpayers can change the withholding amount on their paychecks by submitting a W-4 Form to their employer. In-creasing the number of allow-ances on the form will decrease the refund, but you’ll have a bigger paycheck each month. Reducing the number of al-lowances increases the amount withheld, and you’ll owe less at tax time. Form W-4 includes a worksheet that can help pin-point the appropriate number of allowances to submit.

There are also situations where not adjusting withhold-ing rates can cause problems. Consider the following.

Changes in filing status or number of dependents can result in unexpected tax bills when taxpayers fail to adjust withholdings when family cir-cumstances change. Consider the case of Mary, a single mom who had been filing as “head of household with one depen-

dent” and had taxes withheld accordingly. Last year, her daughter moved out on her own; however, Mary did not adjust her withholding. At tax time, she was taxed at the higher single rate (compared to the head of household rate) and could no longer use her daugh-ter’s exemption. The result was $1,500 tax due for 2011 instead of the $400 refund she received last year.

Adding to her dismay was the fact that she is still in the same predicament for 2012. The Internal Revenue Service provides a resource for this kind of need. Its website, www.irs.gov features a link to a with-holding calculator. Using it requires entering information from the most recent paystubs and projections for expected income, credits and adjust-ments. Mary used the site and received some very specific recommendations. Her current withholding rate was projected at $1,050. Her tax due was projected at $2,450, mean-ing a projected bill of $1,400 next April. The recommenda-tion was to change her W-4 to “single with one allowance.” If this change is made in time for the next pay period, the projec-tion is for a $50 refund instead of the $1,400 shortfall.

The calculator did not sug-gest what the new withhold-ing amount should be, but quick math indicated that Mary would need to have $105 withheld each paycheck for the

rest of the year instead of the $42 that had previously been withheld. Though a tough ad-justment to make, it may be easier than finding an extra $1,500 to pay in taxes come April.

Another circumstance to watch for is a big change in other credits taxpayers are used to receiving. Many fil-ers benefit from education credits that significantly re-duce their tax obligation and frequently contribute to large refunds. When schooling is over, those refunds can turn into amounts owed if adjust-ments are not made.

Spend a few minutes re-viewing your income tax withholding rates. It will be time well spent to help ensure that next tax season won’t bring unwanted financial surprises.

Utah Farm Bureau News 11May 2012pRAIRIE DOGSContinued from pg. 5

The newly-elected State FFA Officers for 2012-2013 met at the Utah Farm Bureau building for some leadership training in April. Pictured here are (left to right): (TOP ROW) Whyatt Garn (Vice President), Madison Walker (Treasurer), McKaylie Nelson (Reporter), Travis Cann (Sentinel). (BOTTOM ROW): Bailie Richins (Secre-tary) and TyLynn Savage (President).

and those to whom the land-owner has given permission can hunt Gunnison and white-tailed prairie dogs year-round.

Tony Wright, sensitive spe-cies biologist with the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the shooting closure is designed to help Gunnison and white-tailed prairie dogs, which are considered sensitive species in Utah. Wright says many wildlife species depend on prairie dogs for food.

“Black-footed ferrets, birds of prey, ground predators – all of these species eat prairie dogs,” Wright said. “The shooting closure helps ensure the prai-rie dogs can give birth to their young and raise their pups suc-cessfully.”

In some areas of Utah, prai-rie dogs may not be hunted, no matter what time of year it

is. Utah prairie dogs are fully protected by the Endangered Species Act and cannot be hunted. These prairie dogs live in a large area in southwestern Utah. That area includes all of the state south of Delta and west of Capitol Reef National Park. Also, you may not hunt white-tailed prairie dogs in Coyote Basin in northeastern Utah. Black-footed ferrets, a federally protected species that lives in the area, feed almost ex-clusively on white-tailed prairie dogs.

Starting June 16, hunting is allowed only for white-tailed and Gunnison prairie dogs. In Utah, you’ll find Gunnison prairie dogs east of the Colo-rado River. White-tailed prairie dogs are found in other spots in eastern Utah. Licenses are not required to hunt prairie dogs in Utah and there is no bag limit.


Baxter Black: The compassionate cowman

On the edge of common sense

BAxTER BLACK

Willie is a great example of the compassionate cowman. He should be a poster boy for St. Francis of Assisi, except St. Francis is in Kan-sas and Willie lives in Colorado. During calving season he observes certain procedures that he has perfected when a heifer needs help.

The calving lot is near the house. He makes regular checks out the window using a spotting scope and binoculars. When his services are needed he stealthily approaches the recumbent heifer from be-hind carrying two calving chains. He wraps one around each wrist and puts a handle in each pocket. He only moves closer when she is pushing and her head is down. He is careful not to let the chains make noise as he double wraps each foot above and below the fetlock. Then pulling only when she pushes, he facilitates the delivery. They are a team, he thinks, he and the heifer. A bond is formed between the shepherd and his flock. He imagines her gratitude!

His wife has always encouraged him. She watches through the scope. “You are really good at that, Honey,” she says. “Yes,” he thinks to himself, “I am.”

Picture that same scene being enacted, except after dark. Girding his loins he dresses warmly and engages the use of his calving jeep. He drives in the calving lot and carefully parks so the jeep lights do not reflect his shadow as he begins his stealth-stalk.

Using his proven method, he hangs the two chains on his wrists, puts a handle in each pocket and noiselessly sneaks up on the heifer. This particular night he manages to double-wrap a chain on one of the protruding front feet, when the heifer lifts her head and looks back at her molester. Her eyes shine like Wylie Coyote’s just before he gets hit by a train!

There was a moment when time stood still. Willie could clearly see the wrapped calf’s foot, his wrist and the chain slack laying loosely on the ground. The next moment he was jerked from his feet and drug 150 yards like a bass lure going through a welder’s boneyard!

Ten minutes later analyzing the damage, he found one boot miss-ing, his belt broken, his jeans down around his ankles, glasses gone, Scotch cap gone, calving handles gone, his white legs sandpapered, scratched and scraped, but thankfully, he still had the ability to move his wrist.

He limped into the house aching for some comfort. Some assur-ance that his cause was noble, that his sacrifice worth it, maybe even some praise. His darlin’ wife looked at him and trying to offer some solace said, “You’re lucky to be alive.”

Willie conjured on that, then asked as only a survivor of Titanic or Katrina could relate, “If I was dead, would you come and look for me?”

“Of course,” she said, “When Desperate Housewives was over.” CRAPO continued on pg 16

Reining in the Environmental Protection Agency

By Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)In a nation that values due process,

not to mention private property, such treatment is unthinkable,” wrote U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to describe the situation Mike and Ch-antell Sackett faced. On March 21, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Sacketts would be permitted to challenge a U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) enforcement action against them. This ruling means the EPA will not be able to use the Clean Water Act to strong-arm Americans without the opportunity for judicial re-

view, and highlights a need to further tighten the federal govern-ment’s reach.

The Sacketts were building a home near Priest Lake, Idaho, when ordered by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop, restore the land and apply for a federal wetlands permit, or be fined tens of thousands of dollars per day. Concerned about their rights as landowners, the Sacketts sued the EPA, but the agency argued they were not entitled to their day in court until a final agency ac-tion was issued. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the agency. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 9th Circuit and made clear that landowners may bring a civil lawsuit challenging a federal government order under the Clean Water Act (CWA) prior to a final agency action.

The Sacketts’ case is not unique. The decision will prevent other property owners from being subject to the dilemma of complying with an unjust decision or facing thousands of dollars in fines. Re-jecting the EPA’s claim that issuance of the compliance order was just a step in the process, the Supreme Court determined that the compliance order represents a final agency action for which there is no adequate remedy other than the opportunity to bring a civil action to challenge the issuance of the order.

What does this mean for property owners? Justice Alito ex-plained, “At least, property owners like [the Sacketts] will have the right to challenge the EPA’s jurisdictional determination.” Howev-er, he further explained, “Real relief requires Congress to…provide a reasonably clear rule regarding the reach of the Clean Water Act.”

I am glad Justice Alito made this point. I understand the impact of an overly-aggressive interpretation of the CWA. Little good can come from the administration seeking to expand its authority at the expense of private property rights in contravention of congres-sional intent. Property owners deserve clarity so that similar situa-tions do not continue.

We also do not need an expansion of the reach of the CWA that puts more Americans in similar messes. Unfortunately, efforts are under way by the EPA to expand the agency’s regulatory reach over virtually all waters and ditches. I will continue to oppose this


SALT LAKE CITY – In Utah last year, conservation planners across the state assisted land-owners in developing 1,195 con-servation plans covering nearly 700,000 acres of cropland, rangeland, and other agricul-tural lands. Any time of year is a great time for conservation plan-ning, says Acting State Resource Conservationist Danny McBride with the Natural Resource Con-servation Service (NRCS) in Salt Lake City. NRCS has all the tools to help landowners identify and address resource concerns on the farm. These can range from irrigation improvements to high tunnels, rangeland work to ma-nure management, organics to energy, and so much more.

McBride says everything all begins with what the NRCS calls the 9 steps of conservation plan-ning. One of the first steps is to listen to the landowner and dis-cuss their goals and objectives for their farming operation. “We assist landowners by going out and walking around the farm or ranch and looking at all of their current resource conditions. We discuss problems they are hav-ing, their current management, alternatives and new technology to fix the resource, and ways to make their operation more sustainable and profitable while protecting all of the natural re-sources.”

Conservation planning is com-pletely free and voluntary. “It is great to work with a landowner out in the field, to see their operation, and give sugges-

Landowners benefit from conservation

planning

CONsERVATiON continued on pg 16


By Badge Blackett, National Wildlife Refuge Association, and Matt Hargreaves, UFBF.

Water, wildlife and a way of life -- farmers, ranchers, sportsmen and recreationists can agree that these three ingredients are fundamental to ensuring that our children enjoy the natural and cultural heritage that has sustained the West for generations.

C o n s e r v a t i o n e a s e m e n t s a r e a n i n c r e a s i n g l y common tool for k e e p i n g f a r m s a n d r a n c h e s intact as working l a n d s . P r i v a t e landowners are able to receive financial compensat ion – either through direct payments or through t a x d e d u c t i o n s on donations – for agreeing to perpetually limit or extinguish the potential for conversion of working lands through subdivision and development.

“Program like these can benefit farmers and ranchers, especially those who operate on sensitive lands, and can provide them with a means of protecting their land from development while allowing them to continue to operate,” said Joel Ferry, a Davis County Farm Bureau member who has participated with the Bear River Bird Refuge and is working to promote this easement option because of the benefits he has seen to his farm and ranch ground in Box Elder County.

These working farm and ranchlands also provide, by extension, important wildlife habitat for migratory birds and mammals, from waterfowl to mule deer. To this end, the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed to establish a new

New conservation easement program proposed for Bear River Watershed

conservation easement program in the Bear River Watershed in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Modeled on similar programs successfully used by ranchers and other landowners in Montana and the Dakotas, the designation of the Bear River Watershed Conservation Area will allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to acquire conservation easements

at fair market value from willing sellers as a tool to help conserve important wildlife habitat while sustaining current private land uses in the Bear River region.

Public meetings will be held on the proposed initiative in May, including May 22 from 6 to 8 pM in Randolph at the Rich County Senior Center and May 23 from 6 to 8 pM in Logan at the Cache County Fairgrounds pavilion.

If the initiative is approved, it will be a completely voluntary program that will not result in any additional federal fee-title ownership in the 4.7 million acre watershed.

Interested farmers and ranchers should stay in contact with their local representative from the Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program. Once the planning and public comment phase is complete, the Fish & Wildlife Service can begin acquiring easements based on funding availability and land

protection priorities established by the Service. If a farmer decides to proceed, each parcel will undergo a fair market appraisal and the farmer or rancher will have the opportunity to proceed with the easement or not. The Fish & Wildlife Service will pay for the appraisal. If completed, an easement deed is recorded against the property that will detail the agreement with the farmer and list any rules or restrictions on the property.

Those interested need to remember that the easement is permanent. Just as any decision to buy or sell property should be carefully evaluated to determine the impact on the farm or ranch, the same should take place in determining whether or not to place a conservation easement on your property. Property owners should make sure that they are well advised on easement terms and potential capital gains issues that may arise from an easement sale.

Ranches, farms, wildlife and wide-open v i s t a s a r e t h e watershed’s i c o n s . Ranchers, f a r m e r s , sportsmen,

conservationists and citizens of the three watershed states that value the landscape and rely on it for their livelihoods or outdoor recreation face a common threat. Population growth in the watershed has jumped by double-digit percentages in Wyoming

and Idaho since 2000. The Cache Valley has grown by 64% since 2000, and is expected to double by 2050. Water quality and quantity have already been adversely affected by this growth, and wildlife of all varieties have felt the impact of declining range and degraded habitat.

The proposed program has multiple goals aimed at preserving land in areas that are of high priority for wildlife by providing owners of with an alternative to converting their farms and ranches to non-agricultural uses, maintaining water quality and quantity in the watershed, and maintaining large, connected blocks of open land for the benefit of wildlife. Achieving these goals with conservation easements has the dual benefits of keeping land in private ownership and accomplishing wildlife protection objectives without increasing federal land ownership.

“Private land owners are the best stewards of the land,” Ferry said. “They are much more efficient and produce more wildlife benefit than the government ever could. Keeping farmers and ranchers on the land is critical to the long-term benefit of all wildlife.”

Currently, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service manages three wildlife refuges and a waterfowl production area in the watershed: Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming, Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Oxford Slough Waterfowl

EAsEMENT continued on next page

Photo courtesy of Utah Beef Improvement Association

Utah Farm Bureau News 15May 2012Production Area in Idaho, and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. Approval of the proposed Conservation Area will give the Service the authority to acquire conservation easements within the project area that are outside of the current refuge boundaries. Easements acquired would be administered by the refuge in that state.

C o n s e rva t i o n e a s e m e n t s acquired by the Fish & Wildlife Service in the watershed will be balanced so as to provide operat ional f lex ibi l i ty for the landowner – for grazing, cultivation or infrastructure expansion – while meeting wildlife conservation objectives. The easements will include terms designed to address the biological resource values they are intended to protect, and limit most types of future development of the property.

The conservation management area will also benefit sensitive and endangered species by focusing on the habitat for certain species, including the Sage Thrasher, American Avocet and Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, and others.

“Farmers can exclude specific areas from the easement, where they can build sheds or other buildings, but they should be identified before the easement is created,” Ferry said. “Farmers and ranchers should look at the long-term goals of their farm or ranch and plan accordingly. Sheds, barns, houses, etc. would not be allowed to be build in the easement areas.”

Funding for the proposed initiative will come from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (the LWCF). The LWCF is not funded by taxpayers, but rather by the proceeds from government sales of offshore energy leases. Money from these leases that Congress appropriates into the LWCF can only be used

for conservation purposes, and conservation areas in all parts of the country compete annually for these funds.

While no funds are provided specifically for improvements to the property, there will be coordination with other programs to improve grazing and water conditions in the easement areas.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will release a draft Environmental Assessment for the Bear River Watershed Conservation Area in May. Members of the public comment are encouraged to participate in public meetings or by submitting written comments during an open comment period that concludes on June 18. After incorporating public input, the Service will issue a decision on whether to establish the Conservation Area in the fall.

For more information on the proposed conservation easement program, please contact Badge Blackett, Project Manager for the National Wildlife Refuge Association at 617-312-4708 or [email protected] or Joel Ferry at [email protected].

Do you like cycling? Love old barns? Join the Utah Heritage Foundation for the ‘Bicycle Barnstorming Tour’ June 10-13, 2012 in the Sevier Valley and Little Denmark (Sanpete County) sections of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area. The fully-supported bike tour for up to 30 cyclists will have an accompanying bus tour for people with limited cycling endurance and for non-cyclists.

The three-d a y / f o u r -n i g h t t o u r will include all lodging, breaks, meals and evening e v e n t s i n c l u d e d i n t h e registration cost. Support a n d G e a r ( S A G ) vehicles will accompany the cyclists. However, cyclists should bring their own spare tubes, tires, and basic toolkits to guarantee they have the proper parts and tools for their machines. Small daypacks with extra clothing and gear will be transported in the SAG vehicles.

“During the tour, we will visit more than 24 historic barns, granaries, co-ops and other important

Utah Heritage Foundation announces bicycle barnstorming tour

buildings where docents will provide background information and descriptions,” says Kurt Huffaker, Executive Director of the Utah Heritage Foundation, one of the sponsors of the event.

“Many of these structures are threatened by weather and vandalism, and we hope this event will draw attention to the importance of the buildings and help to save them,” he said.

There are many ways for

people to participate in all or parts of the Bicycle Barnstorming Tour. Cyclists can sign up for single-day route without lodging and there are events in the evenings like a barn dance for single ticket prices.

For deta i led cost and registration information, visit www.utahheritagefoundation.org or contact Susan Crook at the Utah Heritage Foundation at 435-773-5336 or [email protected].

Photo courtesy of Utah Heritage Foundation

Utah Farm Bureau News16 May 2012CRApOContinued from pg. 12

CONSERVATIONContinued from pg. 13

expansion and support legisla-tive efforts to tighten the EPA’s reach.

I will also continue to push for legislative remedies when the courts too strictly interpret reg-ulations, as in the case of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals estab-lishing EPA permitting jurisdic-tion over forest roads as point

sources of pollution. This ruling ruined a long-standing and suc-cessful regulatory framework that gave states the responsibil-ity for regulating runoff from forest roads. I urge the Supreme Court to take up the review of this decision and check the EPA’s regulatory powers, as it did with the Sackett case.

Everyone wants to protect the resources that make the West a

wonderful place to live and raise a family, but private property rights need not be trampled to do it. A better way exists and this ruling is a step in the right direction.

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) is a member of the Senate Bank-ing, Housing & Urban Affairs; Budget; Environment & Public Works; Finance; and Indian Affairs committees.

tions on what they can do to make improvements. The best part of our job with NRCS is to watch a landowner make management changes that in return saves them time, money, energy, and impor-tantly our natural resources. The public doesn’t ever get to see the voluntary approach we have with landowners and all the decisions that go into making improvements on individual farms and ranches. But, the public does get to en-joy cleaner air and water, less weeds, more wildlife, aesthetic values, quality food to eat, and a stronger economy by sup-porting or local farmers and ranchers,” McBride added.

Once a conservation plan is written it can help the producer decide which of the numerous USDA conservation programs to apply for – such as the Envi-ronmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) or the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). “When a landowner comes in seeking financial assistance for a certain project, the local field office staff is already familiar with the land and their opera-tion. They have already been on site and have developed a plan that will help treat the resource concerns the land-owner and NRCS planners have identified,” said McBride. Each year, NRCS works with hundreds of Utah landowners helping them with their natu-ral resources. To learn more about conservation planning, visit the NRCS staff in any USDA Service Center or visit www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov.


Members of the Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federa-tion Partners in Agricul-tural Leadership (PAL) class of 2012 were in Washington, D.C., March 20-22. The 10 young ag-ricultural leaders took time away from their farms and ranches for Module B of the program, training in policy devel-opment and the legisla-tive process.

Spring is a good time to visit Washington and fo-cus on legislative issues, with Congress in high gear. Spring, of course, is also a busy time on the farm, but the PAL train-ing was worth break-ing away, according to Heather Hill, a PAL class member and a hog pro-ducer from Indiana.

Hill said she enjoyed the chance to network with the diverse group of producers who make up the PAL 2012 class.

The goal of the PAL program is to strengthen exceptional young grow-ers’ abilities to serve as advocates for agriculture, with training in problem solving, persuasion and consensus building. It’s sponsored by Farm Cred-it, Monsanto and AFBF.

Misty Wall from Juab County is included in the sixth PAL class, and other members hail from across the country and produce everything from corn, cattle and fruits and vegetables to sheep, sugar cane and tobacco.

Terri Lawton is an 11th—yes, 11th―genera-

PAL training preps young farmers to be agriculture’s advocates

tion farmer from south-eastern Massachusetts. A licensed producer of raw milk and cheese, as well as beef and veal, Lawton sells many of her prod-ucts direct to consumers at Boston-area farmers’

markets. She said the training on legislative is-sues and how to approach lawmakers about those issues will be valuable to her operation.

“I think that using sto-rytelling to move an is-sue is a significant tool that I learned and that I haven’t tapped into yet,” said Lawton. “These tools could be exception-ally useful in reaching the goals I have as a farmer and an innovator.

The group went through Module A, two and a half days of rigorous media training, last September in New York City, with the idea that if the par-ticipants could make it

there, they could make it anywhere.

“We take them out of their element a little bit,” explained Dan Durheim, executive director of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agricul-

ture and Sponsorships. “It helps them relate to urban consumers and get how to communicate with different audiences.”

The next PAL module will take the participants to St. Louis in September for training in stakeholder engagement. The partici-pants will graduate from the intensive, two-year training program next February, at the joint AFBF National Leader-ship Conference, Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Conference in Phoenix.

Members of the 6th Partners in Agricultural Leadership (PAL) class visited Washington, D.C. and the American Farm Bureau headquarters. The class recently completed its second module of training. Juab County’s Misty Wall is situ-ated at the left of the group.

W A S H I N G T O N , D.C. — The American Farm Bureau Federa-tion is supporting mea-sures to make certain farm vehicles exempt from federal motor ve-hicle regulations that are appropriately aimed at the long-haul trucking industry. AFBF is urg-ing senators to support two amendments to the pending transportation bill (S. 1813).

The first amendment, introduced by Sen. Jeff

AFBF supports farm truck measures in fed-eral transportation bill

Merkley (D-Ore.), would provide an exemption for farm trucks. That measure is co-sponsored by Sens. Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). If based solely on weight limits, even a one-ton pickup truck pulling a trailer could be subject to the long-haul regulations.

“The amendment is important because some states exempt farm ve-hicles while others do

See Trucks on pg. 28


County ConnectionVice President- OrganizationDavid Bailey

A few weeks ago I sat down in front of the television hoping to watch something worthwhile be-fore going to off bed. As I flipped through a few over-the-air chan-nels, a program on PBS quickly caught my attention. For the next hour or so, I watched as PBS took a crack at explaining what they call the “Food Ma-chine”. Hosted by Yul Kwon the pro-gram delves into a host of issues “that explores the hid-den patterns that m a k e A m e r i c a work”. This episode looked at what it takes to feed America and the world on a day-to-day basis and explores the demands farm-ers and consumers are facing in our modern world.

The host Yul Kwon is best known for winning the reality show “Survivor: Cook Islands” back in 2006. Professionally, Kwon is a communications at-torney and technology expert. For this episode he traveled across our beautiful nation to tell in part, the story of what it takes to supply you and I with three square meals a day. I found myself caught up in how this program was presented. The scale of what is needed today far exceeds what was needed at the beginning of my short life span just over 30 years ago. For the most part Kwon and PBS took an unbiased approach to what we know at Farm Bureau as the “Fabulous Food Machine”.

Often in agriculture we tend to shelter the general public from some of the things we must do to keep up with an ever-growing appetite for food. Specifically, we rarely show the general pub-lic the entire process of how we get a piece of meat from birth to slaughter to plate. I think our industry marketers do well when it comes to selling our products and showing meat products in a

American agriculture revealedfavorable, appetizing light. We even do fairly well in portray-ing our animals as we care for and raise them to maturity. But we often overlook the story in-between. I understand why we do this but I’m not sure it’s the best long-term approach. Nobody I know likes to see the finishing

and harvest part of the animal industry, however, it is vital in that this part of the story be told once in a while. We all know an animal must die in order for us to eat it but if you ask Joe consumer on the street, does he/she really know the process? I was anxious to see how PBS would present this part of the food machine.

After a visit to a 98,000 head ca-pacity finishing facility in Kersey, Colorado, Kwon took viewers inside a JBS processing plant that kills and processes 5,000 head of beef every day. While they didn’t show much of the blood and guts part of the process, they did show an awful lot of hanging meat be-ing cut up by an army of workers. I was impressed by the position that was taken at this point in the show. There were no apologies or excuses for what and how this process works, rather the show took a straightforward, honest ap-proach as to why and how we do it. It’s a simple product of supply-ing the demand in a reasonable and efficient manner.

In the end I was genuinely im-pressed by what I experienced in watching this program. I can say that I didn’t totally agree with how everything was presented in the program but overall PBS did a great job of presenting many of the real-world facts that exist as

we strive to meet the challenge to produce food and fiber for our nation. The 50 minute program w a s n ’ t n e a r l y long enough to detail all aspects of our food ma-chine but they were able to touch on enough parts to give viewers a good sense of the scale we are deal-ing with in our modern society.

The challeng-es we face seem daunting but modern agriculture has and will continue to keep up with the endless consumer de-mand. As our food tastes evolve, so too will agriculture. I know this because in just the few short years I have been around, the ag-ricultural industry has changed in dramatic ways. I encourage read-ers to take some time to see what others are viewing and what’s

being said about our industry and take the opportunity to use it as a catalyst for conversations in your

community. PBS is continuing the American Revealed series and has other agricultural related pro-grams in their lineup. The next program is titled “Cow Power”. I’m anxious to see how this one plays out and if it’s accurate to my way of thinking. You can view the PBS series on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. locally or if you missed any episode you can download episodes for free at pbs.org.

Yul Kwon visits a dairy while hosting the PBS show America Revealed.


YF&R Focus: John & Dusty ReeseState Young Farmer and Rancher Committee Chairs— Kanab, UtahSome people question why

anyone would want to work in agriculture. The work is hard, the hours are long, the risks are high, and the pay is rather low in most cases. I think you have to be involved to truly understand. It’s the feel-ing of pride r e s u l t i n g from work-ing with your own hands, a streak of stub-bornness that pits us against e v e r y t h i n g Mother Na-ture deals out and surviving anyway. But mostly, I think the most com-pelling reason most young farmers and ranchers re-turn to this difficult lifestyle is because there is no better place to raise our kids. Unfortunately, that is something a few individu-als in the government would like to take away from us.

The Department of Labor pro-posed a rule last year to restrict any child under the age of 16 from working on farms or ranch-es. Due to the quick action by the Farm Bureau and others, the “parental exemption” was added that allowed children to work for their parents but only if the operation is wholly owned by the parents. It would not allow kids to work for neighbors, grand-parents, aunts and uncles, or any farm with joint-ownership. The DOL also updated their list of “hazardous occupations” to include working with livestock or operating machinery that is pow-ered by anything other than hand or foot power. The devastation

this rule would cause is obvious. How different would your

childhood experiences have been if you had been forced to follow these restrictions? Would you be a different person if, as a kid, you were never able to milk a

cow, show an an-imal at the fair, learn to drive a tractor, haul hay from the field by hand, move sprinkler lines, or have chores to do night and morning? I will be the first to ad-mit that some of these actions can put kids in a less than ideal situ-ation. Already, our son has been run over by a calf, and fallen off a horse twice

(a feat I had hoped he wouldn’t accomplish until he was much older.) Conversely, our son has also learned responsibility of caring for animals and that there are chores that must be done. However, if this regulation passes, our children will not be able to help the neighbors move cows or help their grandfather with his hay and sweet corn. We would be robbing our children of valuable opportunities by trying to be over-protective. But what can you do about it?

When faced with the massive machine that is Washington, D.C., many of us feel there is nothing we can do or that some-one else will take care of it. If there is anything we can learn from watching the last few years in politics is that point of view is a dangerous one. As agricultur-alists, we are busier than most, but there is an easy way to get

involved. The Farm Bureau has a website called FBAct Insider. This website lists all the major issues that Farm Bureau is work-ing on. From there, you can go to the action center where you can find links to pre-written letters about important issues ready to send to your individual legisla-tors. All you need do is add your name and information and the letter is sent in an email. It is a simple way to let your voice be heard that does not take a whole lot of time.

There are those in congress that are taking action against the DOL regulations. In March, two bills were introduced in congress; HR 4157 the Preserv-ing America’s Family Farm Act and its companion bill S. 2221. These bills would move the block the DOL regulations and allow us to continue to raise our kids the best way we know how. We encourage you to please contact your senators and representative to let them know how important it is to support these bills so your children and grandchil-dren can continue to learn the most important life lessons. The country needs kids to learn and love agriculture, to be active in 4-H and FFA, and to have those experiences that we now appreci-ate. We need the next generation of agriculturalists to be stronger and smarter than ever to meet the demands of a growing world. With your help and hard work, we can ensure the survival of our industry and our country.

Editor’s note: After submitting this article and prior to this printing, the U.S. Department of Labor withdrew

its proposed rule on youth labor.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Farm Bureau, Western Energy Alliance and Public Lands Council recently questioned the administration’s commitment to job and economic growth in com-ments submitted to the Bureau of Land Management on greater sage-grouse policies in the West.

In December 2011, BLM released a short- and long-term conser-vation strategy for the greater sage-grouse on public lands. BLM intends to update 68 Resource Management Plans by September 2014 before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s court-ordered 2015 deadline for making a deci-sion about whether to fully list the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. Fortunately, BLM will allow state sage-grouse conserva-tion policies that have been ap-proved by the USFWS to supersede their policies. The three organiza-tions believe that rather than top-down, federal directives, greater sage-grouse conservation must be guided by initiatives developed at the state and local levels to achieve practical and common-sense man-agement policies.

“Western Energy Alliance sup-ports the development of manage-ment policies that protect greater sage-grouse and avoid an ESA listing. However, BLM’s short- and long-term guidance for greater sage-grouse habitat goes above and beyond what is necessary to preserve the species and will un-reasonably restrict oil and natural gas development on public lands,” said Spencer Kimball, manager of government affairs for Western Energy Alliance. “BLM’s strategy may ultimately lead to excessive restrictions across the West that

Farm Bureau, others file

sage-grouse comments

See sAGE GROUsE on pg. 28


Historical PerspectiveFormer longtime Utah Farm Bureau CEO Booth Wallentin

(right) and current CEO Randy Parker look over Farm Bureau records from the early 1900s during a visit to the Utah State University archives in Logan.

In preparation for the Utah Farm Bureau Centennial Cel-ebration which will take place in 2016, the two were looking over the origins of the creation of the Utah Farm Bureau and how the history has shaped where the organization is today.

By Clark Israelsen, USU Extension Agent – Cache County

We sometimes hear agricul-tural people scoff at the efforts made by purebred livestock pro-ducers who track detailed p e d i g r e e s and produc-tion records. It is not un-common for commercial producers to suggest that registration papers are a waste of valuable time and that grade animals produce just as well as purebreds. An increasing number suggest that crossbred animals are even more excep-tional because of resulting “hy-brid vigor”. That may be true, but could there be crossbreds or commercial animals were it not for the genetic pool of purebreds to work from? Number wise, the purebred livestock population is a minority group but it is a ma-jority group in terms of genetic influence.

Purebreds are the foundation of all breeding systems. Breed associations provide a valuable service to their membership and to the entire livestock industry by recording ancestry, or pedigrees. Pedigrees are a valuable tool in livestock breeding because these ancestral records provide knowledge necessary for predict-ing the performance of progeny. Commercial producers purchas-ing seedstock will dramatically decrease their chance of error if they use pedigree and progeny of proof in making their selection decisions. Breeding programs can be directed toward specific goals by selecting seedstock that excel in those traits for which the herds need improvement.

Information contained as part of a registration certificate con-

Value of pedigreed livestocksists of individual animal iden-tification, parentage (sire and dam) and performance. With that knowledge and previous information stored in the breed association data bank, a pedigree can be produced for the breeder. The breeder provides almost every piece of raw data used in the production of pedigrees and records, bringing to surface the importance of breeder integ-rity. Few, if any, industries are more dependent upon individ-ual integrity than the pedigreed livestock industry. Verification of parentage by DNA genetic profiling is becoming increas-ingly common with pedigree verification. Powerful genomic evaluations are changing earlier methods of genetic selection.

Each domestic animal species has traits that are of economic value. For horses, it may be speed and athletic ability. Dairy producers are concerned with longevity and milk production. Beef, swine and sheep producers are inclined to focus on growth rates and feed efficiency. These and other production traits are heritable and can be improved through careful selection. A per-manent record of ancestors and their comparative production traits is a valuable tool if breed-ers are to make wise breeding decisions that lead to improved production and efficiency.

Two specific organizations with Cache Valley roots continue to have a significant impact on the purebred dairy industry. Rich-mond Black and White Days, now in its 97th year, has become one of the premier purebred dairy shows in the entire world. The national Holstein Friesian Association has designated this event as the Western Spring Na-tional Dairy Show. Some of the finest dairy cattle in the entire

PEDiGREE continued on pg 27


2012

Beginning Rancher

Regional Workshops

June 14-16, 2012 Tavaputs Ranch, Carbon County

June 20-22, 2012 Flaming Gorge Resort, Daggett County

Key Topics to be Addressed: Best Range Management Practices - Tour of Range Improvement Projects

Business/Production Records for Profit - Presentation by Utah GIP Technical Committee

Free Room and Board with Registration

Register by calling 435-893-0470 or by email to

C. Kim Chapman ([email protected])

This program is funded through a cooperative agreement between USDA-‐NIFA Beginning Farmer Grant Program, Utah State University Extension, Bridgerland Applied Technology Center and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

Practical PolicyVice President- Public PolicySterling Brown

History has proven there is no single solution to preserve ag-ricultural lands and other open spaces. A variety of methods should be available to govern-ments and landowners to deal with the myriad of preservation needs.

The goal to preserve farm land is a good one. But it should not be done at the expense of the free market system. Zon-ing land so it could not be developed is not the market system. To do that would be a “taking” under the United States Con-stitution of the farm owner’s right to sell his land for develop-ment. When a landowner loses that critical right, he has very few rights left.

Preserving productive ag-ricultural lands also means preserving adequate irrigation water, protected opportunities to plow, disk, plant, fertilize, harvest, bale at night with noisy machines and a whole lot more. Without this “whole lot more,” agricultural lands are simply open spaces. It’s hard to feed and shelter your family, com-munity, and world with just open spaces.

Preserving agricultural lands is more, much more, than just making a societal or political decision. Property rights of landowners must be protected. Those who own or lease land should have the responsibility for the management. The right to sell and manage land must remain in the hands of those who own or lease it. Landowner rights include the ability to manage their property without government interference.

Nearly 20 years ago, Utah

Staying current on agricultural preservation

lawmakers passed legislation called the Agricultural Protection Act. This bold legislation was a call to landowners and local and state governments and others to work together in preserving agricultural lands under a free market system.

The call to local and state gov-ernments and others was six fold:

1. Political subdivisions (cities, towns, counties, school

districts, local districts or special service districts) should encourage the viabil ity of agricultural use by not enacting ordinances or rules that would unreasonably restrict a farm structure or farm practice (UCA 17-41-402 (1)).

2. Political subdivisions may not change zoning of an Agricultural Protection Area without the written consent from the landowner of the Agricultural Protection Area (UCA 17-41-402 (2)).

3. Political subdivisions must ensure its laws regarding public nuisance exclude any agricultural activity or operation within an agricultural protection area which is considered using sound agricultural practices unless that activity or operation bears a direct relationship to public safety and health (UCA 17-41-403 (1)).

4. It is a complete defense in a civil or criminal lawsuit for public nuisance if the activity complained of was agricultural activity occurring within an

agricultural protection area and either did not violate and nuisance law or was conducted according to sound agricultural practices (UCA 17-41- 403 (2)).

5. A developer of land within 300 feet of an agricultural protection area must provide a notice on the plat for the d e v e l o p m e n t i n d i c a t i n g the development is near an agricultural protection area and the agricultural protection area has highest priority (17-41-403 (4)(a)).

6. Each state agency “shall encourage the continuity, development, and viability of agriculture” in agriculture protection areas by avoiding rules or laws that create unreasonable restrictions on farm structures or farm practices unless such rules have a direct relationship to public health and safety (17-

41-404).

If we are serious about preserv-ing agricultural land throughout our communities, then we must create a climate that is favorable to agriculture. The Agricultural Protection Act is an attempt to that. Yet, where is the line when trying to balance agricul-tural preservation versus public safety and health? Under what circumstances does it become necessary for local officials to exercise eminent domain on private land, specifi cally, agri-cultural lands, in the name of public safety and health? Is it ever necessary? What about sen-sitive species? Should the federal government have authority to exercise eminent domain on private agricultural lands in the name of preserving endangered

See Preservation on pg. 22


The process requires the refrigerated trimmings to be heated. Increasing the temperature provides a potential for patho-gens to grow. As with any food preparation, institutionally or at home, it is important to follow recognized and accepted procedures to assure the products safety.

In 1974, the U. S. Food and Drug Admin-istration designated ammonium hydroxide as safe for use in food processing. It has been used as a leavening agent in breads and many other products ever since. In 2001, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) branch of USDA approved the use of ammonium hydroxide as a food safety tool. It is also recognized as safe by the National Academy of Sciences, Food Chemicals Codex, 5th Edition (2004).

A puff of ammonium hydroxide gas is applied to the beef increasing the pH level of the meat creating an environment that does not allow harmful pathogens to sur-vive. It kills salmonella, E. coli, listeria …all the nasty bugs we don’t want in our food supply.

So what is ammonium hydroxide? It is a very common compound, naturally occur-ring and found in the air, water and soil and is present in all plants and animals includ-ing humans. It’s not the ammonia found in your home’s cleaning closet. What other food products use ammonium hydroxide as a direct food additive? The list is relatively extensive, including baked goods, cheeses, chocolates, other confectioneries like cara-mel, puddings and a variety of meat prod-ucts – not just lean, finely textured beef.

In 2009, the New York Times and other major media outlets called into question the safety of the product. All they did was question the safety. They never produced any evidence or proof of harm.

To show the media dishonesty and the level they are willing to stoop to, Jamie Oliver, the host of “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” devoted an episode to lean, finely textured beef. As a ratings ploy for one of ABC TV’s ratings losers and prime time flops, the host horrified his audience when he took ground beef and dumped in liquid household ammonia with skull and crossbones, mixed it up and told viewers “you’ve just turned dog food potentially into your kid’s food” and “the USDA, who

pARKERContinued from pg. 2

is employed to protect you, has made it legal because it’s the process, not an in-gredient.” After the stunned audience witnesses Oliver’s deception of dumping the liquid ammonia into the ground beef, the TV camera cuts away to the gallon jug of ammonia with skull and crossbones, the native of England in his most superior of British accents inquires, “Now does this make you feel protected?”

Of course the propaganda attack has gone viral. Critics of the food industry and animal agriculture made it their cause. The “blogosphere” went crazy. At least one Internet site even displayed a poultry product, calling it pink slime. By some estimates, nearly 90 percent of consum-ers have heard about pink slime and are concerned about it.

Just like with Alar, there has been no journalistic inquiry, nor media balance.

Nobody has heard it only takes small puff of ammonium hydroxide and that it almost entirely evaporates. In such a limited amount, it is not even considered a food additive for labeling. The process has been approved and used for 30 years without ever being involved in a product recall or food safety related inquiry.

Under heavy media generated pres-sure, major corporations like McDonalds, Wendy’s and Safeway claimed never to have used the product or announced its discontinued use. Like Alar, there is no scientific source that has come forward to challenge the safety record of lean, finely textured beef.

Experts estimate that 10 to 12 pounds of low-fat beef is produced from a carcass us-ing this process. To fill this shortfall, about 1.5 million more animals will need to be slaughtered each year to meet current levels of demand. With U.S. cattle numbers the lowest level since the 1950s and a growing population to feed, it is certain that prices for ground beef will go up. Will the media accept their responsibility for the higher beef prices?

As Iowa Governor Terry Branstadt re-cently said after feasting on barbecued burgers: “Dude, it’s Beef!” The best way to combat lies is the truth. Today’s social me-dia allows each of us to reach out through Facebook, text, email, blog and tweet to get the truth out.

and threatened species? As urban infrastructure expands into

farm lands, these questions arise putting government, service districts and others in direct conflict with agricultural landown-ers. As mentioned above in state law (UCA 17-41), governments are asked to govern in ways that protect and promote agricultural practices. Yet, on the other hand, these same governments are charged to make infrastructure decisions that secure public safety and health. Is there a policy, law, ordinance or proven model that could ap-ply to all scenarios and address the needs of all communities? If so, what is it? If not, what will we do?

Over the years, other legislation, local ordinances and incentives have passed to help preserve agriculture. Some of these programs include: conservation easements, density bonuses to encourage greater den-sity, tax credits, establishment of the Qual-ity Growth Commission (specifically, the LeRay McCallister Fund), local option sales taxes, local government bonding authority and state and federal matching funds. Just recently, legislation was sponsored that would have dedicated the 5-year rollback tax revenue to purchasing agriculture con-servation easements. This legislation failed.

Incentives and programs are enacted, in large part, to preserve productive agricul-tural lands while not disrupting the free market system. With limited financial and natural resources, many agricultural land-owners face urban encroachment pressures and challenges. Managing these lands under safe and sound agricultural practices will yield confidence and trust in the com-munity. Reaching out will educate neigh-bors and local leaders. Banding together with Farm Bureau will trigger policies that will lead to action and results. Remaining alert and proactive in issues surrounding agriculture preservation will cultivate ideas necessary representation among those in authority.

pRESERVATIONContinued from pg. 21


Farm SafetyVice President- Farm SafetyA.J. Ferguson

One of the big dangers of farming is desensitization to the equipment, buildings, chem-icals and un-fenced lagoons or ponds. This desensitization can be worse for those who have grown up on a farm or ranch, because the lon-ger someone has worked around continuous dangers and haz-ards, without injuries, the more complacent they become.

There is a feeling of, “It won’t happen to me,” “Look at how many times I have done it this way without getting hurt” or, maybe it is the manly man complex of “I am too strong for that to hurt me,” and the some-times “I know that is dangerous so I will be extra careful and if anything happens I am quick enough to get out of the way.” These feelings of complacency and desensitization oftentimes lead individuals to take risks they normally wouldn’t take and leave a gap of danger for family members too.

When farm and ranch owners don’t recognize the potential hazards on and around the farm, they could unintentionally injure themselves, an employee or a family member. There has been a dramatic increase in farm fatalities this year in ag-riculture involving farms using skid steers. Dennis Murphy, an ag safety expert from Penn State University, recently stated, “Since mid-February, fatalities have occurred with a skid-steer loaders on four farms in New York, Minnesota, Indiana and Wisconsin.” The major factors in each fatal incident were from carrying the loads too high.

Skid-steers, farms, family and keeping safety first

When skid-steers are loaded and the loader on front is raised

extremely high or even too high, it changes the center of gravity meaning the skid-steer will be more prone to rollover.

Murphy also explains, “Skid-steers are compact, powerful and versatile machines, they fit into small spaces to scoop out animal wastes or to lift a tree into a landscape site. They quickly move payloads of rock, feed, manure or building materials. Numerous attachments make the skid-steer as valuable as any farm or utility tractor. The usefulness of skid-steers for agricultural and landscape operations is hard to overstate, but they are not with-out their limitations.”

Murphy supplied the following skid-steer safety tips:

~ Carrying the loads low and slow keeps the center of gravity low, thus reducing the chance of rollover.

~ Maintain a clear view of the work area, nearby workers or bystanders, and other obstacles

~ Use the seatbelt during skid-steer operation, which will keep the operator inside the “zone of protection” if an accident does occur.

~ If the machine’s bucket must be raised for any non-operation activity, use the boom lock to se-cure the bucket and lift arms and keep them from inadvertently falling.

A few other thoughts that need

to be addressed with skid-steer safety are:

~ Similar to a tractor, it can be hard to see small children behind the skid-steer.

~ Remember when operating skid-steers in areas near fam-ily members, it is important to understand the characteristics of toddlers and children:

**Toddlers don’t understand cause and effect, they like moving parts and love to climb.

**5-9 years of age have incon-sistent logic; they may not be aware of realistic dangers, seek parent’s approval or they feel they are competent.

**10-13 years of age have in-creased physical and mental skills, and want to practice skills without adult supervision.

~ These characteristics can lead to toddlers and young chil-dren to severe injuries or death

around skid-steers.

~ Always conduct a walk around visual inspection of the skid-steer. Assure there are no children or other objects in the path of equipment. Walk around inspections also keep you aware of low tire pressure or leaks for hydraulic lines or the engine.

~ Other industries don’t have to worry about children at the worksite, but in agriculture often times you live where you work. Always maintain diligence in watching for children when op-erating any equipment.

~ No riders.

These are some good tips to help keep you, your employees and family safe when working with skid-steers. Please, put safety first and keep you and those around you safe.


Powerful PartnershipPiute County Commissioners (on stage, left) met with Piute

County Farm Bureau leaders Paul Swalberg (left) and Verl Bagley (center) and Utah Farm Bureau staffers Sterling Brown (VP Public Policy) and John Keeler (Southern Regional Manager) during the Commission’s meeting in April. The face-to-face meeting where the County Farm Bureau can share its issues and concerns, as well as taking questions from the commissioners, has proven to be invalu-able.

Photo by Matt Hargreaves

By Ron Francis, NRCS—UtahZion National park – The

Utah Envirothon, a natural resource competition for high school students, celebrated its 15th anniversary and was recently held in Zion National Park on April 20 - 21. Students, advisors and chaperones from 18 teams gathered to test their skills and knowledge about natural resource conservation. The Utah Farm Bureau was one of the major sponsors of this annual event.

Soldier Hollow Charter School from Midway, Wasatch County, w a s t h e t o p scoring team with a group of 8th grade students. The second place team was from Salem Hills High School in Utah County, and they will represent the Utah at the International Canon Envirothon in Pennsylvania in July since the contest rules require the winning team to be at least 9th grade students. The third place team was Sky View FFA from Cache Valley, who will represent the State FFA organization at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this October, where they will compete in the natural resource portion of the Career Development Event. Most of the teams at this year’s event were from FFA chapters.

The Envirothon is a natural resource competition for high school students. Five-member teams were tested on their

High school teams compete at Zion national park for Utah Envirothon

knowledge of the state’s natural resources – soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue. This year’s current issue was non-point source pollution and low impact development. Students visited five field stations where they received

additional instruction. They were also administered a written and hands-on problem solving test to complete without assistance from their advisor. They also competed in an oral presentation event.

The Utah Envirothon was sponsored by the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, with the following major financial contributors: Rocky Mountain Power, USU Water Quality Extension, Utah Division of Water Quality, Utah Conservation Commission, Campbell Scientific, and the Utah Farm Bureau. Technical experts and volunteers are provided by the major federal and state conservation organizations.

For more information about the Utah Envirothon, visit www.utahenvirothon.org.

The Soldier Hollow Charter School team (left to right): Advisor Kelly Gallo, Christian Rigby, Ingrid Norton, Stella Trincado, Sierra Curtis, Bryn Dayton, and Sierra Enos.

Photo courtesy of Ron Francis, NRCS.


Utah Farm Bureau Leader Feature:John Blazzard ~ Summit County Farm Bureau President

I am the fifth child of six born to James H. and Anna Mae Richards Blazzard. I have lived in Kamas all of my life. I have two brothers and three sisters. My wife Jackie grew up in Oakley, so when we got married, she only had to move five miles. Jackie and I have two sons and three daughters. All are married. We have 16 grandchildren. We are fortunate to be able to see our family almost every day, as they all live in the valley except for one daughter.

Began Farming:My Grandfather Blazzard moved here from Arizona because my

grandma’s family were early settlers in Kamas Valley. They were sawmill and timber people. They sawed lumber, shingles, etc. and hauled it back to Salt Lake for barns, homes and other uses. Grandpa built a box factory in Kamas, making wooden boxes for shoes, eggs, candy, and boxes for the military during World War II. When my parents were married, my Dad’s sawmills sawed the wood for Grandpa’s box plant. My brother and I continue to operate Blazzard Lumber Company in Kamas today.

Kind of Agricultural Operation:Several years ago, we had a chance to purchase a ranch from a neigh-

bor’s family after he died. It was a chance for us to diversify and provide a place for more of our family. We have continued to expand and grow. We operate a cow-calf ranch along with running yearling calves. We raise hay and graze on public lands.

Involvement in Other Organizations:I serve on a couple irrigation company boards, the Summit County Ag

Preservation Committee and the Summit County Weed Board. Jackie and I are currently serving as Guest Service Missionaries at Temple Square and the Conference Center in Salt Lake City whenever there is an event there.

What got you Involved with Farm Bureau?Jackie was asked by the county Farm Bureau President to serve as

women’s chair more than 20 years ago, and I went to a meeting with her. The first meeting I went to, I was nominated and elected to serve as vice president. I have been involved ever since.

What do you see for Utah agriculture 20 years from now? I think that as the demand for food increases in the future, agriculture

will become increasingly important.What do you like most about being a farmer/rancher? I enjoy being a farmer/rancher because I like to see things grow – hay

in windrows and the barns full, cows on the mountain with big calves, and the quiet solitude that exists where these things are found – espe-cially when there is no cell phone service.

Why should farmers and ranchers get involved in Farm Bureau?

Farm bureau is the greatest advocate and support that farmers and ranchers have.

Why should anyone join Farm Bureau, and what are the benefits?

The camaraderie, support, and friendships we have found are some of the greatest benefits that farm bureau offers.

What have you learned as being a Farm Bureau county president or what do you like the most about it?

I have learned a lot about leadership, especially by the examples I have observed by being involved.

What are some of your fondest memories about Farm Bu-reau?

I really enjoyed the trip to Washington, D.C. I really like to be with Farm Bureau members. They are honest, hard-working, sincere friends and I always feel comfortable being with good people.

What advice do you give to young farmers and ranchers?I think that there will be a bright future for the youth in agriculture,

and a place there for those who want to work hard.What equipment do you use? (i.e. John Deere vs. Case) Or

you can have another comparison question, like Holstein vs. Jersey, Angus vs. Hereford, Ford vs. Chevy, etc.

John Deere Tractors (and log skidders) and Hereford-Angus cross cows that take care of themselves.

What is the most recent book you’ve read or movie you’ve seen? Or which is your favorite?

I enjoyed reading the book The Undaunted. I admire and appreciate Pioneer heritage and history.

What did you want to be when you ‘grew up’?I used to watch Gunsmoke with Dad on Sunday nights. I figured that

I really needed a gun just like Marshall Dillon’s.If you could be on any “reality” television show, which would

it be?I’m not really into reality TV. But being in the timber business, “Ax

Men” comes to mind. Though ti is embarrassing to see the way that the profession is portrayed. The concept of harvesting timber is there, but the foul talk and the showbiz part are disgusting. I wonder where OSHA is. I always thought it was only okay to cuss when you were around livestock!

Any unique hobbies/interests?I like to camp and hunt with my family. I do a lot of gun stuff. I reload

and shoot a lot.Anything else you want to add?I am proud to be part of Farm Bureau. It is a top-notch organization.


As Farmers and Ranchers, We’ve Raised Pre� y Much Everything.

Except Our Voices.Join us in leading a conversation about the importance of today’s agriculture and our

commitment to answering American’s questions about how we raise our food. Begin by sharing your voice at www.USFRAonline.org.

Utah Farm Bureau News 27May 2012pEDIGREEContinued from pg. 20

By Skyler Di Stefano, USU Extension Writer

The Western Dairy Center at Utah State University congratu-lates Gold Creek Farms located in Woodland, Utah, and cheese maker Fernan-do Chavez for winning Best of Class with their Smoked ched-dar cheese at the World Champi-onship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wis-consin.

G o l d C r e e k Farms dominat-ed this category by also placing second with its smoked Parme-san cheese beating 20 other cheeses submitted from around the U.S. as well as cheeses from Canada and Australia.

From the more than 2,500 cheeses submit-ted to the contest in 79 different categories, the Gold Creek Farms smoked Cheddar was selected as one of the 16 overall best cheeses.

This is a great achieve-ment for a new artisan c h e e s e m a k e r f r o m Utah competing against cheese makers from powerhouse areas in the U.S. such as the Mid-west and Northeastern states, not to mention cheese countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands.

From its very begin-

Western Dairy Centerlends a helping hand

ning, USU has been of-fering technical advise and outreach to Utah’s cheese makers, starting with Professor Frederick

Linfield who was the ani-mal industries scientist at the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station from 1893 to 1902. Beginning in 1894 the college dairy (then located in the base-ment of Old Main) be-gan making butter and cheese, and Linfield pro-vided lectures on cheese making to Cache County Agricultural Society as early as 1895. By 1901, the number of dairy fac-tories in Utah had in-creased from less than 10 in 1893 to more than 70.

This tradition has con-tinued throughout the years with George B. Caine, professor of dairy husbandry, and Gustav Wilster, professor of dairy manufacturing, or-ganizing formal cheese-

making short courses in the 1920s. These courses provided the technical foundation for develop-ment of cheese makers

who could make cheese in Utah.

Such training has con-tinued through the years under the auspices of var-ious professors such as A. J. Morris, and C. A. Ern-strom, and is now orga-nized by the university’s W e s t e r n Dairy Cen-ter. Using the cheese m a k i n g f a c i l i t i e s a v a i l a b l e in the Gary H a i g h t Richardson Dairy Prod-ucts Labo-ratory (also the home of

Since the late 1800’s, students such as those above have gathered at Utah State University to take courses in cheese and butter produc-tion. Photo courtesy of USU Extension

famous Aggie Ice Cream), experienced and begin-ning cheese makers can come and learn the sci-ence of making high qual-ity cheeses.

“We strive in these courses to teach technical skills that can be coupled with the cheese makers own creative abilities to make high quality artisan cheeses,” said Donald J. McMahon, professor of dairy processing and director of the Western Dairy Center.

It is fitting that as we celebrate the Morrill Act of 1862 that cheese makers in Utah are still the beneficiaries of this historic foundation for the land-grant university systems and its three-fold mission of learning, discovery and engage-ment.

“Since the university’s founding our success has been greatly dependent on sharing our knowl-edge with the people of Utah,” said Noelle Cock-ett, vice president and dean for Extension and Agriculture.

Current students gather to stretch Mozzarella cheese at the Western Dairy Center.

Photo courtesy of USU Extension

world are exhibited, and sometimes sold each year in Richmond. This year’s event will take place May 15-19 in Richmond.

Plans are underway for an exceptional exhibit and celebration when the show celebrates 100 years in 2015. The entire dairy industry and ultimately all consumers are depen-dent on the quality of reg-istered dairy animals that are developed by serious purebred breeders.

Cache Valley Breeders Association was founded in 1948 as a cooperative owned and managed by local dairy and beef pro-ducers. This local agri-cultural coop joined the Select Sires cooperative in 1969. Most recently, Cache Valley Select Sires has merged with KABA/Select Sires to form Select Sires MidAmerica, Inc. Current manager Randy Hill and the board of di-rectors are confident that this merger will enhance services and continue to provide superior genet-ics to their customer-owners. This tiny local agricultural cooperative has become a leader in providing exceptional genetics to dairy and beef producers worldwide. I enjoy bragging about the success of this local agricultural organization.


By Ann Perry, Public Affairs Special-ist for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

About 50 years ago, scientists at the U.S. Department of Ag-riculture (USDA) devised the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), a formula farmers could use to estimate losses from soil erosion. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists will soon release a version that in-tegrates models generated by cutting-edge computer technol-ogy, an updated soils database, and new findings about erosion processes.

ARS is USDA’s chief intramu-ral scientific research agency, and this work supports the USDA priority of promoting in-ternational food security.

The original USLE used five factors to estimate the tons of soil lost per acre per year from the impact of raindrops and the flow of runoff water across fields disturbed by plowing and tilling.

Soil erosion modeling: It’s getting better all the time

The formula is now used as the basis for estimating soil erosion wherever land is disturbed by farming or other human activi-ties.

Every conservation plan writ-ten by the USDA Natural Re-sources Conservation Service has been based on soil-ero-sion calculations derived from USLE or its successors, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and version 2 (RUSLE2). Now research leader Seth Dabney, who works at the ARS Watershed Physi-cal Processes Research Unit in Oxford, Miss., is putting the finishing touches on an update of RUSLE2, which uses more intricate combinations of ob-servation- and process-based science to produce soil erosion estimates.

New formulas have been add-ed that can generate simulations of pasture plant lifecycles, which in turn can be used to estimate

the effects livestock and their different grazing patterns will have on soil erosion. The revised equations can also produce es-timates of how much plant resi-

Ephemeral gullies like this one in a central Iowa field often cause much erosion on farms. These gullies seem to disappear after tillage but then reappear during rain events. Photo by Lynn Betts.

due can be removed from crop and pasture lands for ethanol production without exposing the soil to excessive erosion.

RUSLE2’s revised database contains information for the entire United States on climate and soil prop-erties that affect erosion. The database also in-cludes detailed descrip-tions of management systems that are orga-nized in 75 crop manage-ment zones nationally. RUSLE2 can now also be used to predict runoff amounts and to develop a representative runoff event sequence that can be linked with a process-based channel erosion model.

M o r e i n f o r m a t i o n about RUSLE2 can be found at http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=5971.

You can read more about this research in the April 2012 issue of Agricultural Research

magazine.

not,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “Under the current situation, merely the act of crossing state lines can trigger conflicting requirements for some farmers who are doing nothing more than hauling their own crop. These regulations can be particularly burdensome for farmers and ranchers living in counties bordering another state where their best market might be just across the state line.”

The second Farm Bureau-supported amendment to S. 1813 would exempt certain farm truck drivers from regulations on maximum driving and on-

TRUCKSContinued from pg. 17

duty times during harvest and planting seasons. It is spon-sored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.).

“This measure is particularly crucial during the two busiest times of a farmer’s year,” Stall-man said.

The amendment would apply to drivers transporting agri-cultural commodities within 100 miles of the farm that pro-duced them, or those carrying farm supplies for agricultural purposes within 100 miles of the wholesale or retail distri-bution point. Each state would determine its own planting and harvest periods.

SAGE GROUSEContinued from pg. 19

fail to balance investment and job creation with reasonable species protection.”

“Local community groups in several states with sage-grouse populations have been working together to develop plans for pre-serving sage-grouse habitat while at the same providing a viable economic climate for ranchers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “It’s important that the BLM plan recognize these local efforts and not override the work that has already been done.”

“If BLM and Forest Service are serious about their plans to en-hance habitat for the greater sage-grouse, the agencies must take into account the on-the-ground con-servation carried out by America’s

ranchers every day,” said Dustin Van Liew, executive director of PLC. “Two of the biggest threats to a healthy and sustainable habitat for the greater sage-grouse are the loss of open space and catastrophic wildfires. Through ranchers’ ef-forts to continually improve the range and to responsibly manage the land’s resources, they reduce those threats and make multiple other significant contributions to improving the greater sage-grouse habitat, such as providing water sources and improving forage. As the agencies finalize their greater sage-grouse management policies, PLC strongly encourages them to work with America’s livestock pro-ducers to achieve a management plan that incorporates grazing as a habitat conservation tool so ranchers can continue their roles as range stewards.”


Life on the RangeRanchers, USU Extension Agents and Range Resource Special-

ists gathered in Washington and Kane Counties for the three-day Arizona Strip Range Conference. Put on by a combined effort from USU and University of Arizona Extensions, with support from the Utah Farm Bureau, the UT/AZ Strip Range Conference provided presentations on beef cattle marketing, Pinion/Juniper ecology, cat-tle disposition’s effect on production, desired conditions of range-land, an update on the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction and how to keep ranchers grazing on public lands.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Farm Bureau Federation recently endorsed Senate legislation that would help protect America’s farm and ranch families from potentially crippling blows of the federal es-tate tax following a farm owner’s death.

The Senate bill, the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2012 (S. 2242), was introduced by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). The bill is similar to another Farm Bureau-supported, H.R. 1259, introduced in the House by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas). The House bill now has more than 200 co-sponsors.

In a letter to Thune and other sponsors, AFBF President Bob Stallman stated that estate taxes continue to be a problem for the nation’s farmers and ranchers. Individuals, family partnerships and family corporations own 98 percent of the nation’s 2 million agricultural operations. When estate taxes on an agricultural business exceed cash and other liquid assets, the tax can cripple a family-owned farm or ranch and hurt the rural communities and businesses that agriculture supports, according to AFBF.

The Unemployment Insur-ance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 set the estate tax exemption at $5 mil-lion per person, with a top tax rate of 35 percent for 2011 and 2012. That legislation also put in place a new provision for 2011

AFBF backs senate and house bills reforming estate tax

and 2012 that allows the unused portion of a spouse’s exemption to be used by a surviving spouse, and it permanently reinstates stepped-up basis in regard to tax treatment. Legislation is necessary because without con-gressional action, in 2013, the estate tax exemption will shrink to $1 million per person with no spousal transfer and the top rate will increase to 55 percent.

“This will strike a blow to farm and ranch operations trying to transition from one generation to the next,” Stallman said. “A $1 million exemption is not high enough to protect a typical farm or ranch able to support a family and, when coupled with a top rate of 55 percent, can be especially difficult for farm and ranch businesses.”

Stallman said the “on again, off again” nature of estate tax law makes it difficult, if not impos-sible, for farmers and ranchers to engage in planning for the transfer of a family business from one generation to the next. “It be-comes a barrier to entry for new and beginning farmers,” Stall-man added

“While estate tax planning may be able to protect some family farms and ranches from the devastation of estate taxes, planning tools are costly and take money needed to operate and ex-pand businesses,” Stallman said. “Even with planning, changing asset values and family situations make it impossible to guarantee that a well-thought-out estate

Utah Farm Bureau News30 May 2012Viewpoint fbnews.org 2 |

April 30, 2012

FBNewsApril 30, 2012 Vol. 91 No. 8Published semimonthly, except monthly in August and December, by the American Farm Bureau Federation, 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, DC 20024. Phone: 202-406-3600. E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: http://www.fb.org.Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Subscription rate for officers and board members of county and state Farm Bureaus—$6, which is deducted from dues. For other subscribers—$10.Postmaster: Send address changes to FBNews, 600 Mary-land Ave., SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, DC 20024.

(ISSN 0197-5617)

Don Lipton, Executive Director, Public RelationsLynne finnerty, Editorerin Anthony, Assistant Editorphyllis Brown, Assistant Editorsarah Bittner, Contributing Writer

Farm Bureau TV:www.youtube.com/farmbureautv

Follow us on Twitter:www.twitter.com/farmbureau

“Like” us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/AmericanFarmBureau

Bring the world to you—be a host familyContinued from page 1

Sharing your home and every-day life as a host family is truly an experience that will change your life and open a brand-new world to a young person from overseas. Join in this unique adventure by becoming a host family. All it takes is a warm heart, an open home and a zest for an interna-tional family living experience.

Host families play a unique role in helping participants dis-cover daily life in a new country. They welcome the IFYE into their homes as a member of the family, rather than as a guest or tourist.

IFYE stresses family living as the heart of the learning experience, offering young people the chance to experience other cultures through personal involvement in the homes, schools and com-munities of their host countries. IFYEs are expected to join in al-most all aspects of U.S. family life, sharing quiet moments, as well as taking on household and family chores, celebrating birthdays and holidays, enjoying family outings and participating in community activities.

Host families are expected to provide love and understanding,

care and guidance, as well as food and housing for the three- to four- week hosting period. Families who volunteer to host exchangees receive no financial assistance. The young person will bring his or her own money for incidental expenses and have health insurance coverage.

Host families are all sizes and backgrounds. Families with younger or older children at home, grown children and no children have all hosted interna-tional youth successfully, as have single adults and retired couples. Host families are as diverse as America itself; they may be rural, suburban or city dwellers. The most important qualifications are a love of young people and a willingness to share everyday life experiences. Families are chosen on the capacity for caring and their capabilities for showing and sharing qualities that have made our country as it is. Just as importantly, IFYEs are selected for their desire to participate in a family living situation and expand their horizons.

Your family will gain while giv-ing. The program offers an oppor-tunity to host an international

young adult and to watch that person and the entire family grow in understanding of and sensitiv- ity to another culture. Opening your home and heart to an international exchange participant can be an enlightening and re-warding experience for any family willing to take on the oppor-

tunity. You not only share your way of life, but you learn about another.

If you’re interested in becoming a host family, please contact Alan Lambert, president of the IFYE As-sociation of the USA, at alane [email protected] or 605-366-6107 for more information.

Prime time for sharing the story of agriculture By Ken Gordon

Spring planting is in full swing in many parts of the country and is only a few weeks away in others. Most farmers have been pre-paring for this task since they wound down from fall harvest. Field work, particularly planting, is a highly visible undertaking for farmers. Because of that, planting season is ripe for farmers to engage with people who are not familiar with agriculture.

It’s unfortunate that a lot of people have completely lost touch with where their food comes from or how it gets to their table or favorite restaurant.

The editor of an agricultural publication once told the true story of an encounter she had with a person who made the dietary choice of being a vegetarian. That person truly believed it was OK, as a vegetarian, to eat chicken wings “Because they grow back.” Granted, this is an extreme example. But, a growing number of people have lost touch with farming. And farmers have found that explaining modern production agriculture isn’t always easy. That’s not always what people are most interested in hearing about, anyway. Most people don’t want to hear national facts and figures about agriculture, either. And they don’t want to be on the receiving end of a one-sid-ed lecture. They’re more interested in what the farmers near them do on their farms.

This brings to mind a quote located in the

Cox Corridors of the Capitol Building in Wash- ington, D.C. Daniel Webster is credited with saying, “When tillage begins other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”

Those of us involved with agriculture know that what Webster said so many years ago remains true today, but as citizens pursued other arts, they have forgotten what brought our nation to prosperity. Still, many people are curious about today’s agriculture.

An interesting dichotomy is that public cur- iosity with farming and ranching continues to increase as people become further removed from knowing how their food is produced. This presents a great opportunity to fill that knowledge gap.

More and more often, farmers are joining in the national conversation consumers are having about food and farming. By listening carefully, farmers often discover they can ad-dress concerns consumers have about food by sharing their stories about their farms.

As urban populations expand into the countryside, farmers are finding increased opportunities to tell their stories. Interact- ing in this way helps consumers gain a true understanding of the passion farmers have for the environment, animal well being and how important, strong and viable farm-ing methods are to our nation’s overall prosperity.

So while you are engaged in planting the seeds for this year’s crops, also think about ways you can help plant seeds of better un-derstanding with the consuming public. As you are turning that planter at the end of the row, you might just be asked to join in the conversation. Don’t hesitate to do so.

Ken Gordon is a contributor to Farm Bureau’s “Fo-cus on Agriculture” series of articles. He is a public relations consultant in Ohio.

“By listening carefully, farmers often

discover they can address concerns

consumers have about food by shar-

ing their stories about their farms.”

MarlaJean Waters (left) of South Dakota hosted Heui-Ling Tang, a 2010 International Four-H Youth Exchange participant from Taiwan. Host families discover other cultures as they welcome IFYEs into their families and help them learn about daily life in the U.S.

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Arthur Douglas, reminds dairy producers that they must meet Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program requirements in order to maintain program eligibility in the event that prices drop and trigger a MILC payment.

MILC compensates dairy producers when domestic milk prices fall below a specified level. Eligible dairy producers can apply for program benefi ts anytime through September 30, 2012.

FSA Director reminds Utah dairy producers of MILC program requirements

“At this time, MILC payments are not being made because the price is above the trigger level,” said Douglas. “FSA just wants producers to stay on top of eligibility requirements should there be an opportunity for payment.”

To maintain program eligi-bility, MILC participants must notify their local FSA offi ce of any operation changes, such as a change in producer, shares, address or bank routing num-ber. In order for dairy produc-ers to receive a MILC payment, they must meet adjusted gross income (AGI) requirements by

completing, “CCC-931 - AGI Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information.”

Dairy producers who want to enroll in MILC must fi ll out, “CCC-580 - Milk Income Loss Contract” and select a start-month for which the Commod-ity Credit Corporation (CCC) will begin issuing payments to the dairy operation. Current dairies that participate in MILC can make changes to their start-month with certain restrictions.

According to Douglas, any start-month changes must be made on or before the 14th of the month before the selected

MILC production start-month. The change must also be made before requesting payment and before the original MILC production start-month has passed.

Changes to the dairy op-eration start-month must be designated on FSA’s form, “CCC-580M - Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Modifi cation.”

For more information about the MILC program, please con-tact the Utah State FSA offi ce at (801) 524-4530 or visit the web at: www.fsa.usda.gov.


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 classifi ed 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 classifi ed section, but will be charged the display advertising rate. Please contact the classifi ed 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, Classifi ed 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 specifi es otherwise when placing the ad. The ads on the web site will run concurrently with the classifi ed 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.

AUTOMOTIVE2006 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: 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.FEEDHAY FOR SALE: 3x3x8 bales alfalfa, $90/bale; 3x3x8 grass bales, $85/bale; barn stored. 3x3x8 bales Triticale, $65/bale. Call John 801-725-6763.

LIVESTOCKALPACAS REGISTERED BREEDING age Females, Young Breeding males, fi ber 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:@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. 10 Acres in Trenton: Excellent farm land. Would make nice ranchette.UTAH VACATION IDEA 2012! Hiking, fi shing, 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.

AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

PART-TIME WORK: The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) needs part-time survey interviewers to contact agricultural producers for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, an agency in USDA. We are in particular need in Grand, San Juan, Garfi eld, Beaver, Iron, and Millard Counties. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle. Starting pay is $9.90 per hour. Paid work time includes training and travel, and mileage is reimbursed at $0.555 per mile traveled. A farm background is desirable but not essential. If you are interested please contact Rebecca Baillie at 1-800-747-8522.CIRCLE 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 benefi ts – 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 offi ce: 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, May 8, 7 p.m. at the UFBF Board Room in SandyWashington County▶ Board Meeting, May 2, 8 p.m. at Insurance Office in St. GeorgeUtah County▶ YF&R Social, May 12, 6:30 p.m. at Canyon View Park in Spanish ForkWeber County▶ Board meeting, May 24, 7 p.m.Carbon County▶ Board Meeting, May 8, 7 p.m. at Planning & Zoning building in PriceMillard County▶ Farm Field Days, May 2, at the County FairgroundsMorgan County▶ Board meeting, May 8, 7 p.m. at the County CourthouseIron County▶ Board Mtg., May 3, 7:30 p.m. in Cedar City▶ SUPAC meeting, May 8 at 1 p.m. in Cedar CityCache County▶ See Regional Manager for Board meeting informationSevier County▶ Farm Field Day, May 16, 8:30 a.m. at County FairgroundsGarfield County▶ Natural Sources Festival, May 21, 8:30 a.m. at Triple C Arena in PanguitchN. Box Elder County▶ Board meeting, May 17, 7 p.m.Emery County▶ Board meeting, May 15, 7:30 p.m. at County Courthouse in Castle DaleJuab County▶ Board meeting, May 17, 8 p.m. at FSA building in NephiDuchesne County▶ Board meeting, May 10, 7:30 p.m. at the County BuildingWasatch County▶ Board meeting, May 8, 7 a.m. at the Hub restaurant in Heber City

State and Regional Activities▶ 150th Anniversary of creation of USDA, May 15▶ UFBF Center Closed May 28 for Memorial Day Holiday

▶ RAC Meetings in May. 2013 Fishing informational & online survey,; Division Variance Rule Amendments; Conservation Permit Rule Amendments; Deer and Elk Unit Management Plans; Collection, Importation and Possession Rule Amendments; Ferron Creek - introduction; Cold Springs WMA plan (SERO Only); Lower San Rafael WMA plan (SERO only); Watershed Restoration Initiative projects presentation (SERO only); Hardware Ranch Management Plan (NRO Only)

The meetings schedule is:-Southern RAC: May 8 (in Richfield)-Southeastern RAC: May 9-Northeastern RAC: May 10-Central RAC: May 15-Northern RAC: May 16 Visit wildlife.utah.gov. for locations.

DWR Board meeting May 2-3Executive Work Session; Big Game Permit numbers; Big Game Rec-ommendations and Guidebook - 2012; Antlerless Recommendations and Guidebook – 2012; Antlerless Permit numbers; Division Variance Rule Amendments; Conservation Permit Rule Amendments; Moose Mgmt. Plan – Nine Mile unit – SERO only

FB County Corner

[Top] Belva Parr, UFBF State Women’s Committee Chair, visits with the 4th grade class of Mr. Crockett at Spanish Oaks Elementary School in Spanish Fork. Parr showed the students how to paint with a soil mixture representing different areas of the state. [Middle] Iron County Farm Bureau member Mel Taylor (adult in veil) shows kids about beekeeping at Farm Field Days. [Bottom] Kids learn about chicks and eggs at Carbon County’s Farm Field Days in Price.

Documents

Utah Farm Bureau News