Utah Farm Bureau News - February 2014

Supplies: New Special Resource Guide 15 Adams: New Ag Commissioner Takes Over 18

Utah Farm Bureau News FEBRUARY 2014VOL. 60, NO. 1

Inside:National Perspective 3Farm Bureau at Work 11Member Benefits 8Baxter Black 12 Farm Safety Column 27Classifieds 35

CONVENTION continued on pg. 7

SAN ANTONIO — With an appreciation for agriculture’s heritage, farmers and ranchers are focused on the opportunities and challenges of the present, keeping their eyes on the road ahead, according to American Farm Bureau Federation Presi-dent Bob Stallman.

“If we keep our commitment to learn from the past, look to-ward the future and never let go of the wheel, I know that Farm Bureau will have a bright future,” Stallman told about 7,000 Farm Bureau members who gathered in San Antonio for AFBF’s 95th Annual Convention.

Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas, also spoke about the example Farm Bureau members set during what was a bitterly divided Congress in 2013.

“This very gathering is about people from different regions and backgrounds coming togeth-

A p p r o x i m a t e l y 6 0 agricultural leaders from around Utah traveled to San Antonio, Texas and joined more than 7,000 other Farm Bureau members from around the country at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 95th Annual Convention, January 12-15, 2014.

During the event, AFBF’s voting delegates debated and adopted grassroots policies and selected leaders to guide the organization throughout

Utah Farm Bureau leaders travel to San Antonio for American Farm Bureau convention

the year. There were 362 farmer delegates representing the Farm Bureaus of 50 states and Puerto Rico who adopted farmer-written resolutions, which set AFBF’s official policy positions for 2014.

The Utah delegation heard issues ranging from crop and livestock outlooks to farm policy, federal regulation, the clean water act, trade and technology, and more.

Gen. Stan McChrystal , a retired four-star general and

former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan del ivered the keynote address.

“We were excited to hear from Gen. Stan McChrystal as our keynote speaker. His dedication to our country, marked by o n e - o f - a - k i n d l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s a n d a n o t e w o r t h y record of achievement, was truly motivating,” said Utah Farm Bureau President Leland Hogan. “It was also great to unite with other farmers and ranchers from around the country to talk about issues confronting the production of food in America.

Stallman: Grassroots strength, strategy

drive success

Utah Farm Bureau News2 February 2014

Utah Farm Bureau News(ISSN 1068-5960)Matt Hargreaves, Editor9865 South StateSandy, Utah 84070-3205Phone 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.orgNational Ad Rep:The Weiss Group9414 E. San Salvador Dr. #226Scottsdale, Arizona 85258(480) 860-5394 [email protected] 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 ...............Ron Gibson, West WeberDistrict 3 ...................Ken Patterson, SyracuseDistrict 4 ................ Rex Larsen, Spanish ForkDistrict 5 ............................. Scott Chew, JensenDistrict 6 ...........Edwin Sunderland, ChesterDistrict 7 ..................................Craig Laub, BerylFB Women’s Chairman ...Belva Parr, LindonYoung Farmer & Rancher Chairman..

Meagher McConkie, AltamontPeriodicals 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.

PARKER continued on pg 23

Randy N. ParkerChief Executive Officer

�oughts: Utah leaders pan Sage Grouse plan

FINANCE continued on pg 13

January 29th was the deadline for submitting com-ments on the planning ef-fort of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Ser-vice (FS) to conserve the Greater Sage-Grouse. The Utah BLM offers a range of alternatives in its 1,000-plus page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). According to the BLM, the plan and pre-ferred alternative allows the federal agency to argue it is doing enough to protect the bird as it faces a 2015 dead-line on listing the Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

In a series of Sage Grouse rulings, including the decree that established the “war-ranted for listing” deadline, Judge Lynn Windmill of the U.S. District Court for Idaho placed livestock graz-ing on western federal lands squarely in his gun sights. Windmill is clearly the go-to guy for the radical, anti-grazing groups like Western Watersheds Project. He has a

long resumé of anti-multiple use decisions and he seems to relish sticking his long judicial nose into other states as witnessed by Western Watersheds Project

filing suit in Idaho challeng-ing livestock grazing in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante Na-tional Monument.

Windmill’s “Grazing Must Yield” decree in 2012 shows the level of contempt he shares with Western Watersheds for the history, culture and economic contributions of livestock graz-ing across the western landscape from our pioneer settlement. In his 2012 decision, Windmill placed the needs of the sage

grouse above the needs of cattle ranching families declaring, “To the extent livestock and sage grouse conflict, it is graz-ing that must yield!” In the case filed by Western Watersheds and argued by lawyers from Advocates for the West, the Idaho Judge decreed that even though BLM testified their policy places the interests of the birds above all other uses, it just wasn’t enough! And please keep in mind, Western Water-sheds and their legal team is collecting for their efforts tens of thousands of dollars from the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), paid for by American taxpayers.

Farm Bureau has a long his-tory of questioning govern-ment “experts” and radical court decisions. Under U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s (FWS) own guidelines, a minimum effec-tive population is 5,000 mature birds and 500 breeding pairs. Recent estimates show 350,000 to 500,000 sage grouse across the west with approximately 25,000 in Utah. It appears more about politics and con-

The Utah Farm Bureau has issued a call for applications for its Director of Finance/Controller position. This position coordinates and provides accounting and fi-nancial analysis for the Utah Farm Bureau and other non-insurance business interests.

The Director of Finance is a hands-on position that wears different hats to assure accurate financial and mem-bership records, maximize operational efficiency, safe-

Utah Farm Bureau seeks applicants for Director of Finance/Controller position

guard assets and assist county Farm Bureaus with financial record keeping, procedures, budgets and reporting.

Applicant will report to the CEO on internal division bud-gets, expenditures, building management and financial mat-ters requiring management at-tention. The position entails working closely with division heads and consulting in a timely matter with the CEO on sensitive or other accounting matters. It also interacts with Farm Bureaus

in other states to keep up on significant developments in non-profit financial manage-ment and accounting.

Skills needed: Bachelor De-gree in Accounting; experience in accounting required, with six years preferred; ability to plan, organize and supervise the work of others; advanced understanding of non-profit accounting and tax laws pre-ferred; knowledge of Micro-soft Office (Excel/Word) and

Utah Farm Bureau News 3February 2014

Farmers have a full plate in 2014By Bob StallmanAmerican Farm Bureau President

The old expression “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” is fitting as we ring in the new year.

As we begin 2014, farmers are facing down many of the same legisla-tive issues we were a year ago: farm bill, immigra-tion, waterways infra-structure, taxes and the list goes on. But, while on the surface it looks like not a heck of a lot was accomplished in the past year, in spite of what was a contentious political year, solid progress was made on several of Farm Bureau’s priority issues.

Moving the NeedleAs the popular Christ-

mas/New Year song goes: “What have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun,” I can’t help but look back at 2013 and think that Farm Bureau definitely moved the needle on our

key issues. A farm bill will likely be completed early in the new year, the Senate and House passed a waterways bill and the labor issue progressed further than it has in its

history. I daresay that the issues on our agenda moved as far, or farther, than those of any other policy advocacy organi-zation.

Further, Farm Bureau had a huge judicial win with the Lois Alt case. We joined Mrs. Alt in standing up to the En-vironmental Protection Agency when it threat-ened her with enormous

fines for ordinary storm water runoff. Unfortu-nately, agriculture is in-creasingly going to have to use the judicial branch to stop agencies like EPA from overreaching and trying to make political hay by targeting farmers. And rest assured that Farm Bureau will keep working to protect farm-ers and ranchers on these important issues.

On the HorizonLooking ahead, farmers

and ranchers will have a full plate in 2014. In ad-dition to completing the farm bill and implement-ing a new five-year law, passing waterways and port infrastructure leg-islation out of Congress and continuing our work on ag labor, a lot more work remains on other important issues.

Tax reform and the federal budget will take center stage as we con-tinue pushing for rational budget reforms and pri-

oritized spending cuts to put America’s fiscal policy back on track. Instead of continually plunging off of one budget cliff and shooting down the rap-ids to the next, we must look for fair and balanced solutions. In doing so, we need to make real progress on individual and business tax reforms that affect farmers’ and ranchers’ profitability. This, too, will help bolster economic recovery.

Farmers and ranchers will continue to battle pe-rennial regulatory creep in 2014, particularly as it relates to waters of the U.S. Current pro-posed regulations that we know are under re-view completely ignore repeated U.S. Supreme Court decisions that up-hold congressional intent and deny EPA the right to create law on a regulatory whim. If these regulations are adopted and enforced, farmers and ranchers can expect that nearly every-thing they do pertaining

to water on their farms and ranches will be reg-ulated by EPA.

On a separate note, another year has passed and we are still await-ing Food and Drug Ad-ministration clarity on how various proposed food safety rules will affect farmers. With the complexity inherent in each of these rules, Farm Bureau is join-ing the call with other farm groups and state regulatory officials urg-ing FDA to provide an adequate period of time to thoroughly review all of the “final” propos-als together in order to avoid unnecessary, and potentially unfair, regu-latory requirements that do little to improve food safety.

So, while we have a lot on the horizon this com-ing year, Farm Bureau stands ready to take these challenges and op-portunities head on. It’s time to clean our plate.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the next several months contacting farmers and ranchers across the nation to conduct the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The results of this survey will serve as a baseline for numerous federal policies and programs

USDA to measure the economic well-being of American farms

that affect U.S. farms and farm families.

“ARMS is our primary tool for gauging the financial condition and production practices on American farms and ranches,” said Bill Meyer, director of the NASS Mountain Regional Field Office. “By participating in this survey, farmers directly impact the decisions that affect them, their families and

their operations.” NASS conducts ARMS

jointly with USDA’s Economic Research Service. In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, the federal agencies will reach out to nearly 35,000 producers nationwide, including over 1,100 across the Mountain Region states, including Utah. The survey asks producers to

USDA continued on pg 28


HEIFERS continued on pg 19

By Garrick Hall, Utah Farm Bureau Central Regional Manager

In early October, at the same time most of the country was consumed with the effects of the government shutdown, as much as four feet of snow blanketed much of South Dakota. Due to the earliness of the winter storm, most if not all livestock were still on summer range completely unprotected from the harsh weather. As a result tens of thousands of cattle died, with some ranchers reporting as high as 90 percent of their animals lost.

Families were devastated; much of what they had worked so hard on to establish was gone in a matter of a few days. Pictures of the devastation were heart wrenching, causing many

Utah ranchers step up to help South Dakota ranchers recover from monster storm

to ask what they could do to help. One who asked himself this question was Duchesne county Farm Bureau member Guy Thayne. Thayne turned to his faith and LDS scriptures seeking an answer and read the following from the Book of Mormon: “But behold I say unto you that by small and simple things, great things come to pass,”(Alma 37:6).

“So what I decided to do is gather up one cow from each rancher,” Thayne said. “And if enough of them in the United States [donated] – and I know there are enough – we could replace most of these cows for these people.”

Thayne went to work seeking to find ranchers willing to

donate a heifer. The response was good. Ranchers from the Uintah Basin donated 72 heifers and local businesses donated cash, fuel and trucks to deliver the livestock.

Unfortunately, getting the heifers donated and ready to send was only part of the problem. Navigating the bureaucratic red tape and finding someone to help facilitate the delivery was another. In South Dakota, local ag groups were unwilling to help with the effort, some saying cash donations would be easier to process, so Thayne turned to local LDS church leaders to help find deserving young ranch families. The heifers were finally delivered in early December.

“This don’t cover much, but it helps a little,” Thayne said.

Similar efforts in other states have lead to approximately 600 head of cattle being donated.

Marti Jo Durflinger from Opal, South Dakota was a recipient of some of the Utah heifers and posted the following on the social media site Facebook.

“Thanks so much for sharing

these pictures with us, Guy! It is neat to be able to see the process from start to finish, and it makes us realize how much effort and time you and others have devoted to helping us and our neighbors get back on our feet,” Durflinger said. “We will always be so grateful for everyone’s generosity and for the difference you’ve made in our lives! We really appreciate the quality of cattle that were donated and look forward to rebuilding our herd!”

“God’s love has been so evident and has shown through all of your efforts. It was so hard at the time to think anything good would ever come out of this storm…we were heartbroken and devastated…and it was just really tough trying to keep our chins up. Thank you for giving

us hope and showing us that you cared! Looking forward to meeting your family some day and thanks so much for blessing us with your friendship,” Durflinger concluded.

Duchesne County Farm Bureau President Trent Potter

Bucky Der�inger with a longhorn that was donated by Utah ranchers.



Utah Farm Bureau News 7February 2014CONVENTIONContinued from pg. 1

er to develop policy that benefits all of American agriculture,” he noted.

While lawmakers are close to the finish line on the farm bill and the Water Resources Devel-opment Act, farmers and ranchers can’t wait any longer for effective, long-term solutions to the ag-ricultural labor crisis, which has forced growers to leave millions of dollars worth of crops unhar-vested and threatens the country’s food security.

“Farmers and ranch-ers have been waiting for Congress to take action and work for solutions, waiting for them to put the nation’s needs above politics,” Stallman said.

Despite this time of congressional gridlock,

few organizations have seen their key priorities passed by even one house of Congress, much less two, Stallman noted.

“The progress we’ve made speaks to our grass-roots strength, our strate-gic focus and our credibil-ity as the nation’s Voice of Agriculture.”

On the regulatory front, securing farmers’ and ranchers’ privacy is a growing concern, as are attempts to challenge farmers’ ability to use modern technology to increase crop yields and food quality.

“Instead of focusing on how to feed more and more people with existing land and water, and in-stead of allowing us to use food staples to address nutritional deficiencies in less-developed countries,

some are intent on stand-ing in the way,” Stallman said of state legislation and ballot initiatives that would require labels for foods made with biotech ingredients or even ban the use of biotechnology outright.

With the Environmen-tal Protection Agency late last year putting the wheels in motion to pro-pose extending federal regulatory authority to nearly every body of wa-ter in the country — and ultimately regulating so-called “waters” that aren’t even wet most of the time — farmers and ranchers are bracing for a fight.

Farm Bureau has also been working through the courts to stop EPA’s attempts to broaden its regulatory reach.

Disappointed with a

loss in its case against the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay pollution limit rules, AFBF, along with Penn-sylvania Farm Bureau, has appealed the ruling.

“Once again, we are saddled-up for the long ride in our fight for ratio-nal regulations that allow farmers to continue feed-ing America,” Stallman said.

Stallman highlighted West Virginia poultry grower Lois Alt’s court battle against EPA’s un-lawful water regulations as a testament to the pow-erful results that can be achieved when people work for the good of the whole.

“Whether it’s a regu-latory, legal or legisla-tive issue, just think how much Farm Bureau could achieve if everyone was

like Lois Alt—taking a long-term view and tak-ing a stand for America’s farmers and ranchers,” he said. One challenge that Farm Bureau has turned into an opportunity is the aging demographic in agriculture. Farm Bu-reau’s rural development initiatives — like the or-ganization’s partnership with the Department of Agriculture on Start to Farm and its support for the recently launched Farmer Veteran Coalition — put beginning farmers and ranchers on the path to success.

Stallman encouraged Farm Bureau members to take part in the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s effort to help create opportuni-ties on farms for those returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

W A S H I N G T O N , D.C. — With the im-pending implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the health insurance tax (HIT) that comes with it, farmers, ranchers and many other small business owners are anxious for action on The Jobs and Premium Protection Act (S. 603, H.R. 763), which would repeal the tax.

The HIT, set to begin in 2014, will increase health insurance costs for farmers, ranchers and other small businesses by imposing a levy on the net premiums of health

Call for Health Insurance Taxrepeal grows more urgent

insurance companies. This additional cost will be passed on to those who obtain their health insurance through the fully insured market.

“The cost of health in-surance is a major con-cern for farmers and ranchers,” said Pat Wolff, American Farm Bureau Federation tax special-ist. “Health insurance costs already have gone up more than 100 per-cent since 2000 and the HIT will impose even more devastating costs on America’s farmers, ranchers and small busi-nesses.”

A Congressional Bud-get Office report re-

leased earlier this year confirmed that the HIT “would be largely passed through to consumers in the form of higher pre-miums for private cover-age.” Health insurance costs for small businesses are already rapidly trend-ing higher, and the new tax would raise insurance costs even more, mak-ing it harder for farmers and ranchers to purchase coverage for themselves, their families and their employees.

“Most farmers and ranchers do not have large enough pools of employees to be self-in-sured,” explained Wolff. “Instead, they purchase

health insurance directly from an insurance com-pany whose premiums determine how much HIT an insurance com-pany must pay. Because of this, the cost of this tax will be passed through to small businesses that purchase those plans.”

Farmers and ranch-ers have also noted that the HIT has nothing to do with reforming the health care insurance system but was included in PPACA as a way to raise revenue to offset the cost of the legislation. During 2014, $8 billion dollars is expected to be collected. In 2018, that will rise to $14.3 billion and continue to climb to reach $101.7 billion in the first 10 years.

The Farm Bureau-sup-ported Jobs and Pre-

mium Protection Act is sponsored by Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in the Senate and Reps. Charles Boustany (R-La.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah) in the House.

Acknowledging how difficult repealing the HIT would be, Boustany and has been joined by Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) in offering legislation (H.R. 3367) that would to delay the new tax un-til 2016 and to provide a process to return any pre-mium increases attribut-able to the HIT for 2014 and 2015 to consumers. A similar bill is pending in the Senate.


Member Bene� t Column

Disney on Ice “Rockin’ Ever After!” Show dates, times and prices: Wednesday, March 5 @ 7:00 pm; these tickets are just $12.25 ea.! Thursday, March 6 @ 7 pm, tickets are $20.50. Friday, March7 @ 3:30 p.m. & 7:00 pm, tickets are $20.50. Saturday, March 8 @ 11:30 am & 3:30 p.m. tickets are $25.50. Saturday, March 8 @ 7:00 pm tickets, are $20.50. Sunday, March 9 @ 1:30 p.m. tickets, are $25.50. Sunday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m., tickets are $20.50.

***Farm Bureau Program with General Motors*** Eligible Farm Bureau members can now receive a $500 discount on each qualifying 2013 or 2014 model year Chevrolet, GMC or Buick vehicle they purchase or lease. This Farm Bureau member exclusive is off ered for vehicles purchased or leased at participating dealerships through Farm Bureau’s ---GM PRIVATE OFFER at a participating GM dealership. Save an additional $1,000 through April 1, 2014 when you purchase any new 2013 or 2014 Regular Cab heavy duty 2500/3500 series Silverado or Sierra HD truck.

Business owners including farmers and ranchers who intend to use their vehicles for business purposes are eligible for an additional $500 in incentives which can be combined with the GM Private Off er. The GM Business Choice program is an added benefi t which can be redeemed for GM accessories, upfi ts, a Lowe’s gift card, a MasterCard gift card or GM customer rewards. The GM Business Choice program is designed specifi cally for business owners who use vehicles in the day-to-day operation of their business and not solely for transportation. To confi rm eligibility, a business owner must provide documentation such as a prior year’s 1040 Schedule C or F or some other form of business documentation.

Farm Bureau members will receive a manufacturer’s incentive discount of $300-$500 on Case IH Farmall Compact Tractors, Farmall Utilities, Large Square, Round and Small Square Balers, Disc mower conditioners, Sickle mower conditioners and Case IH Scout. Members should negotiate their best deal with their preferred Case IH dealer and then add the manufacturer’s incentive discount to the bottom line. There is no limit to the number of incentive discounts that a Farm Bureau member may use so long as it’s no more than one per unit acquired and the acquisition(s) is/are made for their personal and/or business use. Visit fbadvantage.com for a list of eligible tractors & implements.

Put dollars in your piggybank with discounted ski lift tickets! Canyons: Single Day Adult Passes are $76. Good any day – no blackout periods! Passes are not dated. Purchase ahead for use anytime during the season. Non-refundable. Deer Valley Resort: Vouchers for lift tickets are $74. Vouchers may not be redeemed for or applied to discounted lift tickets or multi-day lift tickets. Blackout dates are between 2/15/14 – 2/ 27/14. Non-refundable.Park City: Lift tickets are $71. No blackout periods – ski every day during the season. Passes are not dated. Purchase ahead for use any time during the season. Non-refundable.

More Savings for Southern California Vacations: San Diego Zoo: adult: $39.00 per day & child, $30.50 per day San Diego Wild Animal Park: adult: $39.00 per day & child, $30.50 per dayLegoland (California) $68 Adult, $63 Child (under 3 Free) 2nd Day FREE (within 90 days)Legoland California Park Resort Hopper: $73 Adult, $68 Child (under 3 FREE). (includes water park when open and aquarium) LEGOLAND and Water Park must be visited on the same day. All visits must occur before Dec. 31, 2014. SeaWorld (San Diego): $59.00 per guest for single day admission, 2 & under FREEUniversal Studios $75.00 for 3 days! Valid for 12 months after 1st visit. (some blackout dates apply)

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

Is your piggybank empty?

Put dollars in your piggybank when you take advantage of the following member bene� ts:


A Woman’s ViewVice President of Member Services

&Farm Bureau Women - Coordinator

Aurline Boyack

Food Link consumer out-reach program launched

Our Food Link, a new year-round national program that counties and our state Farm Bu-reau can use to reach consum-ers of all ages and backgrounds with information about today’s agriculture, was launched dur-ing the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Convention in January.

The launch of Our Food Link w a s s p e a r -headed by the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee, with participation open to all Farm Bureau members

Our Food Link activities sug-gested by the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership committee range from outreach at supermarkets or farmers’ markets to hosting interactive booths at community events, speaking with lawmakers and neighbors about food and visit-ing classrooms to help students understand agricultural topics. Other program ideas include: an Adopt-a-Farmer program, fun runs, garden projects and “Zest ‘n Zing” or other foodie events. Our Food Link activities may also include the collection of food and monetary donations for Ronald McDonald House Charities or other charities.

“As I learned more about this new consumer outreach program at the recent AFBF Annual Convention, I became excited about the potential for our counties to develop unique consumer outreach programs,” said Belva Parr, Utah Farm Bureau Women’s Chair. “Sug-gested activities are varied enough that every county can find an activity which will work well for their local communi-

ties. Our goal in supporting ‘Our Food Link’ is to help consumers learn more about the sources of the food we eat and connect with the farmers who grow that food.”

“Consumer outreach is more important than ever because the average American is now at least

three generations removed from the farm,” said Terry Gilbert, a Kentucky farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Commit-tee. “Farm and ranch families make up less than 2 percent of the U.S. population today.”

Grants for county and state Farm Bureaus to initiate Our Food Link projects are available through the American Farm Bureau on a competitive basis. Up to seven $700 grants will be awarded for project proposals that reflect strong connections between the food system and agriculture, while creatively en-gaging consumers in a way that encourages them to learn more about food and agricultural prod-ucts. For more information about the application process, contact Elaine Bristol at [email protected] or (202) 406-3629.

“I hope our counties will con-sider applying for one of the American Farm Bureau grants. These grants are an excellent way to obtain seed money to start an annual county Food Link proj-ect,” said Parr.

The ‘Our Food Link’ Planning Toolkit and publicity tools may be downloaded at http://bit.ly/1j1jH5H.


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

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$

By Lucas Martin, Statewide Family Finance Extension Faculty, USU ExtensionIncome taxes are like Christmas; we know it is going to happen every year, yet it always seems to

catch us off guard. Sometimes we like what we get, sometimes it’s a lump of coal, but each year it is going to roll around whether we’re ready or not! Filing a tax return with the IRS doesn’t have to be painful, and there are some things we can do ahead of time to be prepared to file.

Have the previous year’s return on hand. It can always be helpful to refer to a previous tax filing. Since we only file once a year it can be easy to forget the way we did something. Use sticky notes on the filing to remind you of how you completed a tricky section or as a reminder of why you did something a particular way.

Create a tax return folder. Have a binder, envelope, or manila folder where you can gather all of your tax documents as they come in. In particular watch out for your W-2’s and 1099 forms to arrive in the mail. If you itemize expenses it is important to begin preparing for taxes early. Make sure you keep donation receipts, medical receipts, and proof of business expenses in a safe, easily accessible place so you will have them ready on time.

If you are self-employed, take the time to visit the IRS’s Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center at http://goo.gl/RgSeQs. It is filled with resources to help you understand your obligations, when you should file, how to complete and itemize returns, ways to choose a tax professional and additional online tools to get you started on the right track.

If you need help filing the tax return, there are a few different options. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA for short) program can help many low- to moderate-income families with their tax filings. Volunteers with the program are IRS-certified to help you complete your tax forms free of charge if you make less than $52,000 annually. To find a VITA site near you visit http://utahtaxhelp.org/.

In addition to VITA there is also the Tax Counseling for the Elderly or TCE. TCE helps individuals over the age of 60 with their filings. They specialize in dealing with tax related questions on pensions and retirement issues. The AARP has a great resource on their website to find TCE volunteers, find them at http://goo.gl/KY4D3.

You can always file your tax return yourself, or if you need additional assistance, pay a qualified tax preparer to help your. Regardless of your circumstances, filing is important. Failure to file a tax return can carry hefty penalties, with the cost of not filing outweighing the cost of not paying a tax bill. For more details see http://goo.gl/Ylh3U2. Not filing can have other consequences as well; some government programs or loans require past tax returns as part of the application process.

The IRS reported that there was more than $1 billion dollars of unclaimed tax return money in 2008. Not filing can mean you don’t get to claim what is yours! When you do file, try to be patient if you are expecting a return. Tax refund/anticipation loans are very expensive and can take a big bite out of your return. Finally, take the time to consider as a family how you will spend your tax re-fund. Deciding in advance means you are more likely to spend it as planned and doing it as a family offers accountability and support in sticking to your goals. Make tax time a time to get ahead; you will have something to look forwards to each year.

�e certainty of death and taxes SALT LAKE CITY – Farm-ers, ranchers, researchers, agri-cultural business operators and conservationists are invited to participate in forums about cover crops and soil health from 7:45 a.m. until noon Tuesday, Febru-ary 18, at four different locations in Utah.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is partner-ing with Utah State University to sponsor the four Utah forums, which will be conducted simul-taneously along with 200+ other forums throughout the country. They will be in concert with the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health in Omaha, Neb.

In addition to providing a venue to discuss local cover crop and soil health opportunities, benefits and barriers, the forums will fea-ture live-streaming video of the national conference’s opening session.

“By taking advantage of com-munications technology, local participants will be able to view discussions about the soil health movement nationally,” says Utah State Conservationist Dave Brown. “Then local farmers and ranchers can discuss the benefits of healthier soil and how to im-prove soil health on their land.”

The four Utah forum locations are USU Brigham City cam-pus (east end), Carbon County Event Center in Price, Richfield Area County Fairgrounds, and USU Eastern Blanding Campus Events Center.

To participate or get additional information, contact your local NRCS field office or call NRCS State Agronomist Niels Hansen at (801) 524-4568, or email him at [email protected].

NRCS to host cover

crops forums


YOURUtah Farm Bureau

at Work

Utah Farm Bureau members attended… the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Utah delegates participated in the policy session and members attended numerous conferences on topics ranging from the clean water act, the farm bill, trade, leadership development and social media. Retired General Stanley McChrystal and Alan Robertson from the hit television show Duck Dynasty were the keynote speakers and encouraged Farm Bureau members to be adaptable to changing conditions impacting agriculture, and to always seek to develop a sense of “home” within our families.

UFBF Environmental Staff… submitted comments to Utah Department of Water Quality on the draft CAFO permit and worked with several animal feeding operations on water quality issues.

Utah Farm Bureau ... participated in a Stem, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) conference which is a relatively new legislative effort to give greater emphasis to core educational topics. Utah Farm Bureau is participating in these meetings to ensure rural and agricultural education programs are not cut or compromised for other programs.

Utah Farm Bureau ... is a member of Governor Herbert’s State Water Strategy Advisory Team. This team is charged with surfacing ways to meet the growing water needs as Utah’s population doubles in the next 30 years.

Utah Farm Bureau staff ... participated in industry meetings for the Utah Horticultural Association as well as the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association.

Utah Farm Bureau... attended a meeting with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and small grain producers to further discuss possibilities of creating a Utah Small Grain Marketing Order. This Order would potentially generate a couple thousand dollars used to further research and promote small grain products in Utah and the Intermountain West.

Utah Farm Bureau... attended a Executive Water Taskforce meeting in which a number of water related bills were reviewed in preparation for the 2014 Utah Legislature. Utah Farm Bureau is a member of this taskforce, which meets regularly to consider water legislation.

Utah Farm Bureau News12 February 2014On the edge of common sense

BAXTER BLACK

ROBERTSON continued on pg 14

�e human attachmentIt had been a long day for Stef-

fan. Frozen pipes, touchy trac-tors, cranky cows and a stuffy nose. A headache had kept him banging his head against the wall from 6 am to sundown.

His wife and kids went to town that evening, leaving him alone. He was hungry but decided to take cold medicine and a nap before heating up the leftovers she’d left him.

He fell asleep in the chair and slept through supper. It was 10:30 when the family returned. Steffan woke and went out to check the calvy heifers before retiring. He pulled on his over-shoes, coat and cap and groggily stumbled out to the calving lot.

“Ump,” He groaned, “A cow in need.” She lay on her bel-ly straining, one shiny hoof peeked in and out. He struggled out of his coat and retrieved a nylon calving strap from the shed. Attaching it to the pro-truding foot, he pulled. No luck. “Dang it,” spoke his hazy brain, “I need still another strap!”

He procured it and hooked up the second foot, placing the two unattached ends of the straps around his wrists. He sat down behind the mama cow, prop-ping his boots up against her rear end to gain some leverage. When he leaned back, it startled her. She rose in a fit of bewilder-ment to rid herself of the human attachment. The faster she ran, the heavier the attachment grew. Centrifugal force disal-lowed neither of the two straps on his wrists to loosen.

Stuck like a rock in David’s

slingshot, Steffan’s lower ex-tremities pounded and pum-meled posts and rock hard clods. His knees, hips, limbs, buttocks, calves and heels man-aged to find every frozen track and petrified cowpie in the pen, depending on his centrifugal position.

He circled the pen at least three times and, because he’d left the gate open, he circled the adjoining pen an equal number. He determined in his foggy condition that the gate post, feed bunk, waterer and tundra all had the same density at 10˚ Fahrenheit. On his last collision with the inner post, he gathered enough slack to fly free and lit with a thud.

The confused cow, thinking she had calved, turned and came back to the stunned Stef-fan. He lay there covered with snow, mud, manure and what-ever comes from the back of a cow during parturition. Led by her maternal instincts she sniffed and began to lick him clean.

He recovered and stumbled back to the house for help. He recounted the story to his wife, who collapsed on the kitchen floor in paroxysms of uncon-trollable laughter. “Is that all?” she asked, pounding the floor and gasping.

“Yes,” he said, but somewhere in the back of his subconscious he remembered getting to his knees and trying to nurse.

SAN ANTONIO — “Duck Dynasty’s” Alan Robertson compared his famous family to the loveable monsters from “The Munsters,” labrador re-trievers and even terrorists during his keynote address at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Convention.

The oldest Robertson son, nicknamed the “beardless brother,” arrived onstage sporting a close-shaven beard.

“My brothers give me a hard time when I grow a beard and say that I look like Yasser Arafat, and that’s really offensive to me,” Rob-ertson said. Then, pointing to photos of Osama bin Lad-en and his father Phil and brother Jase, he quipped, “But you look at that and tell me they don’t look like terrorists.”

As the newest member of the “Duck Dynasty” cast, Robertson said his reason for joining the family’s tele-vision series after three sea-sons on A&E was to show America what a “real home” looked like and to have a larger platform to spread his message about “the kingdom of God.” The former pastor said his family’s motto is “Faith, fam-ily, ducks.”

Robertson shared intimate details of his family’s past, in-cluding a period of time that his father “strayed from his faith” and nearly left the family when Alan was a child.

“My mom taught us [life] les-sons because my dad’s drink-ing and lifestyle turned for the worse,” said Robertson.

Crediting his mother, Miss Kay, as the glue that held his

“Beardless Brother” shares Duck Dynasty family’s story

family together during those early hardships, Robertson revealed that his proudest moment on the series was his debut episode, “Till Duck Do Us Part,” during which the family threw a surprise wedding for his parents.

In addition to sharing the sadder side of the Robertson’s family history, he made a series of comical canine comparisons.

“Labrador retrievers are good dogs,” Robertson said. “We use a black lab because they’re always ready to go, like my dad and Jase. They never miss a day of ducking.”

Robertson went on to liken himself and his brother Jake to the “more domesticated” yellow lab and his colorful Uncle Si to a chocolate lab on metham-phetamine—-what Robertson

Photo courtesy of AFBFAlan Robertson of the television show ‘Duck Dynasty’ spoke to Farm Bureau members at the national convention in San Antonio, and spoke on the need of creating a sense of ‘home’ in our lives.


Key crop insurance sales closing date quickly approaching

For the 2013 crop year, crop insurance programs admin-istered by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) covered more than $29.5 mil-lion in crop liability for Utah farmers and ranchers. The state had more than 570 policies in force for 2013, and those poli-cies covered over 150,000 Utah crop acres. Over 30 percent of Utah’s insured producers suf-fered a loss and received an in-demnity in 2013; in fact, the aver-age indemnity per indemni-fied policy for 2013 was nearly $18,000.

So, how will you manage risk in 2014? Utah producers are reminded that March 17 is the sales closing date for seeded spring crops, including corn, dry beans, oats, safflower, and barley (Cache, Juab, Morgan, Rich, San-pete, Tooele, and Washington Counties only). March 17 is also

the last date for new en-rollees to sign up for RMA’s Adjusted Gross Revenue - Lite ( A G R - L i t e ) P r o g r a m , w h i c h i s a w h o l e - f a r m

revenue insurance program.Producers planning to start (or

modify) coverage should contact

a crop insurance agent immedi-ately to meet the sales closing deadline and be advised of other key program dates.

A crop insurance agent direc-tory is available on the RMA website at http://www.rma.usda.gov. The RMA website also offers many other useful tools, includ-ing a premium calculator, exten-sive program descriptions, and a variety of educational materials.

Federal crop insurance program policies are sold and serviced by private crop insurance companies. Custom Ag Solutions works with RMA and other partner organizations to educate Utah producers about risk management and Federal crop insurance programs. To receive information by mail, call CAS at 877-227-8094. USDA, RMA, and CAS are equal opportunity providers.

FINANCEContinued from pg. 2

QuickBooks; a self-starter who is reliable and demon-strates an ability to work with others and is willing and able to roll up their sleeves and get the job done; a basic understanding of Agriculture.

The closing date for the posi-tion is February 12, 2014. Ap-plicants should send a Cover Letter and Resumé by email, fax or mail to:

Linda Erb, HR CoordinatorUtah Farm Bureau Federa-

tion9865 South State StreetSandy, UT 84070

Email: [email protected]: 801.233.3009Fax: 801.233.3030


affectionately termed “a meth lab.”

Despite some of the wild an-tics on the series, Robertson said his father still doesn’t understand why the show has such a broad appeal to non-duck hunters. Robertson’s hunch is that viewers yearn for shows that demonstrate the Christian family values that Americans need and are miss-ing today.

“Something ordinary to us and probably to you [farmers] like working hard all day and coming home to have dinner around a table at night has be-come extraordinary to people in the 21st century,” said Rob-ertson. “That’s what the king-dom of God

Is—having a place called home.”

ROBERTSONContinued from pg. 12

Joel and Becca Ferry of Corinne were recognized in the ‘Top 10’ in the Young Farmer & Rancher ‘Achievement Award’ at the Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation’s na-tional convention in San Antonio. The award is considered the top recognition for young farmers and ranchers nationally.

Young farmers and ranchers from around the country competed for the awards by demonstrating knowledge of and achievement in agriculture, as well as commit-ment to promoting the agriculture industry.

The Achievement Award recog-nizes young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhib-ited superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operation’s growth and financial

Box Elder County farm family earns‘Top 10’ �nish at AFBF Convention

progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau.

The contestants were evaluated on a combination of their farm-ing business growth and financial progress of their farm or ranch; Farm Bureau leadership, as well as leadership outside of Farm Bureau. More specifically, the judges looked for excellence in man-agement, growth and scope of the enter-prise and self-initia-tive that had been displayed throughout the farm or ranch.

“We’re really happy to have made it to San Antonio and compet-ed with these other great farmers” Joel Ferry said. “Making it in the top 10 is really an honor, but beyond this competition, it’s great to see the qual-ity of young people in agriculture and reas-suring to see these future leaders in ac-tion.”

Having won the Utah Farm Bureau’s ‘Achievement Award’ in November, the Ferry family qualified to compete with other state winners from around the country.

For their Utah Farm Bureau award, Joel and Becca received a 2014 Polaris Ranger ATV – cour-tesy of Utah’s Polaris dealers – a $500 check on behalf of General Motors, a year’s insurance policy from Farm Bureau Financial Ser-vices for the ATV, and an expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau convention in San Antonio, Texas, where the Ferry’s repre-sented Utah in the competition. The winners of the national com-petition receive their choice truck

from either Chevrolet or General Motors.

“We really enjoyed being able to network with the other com-petitors,” Becca Ferry said. “The application process itself was also an opportunity to see where we’ve been, and the clarify our goals for the future.”

“It’s fantastic to have a young

farming couple from Utah recog-nized among our country’s finest,” said Leland Hogan, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. “Having articulate advocates for agriculture like we do with Joel and Becca will only help farmers and ranchers build strong relationships with our non-farming neighbors. We’re extremely proud of them.”

The Ferry’s are known in the region as advocates for agriculture. Joel is a part of a long-time farming and cattle ranching family in Box Elder County.

Photo by Matt HargreavesJoel and Becca Ferry (center on stage) made it to the ‘Top 10’ of the Achievement Award at the national convention, considered the top award for young farmers and ranchers.


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Along the CountrysideVice President- CommunicationsMatt Hargreaves

The Utah Department of Ag-riculture and Food (UDAF) an-nounced in December that Box Elder County Commissioner LuAnn Adams would become the department’s next Commis-sioner. Adams is also the first female to lead the organization, which is one of the state’s oldest, having been created in 1921.

I n N o v e m b e r 2013, i t was an-nounced that then-UDAF Commission-er Leonard Blackham would be retiring in January 2014. The Utah Farm Bureau thanks Commissioner Blackham for his 25 years of public service, including the Sanpete County Commission and Utah State Senate, in addition to his work at UDAF.

Things have sure changed for Adams once she decided to slow down a little. After serving as Recorder and Treasurer for Box Elder County for 16 years, Adams felt it was time to “slow down” and just stay on her fam-ily’s ranch in Box Elder County. But then she got the bug to run for office again, and was suc-cessfully elected as a County

New agriculture commissioner excited to get to work with Utah’s farmers and ranchers

Commissioner in 2010.During her time on the com-

mission, Adams was heavily involved in issues impacting agriculture, including work on public lands issues. Adams helped Box Elder County be-come the first county in Utah to

adopt a Sage Grouse plan aimed at keeping the bird off the fed-eral Threatened and Endan-gered list. She also served on the state’s Sage Grouse Com-mittee, and will continue to do so as UDAF Commissioner.

Further boosting Commis-sioner Adams’ credentials, she also worked on issues relating to grazing, R.S. 2477 roads, and wildfires, having also served on Governor Herbert’s Cata-strophic Wildfires committee.

Adams comes to UDAF with the farm experience that comes from living on the land. Spend-ing her first years in southern Idaho on a potato and beet farm near Pocatello, then Adams and

her family moved to Wells, Ne-vada where she was introduced to cattle ranching.

“It was there that I decided I wanted to marry a cowboy…which I did!” Adams said.

Adams and her husband Bob run a cattle ranch and

dry farm in Promon-tory, Utah and refers to her husband as the “Kochia King”. The family raises forage kochia for seed as well as forage, and

Adams said she has enjoyed the farming life.

“I love the hard work and the enjoy-ment (rewards) of working close to the soil,” Adams said. “I believe those values have served me well, as I have been called by some the ‘get ‘er done’ girl. Whether it’s on the ranch or in the office, I like to get stuff

done.”Adams wants to continue the

direction and many of the great programs already going on at UDAF, including the Grazing Improvement Program (GIP). Having done research recently, UDAF and Adams are confident the message of grazing and en-vironmental stewardship is be-

ing heard. Recent research has shown that 78 percent of resi-dents along the Wasatch Front think that grazing on public lands is acceptable, and 84 per-cent think farmers and ranch-ers are responsible stewards

o f the land. Adams wants t o c o n t i n u e the great work GIP is doing, by completing the approxi-mate 150 proj-ects currently being worked on, and look-ing toward new projects.

Among her other priority issues at UDAF including fur-thering the economic well be-ing for farmers, which includes helping with research and marketing. Adams wants to continue the great work of

Utah’s Own and further pro-mote the benefits of marketing orders in the state. Tied to the marketing success for farmers and ranchers is work on educa-tion in Utah, to help residents become more familiar with what is required to grow food in the state.

“We all need to know where

Utah Farm Bureau News 19February 2014our food comes from, it isn’t from Wal-Mart,” Adams said. “There are farmers and ranchers working hard every day to get the milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, grains and everything else we eat onto our dinner table.”

As well as educating consumers on where their food comes from, Adams also wants to point to all the work going into food safety, from farm-to-fork, to help consumers un-derstand what a safe product they have.

Lastly, Adams wants t o c o n t i n u e w o r k -ing on the governor’s catastrophic wildfire reduction strategy as well as a war on weeds, recognizing the im-portant role grazing plays in this effort. “I believe it is more economically prudent to precondition range and forest lands to re-sist fires, than to spend millions of dollars to put out fires and re-build the damage,” Ad-ams said. “Our goal is also to remove noxious weeds so livestock has access to a more af-fordable source of feed. Removing the weeds from productive crop-land helps keep farm-ers productive.”

The Utah Farm Bu-reau would like to wel-come Commissioner Adams and looks for-ward to working with her for years to come in promoting and en-couraging agriculture production in Utah.

drove one of the two truckloads of heifers to South Dakota. Trent wrote the following as a letter to the editor in the Uintah Basin Standard.

“As a follow-up to the article about the heifers for South Dakota project, I wanted t o i n f o r m t h e public that despite the obstacles put in the way by red tape, the project was a success. Apparently, some o f t h e s i m i l a r projects around the West have had so much trouble organizing and jumping through hoops, organizers have considered halting their efforts.

I would like to publicly thank Guy Thayne for organizing the project, as well as Amy Hunter and all who contributed.

HEIFERSContinued from pg. 4

Because of the generosity of the people in the Basin, from donating cattle, trucking, fuel, money, facilities and time and effort, the animals all were delivered to people

suffering from the effects of Storm Atlas.

I h a v e h e a r d i t said that a few cattle couldn’t possibly make a difference, when tens of

thousands have been lost, but having been there when the cattle were received, I can tell you it made a huge difference to those families, and they were extremely

grateful and humbled by the generosity of you people in the Basin. I know that those who donated do not want any recognition, so I

Marti Jo Der�ingerUtah and South Dakota ranchers came together to help one another a�er a freak blizzard blew through much of South Dakota. Pictured le� to right are: Roy Burk, Guy �ayne, Kirk Schuelke, Bucky Der�inger, Marti Jo Der�inger, Bridger Potter and Trent Potter.

just wanted to tell you that there are a couple of ranch families in South Dakota whose Christmas season will be a whole lot brighter now.”

T h r o u g h t h e v i s i o n a n d determination of Guy Thayne and others , and the seemingly small and simple efforts from many good p e o p l e h e r e i n Utah and across the country, great r e l i e f h a s b e e n brought to some of the victims of this terrible storm in South Dakota. Undoubtedly, there are many more in need of help, but for those families who received these

heifers hope has been restored, and they know that they are not alone.


County ConnectionVice President- OrganizationDavid Bailey

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroeth-ane, otherwise known as DDT, has long since disappeared from the landscape of our continent. It has not just been banned from our modernized, western culture, but worldwide! DDT is no lon-ger used as an agricultural tool, though it was used extensively during the 1940’s and 50’s to control the outbreak and spread of disease and as a pesticide on American grown crops. Swiss chemist Paul Her-mann Müll actu-ally received a No-bel Prize “for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods” in 1948. The use of DDT is credited to sav-ing millions of lives from deadly diseases such as malaria, typhus, and dengue fever. The overall good that this tool afforded our nation and the world at a certain time in history is indisputable.

Today, the potential use and continued ban of DDT is highly controversial. Although you don’t hear about it much in the local paper, the debate is alive and well in certain circles of the world where malaria and other harmful diseases are still a very real danger. As the debate continues of what’s best for this country or that country, we have drifted towards other similar debates that will shape the way the history books tell our story.

Recently, I had a very interest-ing Facebook conversation with a friend concerning the use of Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s. On Facebook, conver-sations can last several days and I have found that I can really think about what and how I say things before I type them out and hit the send/post button. The per-son with whom I was conversing

When is the best time to plant a tree?shared some thought-provoking points that made me think more deeply about the issue. When it was all said and done, I think we both learned a little about each other’s perspective and it was a mutually-respectable “digital” conversation.

More and more, these types of conversations are taking place in this digital communication arrangement. Whether it’s about DDT, GMO’s or the treatment of

animals in the production of our food, we have the opportunity to be more engaged with consumers — but on a level that many of us are not used to.

Sometimes we may not see these types of conversations as a leadership tool, but that is exactly what they can be. Leader-ship doesn’t always happen from the front of the ship. In fact, the best leaders are also good fol-lowers and inspire others from within an organization. Engag-ing yourself in conversation with others about agricultural issues is critical in today’s social media environment. Reposting positive stories or messages about agri-culture promotes what we do and reaches far more people than we think, and in a constructive way.

A key factor with this type of leadership style is leading with integrity and grace – meaning, we need less hand-to-hand, ban-ter combat and more tempered, intelligent conversation. Some-times we can do more harm than good when we approach these issues with contempt and disgust rather than thoughtful questions and thorough explanation of fact.

We should also remember that winning the argument isn’t nec-essarily what we are after here. The fact is, we cannot change some people’s minds on certain issues right away, but we can have impact.

To have the best and most ef-fective impact is to be respectful and to gain the trust of the person in question, and to relay to them your sincerity on the issue. It’s also helpful to have some outside help when it comes to answering questions and clarifying popular misconceptions. In the case with my Facebook conversation, I suggested to my friend to view a website that answers some of the GMO hot topic questions called http://gmoanswers.com. I fol-lowed up with my own thoughts concerning the safety of food for my own family and built on some commonly-held beliefs that we

both shared. Farm Bureau is an organiza-

tion dedicated to enhancing the leadership skills that we all pos-sess by nature, but need to be nourished to flourish. Our lead-ers work to improve their skills on many levels. As technology continues to guide our lives in ways we may never have imag-ined, we also need to change and adapt to how we lead and how we communicate our story. A wise man once asked me, when was the best time to plant a tree? The answer of course is 30 or 40 years ago, however the second best time is right now. And so it is for those of us that make a living or habit farming and ranching, the time is now to start a meaningful conversation with those that eat.


YF&R Focus: Dustin & Harmony CoxAmerican Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Committee

Whatever you do….don’t milk the cow!By Harmony Cox, AFBF YF&R Com-mittee

I have always loved the fall season, but the past twelve years have been especially wonderful. You see, Dustin and I fell in love in the fall. I remember the beautiful fall leaves, crisp apples, harvest time, freshly weaned calves balling, their foggy breath mak-ing white clouds on the crisp mornings. All of it led up to the best move I ever made. I said “yes” on that snowy December day to the man I thought only existed in fairy tales. Forever looks better every day.

Life back then was happy, simple and exciting! Little did I know it would soon get more challenging – still wonder-ful, but more difficult in ways I didn’t anticipate. Shortly af-ter becoming engaged, Dustin and I were visiting his mother’s family in the town of Beaver. A sweet little old woman, walked over to me after hearing that we were engaged to be married, took me aside and said – after congratulating me of course – “Whatever you do, don’t milk the cow. I’ve been married for 60 years and although I am very good at milking cows, I never once showed my hus-band I was because as soon as he knew I could milk the cow then guess who would be tak-ing the late night milking, with a baby on each hip, when his church meetings ran late?” She then smiled at me and shuffled off. I remember considering her advice for a while and then on the ride home I told Dustin about the encounter. I thought her advice a little silly. I was, after all, a strong, indepen-dent woman who could handle

a milk cow as well as any man, maybe better. I did not think of the old woman again for several years and it was then I would fi-nally understand what she really meant by “don’t milk the cow!”

My realiza-tion came slowly, more and more with the birth of each of our children. I will never forget the Valentine’s Day of 2006. I had a new baby, the weather out-side was bitter, bitter cold, and the wind was relentless. Dustin was called away on business and left his very capable wife, me, to take care of two of our range cows that had just calved. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, here was the problem: both cows were “big teat” cows. The teats on the cows udders were too large when full of milk for the small calves to be able to suck. To remedy this problem, the cows must be milked until the teats are small enough that the calf can fit its mouth around the teat and suck. Still sounds relatively easy right? Well let’s do some calculations. Babies! I had a new baby. How often does a newborn baby eat? Every few hours, right? Ok, lets take baby calves. How often do newborn baby calves eat? And in below freezing temperatures? Yeah! A lot! And let me also remind you that these were beef cows, range cows! NOT MILK COWS! I would feed my baby then drive my car to corrals, leaving my four and two year old to tend the baby. I turned the heater on full blast and told my oldest to roll down the window and

yell if the baby got fussy. I then ran the cows into the chute and milked them while managing to dodge hooves intent on kicking

my head in. It was miserable! I couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand with my little ones in the car. Was I a capable moth-er? Yes! Was I completely ca-pable of handling the cows and calves? Well…were Dorothy’s shoes red? Did Moses part the Red Sea? Are John Deere trac-tors green? Of course I was ca-pable. But when I mixed the two the situations, they were almost more than I could handle.

Then to add hail to my pa-rade that was already being rained on, it was Valentine’s Day! Where were my dozen ros-es? I laugh now as I remember having the thought, “It’s lucky Dustin was smart enough to take the truck and trailer with him because if he hadn’t I would load those cows up and haul them to the livestock auction!” It was then I remembered the old woman and what she had told me. “Don’t milk the cow!”

That wise woman had been trying to spare me this day. She knew how hard farm life could be sometimes for women try-ing to balance the needs of chil-dren, husbands, and the farm. So now the moment of truth: if I could have gone back to the day the woman gave me the advice,

would I have still showed Dustin that I could milk the cow? Would I have rode right along-side him everyday, over rivers and mountains and meadows? Well…do Dalmatians have spots? Do mules wait 50 years to kick you good and hard in revenge for a long ago mistreat-ment? Does my husband think the bovine is the most amazing animal God created (those who know him could answer this without a second thought)? The answer is yes, yes, and yes! Do I understand now how small children can make the work of a farm wife a bit more challeng-ing, more wonderful 100 fold, but still more challenging? Yes I do! I am so grateful for my five daughters and that they are “milking the cow” on our ranch every day. They have loved to work right alongside their Dad from the time they were big enough to toddle to find their boots. I wouldn’t change it. I’d milk the cow again.

So here is a shout out to all the farm Mom’s out there and for all your “late night milkings.” I think of my own Mom, mother of nine, who grew up in urban Phoenix, Arizona. She adapted and did amazing! To all you farm husbands out there … re-member to treat your farm wife like a princess at least once a day. She may be wearing muck boots, but she deserves a crown of jewels. And to all you single women in agriculture who are amazing and running the farm as well as any man could, keep a steady eye on the horizon, prince “farming” is right around the next windrow. He’ll come and carry you off with his 150 “green horses.” My prince showed up in cowboy boots and rode a horse named Bess. Yes! I’d milk the cow again and again!



PARKERContinued from pg. 2

trol than the science, but experience shows our federal agencies are not above that.

To frame a couple of ex-amples, California’s Delta Smelt and the Northern Spotted Owl top the list. For 20 years FWS held to their story that cutting down old growth forests in the Northwest was the reason spotted owl num-bers were declining. Not so! The bigger, stronger barred owl moved into the Northwest and iden-tified the spotted owl as food. Still the timber industry was shut down effecting jobs and lives. Saving the Delta Smelt is even more damning example, demonstrating the lack of integrity in the federal process. After shutting off the water to thousands of acres of prime farmland in the San Francisco Bay Area, a California District Judge called the FWS and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation experts to the carpet. He even called the FWS expert a “zealot” who lied about the science to deceive the court.

One has to wonder what the Idaho judge and the federal government want to accomplish with a list-ing that would adversely impact at least ten west-ern states and impact industries tied to the Con-gressional multiple use mandate that provide jobs, pay taxes and drive local economies?

Utah has been com-mitted to protecting the sage grouse for decades.

Landowners have for generations monitored, researched and imple-mented on the ground conservation measures teaming up with state and federal agencies to benefit the birds. Utah’s Sage Grouse Manage-ment Plan documents a private, state and federal partnership assuring the conservation of the bird. Utah efforts include more than $35 million spent on the Sage Grouse, recov-ery including 325,000 acres treated or reha-bilitated over the last 10 years alone to benefit sage grouse.

The Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition, chaired by Utah Farm Bu-reau, has submitted com-ments to BLM express-ing numerous concerns and shortcomings with the EIS. The Coalition members agree the EIS is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons:• It has not adequate-

ly incorporated the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse conserva-tion plan into the preferred alterna-tive.

• The plan relies too heavily on the BLM National Technical Team and FS Con-servation Objective Team reports that do not meet basic standards for sci-entific integrity and objectivity.

• It ignores best sci-ence for sage grouse distribution incor-porating habitat maps more than a decade old when more recent distri-bution mapping is

available.• The EIS is overly

broad with rigid management re-strictions.

• The EIS underes-timates the nega-tive socioeconomic impacts of the pro-posed management plan.

• It fails to clearly de-fine the disturbance threshold method-ology, which lacks scientific justifica-tion.

The Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition represents 18 private and public entities including agriculture, energy, min-ing, transportation, local government and recre-ation that are advocates for the wise multiple use of Utah’s public lands. We are the businesses and in-dustries who are engaged in improving the lives of Utahns and Americans through food production, energy development and delivery, mining, recre-ation, jobs, a tax base and ultimately providing opportunities for future generations.

As Utah’s largest farm and ranch organization, Farm Bureau has pointed out where the healthy and growing populations of sage grouse across the Utah landscape are. And that coincidentally coin-cides with where livestock ranching and farming currently is. This suggests a symbiotic relationship that the BLM plan under-estimates, ignores or even undermines. Farm Bu-reau members have been involved in local sage grouse working groups

for decades. Farm Bureau continues to call for an incentive-based, volun-tary program on private lands. The FWS wants county government to im-pose rigid regulations on use that will undermine private property rights. Utah’s Constitution pro-tects property owners from a government tak-ing or a diminished value without just compensa-tion. Regulating away property rights for the sage grouse is a taking.

As we do all we can do to conserve and grow sage grouse populations, it is clear the FWS doesn’t understand or ignores the impacts of predators on these ground-nesting birds. Lack of effective predator control on foxes, ravens and crows is a real and growing problem. When control measures were effectively used and predator numbers were at historic lows between 1930-60, sage grouse populations were at his-toric highs. Limitations on predator control and exploding raven and oth-er predator populations have taken a toll on egg hatching and bird num-bers.

These federal agencies have underestimated the very real social and eco-nomic impacts of onerous sage grouse restrictions on farm and ranch fami-lies and local govern-ments. Multiple use of the public lands – livestock harvesting the annually renewable forage – gen-erates millions of dollars in rural communities for job creation, paying tax-es, building local infra-structure and educating

our children.The federal agencies

must recognize the part-nership that includes state and local govern-ment and private inter-ests is not a given. In the face of shrinking federal dollars, an effective Utah plan will require coopera-tion.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert concluded his January 3, 2014 letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a warning on their preferred alter-native, which leaves out major pieces of the Utah Plan:

“Utah does not support a threatened designation as a “middle ground” in this discussion. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice is required by law to prove a listing is required by the facts, not as a con-venience. The agency must decide whether the partnerships forged among state, federal and private parties – partly in response to the alarm raised by the 2010 listing decision – are worth sup-porting and encouraging, or whether it can manage the species alone, while simultaneously facing and defending numerous judicial challenges to the scientific and other fac-tual bases for its decision from many members of these same partnerships.”

Farm Bureau applauds the Governor’s response. The FWS science is ques-tionable; the federal plan too broad and intrusive based on state’s rights and federal ism; and mostly, it just doesn’t make sense for Utah.


Practical PolicyVice President- Public PolicySterling Brown

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By: Dr. Teryl Roper, Department Head at USU Plants, Soils and Climate De-partment and Sterling C. Brown, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

In order to thrive, every busi-ness must adapt to changing conditions. Large corporations have in-house research and development operations, and many small businesses also exist through innovations discovered via research. Agriculture oper-ates in the same business en-vironment. Practices employed today are significantly different than those used 100 or even 25 years ago as evidence.

For the past century America’s land grant universities have been the source of many innovations helping American agriculture to be the most productive and the most profitable in the world. For example, tax-supported research has provided grain varieties that are re-sistant to diseases endemic to Utah. Without wheat and barley varieties de-veloped by Utah State Univer-sity (USU), these crops could

not be grown in Utah without suffering devastating losses to disease. Utah-developed wheat varieties allow the use of mod-ern herbicides to control jointed goat grass, a major weed pest in

wheat. Research on improved tillage and planting techniques keeps valuable top soil in place. Fertilizer research has shown the response of small grains and oilseed crops to applied fertil-izer, ensuring growers obtain maximum yield with the lowest possible rate of fertilizer applied.

Because of the essentiality of agriculture to provide food and fiber to the nation and state, the federal government has sup-ported much of the cost of agri-cultural research. However, in the face of fierce competition for scarce tax dollars, government is disinvesting in agricultural research. Therefore, for applied research supporting agriculture to continue, it is imperative that other sources of funding be identified.

One way to augment govern-ment supported research is to establish marketing orders, or “check-offs.” Marketing orders are self-imposed assessments based on sales that growers pay for the purpose of supporting re-search, education and/or generic promotion. Funds are collected with the enforcement authority of the state department of ag-riculture. Decisions about how funds are expended are vested in a grower board. This board de-cides on spending priorities that will best support the industry and allocate funding accordingly.

Perhaps the most important

reason to establish a marketing order is to give growers a voice in the research done to support their industries. When growers have funding to support research, growers’ priorities become the priorities of the research commu-nity at the land-grant university. Research funding also increases the likelihood that faculty posi-tions that truly support applied agricultural research needs will be refilled when vacancies occur.

During the past year some lead-ing Utah small grain and oilseed growers have been discussing the possibility of establishing a mar-keting order and grower board to support research, education and generic promotion funds to support their businesses.

Surrounding states including Idaho, Colorado, Montana, and Oregon have existing marketing orders. Language for a market-ing order has been developed that will be distributed to small grain and oilseed growers in the winter of 2014 along with a ballot for growers to vote their support or non-support for the proposed marketing order.

Through a grassroots, research and review policy development process, Utah Farm Bureau sup-ports state marketing orders for purposes of promotion, educa-tion and research so long as these orders are created by industry vote and administered by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. The proposed Small Grain and Oilseed Marketing Order meets these criteria. USU leadership, combined with Utah Department of Agriculture and Food leadership, will be reaching out to various counties and re-gions of the state this spring and summer conducting educational seminars regarding this pro-posed marketing order. Consider attending one of these seminars. Utah Farm Bureau encourages small grain and oilseed growers to vote their conscience when their ballot arrives in the mail


SAN ANTONIO — Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a retired four-star general and former commander of U.S. and inter-national forces in Af-ghanistan, gave a rous-ing keynote address at the closing session of the American Farm Bu-reau Federation’s 95th Annual Convention. McChrystal highlighted both military and civil-ian stories of overcom-ing unexpected chal-lenges.

“When an organiza-tion is small it learns very quickly. Over time it continues to learn, but not as fast and it starts to level out,” said McChrys-tal. “But our society con-

Overcoming adversity a vital skill for strong leadership

tinues to change and the weight of that change has sped up. This leads to a gap that I like to call the adaptability gap.”

McChrystal spoke about the military’s struggle to escape the adaptability gap after various tragic events. This included

after Sept. 11, when the U.S. military had to learn to fight an enemy that was culturally difficult to un-derstand, was geographically diverse and op-erated with a completely dif-ferent leader-ship model.

“If you wait to respond to terrorist ac-tions, all you’re going to do is

Photo courtesy of AFBFRetired General Stanley McChrystal spoke of the need to be able to adapt to changing situations if you’re going to be able to success and ultimate prevail in life, for situations ranging from combatting terror-ism to having a successful farm.

pick up the fallen,” McChrystal lamented. “So we had to pre-vent terrorist attacks so that we could protect the nation that we work for.”

The military’s ability to adapt to change came from a com-bination of teamwork and co-operation. McChrystal’s final message focused on the power of teamwork.

“The best teams that I’ve ever been in, and I’ve been in a lot, are just people like all of us,” McChrystal said. “They have the same hopes, fears, strengths and weaknesses, but when they come together something magi-cal happens and that’s leader-ship.”


SAN ANTONIO — Improved weather conditions and modera-tion in feed prices could show con-tinued improvement for livestock markets in 2014, according to Dr. Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist and profes-sor of agribusiness at Oklahoma State University. Peel addressed farmers and ranchers from across the country today during an issues conference at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Convention.

“The latter part of 2013 turned things around for most of the coun-try, with drought conditions reced-ing and increased market prices for beef,” Peel said. “Livestock markets are looking strong for 2014.”

Peel expressed extreme opti-mism for the cattle sector, predict-ing herd expansion for the next several years.

“Depending on the market and

Expected improvements for livestock markets in 2014

weather conditions, we have the potential to be in expansion mode for the rest of this decade. We haven’t seen this scenario since the ‘90s,” Peel said.

With cattle numbers at record lows since the 1950s, Peel said farmers and ranchers need to focus on expanding herds and respond-ing to current markets.

“The incentives are there. We are at record prices and will move higher still,” he said. “But how profitable producers will be is a function of managing costs and production.”

Export markets will continue to be a strong outlet for farmers and ranchers in 2014, although Peel estimated a slight decrease in beef exports due to higher prices and lower production. American farmers are adapting to current conditions and are competitive in foreign markets, Peel said.

SAN ANTONIO — Following some of the best years ever for growing row crops, an agricul-tural economist advised farmers to prepare for several years of lower prices, at a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federa-tion’s 95th Annual Convention.

“The last six years have been extraordinary years if you are a row crop producer,” said Mat-thew Roberts, an associate pro-fessor at Ohio State University’s Department of Agricultural, En-vironmental and Development Economics. “It’s been the best six years in history. The next six years will not be like that.”

Strong demand from China and the ethanol industry altered corn and soybean production globally during agriculture’s recent boom period. A decent U.S. crop year in 2013 and curbed growth from ethanol may mean some acreage will revert back to pasture and forage crops.

“The question is how fast, after a grower has made an investment into row crops, we’ll likely have to see losses before that land reverts to another use,” Roberts said.

Roberts advised large, aggres-sive and young growers to prepare for a bumpy ride by putting cash in the bank.

“We are entering a four year to five year period of lower costs and profitability. I think we’ll see some farms (that expanded aggressively) in the corn belt go bankrupt,” he predicted. “Put one year’s worth of land charges (above normal working capital needs) in the bank as soon as possible.”

“Cash is the only way to ulti-mately manage risk”, Roberts added.

“We have a generation of young farmers who have never experi-

Crop growers told to prepare for low price era

enced hard times,” he said. Roberts urged farmers to get

their spouses fully on board with the farm’s financial outlook.

“Don’t compound financial problems with divorce,” he said.

“We are living in the most pros-perous time in history,” Roberts noted by pointing out that the world poverty rate has dropped significantly over the past 40 years.

In 1970, nearly a quarter of the world’s population lived on a dol-lar a day or less. That number fell to 5 percent in 2007. People who live better, eat better. Improving economic conditions in the devel-oping world have caused demand for U.S. agricultural commodities to surge.

From 2001 to 2011, China’s demand for soybeans grew by 30 million acres. Over roughly the same time period, U.S. ethanol usage increased by 20 million acres.

“Fifty million more acres were needed just to meet the top two demands,” he said. “High prices give incentives to change behav-ior. As a result, global corn, soy-bean and wheat production have all increased substantially.”

However, ethanol’s demand for corn has flatlined. Roberts said 2013 saw the first decent corn yields in four years and that means lower prices. He thinks more corn will be added back into feed rations, and exports will increase.

Domestic demand is flat for soybeans, but exports are very strong, from China, Africa and the rest of the developing world.

As for wheat, he said the United States has been using more than it produced lately, which has posi-tively ate away at wheat stocks.

CROPS continued on pg 31


Farm SafetyVice President- Farm SafetyA.J. Ferguson

Blood pressure and what it meansIt is a new year again and as

always, it feels like it comes around faster and faster each year. Many people will have set goals and New Year’s reso-lutions for 2014, and it is pos-sible that some of those goals and resolutions have already been forgotten. Perhaps oth-ers feel that they might be too far into the New Year to make the changes they had hoped to. No matter where you are on your goals and resolutions, it is important that your health is a priority. A vital part of your overall health is your blood pressure.

What is blood pressure?Blood pressure is measured

in two numbers, systolic and diastolic. So what is systolic? It measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart beats. Diastolic is the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats. In most cases, more attention is given to the systolic number, because it is a major indica-tor for cardiovascular disease in adults 50 years of age and older. A normal blood pressure is considered less than 120 over less than 80.

Can high blood pressure be dangerous?

High blood pressure (HBP) has the potential to injure or even cause death if left untreat-ed. According to the Ameri-can Heart Association, HBP has also become known as the ‘Silent Killer” because it can initiate with little or no tell-tale symptoms and potentially mask the internal damage to arteries, the heart and other or-gans.

Long-term consequences as-sociated with HBP include:• Stroke• Damage to the heart and

coronary arteries• Vision loss• Kidney damage• Memory loss• Erectile dysfunction• Fluid in the lungs• Angina

It is important to remem-ber these are not symptoms of HBP just examples of long-term consequences from HBP. The American Heart Association in-dicates that those whose blood pressure is over 140/90 mm Hg have a higher rate of becom-ing a patient treated for serious cardiovascular problems. The American Heart Association re-ports that:

* 77% of Americans treated for their first stroke have blood pressure over 140/90.

* 69% of Americans who have a heart attack have blood pres-sure over 140/90.

* 74% of Americans with con-gestive heart failure have blood pressure over 140/90.

Risks of HBP increase with:• Age• Hereditary • Gender• Being overweight or obese• Smoking • High cholesterol• Diabetes • Physical inactivity• Stress • Sleep apnea

We have focused a lot on HBP, but is there any need for con-cern about low blood pressure? According to the American Heart Association, most doctors don’t consider chronically low blood pressure dangerous un-less, it causes noticeable signs and symptoms such as:• Dizziness or lightheaded-

ness• Fainting (called syncope)• Dehydration and unusual

thirst• Lack of concentration• Blurred vision

• Nausea• Cold, clammy, pale skin• Rapid shallow breathing• Fatigue• Depression

What should be done from here? It is easy! Just start by having your blood pressure tak-en by a healthcare professional. This is the best way to find out if you even have any need for concern. If you are taking your own blood pressure, remember blood pressure can fluctuate due to recent activity or envi-ronmental stressors. It might take many readings before you get consistent numbers, and you should still consult with a healthcare professional to con-firm your results and determine if there is any need for worry. If HBP is a concern, the healthcare professional will explain how it can be managed through life-style changes and if medication might be needed. For more in-formation regarding blood pres-sure, in addition to consulting your doctor, review the follow-ing websites:

The American Heart Associa-tion

h t t p : / / w w w . h e a r t . o r g /HEARTORG/Conditions/High-BloodPressure

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-top-ics/topics/hbp/

Chart Created by the American Heart Association *Your doctor should evaluate unusually low-pressure readings.

Utah Farm Bureau News28 February 2014USDAContinued from pg. 3

provide data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics.

“Decision makers from all facets of U.S. agriculture will use the collective information from ARMS to answer questions and make important decisions concerning the economic viability of American

agriculture, the rural economy and other emerging issues,” explained Meyer. “That’s why it is imperative for all farmers contacted by NASS to provide responses and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture.”

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses,

ensuring no individual respondent or operation can be identified.

The economic data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on August 2014 and available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

For state specific questions please contact John Hilton in Salt Lake City at 1-800-747-8522.

LABOR continued on pg 34

By Bob Stallman, President, Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation

With high expectations that Congress will finalize both the farm bill and Water Resources Development Act early this year, farmers are optimistic Congress will next turn its sights to moving immigration reform to the front burner.

Farmers and ranchers can’t wait any longer for effective, long-term solutions to the agri-cultural labor crisis, which has forced growers to leave millions of dollars-worth of crops unhar-vested and threatens the coun-try’s food security. Farmers and ranchers need effective, long-term solutions to agricultural labor shortages. And Congress needs to get the job done.

A Crisis in Farm CountryIt’s not as if Congress would be

starting from scratch. The Senate in June passed a balanced, Farm Bureau-supported immigration reform bill that includes a fair and workable farm labor provi-sion. The House took a piece-meal approach, passing a series of immigration reform bills at the committee level, including an agricultural guest worker bill. As this is the second session of the 113th Congress, these bills are still in play.

Passage of the Senate bill last year gave farmers great momen-tum. And while the House may be doing things differently, farm-ers and ranchers will be right alongside lawmakers throughout the process making sure they un-derstand how critical this issue is to agriculture and all consum-ers who count on U.S.-grown

Ag Labor: Congress

needs to get the job done


Leader Feature: Wade EliasonSanpete County Farm Bureau President

Residence: Moroni, UtahSpouse: Tina EliasonFamily: We have five daughters, Sydney, Kesley, Karley, Tylie and Halie they love being a part of it all, whether it is driving the tractors or lambing, trailing the sheep, moving camps, loading sheep or just being with their Dad. Begin Farm: 1989Kind of Operation: Farm consists of 800 acres of alfalfa and small grains, 2,000 acres grass, forest permits and BLM permits, cow/calf ranch, ewes, background calves and lamb feedlot.Other Involvement: Utah Woolgrower’s Association boardFarm Bureau Service: Sanpete County Board

What got you involved with Farm Bureau? We were invited to the Young Farmers and Ranchers winter conference in St. George, and then eight years ago I was asked if I would run for the county board.

If you could, what is one thing you would change in agri-culture? I would have the same inflation in agriculture products as the rest of the economy.

What do you see for Utah agriculture 20 years from now? I see Utah agriculture having more technology, and as a result, we will be feeding more people using less acreage less water and less energy.

What do you like most about being a farmer/rancher? I like being able to watch and be a part of the plants and animal growth and development cycle and seeing the result of my work (sometimes successful, sometimes not!) and being able to work with and teach my girls the value of work in their lives.

Why should farmers and ranchers get involved in Farm Bureau? Farmers and ranchers should get involved because it gives them the opportunity to associate with others in the state and country and in so doing, gain ideas and things to improve or change on your own operation. We need the support of everyone involved in agricul-ture to protect our future and those issues that face agriculture through the development of policy and law through the grass roots processes. It helps your voice be heard.

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

that there is a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that people never hear or see for the benefit of all in agriculture. The thing I like most is how willing people are to help and do whatever needs to be done to help the Farm Bureau be the voice of agriculture.

What are some of your fondest memories about Farm Bureau? In 2006 Tina and I had the opportunity to go to the Western leadership con-ference in San Diego, California. This has left a lasting impression on us. Now wherever we go, be it to the state convention or the national convention we have fond memories. We just returned from the national convention [in San Antonio] and the list of memories is long.

What advice do you give to young farmers and ranch-ers? I think we are in some of the most exciting times agriculture has ever seen with technology.

What equipment do you use? 80% John Deere 20% New Holland.

What is the most recent book you’ve read or movie you’ve seen? Disney’s ‘Frozen’.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A farmer.

If you could be on real-ity television show, which would it be? My girls think I would do well on dancing with the stars; I do great with the wii ‘Just Dance (Roar)’.

Anything else you want to add? Modern agriculture has made it possible for people to pursue their dreams. Before modern agriculture, people had to be hunters and gathers for their food; now, they are free to pursue their dreams whether it is in agriculture or wherever it may be. I am glad I was able to pursue my dream of becoming a farmer and rancher.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Farm Bureau Federa-tion recently asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to reverse a Sept. 2013 federal court ruling that upheld the Environ-mental Protection Agency’s total maximum daily load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The court will decide whether EPA exceeded its Clean Water Act authority by mandating how nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment runoff should be allo-cated among farms, construction and development activities, as well as homeowners and towns throughout the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.

“This case involves whether EPA can assume authority over land use and water quality policy decisions that Congress specifi-cally reserved for state and local levels of government,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “These are uniquely local decisions that should be made by local governments,” continued Stall-man. “That is why this power is specifically withheld from EPA in the Clean Water Act.”

AFBF argues that the Clean Water Act divides authority be-tween EPA and the states, leaving the states in the driver’s seat to determine how business owners and residents will share the costs and responsibility to achieve clean water goals.

AFBF’s goal with this litigation is to maintain an important bal-ance of power under the Clean Water Act that leaves states in charge of the land and water resources within their borders.

AFBF asks court to restore state authority in Chesapeake

Bay lawsuit


Mike Gibbons of Lewiston, Utah was recognized in the ‘Sweet 16’ in the National Young Farmer & Rancher ‘Discussion Meet’ at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention held in San Antonio in January.

“I’m really happy to have made it as far as I did in the competition,” Gibbons said. “There were some really great competitors from throughout the country. Making it in the top 16 is really an honor.”

Having won the Utah Farm Bureau’s ‘Discussion Meet’ in November, Gibbons qualified to compete with

Cache County dairy farmer earns‘Sweet 16’ �nish at AFBF convention

36 other state winners from around the country. Winners of the national award received a 2014 Chevrolet or GMC Truck.

The Discussion Meet simulates a committee meeting in which active discussion and participation are

expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic.

For his Utah Farm Bureau award, Gibbons received a 2013 Polaris Trailboss ATV, a $500 check from Utah Farm

Bureau, a safety helmet and a year’s insurance policy from Farm Bureau Financial Services for the ATV.

Gibbons’ success in the ‘Discussion Meet’ shows that he is able to successfully articulate the value of agriculture to others, in addition to building up his professional skills in the dairy industry.

“It’s fantastic to have a young dairyman from Utah recognized among our country’s finest,” said Leland Hogan, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. “We don’t have the same numbers involved in agriculture

Gibbons is known in the region as a top-notch farmer who has continued his family’s tradition of quality dairy farming. While being active in his participation with the dairy industry, Gibbons finds time to serve in his community and church, and enjoys time working with his family.

as they traditionally do in states like California, Iowa and Tennessee, so it’s great to see Utah’s young people recognized.”

This discussion meet is an important activity that helps young farmers and ranchers learn to explain important agricultural issues based on their merits, not by using inflammatory language that is often found in current political debates.

Utah Farm Bureau News 31February 2014as they traditionally do in states like California, Iowa and Tennessee, so it’s great to see Utah’s young people recognized.”

This discussion meet is an important activity that helps young farmers and ranchers learn to explain important agricultural issues based on their merits, not by using inflammatory language that is often found in current political debates.

By Matt Hargreaves, Edi-tor, Utah Farm Bureau News

SAN ANTONIO – Trade Promotion Au-thority legislation in-troduced in Congress recently is further ev-idence that negotia-tions are moving in the right direction, provid-ing further hope for completion of trade partnerships with the European Union and Trans-Pacific partners. That was the feeling as trade officials spoke to Farm Bureau members attending a workshop at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 95th Annual Conven-tion.

“With the world econ-omy, things seem to be working in the right direction, but we need to make sure trade is there to maximize the gains of the economy and to speed it up,” said Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, head of the delegation of the European Union to the United States.

Speaking of the on-going negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Part-nership (TTIP), Vale de Almeida was hopeful barriers that existed in

Trade representatives hopeful on ag negotiationsthe past will be overcome in the coming years.

“TTIP is the mother of all FTAs (Free Trade Agreements)…and a game changer f o r b i l a t e r a l re l a t i o ns b e-tween the Eu-ropean Union and the United States, poten-tial ly leading to 800 million high-spending and highly so-phisticated con-sumers,” Vale de Almeida said. “It also has the potential to be a game chang-er globally, as Americans and Europeans work to reenergize the world’s system, and do it accord-ing to our values and principles.”

Having recently com-pleted the third round of negotiations, Vale de Almeida anticipated restarting negotiations soon, working on im-proving market access and lowering tariffs, and also including a strong regulatory component. He hopes to bring tar-iffs closer to zero, and remove “behind-the-

border barriers” which can also serve as a form of tariffs. These barriers can be as high as 10 per-cent to 20 percent when

fully realized, he said. Vale de Almeida was

confident these negotia-tions will continue to go well, having recently completed reforms of the

European “Common Ag-ricultural Policy” mov-ing away from support based on production and toward a model that en-courages rural develop-ment and rewards en-vironmental protection.

“Though a few ob-stacles remain, we are seriously and sincerely engaged in opening up markets for American exports,” Vale de Al-meida said.

Rowena Hume, trade counselor for the New Z e a l a n d E m b a s s y , echoed Vale de Almei-da’s comments on the positive nature of change taking place regarding trade in her Pacific re-gion. Speaking on the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP), Hume shared the belief that improving the trade potential in the Trans-Pacific region will greatly help Ameri-can agricultural exports, which she said have de-creased by 40 percent in recent years.

Photo by Matt HargreavesTrade Ambassador João Vale de Almeida was hopeful impending trade agreements will bene�t farmers on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Regaining market share would increase U.S. total exports by $600 billion or 3 mil-lion jobs,” Hume said. “The TPP could increase exports by $2 billion, with the dairy industry benefiting the most.”

Hume added that ag-ricultural trade with all TPP members represents $150 billion–$79.6 bil-lion for the U.S. alone–and 43 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports.

Though some con-cerns remain–specifical-ly regarding geographic indications–both trade officials were hopeful these deals could be passed in the coming years, with benefits to national economies as well as down to the indi-vidual farmers looking to increase consumers of their products.

CROPS continued from pg 26

The U.S. cotton sec-tor is expected to grow according to Sharon Johnson, senior cotton specialist for KCG Fu-tures in Atlanta. Cotton supplies are at a 29-year low. Worldwide, John-son predicted 2014 cot-

ton production will mirror consumption.

China, a major player in the cotton market, is rebuilding its state re-serves to control prices. The U.S. supply will ex-pand requiring prices to be more competitive to secure exports, especially if Chinese imports shrink.



The American Council on Ger-many is again seeking applica-tions for its McCloy Fellowships program. Fellowships have been awarded to nearly 1,000 Americans and Germans during the program’s 37-year history. McCloy Fellows in Agriculture receive an up-close look at agri-cultural, farm, and food-supply conditions across the Atlantic.

The McCloy Fellowships are open to individuals from nonprofits, think tanks, law, journalism, the public sector, and cultural organizations in relatively early stages of their careers. The fellowship grants these individuals the opportuni-ty to travel overseas to conduct on-site research and interviews and to pursue reports on as-pects of the German-American

American Council on Germany seeks McCloy Fellowships in agriculture

relationship. Research areas may include – but are not lim-ited to – environmental policy, immigration, agriculture, urban development, finance, education, and the arts.

In 2014, the ACG will expand its fellowship offerings to include funding for a wider range of re-search topics geared toward par-ticipants from a broader range of professional backgrounds. The fellowship program’s goal is to allow Americans and Ger-mans to complete research on timely topics while consulting their transatlantic counterparts. The fellowships thus encour-age work on key topics on the German-American agenda while promoting networking across the Atlantic.

Applicants should present a

project proposal of two pages detailing their plans, including the background and scope of the research, the general sources and institutions with whom they would like to consult, and its relevance for the transatlantic relationship. An itinerary would be further developed in conjunc-tion with the ACG’s Fellowship Manager.

American and German agri-culture fellows go overseas as a group in the early fall. Travel dates are chosen to accommo-date the schedules of the three to four participating fellows. Dur-ing the program, fellows receive a per diem of $200 for a maximum of 21 days, based on the num-ber of nights spent abroad. The American Council on Germany covers pre-approved transatlan-

tic airfare and domestic travel, including inter-city rail travel.

American applicants need not be fluent in German, although some background in that lan-guage could be helpful. Travel must take place within one calen-dar year of receipt of the award.

To ApplyApplicants are chosen by the

American Council on Germany in conjunction with the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Deutscher Bauernverband in mid-spring.

Questions may be directed to Robin Cammarota-Nicolson, Fellowship Manager, at [email protected].

The applications must be post-marked by Friday, March 14, 2014. Further information about the fellowship may be found on the Fellowships website, acgusa.org.

Utah Farm Bureau News34 February 2014LABORContinued from pg. 28

food. From a Colorado potato grower to a Pennsylvania fruit farmer, and from a Utah peach farmer to a Tennessee tobacco grower, farmers all across the country are facing a labor crisis.

And then there is California, the top fruit and vegetable producing state. A survey by the California Farm Bureau found that 71 per-cent of tree fruit growers and nearly 80 percent of raisin and berry growers were unable to find enough employees to prune trees and vines or pick crops.

When you have that many farm-ers unable to get the workers they need, you have a crisis in farm country. That also means a crisis for Americans who want their food grown in the United States.

The current H-2A temporary agricultural worker program is broken. It artificially raises wages above the market rate, and often does not bring workers to the

farm until after the need for them has passed—after the crops have already started to rot.

That’s why at the American Farm Bureau’s 95th Annual Meet-ing in January, delegates reaf-firmed their strong support for meaningful ag labor reforms that ensure farmers and ranchers have access to workers when they are needed. Delegates also voted to support flexibility that would al-low the employment of workers by more than one farmer.

Farmers and ranchers need a reliable supply of labor. That is a simple truth. It’s about avail-ability and flexibility—neither of which have been hallmarks of the system our farmers, ranchers and growers have operated under for many years.

Congress has known about these problems for more than 30 years. It’s time for Congress to put the nation’s needs above politics and work toward finding solutions. It’s time for Congress to get the job done.

John and Dusty Reese pose with two of their children and a represen-tative of Zions Bank in Kanab after receiving a Polaris ATV courtesy of Zions Bank for winning the 2013 Utah Young Farmer & Rancher Excellence in Agriculture Award at the UFBF Convention last No-vember. The Reese family went on to compete in San Antonio at the national Farm Bureau convention.


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGIMPORTANT NOTICE1. Non‑commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members selling items they grow or make themselves, or used machinery, household items, etc., they themselves have used in the past. Each member family is entitled to one such ad free in each three‑month period. Ads can be up to 40 words or numbers such as phone number or Zip. Words such as “For Sale” are included, initials and numbers count as a word. All words over 40 cost 25 cents each. Ads over 40 words not accompanied by the extra payment, or not meeting the above requirements, will be returned to the sender.Family memberships cannot be combined to create larger ads, nor can a membership be used for free classified ad purposes by anyone other than immediate family members. Ads run for three months.2. Commercial ads for Utah Farm Bureau members where the member is acting as an agent or dealer (real estate, machinery, handicraft items made by people outside the member family, etc.) cost 25 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Members are entitled to one such ad. Ads run for one month.3. Ads for non‑Utah Farm Bureau members cost 50 cents per word. Payment MUST accompany such ads or they will be returned to the sender. Ads run for one month.In all ads, short lines requested by the advertiser, extra lines of white space, and lines with words in all caps count as 6 words per line. Ads with borders and bold headlines may be submitted and placed within the classified section, but will be charged the display advertising rate. Please contact the classified advertising department for further information. No insurance ads will be accepted.***DEADLINE: ALL ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE 15TH OF THE MONTH IN ORDER TO APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. EXCEPT FOR THE JANUARY ISSUE, WHICH HAS A CLASSIFIED DEADLINE OF DEC. 5.Only free ads (Category 1 ads of 40 words or less) will be accepted by telephone at 801‑233‑3010, by fax at 801‑233‑3030 or e-mail at [email protected]. Please include your membership number. Ads must be received no later than the 15th of the monthMail ads, typed or neatly printed, with any payment due, to Utah Farm Bureau News, Classified Ad Department, 9865 South State Street, Sandy, UT 84070‑2305. Free ads must be resubmitted by mail, telephone or fax after running for three months. Ads for which there is a payment due will be run as long as payment is received in advance.ALL CLASSIFIED ADS will be listed on the Utah Farm Bureau web page unless the Utah Farm Bureau member specifies otherwise when placing the ad. The ads on the web site will run concurrently with the classified ads in the Utah Farm Bureau News. NOTE: The appearance of any ad in the Utah Farm Bureau News does not constitute an endorsement or approval of the service or merchandise offered. While every effort is made to ensure the legitimacy of services or merchandise advertised, the Utah Farm Bureau News or the Utah Farm Bureau Federation accepts no responsibility or liability for services or products advertised.

AUTOMOTIVE:FOR SALE: 1987 Volvo box truck 22’, f613, 170 diesel engine, LWB 28,000, 79,500 miles. 1979 Ford F700 truck. 16’ combination container and grain rack & dump bed. 42,500 miles. Clinton, 801‑825‑1701.

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: 24” & 30” Armco headgates, 24” Fresno headgate, 18” Waterman C-10 headgate, 10’ steel harrow, 18” pullgates, 3 row cultivator, misc metal covers, 5’ high chainlink fencing. 801‑825‑7311, Syracuse. FOR SALE: 8 N Ford Tractor. Very good condition. New paint. Like new tires. Implements incl plow, disk scrapper. 435‑637‑3736.

FEEDFOR SALE: Small bales Alpha hay $8.00 per bale. Discount for large quantities. Parting out 2670 Case tractor. For sale, L3300 Kuvota tractor w/loader. 435‑545‑2581.FOR SALE: Straw 3x3x8 bales. Clean straw baled behind combine. $20.00 per bale. Layton 801-940-2260.

LIVESTOCK:BULLS FOR SALE: Arrow H. Ranch registered Gelbvieh and Balancer bulls. Give me a call and let’s match up a bull that will work for your herd. Discounts for volume purchases. Dave Hermansen 801-243-9890 or 801-420-4553. PACE RANCHES Registered Gelbvieh and Balancer Bulls. All Black Bulls. Trich, Semen, and Pap Tested at 7000 Feet. We will feed bulls through winter and provide Free Delivery in- state. Call Richard (Dick) Pace: 435-425-3805 or 435-691-4703.9TH ANNUAL INTERMOUNTAIN GENETIC ALLIANCEAngus Production Sale. Selling 60 PAP tested bulls and 15 females: 1 pm, Saturday, March 1st @ Juab County Fairgrounds, Nephi, UT. For information call 435‑660‑0630 or visit www.igabulls.comBULLS FOR SALE: Good selection of coming 2 year old polled Hereford bulls. Top quality bulls bred for performance, growth and maternal traits. Some bulls, calving ease. Contact Phil Allen and Son, Antimony. Phil 435‑624‑3236 or Shannon 435‑624‑3285. OVER 25 LINE ONE HEREFORD bulls for sale. Yearling and 2 yr old bulls available. 35 years of performance breeding. See more at www.johansenherefords.com or call Jonathan/

Craig Johansen @ 435-650-8466/435-820-8490.RV BAR ANGUS RANCH Annual Bull & Female Sale, Saturday, March 29, 2014 at the ranch. Selling Yearling Bulls and Heifers, Heifers and Cows with calves. Free feeding on all bulls until May 1st. Call Randan for more info. 435‑828‑1116. FOR SALE – Registered Gelbvieh and Balancer Bulls and females. Open Heifers and Bred Cows. Many Homozygous Black and Polled. We feed yearling bulls through the winter.

Erik Johnson 435 279 7669 , 435 257 7084

REAL ESTATE:WYOMING BUILDING LOT: .45 acre lot. 117 Alpine, Wyoming. Corner of Oatgrass St. and Arnica Trail, Alpine Meadows subdivision- T37 R118 S19/20/29/30. Tax 37182030029000. $40,000 or offer. Owner financing, water & sewer ready. Brent 801-645-8129. [email protected]@HOME REALTY, BRENT PARKER, (435)881-1000Paradise home on 3.61 Acres. Large two story shop with apartment, horse facilities, pasture, gardens, mother‑in‑law apartment. 6.41 Acres in Cache Valley. Also 10.01 acre parcel. Views. Horse Property. Well permit. Home on 1.49 acres. Located in Cache Valley. Shop and 2 pole barns.Home on 1.52 acres. Located in Franklin. Fish pond and well landscaped. 2,414 Acres in Cove. Beautiful recreational property with cabin and campsites. Located up High Creek Canyon. 10.23 acre feet of water. 4.37 Acres in

Mendon. $50,000 Excellent horse property. Views of valley and mountains. Additional land available. 18.9 Acres in Mendon. Views of Cache Valley and the Wellsvilles. Acreage for home in Riverdale Idaho. Overlooks scenic Bear River. Two Wellsville Parcels. Stream runs through. Horse property. 10 Acres Overlooking Hyrum Reservoir. Horse property. Beautiful views. 34 Irrigated Acres in Cache Valley. Good farm land with level ground and easy access.60.96 acre ranch in Morgan Valley. Could be divided. 65 shares of water and a 6 bedroom home. Great views.Two parcels in Nibley in Cache Valley. 3.76 acre and

3.61 acre adjoining lots Horse property. Can be subdivided. Irrigation shares. 18.75 Acres in Cache Valley. Artesian well already dug. Secondary gravity pressure irrigation.2.56 Acres in Cache Valley. Country lot with plenty of irrigation water. Hunter’s Paradise. 779 acres with year around developed springs. Cabin in Logan Canyon. Beautiful setting close to river. View lots near Wellsville between 1 and 5 acres. Horse property. Dairy Farm in Cache Valley 41 acres. Irrigated. Updated home, excellent crops. Double 5 Herringbone parlor. 185.38 Acres in Cache Valley with views. Can be divided. Located in popular Maple Rise area. Borders national forest. 37.91 Acres located on the foothills of the Wellsvilles. Can be divided in up to five lots. Water shares. Canal runs through. 400 Acres Bordering Oneida Narrows Reservoir. Beautiful and secluded. Adjacent to campground and boat dock. Could be subdivided into camp sites. Seller financing. [email protected]; website: www.brentparkerrealty.com End/Brent Parker. 40-ACRE HORSE PROPERTY on year‑round creek. 13 acres fenced, cross‑fenced, irrigated. 3,000 sf (2003): 4 bedroom/3 bath, large kitchen, pantry, propane F/A, woodstove. Guesthouse, barn, greenhouse, tack shed. 10395 S. Lower Red Creek Road, Fruitland, UT., 435‑548‑2630. Listed Freedom Realty.

AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES CIRCLE FOUR FARMS OF MURPHY BROWN LLC: 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 Herd Technician animal production positions with training provided.Challenge yourself with a stable company that offers a starting entry-level wage of $10 to $11, plus a full benefit package including: medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance plan, short and long term disability, company paid pension plan, 401(k) savings plan with company match, bonus/incentive programs, paid holidays and vacation and education reimbursement.C4 Job Application required. For more information please call our office: Circle Four Farms, PO Box 100, 341 South Main, Milford UT 84751, Phone (435) 387‑2107, Fax (435) 387-2170. EOE / PWDNET - If you require accommodation or assistance to complete the application process, please call Lacy Davis at (435) 387-6047. When you contact Lacy, please identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. We will assist you promptly.


County Scenes

Salt Lake County▶ Board meetings are the first Tuesday of each month.Sevier County▶ Board meetings will now be the 4th Wednesday of each month.▶ Monroe Mtn. Working Grp, Feb. 14, 9 am in admin building in RichfieldWashington County▶ Board meetings are the first Wednesday of each month. March 5.Garfield County▶ CCARM mtg., Garfield County Courthouse, Feb. 11, 10 a.m.Beaver County▶ Wild horses mtg., Feb. 7., Beaver School District office at 10 a.m.Wayne County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 10, Sunglow Cafe at noon.Uintah County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 6, 7 p.m. in VernalCarbon County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 11 at County Planning Building at 7 p.m.Emery County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 19, at County building at 7 p.m.Utah County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. at USU Extension bldg. in ProvoJuab County▶ Board meeting, March 13Morgan County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. at County CourthouseNorth Box Elder County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 20 at insurance office in TremontonCache County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. Location TBA.Weber County▶ Board meeting, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. at USU Extension office

State and Regional Activities ▶ Council of County Presidents, Feb. 19-20 in Sandy▶ AFBF Western Region Leadership Conf., Feb. 26-28 in Las Vegas▶ AFBF YF&R Leadership Conf, Feb. 7-10 in Virginia Beach▶ AFBF Commodity Advisory Committee Meetings, Feb. 9-15 in Washington, D.C.▶ USU Urban & Small Farms Conference, Feb. 19-20 at Thanksgiving Point

▶ DWR Board & RAC MeetingsNo DWR Board Meetings or RAC Meetings scheduled for February or March. Next RAC meetings April 8-16. Next Board Meeting is May 1.

FB County Corner

[Top] Dale Rowley (le�) gives a pruning demonstration at his farm in Santaquin as part of the Utah Horticulture Association’s fruit tour in January. [Middle] Trent and Eileen Potter of Duchesne County stroll through the trade show at the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio. [Bottom] Utah Farm Bureau President Leland Hogan gets to pose for a photograph with keynote speaker Alan Robertson of the hit television show ‘Duck Dynasty’ in San Antonio.

The Salt Lake County Farm Bureau will be hosting its upcoming Annual Banquet for all members on February 21, 2014 at the Gathering Place at Gardner Village from 7-9 p.m. Those wishing to attend need to RSVP by Feb. 14. They can find more information on the County’s Facebook page, online at http://saltlakecountyfarmbureau.org, and postcards will be mailed out as well. Members can also contact President Betty Naylor at 801-255-6021.

Documents

Utah Farm Bureau News - February 2014