Utah Farm Bureau News - November 2015

Awards: Young Farmers & Ranchers Compete for top prize 22 State Vet: Dr. Pittman introduced 5

Utah Farm Bureau News

Inside:National Perspective 3 Farm Bureau at Work 11Member Benefits 8Baxter Black 12 Farm Safety Column 27Classifieds 31

STOMATITIS continued on pg. 27

CONVENTION continued on pg 21

Photo courtesy of Dennis Hinkamp, USURancher John Ferry (left) and his brother Ben Ferry examine corn they’ll use for feeding cattle on their farm in Box Elder County. John Ferry was recently inducted into the USU College of Agriculture ‘Hall of Honor’. Read more about the recognition on page 22.

NOVEMBER 2015VOL. 61, NO. 10

As the weather begins to turn cold and the harvesting of crops slows down, it can only mean that the Annual Utah Farm Bureau Federation Convention, being held Nov. 18-20, is right around the corner. Never to disappoint, the 99th annual convention, with the theme ‘Tradition. Perseverance. Vision’, comes at a time when farmers and ranchers

All Farm Bureau members invited to gather at 2015 Annual Convention

hold to principles that have guided our organization in the past, while progressing toward an unlimited future. These principles provide a vision of future success, all while dealing with current challenges.

The 2015 State Convention will take place again at the Davis Conference Center in Layton, Davis County, and

will feature great speakers that promise to deliver powerful messages regarding the water development, what the recent Envision Utah survey means for decisions on growth, wildlife concerns, growing Utah’s rural economy, improving programs of work with a County Farm Bureau, embracing change, and more. The convention will also provide opportunities for Utah’s farmers and ranchers to gather together to promote agriculture and enjoy one another’s company.

SALT LAKE CITY – State Veterinarian, Dr. Barry Pitt-man, is advising Utah livestock owners that the presence of ve-sicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has now been detected in the following counties: Beaver, Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Uin-tah, and Weber. Livestock own-ers should take appropriate measures to protect their ani-mals. The affected premises are in various stages of quarantine.

Tests conducted by the USDA Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in New York, confirmed the first case in early August. Since then other animals at different locations have tested positive for VSV. VSV is a livestock disease that rarely affects humans. It primarily affects cattle and horses but can occasional-ly affect swine, sheep and goats. VSV produces lesions in animal’s mouths and ud-ders, but is not generally fatal. Livestock owners are cau-

Ve s i c u l a r Stomatitis cases expand

in Utah

Utah Farm Bureau News2 November 2015

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: .....http://www.utahfarmbureau.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 ............................ John Ferry, CorinneDistrict 2 ...............Ron Gibson, West WeberDistrict 3 ...................Ken Patterson, SyracuseDistrict 4 ................ Rex Larsen, Spanish ForkDistrict 5 ................ .....Joël Hatch, HuntingtonDistrict 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 24

Thoughts: Food, biotechnology& the factsBy Randy Parker

Chief Executive OfficerUtah Farm Bureau

ESA REFORM continued on pg 26

Recent passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 (H.R. 1599) by the U.S. House of Represen-tatives reignited the debate sur-rounding bio-technology and the food we eat. For literally thou-sands of years, h u m a n s h a v e been enhancing food crops and animal agricul-ture through the practice of selec-tive breeding. My sheep ranching background helps me under-stand the benefits of selective breeding – genetic modifica-tion if you will. My father in selecting a ram for the next breeding season would select an animal with high quality wool for example, to improve our herd and to enhance our profitability.

Technology today allows us to speed up the process for improving plants and ani-

mals that benefits the environ-ment and consumers. Today’s crop varieties are more produc-tive, requiring less acres (U.S. farmed acres down 15 percent since 1982), fewer chemicals (pesticide applications on U.S.

farms is down 8.8 percent since 1996) and less water. While con-sumers today are saving as much as 10 percent on some genetically engineered (GE) food items, Cor-nell University estimates man-d a t o r y G M O labeling would raise food costs

for the average American family by $500.

Today’s hysteria seems to be driven by radical activist groups like Greenpeace and Millions Against Monsanto creating a knee-jerk reaction by politi-cians and unfounded fears from consumers. Fringe foodie groups are using emotion, not science, to brand biotech foods as “Fran-kenfoods” to increase fear and raise questions about how safe

American food is.

In the wake of this manufac-tured biotech controversy, many states are proposing a mosaic of onerous, unscientific and vastly different regulations that would dramatically impact food pro-ducers across America. The outcome of these anti-science efforts would result in a confus-ing patchwork of labeling laws which would be costly to both food producers and consumers.

Utah Farm Bureau policy says, “We oppose false, misleading or deceptive marketing or promo-tion and/or label claims, includ-ing the use or absence of claims on food labels, when compared to other products not bearing such claims, unless sufficient scientific evidence exists to sub-stantiate the claim.”

The Food and Drug Admin-istration (FDA) points out food and food ingredients derived from GE plants must adhere to the same safety requirements that apply to traditionally bred products. FDA has long been op-posed to mandatory labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms

Court halts WOTUS rule enforcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Most Americans think the Endangered Species Act is outdated and needs to be revised, a survey by Morn-ing Consult shows. The poll conducted in early August adds impetus to congres-sional efforts to overhaul the increasingly outdated 1970s-

Poll shows broad support for Endangered Species Act reform

era statute.T h e s u r v e y s h o w s :

• 63 percent of Americans sup-port modernizing the ESA; • 62 percent of Americans believe the act should help with species recovery, as op-posed to merely cataloguing changes in their populations; • 69 percent of Americans want

the federal government to of-fer resources to third parties to help species recovery; and • 49 percent of Americans believe that state or local authorities, rather than the federal govern-ment, lead in recovery of endan-gered and threatened species. Only 31 percent of Americans

Utah Farm Bureau News 3November 2015

AgAgenda: Local efforts protect species and respect landownersBy Bob Stallman

American Farm Bureau President

We recently sponsored a poll concerning the Endangered Species Act, and it opened our eyes. As it turns out, farmers and ranchers aren’t alone in thinking there’s some-thing not quite right with the Endangered Species Act. More than 60 per-cent of Americans told pollsters they, too, think it needs an overhaul. And they’re right. With a recovery rate of less than 2 percent, the ESA has failed to achieve its primary goal of recover-ing at-risk species.

There are many things we can do to make en-vironmental policy bet-ter, but local control is near the top of the list. Americans trust local and state government to protect the environment far more than they trust

Washington to get the job done.

Right now, farmers and ranchers across the coun-try are working with lo-cal groups and officials to prove it is possible to protect species and respect property owners at the same time. And here again, most people agree with us. In the poll, conducted for AFBF by Morning Consult, only 31 percent of those surveyed

actually think the federal government should be taking the lead in recov-ery efforts. Why? Because state and local wildlife management programs are getting results that the feds haven’t. Most recent-ly, the greater sage grouse and the Sonoran desert tortoise were spared from ESA listings thanks to the efforts of farmers and ranchers, landown-ers, and state wildlife agencies across the West. They saved these at-risk animals, and they did it without sacrificing their local businesses and economies. So instead of stepping in where others are getting the job done, 69 percent of Americans think the federal govern-ment should offer re-sources to third parties to boost these efforts.

It’s time for the federal government to give credit where it’s due and reward the hard work private businesses and landown-ers are putting into con-servation efforts.

These state plans work because they are created by officials and business owners who know the local landscape far better than any federal agency does. And while federal plans and listings burden landowners with costly permits and red tape, state-led plans actually create incentives for land-owners to enhance habi-tats on their land.

The outdated ESA stands in the way of great-er success. Fixing it means focusing on what actually works instead of piling on more permitting require-ments that hurt business

but do nothing to protect wildlife. Today, landown-ers face wrong-headed restrictions that actually discourage creating habi-tat for endangered spe-cies lest the simple pres-ence of protected wildlife means they can no longer use part or all of their own land. Neither farmers, ranchers, businesses nor anyone else should face extinction themselves for stepping up to protect lo-cal wildlife.

Real recovery is pos-sible, but not without a common sense, science-based approach to pre-serving wildlife and pro-tecting private property rights. The ESA should be modernized, and Con-gress must take the lead.

W A S H I N G T O N , D.C. – The Court of Ap-peals for the Sixth Circuit today ordered the EPA to stop enforcement na-tionwide of the Waters of the United States rule. In doing so, the Cincinnati-based court recognized that this rule has seri-ous flaws and cannot go forward until the courts have had an opportu-nity to understand its effect on farmers, ranch-ers and landowners of al l kinds, American Farm Bureau Federa-

Court halts WOTUS rule enforcement

tion President Bob Stall-man said in a statement. “The judges expressed deep concerns over the basic legality of this rule. We’re not in the least surprised: This is the worst EPA order we have seen since the agency was established more than 40 years ago. The court clearly understood our ar-guments,” Stallman said. The decision expands a stay that a North Da-kota judge imposed in August, the day before the rule took effect, and that

only applied to 13 states. While farmers and ranchers are confident the courts will strike down this rule, cases like this al-most always take years to win—and stays don’t last forever, Stallman noted. “So we again ask the Sen-ate to pass legislation to nullify this rule just as the House has already done. Farmers and ranchers cannot afford to wait.” A copy of the court order can be found at http://www.fb.org/tmp/up-loads/15 CV 165 Com-plaint.pdf.



Presenting a unique set of skills and qualifications, Dr. Barry Pit-tman was appointed as Utah’s newest State Veterinarian in early October. Pittman was most recently the frontline su-pervisor for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspec-tion Service (FSIS) meat inspection program in Utah.

FSIS is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), respon-sible for ensuring that the na-tion’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

“ D r . P i t t m a n brings a consider-able amount of reg-ulatory experience to the department to assure our inspec-tion standards re-main at the highest level,” said LuAnn Adams, Commis-sioner of the Utah Department of Ag-riculture & Food (UDAF). “Dr. Pit-tman will help us continue our tradi-tion of excellence in animal health and food safety.”

After a distinguished career in the military – including serving in both the Air Force and Army – Pittman earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine from Kansas State University. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health/Food Safety, and is a graduate of Weber State University, where he studied zoology.

Pittman was the veterinarian at the military bases he was sta-tioned at, including Fort Riley in Kansas. There are approximately 700 Army veterinarians serving on Active duty and in the Reserve

Along the CountrysideVice President- CommunicationsMatt Hargreaves

New state veterinarian ready to work for Utah’s farmers and ranchers, consumers

Components. The U.S. Army Vet-erinary Corps provides food safety and security inspections for all of the Armed Services. They also are responsible for providing care to

Military Working Dogs, ceremo-nial horses, working animals of many Department of Homeland Security organizations, and pets owned by service members and retirees.

During his military ser-vice, Pittman also served with special operations a n d a i r -borne divi-sions, which i n c l u d e d preparations f o r j u m p s into areas of extreme conflict. It was during his military service that

Pittman developed his skills for managing public health cam-paigns related to foodborne ill-nesses and rapid response plan-ning for disease outbreaks.

As an Area Emergency Coor-dinator and public health vet-erinarian for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Dr. Pittman oversaw consumer protection standards, developed federal animal and herd health emergency response procedures, as well as worked with FEMA to protect the human population from animal diseases.

“We looked at modeling re-

sponses for outbreaks of things such as foot & mouth disease and conducting vulnerability assessments for feed yards, sale barns, swine, poultry and the

like,” Pittman said. “We also worked with FEMA to put response groups together regionally, to work with natural di-sasters and outbreaks of tuberculosis, avian

influenza, Newcastle disease, and other zoonotic health issues.”

One of Dr. Pittman’s priorities is to move the state’s veterinary services forward in ways that best serve Utah’s farmers, ranchers and consumers.

“I am excited about this oppor-tunity to bring my background in animal health and consumer protection to the Department of Agriculture & Food,” Pittman said.

Pittman feels one of the pri-orities of the State Veterinarian’s office is to keep livestock and do-mesticated wildlife with diseases out of the state and to ensure those coming in have proper vac-cinations. Additionally, working on mapping projects for disease outbreaks will be very impor-tant. Since many outbreaks have

a long incubation period before any symptoms appear, it can be difficult to track them. However, Pittman has had experience in building traceability systems that include everyone from feed sales-persons, to mail delivery services and propane trucks.

“The state veterinarians office is essential to Utah ranchers, ensuring safe and sound medical practices for livestock are sci-entifically based,” said Sterling Brown, UFBF Vice President of Public Policy. “Dr. Pittman has a common-sense approach to regu-lation and a broad understanding of health concerns and challenges for the livestock industry. He’s traveled the country and brings a wealth of understanding and leadership to our state.”

Another priority for the office is the threat posed by avian influ-enza. Though Utah’s commercial flocks of turkeys and egg laying hens have sophisticated biosecu-rity measures in place, challenges remain with the rise in backyard poultry and the risks associated with migratory waterfowl.

“We look to give [backyard growers] information and work with them on how to keep from spreading diseases,” Pittman said.


FFA continued on pg 28

Utah student selected for National FFA officer team

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

Sarah Draper of Corinne, Utah has been elected by delegates from throughout the United States to serve on the Na-tional FFA Officer team. The new team was elect-ed Saturday, Oct. 31, at Freedom Hall during the 88th National FFA Con-vention & Expo in Lou-isville, Kentucky. Sar-ah’s election marks the first time in more than 40 years that Utah will have a representative on the national FFA officer team.

Draper is an agricul-tural education major at Utah State University

and intends to be a high school agriculture teach-er after graduation. She will serve as western re-gion vice president dur-ing the 2015-16 school year.

“This past week was a whirlwind of interviews, tests, and mock presen-tations with 40 other candidates from across the nation,” Draper said. “After a 40-year drought of National FFA Officers from Utah, I am also the first female national offi-cer from our state.”

Students from Arkan-sas, Tennessee, Ohio, Iowa, and Georgia were also elected to serve as officers.

Each year, six students are elected by delegates to represent the organi-zation as National FFA officers. Delegates elect a president, secretary and vice presidents rep-

resenting the central, southern, eastern and western regions of the country.

National officers com-mit to a year of service to the National FFA Or-ganization. Each travels more than 100,000 na-tional and international miles to interact with business and industry

leaders, thousands of FFA members and teach-ers, corporate sponsors, government and educa-tion officials, state FFA leaders, the general pub-lic and more.

The team will lead per-sonal growth and leader-ship training conferences

Utah Farm Bureau News 7November 2015leaders, thousands of FFA members and teach-ers, corporate sponsors, government and educa-tion officials, state FFA leaders, the general pub-lic and more.

The team will lead per-sonal growth and leader-ship training conferences

By Garrick Hall, UFBF Central Regional Manager

T h e g o v e r n o r ’ s office projects that the population of Utah will grow from 3 million people today to 5.4 million in 2050. Utah County, one of the most productive agricultural areas of the state, is expected to increase by more than 500,000 people by 2050. This raises the question; where will all those people live?

U t a h C o u n t y h a s grown rapidly over the past 2-3 decades, turning some of the most fertile farm ground in the state into subdivisions. Utah County is still one of the most productive agricultural counties in Utah, leading the state in gross receipt sales of agricultural products. It is also one of the most divers counties when it comes to agricultural production. From some of the largest farms in the state distributing products all across the country to small-scale farms marketing directly to the consumer through farmers markets and roadside stands. Utah County ranks first in the

Preservation of agriculture land in Utah County

state for fruit production, second in milk, third in beef, and fourth in wheat, just to list a few products.

I f w e c o n t i n u e t o develop on this highly productive resource, we will severely impact the ability of our state to be self-sufficient when it comes to producing the food we eat. While Utah County highlights this issue, it is not just a Utah County issue. Most of the growth in Utah has been, and is expected to continue to occur, on highly productive agricultural lands and microclimates up and down the Wasatch Front.

Recently, envision Utah surveyed more than 52,000 Utah residents to ask their opinions of several issues related to the future growth of the state. One of the areas they looked at was agriculture. They found that only four percent of survey respondents want local food production to continue to decrease. They also found that a large majority of respondents want the state to be more

self sufficient in supplying its own food and have high-qual i ty , local ly grown food. Additionally, 74 percent of respondents agreed with the statement “farming and ranching are critical to the future of Utah.”

So how do we do this? How do we maintain qual i ty of l i fe for a population that is expected

to double over the next 35 years? While at the same time maintaining food self-sufficiency and increasing locally grown food?

This is not a new issue; we have been wrestling with this challenge for many years. In 2011, the state of Utah organized t h e “ A g r i c u l t u r a l Sustainability Task Force” to look at this issue on a statewide level. The task force released a report in January 2012 outlining their findings. This report can still be found on the Department of Agriculture’s website

(http://ag.utah.gov/documents/Agtaskforce.pdf). Since the release of that report, very little has been done to implement the strategies outlined to increase agricultural sustainability in the state.

Today, we seem to be in about the same position we were in 2011. This time Utah County, emboldened by the findings of the envision Utah survey, has launched an effort to identify strategies that will protect agriculture in the county during this

projected period of rapid population growth. The effort begs the question in my mind; can we identify strategies that will actually work? And is the public really willing to make the sacrifice? Yes, there will be perceived sacrifices necessary to implement those strategies. It is easy to say in a survey that you favor a certain idea when you think it will only impact someone else. It is another thing to support an idea when you see that it will impact your lifestyle, or your pocketbook.

Several ideas have been suggested by different stakeholders in Utah

County to preserve and protect agricultural land and open space. Some of the ideas being discussed include:

-The use of conservation easements to compensate l a n d o w n e r s f o r t h e development potential of the land if they choose to leave their land in agriculture

-Enhance “right to farm laws” and agricultural protection areas.

-Evaluate current zoning policies and their effect on farmland preservation.

- I n c r e a s e f a r m profitability through improved marketing options.

-Educate the public about the benefits to the county from local agr icu l ture and the challenges farmers face.

-Reduce the burden of over-regulation.

These are not new ideas; they have been talked about for years in varying forms. To date, the public and elected off icials have not been willing to fund or implement to any significant degree most of these types of p r e s e r v a t i o n t o o l s . Conservation easements have been talked about for years, but taxpayer funding has never been made available in any significant amount.

Agricultural Protection Areas are becoming increasingly controversial as cities and counties resist the idea of granting protections to landowners that make it more difficult to condemn pr ivate property for roads and uti l ity rights of way

LAND continued on pg 26


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“Best Pricing”, which will either be “Fleet” pricing or the sale price on the tires of your choice. Be prepared to show your Farm Bu-reau membership card to qualify for the dis-count. The discount is available nationwide. At Les Schwab, every purchase of car, SUV or light truck tires comes with a world-class tire warranty that gives you more for your money. Our Best Tire Value Promise means we stand behind the quality of our products and workmanship, and we stand by to help when you need it on the road. Free lifetime tire and mileage care, Free Peace of Mind tire protection, Trusted, world-class service and Value-added free services.

POLARISFarm Bureau members will receive $200

off all full size Sportsman ATV’s and ACE vehicles—$300 off all full size Ranger RZR and Brutus UTVs and $300 off all GEM elec-tric vehicles. 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 acquired and the acquisition(s) is/are made for persona and/or business use. Visit fbadvantage.com and download

your certificate entitling you the manufac-turer’s incentive discount. You must be a Farm Bureau member for at least 30 days to qualify. Must present incentive discount certificate to the dealer PRIOR TO PUR-CHASE. Learn more about models at www.Polaris.com.

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By Garrick Hall, UFBF Central Regional ManagerDid you know that as a nation we eat 100

acres of pizza a day? Or that each American consumes 23 pounds of pizza a year? You might think that it takes just a few minutes to make one of those pizzas, but you would be wrong. It actually takes several years to grow all the ingredients to make that pizza. The approximately 150 elementary students that attended the Juab County Farm Bureau’s Annual Farm Field Day learned what it takes, and if you “ask [them] what I learned on the farm today” they could probable tell you all about it.

These students got the chance to visit the farm and learn about agriculture and where their food comes from. With help from USU Extension and Mt. Nebo FFA, elementary school students from Red Cliffs,

Juab County Farm Bureau hosts Farm Field DaysNebo View, and Mona Elementary visited Cedar View Dairy and learned what it takes to raise a calf, feed and care for adult cows, and toured the milk barn complete with a carousel

parlor (Merry-go-round). After learning about all that goes into producing milk that make all kinds of delicious dairy products (including the cheese that is an essential part

of our pizza), the 4th graders went to the fairgrounds. There they learned about eggs and chickens, honey bees, grains, and many of the ingredients required to make a pizza. One of the highlights was a demonstration on horse shoeing, and they loved climbing up in a modern tractor and swather.

The many volunteers who help make Farm Field Days a success enjoy seeing the excitement from the students as they get the opportunity to see first hand the equipment and animals that are an important part of today’s agriculture. This experience helps the children begin to make the connection between the food they eat and the farms they see right here in our community.


BOOK continued on pg 25

Another PerspectiveDirector of Member Services

& Women’s Committee CoordinatorSusan Furner

The magic formulaIn our hectic “have to do this—

need to be there” lives we are all looking for ways to optimize our time. We’re searching for that magic formula that gives us the greatest return on the time we invest. There is one magical for-mula that is scientifically proven to give anyone who tries it a very hefty return on the time spent. The formula is simple, virtu-ally free, and requires only 15 to 20 min-utes daily.

The formula isn’t top se-cret; in fact, you may have heard it before. The magic formula is reading with your child daily for 15-20 minutes. That’s it. It’s simple. What do you get for investing that 15-20 minutes of your time? That investment improves your child’s chances for success in school, entertains them without spending money, and you will grow closer to your child and build bonds and memories that are long lasting.

Based on the research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Devel-opment (NICHD), the web-site Homework Help Secrets in-dicates, “Reading is the single most important skill necessary for a happy, productive and successful life. A child that is an excellent reader is a confi-dent child, has a high level of self-esteem and is able to easily make the transition from learn-ing to read to reading to learn.”

Research shows that an in-fant’s brain structure is not genetically determined. Early experiences have a decisive impact on the architecture of a baby’s brain.

“A child care provider reads to a toddler, and in a matter of seconds, thousands of cells in these children’s growing brains

respond. Some brain cells are ‘turned on,’ triggered by this par-ticular experience. Many existing connections among brain cells are strengthened. At the same time, new brain cells are formed, adding a bit more definition and complexity to the intricate circuitry that will remain largely in place for the rest of these

children’s lives,” according to research from the University of Chicago.

Books also can encourage children to “follow their dreams and achieve their potential,” ac-cording to the ‘Reading is Fun-damental’ (RIF) website, www.rif.org. “Yes, it seems incredible for a book to launch a life, but it happens every day as hungry, in-quisitive young minds reach out and grab hold of the new people, places and ideas that books bring them.”

The Children’s Reading Foun-dation says, “Once a child begins to read, it is essential to continue reading aloud together, as read-ing together offers a springboard for conversation, a way to help children understand and deal with difficult situations and a method for assisting young people to grasp and explore con-cepts outside their own realm of experience.”

It’s never too early or too late to start reading with your children. Encourage your children to ask questions about the characters, pictures and words. Talk about the story with your child. Did they like the story? Why or why not? What would they do if they were the main character of the story? Maybe one day your child

reads a recipe card and helps make dinner instead of reading a storybook. Reading is reading whether it’s a book, a recipe, or the back of a cereal box.

Whether you are reading to your child or your child is reading to you, make sure the experience is posi-tive. Negative experiences with reading – whether it’s frustration on the part of a child learning how to read or impatience on the part of a parent – can turn chil-dren off from reading. Try finding new places to read, under a tree, in a tent set up in the front room, outside on a picnic or in a favorite reading chair.

Make the book come alive by engaging in fun learning activities related to the theme of the book. That idea may seem overwhelming and overstepping the 15-20 minute rule, but many activities are already available

for you to use at home with your children.

For example, the Foundation

for Agriculture book of the year is “The Apple Orchard Riddle” by Margaret McNamara and G. Brian Karas. Once you have


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

$ $$

By Amanda Christensen, Extension Assistant Professor – Morgan County

In 2014, consumers spent more than $580 billion during the holi-days—an average spending of $861 per consumer. Financial planners advise us to spend no more than 1.5 percent of our income on holiday expenses. So if you love the holiday as I do, but don’t want to be paying for it in May, here are a few things to consider now.

1. Determine your gift spending plan and stick to it. Gifts are one area of our holiday expenses where we have total control! Take a few minutes now and know how much you can spend. Finish the spending plan before you start shopping, and then keep track of the spending as

The procrastinator’s Christmas budgetyou go along. There are plenty of Christmas gift budgeting apps to help. Pick one with high consumer ratings and use it to keep your spending plan updated as you go.

2. Set aside some money. That seems to be difficult, but think of it as making choices. If you are spending $8 to $10 each day for lunch, pack your lunch and save that money. Over the next four weeks, that could add up to $200. Think for just a moment about those credit cards. Anything you charge will have to be paid back at $15 to $20 for each $100 you charge. That is a great motivator to find the money without resorting to credit.

3. Be smart about sales. We are

all familiar with Black Friday, but are you taking advantage of Cyber Monday? The Monday following Black Friday is when online re-tailers offer great deals that often include free shipping. Be ready with your gift list, and pay less for gifts from the comfort of your liv-ing room!

4. Get creative. There are lots of ways to reduce expenditures and still give appreciated gifts. Non-monetary gifts are a fabulous way to keep costs down. For example, homemade gifts are often more meaningful, and coupons or cer-tificates for service or quality time are a great way to share talents and make memories.

BENEFITS continued on pg 13

By John Keeler, UFBF Southern Re-gional Manager

The Sanpete County Farm Bureau board of directors and Insurance agents recently got their county benefits program off the ground and into the hands of Farm Bureau members. Thirteen local businesses are participat-ing with discounts ranging from 10-25 percent on a variety of products and services.

In the spring, County FB Insur-ance agents came to the Sanpete County Board and asked if local benefits could be offered to FB

Sanpete County launches new local member

benefits program


YOURUtah Farm Bureau

at Work

FB AT WORK continued on pg 21

Utah Farm Bureau staff…participated in the Ag in the Classroom Board meeting and Projects Committee.

Utah Farm Bureau … staff provided an update to the State Water Development Commission on Congressional and legal actions on Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and federal water grabs by the US Forest Service and BLM at the invitation of co-chair Senator Margaret Dayton. Farm Bureau reported that US EPA implementing their expansive redefinition of WOTUS has been placed on hold by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals until a jurisdiction ruling is determined. Stopping federal claims on water rights in western public lands states is under consideration by the United States Congress. The “Water Rights Protection Act of 2015” sponsored by Representative Scott Tipton (R-CO) has passed the US House of Representatives and is being considered by the US Senate under the leadership of Senator John Barraso (R-WY).

Utah Farm Bureau … staff joined with Morgan County Farm Bureau member Stewart Grow in a meeting with legal counsel Michael Zimmerman regarding the appeal of District Judge Keith Kelly’s decision in the Navigable for Title lawsuit against four property owners on the Weber River. The Utah Supreme Court has determined they will hear the appeal to hear arguments on the definition of navigable for title at the time of statehood. The case will focus on whether the requirement of both commerce and travel are satisfied where only periodic tie drives and cord wood floats occurred. Does ownership and certainty of title matter? In addition, does the definition of use based on the “ordinary condition” of the stream, rather than use during periods of high runoff meet the U.S. Supreme Court definition as determined in PPL Montana vs. Montana (2012).

Utah Farm Bureau…CEO Randy Parker participated in the Western Freedom Festival held October 22nd in Cedar City. The Festival was a celebration of the western lifestyle and Constitutional principles. Parker participated in a panel discussion on the importance of sustaining agriculture as a foundation industry in Utah. In addition to Parker, the panel included County Extension Agents Chad Reid and Kevin Heaton. The panel focused on the importance of the contribution agriculture, especially ranching, makes to the culture and economy of rural Utah. Participants expressed concerns about the aggressive attacks against ranchers grazing sheep and cattle on public lands. The ranchers were urged to understand their legal rights and to review their grazing documents including grazing permit and annual operating instructions before signing.

Utah Farm Bureau…visited with members of Utah’s Legislative and Executive Branches and many stakeholders involved in ensuring Utah grows and develops in a sustainable way. Governor Herbert is sensitive to the challenges facing

Utah’s Buddy Deimler, Agri-culture Education Specialist for the Utah State Office of Educa-tion, was recently named the ‘Outstanding State Supervisor’ for his work with Utah FFA stu-dents by the National Association of Supervisors of Agricultural Education (NASAE).

Deimler received this recog-nition as part of the NASAE’s involvement in the National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Kentucky.

NASAE is a professional orga-nization established to provide members with information es-sential for planning and conduct-ing quality agricultural education programs. NASAE members are

Deimler named ‘Outstanding State Supervisor’ for work guiding Utah FFA students

professionally engaged in the ad-ministration and/or supervision of career education in agriculture on the district, area, state and national level.

The general goals of the organi-zation are to professionally rep-resent and support advancement of school-based agricultural edu-cation by providing information on the characteristics of quality programs, sharing information regarding quality teaching mate-rials, and promoting professional relationships with other agen-cies, associations, and institu-tions interested in the industry of agriculture and agriculture education.

By John Keeler, UFBF Southern Re-gional Manager

The Sanpete County Farm Bureau board of directors and Insurance agents recently got their county benefits program off the ground and into the hands of Farm Bureau members. Thirteen local businesses are participat-ing with discounts ranging from 10-25 percent on a variety of products and services.

In the spring, County FB Insur-ance agents came to the Sanpete County Board and asked if local benefits could be offered to FB

Utah Farm Bureau News12 November 2015On the edge of common senseBAXTER BLACK

BENEFITSContinued from pg. 10

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection. Warm memories, overstuffed afternoons and family. Yet rising from this cornucopia of good feelings, like a rubber chicken from a shopping cart full of cut-up fryers, is that runner-up for national bird...The Turkey.

Despite its cinder block-like intelligence, gurgling vocals and dangling snood, there is nothing absurd about the turkey being nominated as our national bird. After all, a group of entomologists has tried to convince Congress to name a National Insect. Their suggestion was the Monarch butterfly.

I have always assumed that the turkey was passed over for the bald eagle for obvious reasons; beauty, grace, majesty, strength and inspiration. But after watching Congress consider the Monarch butterfly, I realized how it is simply a matter of which special interest group presents the most convincing case.

There was considerable rancor stirred amongst the feminist groups when they pressed their case for a National Insect to represent them. They were divided between the ladybug and the queen bee.

Organized religion sprang forth to submit their nominees. The Catholics liked the idea of a preying mantis on the fifty cent piece. The Methodists suggested the water skipper while the Baptists chose the lobster.

The legal profession marshaled its considerable influence behind the scorpion. Civil service employees thought the humble, diligent ant would be a good choice. Roto Rooter placed the tumblebug into consideration.

Suggestions for the National Insect came pouring in from special interest groups: Pork Producers-the sow bug, carpenters-termites, insomniacs-bed bug, librarians-book lice, Nike-millipede, Republicans-the Sherman tank, Adams County bowling team-bowl weevils, uncle wanted aunts, the A’s wanted the B’s, Volkswagen wanted the beetles, honky-tonkers wanted night crawlers, and the Texans thought the oil derrick would make a nice National Insect!

So I can imagine if there is this much interest in a National Insect, the competition must have been double tough for the National Bird!If Ducks Unlimited, the Pelican Farm News, the Kansas Jayhawkers or Chicken of the Sea had been able to nominate candidates for the National Bird, our coins might have looked a lot different.

However, if the Turkey Growers are still bent on installing the turkey as a symbol of something uniquely American...they’d have to go to Washington D.C. anyway...

The National Insect

members in the county. It was discussed and a committee of agents, board members, Co. FB President and Regional Manager was appointed. The committee met twice and made assignments to get the businesses on board, to write up an agreement and to get signs made and a letter to the membership prepared. The agreement was made and the committee had the businesses that were identified to sign the agreement.

After the businesses had signed the agreement, it was learned that a group FB agents in Cache County were working on a ben-efits “App” for their benefits pro-gram and would be field-testing the new app. It was decided that Sanpete County would wait until after the trial run to see if using the app would work. Toward the end of the summer, the test was completed with success. With the new app, there needed to be a new agreement signed by the businesses giving permission to list their information on the app.

Finally, all was put into place.

The new agreements were signed by the businesses. New signs that read, “We proudly offer discounts to FB Members” were distributed to the businesses and a mailing was sent to all FB members in the county.

Initial reports are that mem-bers are already using the ben-efits along with many inquiries to the businesses about the pro-gram. Insurances agents have the responsibility of questions from members and the County FB will promote the program at all of its activities and functions.

Members can go online to the FB website (www.utahfarmbu-reau.org) and learn about the benefits available to them. Mem-bers can also see how to down-load the app to their electronic device. Additionally, the local county benefits are available to all Utah Farm Bureau members, regardless of which county they live in.

For more information about setting up local benefits in your county, please contact Susan Furner at 801-233-3010 or [email protected].

Photo by Matt HargreavesCornbelly’s Turns 20! The ‘Minion’ themed corn maze at Brett Herbst’ corn maze at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi was the tip of the iceberg as far as activities for families. Herbst and his staff have continued to grow the attraction every year, and had kids participating in all kinds of activities, from a 40+ ton pit of corn, to zip lines and more.


ervoir depletion didn’t start until late in June, effectively saving one to two months of irrigation.

July rolled around and again decreased irrigation demand. Considering that streamflow was as low as it was, Utah is only down 3 percent of reser-voir storage (52 percent vs. 55 percent) compared to where we were in October of 2014. That is truly remarkable, given April 1 snow packs that were in many cases less than 25 percent of normal and resultant stream flows that were equally low. We also had amazingly low inflow, and yet, we had a net consumptive decline in overall reservoir

storage of only three percent of total capacity. The normal expectation would have been a 15 to 25 percent decline.

Even though the statewide decline was minimal, state-wide reservoir storage is below average and some areas have exceptionally low reservoir storage going into 2016. Up-per Sevier, Lower Sevier, San Pitch and the Price River ba-sins all have very low reservoir storage. Current stream flow at points that are not regu-lated by reservoir discharge are for the most part reflective of multiple years of drought – at very low levels, many below 10 percent.

Soil moisture conditions are near normal across the state and while we would rather soil moisture was exceptionally wet, at least it’s not exception-ally dry.

Looking forward to water year 2016, there is a pretty good probability that southern Utah will have an above aver-age year due to strong El Nino conditions. El Nino is forecast to remain strong through the winter months and gradually declining in spring and sum-mer. An above average year would be welcome news in southern Utah where reser-voir storage has taken a beat-ing this year.

Central and northern Utah are in less predictable condi-tions, and could go any direc-tion, though we are hopeful that the El Nino conditions will slip farther north. We are looking forward to a great water year and hopeful there will be snow aplenty across the entire state.

By Randy Julander, Snow Survey Supervisor, NRCS – Utah

Here is the Cliffs Notes ver-sion of the past water year 2015 – it was a bust. The long version isn’t much better – no snow, no stream flow, lots of impending doom, but saved to some extent by May and July precipitation.

When you look back, it could have been so much worse – May and July were remarkable in the duration, extent and amount of rainfall, which rescued a lot of forage and small grain production as well as allowing us to retain water in our reservoirs. May precipitation was so good in fact that in many cases, res-

Evaluating Utah’s water situation


Practical PolicyVice President- Public PolicySterling Brown

A season of Thanksgiving… and property taxes

November ushers in a season of Thanksgiving…. and property taxes. Property taxes in Utah are administered by the 29 county governments. The counties’ role begins with the surveying and record-ing of real property ownership records. It continues with the valuation assessment and the equalization of property values. It ends with the collection of prop-erty taxes and the distribution of revenue to the various local governmental entities.

Examples of local govern-mental entities include: all cit-ies within the county, School District, Water District(s), Im-provement District(s), Mos-

quito Abatement District(s), Sewer District(s), Recreation District(s), Fire District(s), and County government.

Each county has an elected

surveyor, recorder, assessor, auditor, treasurer and commis-sion or council. The surveyor and recorder are responsible for creating and maintaining boundary and ownership in-formation. The assessor is re-sponsible for the appraisal and assessment of each property.

The auditor applies tax rates and serves as clerk of the Board of Equalization. The Board of Equalization is composed of the county commission/council who hear appeals of the valua-tions and assessments entered on the tax roll by the assessor. Finally, the treasurer is respon-sible for collecting the property

tax.Utah is ranked number

32 out of the 50 states, in order of the average of property taxes collected. Summit County collects the highest property tax in Utah, levying 0.39% of the

median home value, while Rich County has the lowest property tax in the state, collecting an average of 0.35% of the median home value per year.

Utah’s property tax structure often gets criticized as unfair because it can appear as a means to confiscate money from people with low incomes and relatively high property wealth such as farmers with valuable land but low incomes in a particular year. Other criti-cisms of property tax include: the difficulty in administer-ing the tax, lack of linkage to services rendered and to the ability to pay, and the power of government to take property for non-payment.

Over the years, public opin-ion polls consistently show property taxes to be the least popular form of state and local revenue-raising measures. One reason for this may be the fact that property taxes are paid in lump sums, usually once a year, by citizens who write checks for them or see the costs in their mortgage payments. Contrasts this with sales taxes, paid “painlessly” as part of the cost of a purchase, and income taxes withheld from wages and salaries.

Another criticism of property

tax is taxpayers realize they are being taxed on “value” that isn’t necessarily applicable to their situation, particularly if they own a family farm or an older house in what real estate folks would call a “hot” neighborhood. Forty-six years ago, the Utah Legislature ad-dressed this concern, in part, by passing the Utah Farmland Assessment Act, also called the Greenbelt Act. This Act allows qualifying agricultural property to be assessed and taxed based upon its produc-tive capability instead of the prevailing market value. This unique method of assessment is vital to agriculture opera-tions in close proximity to expanding urban areas, where taxing agricultural property at market value could make farm-ing operations economically prohibitive.

Productive values are es-tablished by the Utah State Tax Commission with the assistance of a five-member Farmland Assessment Advi-sory Committee. Leadership from both Utah Farm Bureau and Utah State University are represented on this commit-tee. Productive values apply statewide and are based upon income and expense factors associated with agriculture activities. These factors are expressed in terms of value per acre for specific land clas-sifications.

The argument that property tax is poorly associated with the services rendered is not only valid for the property tax but for most taxes. It is espe-cially true of the major taxes, namely the sales, income and property taxes. These taxes are not used to pay for the costs of the specific services rendered by government to those paying

TAXES continued on pg 28



Utah’s Young Farmers and Ranchers:Spotlight on...

The future of Utah agriculture!Here are the fi nalists for the Utah Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture Award. These represent some of Utah’s best and brightest young farmers and their families.

The winner of the Utah Farm Bureau Achievement Award will receive a 2016 Polaris Ranger 4X4, courtesy of Utah Polaris Dealers, and expense-paid trip to the 2016 AFBF Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, January 10-13, 2016. The winner of the Excellence in Agri-culture award & Discussion Meet will receive a Polaris ATV, courtesy of Zions Bank Ag Group and IFA respectively, as well as, and the expense-paid trip to Orlando. The winners of the ATVs will also receive a year’s worth insurance policy from Farm Bureau Financial Services and a safety helmet from the Utah Farm Bureau Safety Program.

At the American Farm Bureau Federation competitions, the top winners of the Achievement Award, Excellence in Agriculture Award, and Discussion Meet will each receive their choice of either a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado or 2016 GMC Sierra, as well as paid registration to the 2016 National YF&R Leadership Conference, held February 12-15, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Nationally, the three fi nalists for the three awards will each receive a Case IH Farmall 50A, a $2,500 cash prize, and $500 in STIHL merchandise.

Utah’s young farmers and ranchers have already embarked on the journey to the winner’s circle in Orlando by entering the state com-petition this fall. Utah’s representatives for the national convention will be announced Thursday, November 19 at the Awards and Rec-ognition Program from the fi eld of candidates.

Farm & ranch in Randolph, Rich CountyBrandon & Michelle HatchJeff & Jennie Christensen

Run a cattle ranch near Price, Carbon County


Luke & Hilarie Petersen

Achievement Award Applicants

Chad & Linda OsguthorpeRun sheep ranch in Hinkley,

Millard County

Farm & ranch in Hurricane, Washington CountyKathie IversonKade & Penni Wasden

Run a cattle ranch in Aurora, Sevier County

Is a produce farmer in Riverton, Salt Lake County

T.J. & Amanda AtkinIs a cattle ranch manager

in St. George, Washington County


Excellence in Agriculture Award Applicants

Wayne & Melonie Brinkerhoff Work for IFA Feed Mill & ranch

in Nephi, Juab County

Taylor & Krista PayneWork as grazing coordinator for UDAF and a

photographer in Randolph, Rich County

Russ & Heather KohlerWork on family dairy & cheese creamery

in Midway, Wasatch County

Brett & Jaclyn Jeff sWork on family cattle ranch in Castle Dale, Emery County

Wade & Dianne CampbellWorks for Oakdell Eggs & run cattle ranch in Smithfi eld, Cache County


Excellence in Agriculture Award Applicants

Klayton & Shelbie LawsFarm and ranch in

Castle Dale, Emery County

Work on family cattle ranch in Castle Dale, Emery County

Shane & Star StotlarRun a cattle ranch inKanab, Kane County

Dave & Kalei RobbinsFarms in

Santaquin, Utah County

Matt & Paige GrayWork on cattle ranch and farm

in Pine Valley, Washington County


Utah Farm Bureau News 21November 2015CONVENTIONContinued from pg. 1

“We’re really excited about our convention in Layton this year– and to kick-off our meeting with such a great cast of speakers and issues,” said Leland Hogan, Utah Farm Bureau President. “Even if you’ve never been to a convention before, I sincerely hope you will come and invite you to do so. All members, whether in county leadership or not will benefit from this convention. This is a great opportunity to see Farm Bureau at work, but to also build friendships, business relationships, and to get a break from the hard work agriculture demands.”

The convention kicks-off for some members on Wednesday, with the resolutions committee, and meetings of the State Women’s and Young F a r m e r & R a n c h e r (YF&R) committees , followed up with rounds 1 & 2 and ‘Sweet 16’ of the YF&R Discussion Meet. The four finalists for the discussion meet will be announced Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. The ‘Final Four’ will take place

at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday at the close of the general session.

Prior to the opening of the convention general session on Thursday, there will be the annual l u n c h e o n a n d L i v e Auction supporting the Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program. Farm Bureau members are encouraged to bring items to auction off to support this great program.

H i g h l i g h t i n g t h e start of the convention Thursday afternoon will be the keynote address of Galen Emanuele of Shift Yes! Emanuele recently spoke at the AFBF Annual Meeting last January and was a highly rated speaker. He will speak on how Farm Bureau (and individual businesses) can improve the cohesiveness and effectiveness of their teams by learning how to apply the improv concept of ‘Yes, And’. Emanuele aims to provide the framework and skills t o s h a r p l y i n c r e a s e positive communication, interpersonal behavior, and create a team culture of fearless, high-level engagement.

Thursday’s schedule

a l s o i n c l u d e s a n introduction of the new State Veterinarian, Dr. B a r r y P i t t m a n , a n d remarks by Richard Bay, CEO of the Jordan Valley W a t e r C o n s e r v a n c y District on how Utah can grow through water deve lopment . Other agenda items include an ice cream social to benefit the YF&R and an extended trade-show b r e a k . D o n ’ t f o r g e t about the infamous Utah Farm Bureau Award’s Program, sponsored by Farm Bureau Financial, at 7:30 p.m. County Farm Bureaus will be recognized for their efforts from throughout the year during this night, as well as YF&R Awards, Advocate for Agriculture Award, the Vanguard & Agent of the Year Awards, and the Quilt of the County drawing.

Friday’s action will feature the resumption of the Farm Bureau delegate session and Women’s Committee Service project. Prior to reconvening the general session, attendees will have a variety of breakout sessions to attend. For those wanting longer,

more detailed sessions, there will be long-form sessions on embracing change through positivity and the prioritizing of County Farm Bureau p r o g r a m s . O t h e r s wanting a faster pace can attend the ‘Move & Groove’ breakouts, with shorter presentations on financial planning, ideas for celebrating Farm Bureau’s upcoming centennial, fencing laws, g e t t i n g c o m f o r t a b l e with telling your story, learning some basics about running for office, and more.

Convention attendees will also hear a president’s report from retir ing president Leland Hogan, and a CEO report from Randy Parker. Robert Grow of Envision Utah will then present findings of the recent ‘Your Utah, Your Future’ survey, and the public policy implications it may have. Following Grow, Farm Bureau members will hear from the incoming Utah Farm Bureau President and a final pep talk from Galen Emanuele.

The festive portion of the convention culminates on Friday with a social

open to all convention attendees at 6:00 p.m. The social will serve as a retirement social for President Hogan. The annual gala banquet will take place at 7:00 p.m., where the Farm Bureau ‘Friend of Agriculture’ award will be presented.

T h e S a n d C o u n t y F o u n d a t i o n ’ s 2 0 1 5 Leopold Conservation A w a r d w i l l a l s o b e presented during the banquet, in partnership with the Utah Farm Bureau, Utah Cattlemen’s A s s o c i a t i o n , a n d W e s t e r n A g C r e d i t . The award recognizes conservation efforts of private landowners in Utah. Those attending the banquet will also enjoy the entertaining music of ‘Lefty & the Gang’, a local bluegrass band.

Those interested in attending the convention o r w h o n e e d m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n s h o u l d contact their County Farm Bureau Secretary or Mariesa Bergin at the state Farm Bureau office at 801-233-3040 or [email protected].

production agriculture and voiced his support to continuing a legacy of strong production agriculture in Utah.

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in the annual Utah Council of Farmer Cooperatives board meeting and banquet held at the Mountainland Applied Technology College in Lehi. Utah Farm Bureau provides legislative updates and direction to this agricultural leadership.

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in the regularly scheduled Executive Water Task Force meetings held under the direction of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources. This Task Force has historically been a forum to discuss water legislation in preparation for the annual Utah Legislative Session. Utah Farm Bureau is a

member of this Task Force.Utah Farm Bureau…attended the annual Fall Utah Water

Users Conference held in Provo, Utah. Topics included: planning for the future water needs of Utah, meeting water quality demands and growing needs for continued research and data collection in conserving water.

Utah Farm Bureau…participated in sponsoring a Utah Business Coalition and Legislative tour of Smithfield Hog Farm in Beaver, Iron and Beaver counties. Utah lawmaker and Utah business representatives discussed the impacts of increased regulations on start-up and expanding Utah businesses. Afterwards, a tour of the hog farm provided a close-up experience of production agriculture.

Utah Farm Bureau staff … participated in assisting County Farm Bureaus in Farm Field Days held in several counties.

FB AT WORKContinued from pg. 11


County ConnectionVice President- OrganizationDavid Bailey

FERRY continued on pg 28

Farm Bureau board member inducted into USU Hall of Honor

Utah State University’s Col-lege of Agriculture and Applied Science (CAAS) recently held its annual awards and honors ban-quet in the grand ballroom of the Taggart Student Center in Logan. This annual banquet and recep-tion takes place each year to award and honor scholarships to CAAS students. It also provides an opportunity for the scholarship donors and awardees to network and socialize in a formal setting. As part of the awards program every year, the CAAS alumni council has the opportunity to award a distinguished alumnus to the Hall of Honor.

Founded in 1999, the highly

regarded Alumni Hall of Honor Award is given to a CAAS alum-nus who has brought honor and recognition to themselves and to the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. This year as the CAAS alumni Council Presi-

dent, I had the honor of reading a citation for this year’s Hall of Honor inductee. Hall of Honor candidates come from a variety of backgrounds and careers. Naturally, for most inductees, ag-riculture has been a major part of their personal and professional

life is some form or fashion. This year was no exception as one of our own Farm Bureau State Board members, John Ferry, was awarded this distinguished honor.

John Ferry is a steward of a portion of Utah’s agri-cultural heritage, carry-ing on the business his family established 117 years ago and serving the agricultural community. John was born, raised

and lives in Corinne, Utah, where

he owns and operates three agri-business enterprises: JY Ferry & Son, Little Mountain Cattle Company and Little Mountain Holdings. He serves as a vice president and operates them along with his father, “Cap”, his brother, Ben, and son, Joel. His parents, Cap and Suzanne Ferry, instilled the value of hard work in him, and the business his grand-father established consists today of a cow herd of more than 1,000 head, a 5,800 capacity feedlot and 19,000 acres spread across Utah and Idaho. The Ferry family farms 2,600 acres of tillable land

where they grow mostly, alfalfa, wheat and corn.

John received his Bachelor’s degree in animal science from Utah State University’s College of Agriculture in 1978 and is a member of Alpha Zeta National Agriculture Honor Society. He has long been a leader in his community, his church and in the agricultural industry and served on numerous local, state and national boards, includ-ing the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Livestock Producers Association and Bear River Water Conservancy Dis-trict. John has served as chair-man of the boards the School and Institutional Trust Land Admin-

istration, Producers Livestock Marketing Association and the American Farm Bureau Federa-tion Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, and currently serves on the boards of directors of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation and of Salina Marketing Services Inc.

In 1983, John and his wife Teresa were recognized by the American Farm Bureau Fed-eration as the nation’s top young farmers and rancher.

It was a great honor for me

Photo by Dennis Hinkamp, USUJohn Ferry (right) and his son Joel talk about the progress of crops grown on their farm in Box Elder County.


YF&R Focus: Meagher & Tiffany McConkieYoung Farmer & Rancher Committee Chair

Here we are once again, the best time of the year for most of us. The harvest is coming to an end, the calves have been gathered and loaded on trucks, and we are all settling down for a long winter’s nap. November also marks the gathering of all Farm Bureau members around the state to the Annual Convention. It means a change in leader-ship, and many opportunities for members to serve. Mea-gher and I have had a great opportunity to serve on the YF&R committee for the past six years. We have served two 2-year terms as our District 5 Chair and Meagher has served as the State YF&R chair for the past two years. We can definitely say we have maxed out our time serving on this committee!

We have learned so much while being involved in the YF&R program. First, Farm Bureau wants to make you a leader wants to see you suc-ceed in any position that you are in. Farm Bureau gives you the resources and the tools to accomplish your goals. For example when we started this journey six years ago, Mea-gher hated going up in front of an audience. Serving as chair has forced him to overcome that fear and take charge of a room full of people. Meagher loves what he does and has always wanted to leave things better than how he found it.

This past year, he organized a Young Farmer & Rancher Day at the Capitol. What a great opportunity that was for us to have one-on-one time with state leaders that we could talk with and let them know more about ourselves

and the YF&R program. We have enjoyed going to leadership con-ferences and learning not only leadership, but also the ability to talk with others about our farms and ranches, and to be heard. I encourage you to attend at least on of these conferences; you definitely won’t be disappointed.

Second, Farm Bureau is made up of many who give of their time and resources. People that volunteer their time lead very busy live. There is always something that needs caring for at our farms and ranches; there’s always water that needs changed or cattle to be moved, or hay to be cut. It’s not always easy to drop what you’re doing to go to a Mid-Year conference or to a committee meeting, or whatever is asked of you. But one thing is for sure, every time we have taken the time to go, it’s been rewarding and we always walk away with a new sense of pride for what we do for a liv-ing. Do we always make it to everything? No. I have had to go many times alone to things just so Meagher was able to tend to things at home. We often work together to divide and conquer the things that were asked of us.

Every Farm Bureau member has the opportunity to serve on a county or state level. There’s room for everybody! If you have ever thought that you might want to serve in any part of this organization, I am telling you now to go for it! Get yourself out of that comfort zone. I have never heard someone say that they regretted serving; only that they wish they would have got-ten involved sooner.

Third, I look at Farm Bureau as a family unit. Families always

MCCONKIE continued on pg 30

Utah Farm Bureau News24 November 2015PARKERContinued from pg. 2

(GMO) foods because the government watchdog agrees with the scien-tific consensus that these foods bring no new risks to human health or the environment. Even the leading science academies in Europe, where Green-peace planted the “Fran-kenfood” seeds a genera-tion ago, concluded that GMOs are “no more risky than conventional plant breeding technologies.”

Not a single illness has been attributed to GE foods, while these tech-nological advancements have saved hundreds of millions of lives globally.

According to the FDA the first GE plants and animals were developed about 40 years ago. Today GE accounts for 94 per-

cent of all cotton planted; GE soybeans account for 93 percent of all soybeans planted; and GE corn ac-counts for 88 percent of all corn planted. Roughly 70 percent of foods in the U.S. contain some ingre-dients from GE crops.

Mark Lynas, one of the leading activists from Greenpeace in the early 1990s, helped establish the Frankenfood image in Europe. Recently, while speaking at Oxford Uni-versity in England, he opened his remarks with an apology for ripping up GM crops and helping start the anti-GM move-ment. He confessed this effort was “explicitly an anti-science movement!”

While conducting his own scientific investi-gation to substantiate that GM food are bad,

Lynas discovered he and Greenpeace were wrong. He embraced Norman Borlaug, the Father of the Green Revolution rec-ognizing his life-saving contribution to mankind. “The stakes are high,” Ly-nas tells us. “If we get this wrong, the life prospects for billions of people will be harmed.”

We all recognize devel-oping countries have sig-nificant food challenges with a global population headed for 9 billion by 2050. Technology and GMO food crops can help. Globally, billions of men, women and children are underfed or are malnour-ished.

Biotechnology and GMO foods today can offer sight to the poor in Asia where rice-only di-ets can lead to blindness

due to lack of vitamin A. Sadly, Asian governments have prohibited local farmers from planting the GE, high beta-carotene “Golden Rice” which can prevent blindness.

Farmers in India would benefit from planting GMO eggplant reducing their exposure to toxic insecticides. The Indian government prohibits planting Bt brinjal (GMO eggplant). East African farmers who face drought would benefit from ge-netically engineered, drought-resistant variet-ies of white maize. These are only a few of the life-saving, environmentally friendly GE advance-ments that can enhance the human experience.

Passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 will help pro-

vide a buffer from the anti-scientific, manufac-tured controversy that is paralyzing Europe, Africa and Asia.

In America, farmers and ranchers should be free to embrace the sci-entifically sound tech-nologies. If you like the old ways, that’s alright. If you embrace technol-ogy, that’s ok too! But that decision should not be driven by elitists who don’t care about the cost of food. Nor should it be made by celebrity chefs or foodies with political agendas that are not backed by good science.

In this important de-bate, the opponents to life-saving biotechnol-ogy are entitled to their views; but they are not entitled manufacture their own facts!

Utah Farm Bureau News 25November 2015BOOKContinued from pg. 9finished the book, go to the fridge, take out an apple, and slice it to find the hidden star. You just provided your child with a hands-on experience and an opportunity to continue talking about the book.

Ag in the Classroom activities aren’t just for school teachers and class-rooms. Many of the activ-ities can be used at home. Read “Sugarbush Spring” by Marsha Wilson Chall which tells the story of how maple syrup is made from a child’s view. Visit utah.agclassroom.org and search for “Pancakes” under teacher resources and you will find fun ac-tivities that complement the book. This Saturday try making pancakes in a Ziplock bag! With Ag in the Classroom resources, the possibilities are limit-less!

Agr icu l ture in the Classroom is a nation-wide program designed to help students develop an awareness and under-standing of our food and fiber system, and how agriculture impacts our daily lives. Utah Agri-culture in the Classroom (AITC) provides training and resources for teachers and pre-service teach-ers to contextualize their curriculum in the areas of science, social stud-ies, nutrition, and career and technical education. Resources have been de-veloped to meet State Standards. All of Utah AITC resources are class-room-ready and can be accessed online at utah.agclassroom.org.

Please join us at the an-nual Ag in the Classroom Live Auction Luncheon held at UFBF’s annual convention in Layton on Thursday, November 19 at noon. Proceeds for the AITC Live Auction Luncheon go to help fund the Ag in the Classroom program at Utah State University. Funds raised also help provide books that are read and donated by Farm Bureau volun-teers each year to schools across the state in the “Share-a-Book” program, which promotes accurate books about agriculture. Our purpose is to help people whether they are adults or children just learning how to read to understand the impor-tance of agriculture to their day-to-day lives.

Items up for auction this year include horseback and snowmobile tours, tires, two cases of pork loin, two cases of bacon, two queen sized quilts, Vail’s Epic Season Pass, 2 day passes for Deer

Valley, many handmade items from the counties, and much, much more! Please help us by donat-ing items to be auctioned. For more information, contact Susan Furner at 801.233.3010 or at [email protected].

Put the magic formula to the test. Invest 15-20 minutes each day in read-ing with your children and watch for the great returns as your children grow to be great readers, great students and life-long learners.

For more great reading resources, visit www.ag-foundation.org/resourc-es/more-free-resources or www.rif.org/us/liter-acy-resources/activities.htm

1Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Develop-ment, Report of the Confer-ence on Brain Development, University of Chicago. (This report is available from the Families and Work Institute, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001.)

Article courtesy of Custom Ag Solutions

Utah producers are re-minded of the Novem-ber 15 sales closing date for the Pasture, Range-land, Forage (PRF) Pro-gram, administered by the USDA’s Risk Manage-ment Agency (RMA). Be-cause November 15 falls on a Sunday in 2015, the effective sales closing date for the 2016 crop year is November 16, 2015.

Interested producers are encouraged to visit with their crop insurance agent to learn additional program details, includ-ing important program changes for 2016. Specifi-cally, for 2016, producers in all 48 contiguous states will now be able to pur-chase the PRF Program. Further, participation in all states will now utilize a Rainfall Index, rather than the Vegetative Index previously used in Utah and its adjoining states. Full program information is available on RMA’s PRF web page (http://goo.gl/b98fBT). An agent locator tool is also available on the RMA website (http://www.RMA.USDA.gov).

The PRF program is designed to give forage and livestock producers the ability to buy pro-tection for losses of for-age produced for haying

Sales closing date approaches for

USDA’s Pasture, Rangeland, Forage

(PRF) programand/or grazing. The PRF program is based on a rainfall index that allows producers to personalize their policy by choosing at least two specific 2-month coverage intervals, a cov-erage level between 70 to 90 percent, and a pro-ductivity factor anywhere between 60 and 150 per-cent of the county base value. When applying for coverage, producers will also need to allocate the percentage of the total value for their operation.

History for each grid and interval across cov-ered areas can be found at http://maps.agforce-usa.com. Using this tool, producers can see which years and coverage pe-riods would have paid indemnities in past years based on hypothetical coverage levels in select-ed grids. Producers are strongly encouraged to use this tool to help make purchase and coverage level decisions. Not all acres that are grazed need to be insured, but produc-ers must have an insur-able interest in the acres covered. An insurable in-terest, defined as the right to graze the property, must be documented.

For information, call CAS at 877-227-8094. USDA, RMA, and CAS are equal opportunity providers.

Utah Farm Bureau News26 November 2015LANDContinued from pg. 7

ESA REFORMContinued from pg. 2

favor the federal government taking the lead.

“The intent of the Endangered Species Act is inspiring, but re-sults have been less so,” Ameri-can Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said. “Farmers, ranch-ers and environmentalists agree that we must save wildlife fac-ing preventable extinction, but

the current recovery rate of less than 2 percent shows the law is a failure.

“Today, many landowners hesitate to establish habitat that would help endangered species. That’s so because the law itself makes it impractical for them to use their land once they have made the effort to help in the first place. The ESA can and must be modernized to protect

endangered species and respect private property rights. Neither agriculture nor the endangered species have time to wait.”

A statistical summary of the poll can be found at http://goo.gl/i1hzHz. Detailed questions and answers can be found at http://goo.gl/7iHLCZ.

needed to facilitate growth.Z o n i n g s t r a t e g i e s s u c h

as “clustering”, designed to preserve open farm ground while still allowing for some development, have been talked about as an option but have never really been embraced in Utah. Instead, most zoning ordinances in rural areas require large lots with significant frontage leading to fragmentation of prime farmland.

In recent years, we have improved marketing options with the explosion of farmers markets all over the state and the efforts of Utah’s Own to highlight local products. Educating the public will always be a challenge for the agriculture community, and it will fall to those of us involved in agriculture.

Though public opinion polls show that the public wants to preserve farms, we continue to see and hear complaints from farm neighbors about the sights, smells, and noises associated with those farms. Over-regulation (largely a federal issue) has long been a problem for all sectors of the economy, yet we continue to increase regulation at an astounding rate, consider the EPA’s new WOTUS rule.

Utah is a great place to live, but as we continue to grow, it is increasingly important that we consider the need to preserve our agricultural land. It is critical for us to be able to meet the demand for local food options, maintain (as nearly as possible) our food self-sufficiency, and protect our quality of life. We have talked about this issue for years with little to show in the way of results. Once farmland is developed, it will never be returned to farming. It is time to not just talk about preserving agriculture, but to identify and act on viable solutions.


Farm SafetyVice President- Farm SafetyA.J. Ferguson

Annual heath screening fair at Farm Bureau convention tioned that 2015 has been an ac-

tive season for vesicular stoma-titis in the Southwest, and to be aware and alert. Veterinarians caution livestock owners to not mingle their animals and take ap-propriate biosecurity measures. When a definite diagnosis is made on a farm, the following procedures are recommended: • Separate animals with lesions from healthy animals, preferably by stabling. Animals on pas-tures tend to be affected more frequently with this disease. •As a precautionary measure, do not move animals from premises affected by vesicu-lar stomatitis until at least 14 days after lesions in the last affected animal have healed. •Implement on-farm insect con-trol programs that include the elimination or reduction of in-sect breeding areas and the use of insecticide sprays or insecti-cide-treated eartags on animals. •Use personal protect ive measures when handling af-fected animals to avoid hu-man exposure to this disease. Owners intending to travel out of state with their animals are advised to check with the destination state animal health authorities before entering an-other state.

The Utah Department of Ag-riculture and Food (UDAF) Vet-erinarian’s Office asks livestock owners to report any symptoms to your local veterinarian, or the UDAF at: (801) 538-7109, (801) 538- 7161, [email protected]. Many states have applied in-terstate movement restrictions

of various types to livestock from states where this disease has been diagnosed. Care should be taken to comply with regula-tions in the state of destina-tion regarding interstate move-ment of livestock from Utah. It is essential that veterinar-ians and livestock owners be on the alert for animals displaying clinical signs characteristic of the disease such as lesions in the mouth and on the dental pad, tongue, lips, nostrils, hooves, and teats. These blisters leave raw tissue that is so painful that infected animals generally refuse to eat or drink and may show signs of lameness. Severe weight loss usually follows, and in dairy cows, a severe drop in milk production commonly occurs. While vesicular stomatitis can cause economic losses to livestock producers, it is a par-ticularly significant disease because its outward signs are similar to those of foot-and-mouth disease, a foreign ani-mal disease of cloven-hoofed animals that was eradicated from the United States in 1929. There is no specific treatment or cure for vesicular stomatitis in livestock. Livestock owners can protect their animals by avoiding congregation of animals in the vi-cinity where vesicular stomatitis has occurred.

For additional information on vesicular stomatitis, please refer to the following APHIS Web page: http://1.usa.gov/1Iwv2qc and information from the Cen-ter for Food Security and Pub-lic Health: www.cfsph.iastate.edu/FastFacts/pdfs/vesicular_stomatitis_F.pdf.

STOMATITISContinued from pg. 1

The farm safety program has provided a variety of health screenings for your personal well being during the annual convention. This year, to be eligible for t h e n e w tradeshow d r a w i n g (3 – $100 bills) you will need t o h a v e four of the health screening ticket lines signed by those ad-ministering the screening. This means, you can choose to have your blood pressure checked, pulse, glaucoma, or visual acu-ity. These tests will be provided free of charge. This is vital infor-mation for your current health condition.

In addition to the tests men-tioned above, the following medical screenings will be avail-able for free. I must emphasize that the results should be taken to your personal medical pro-vider for further evaluation if the results indicate an abnormal condition. These results will be given to you on-site.

à Cholesterolà Glucose

If you are considering par-ticipating in the cholesterol test and glucose it needs to be done while you are fasting it should be at least a 12 hour fast. So, plan on having those tests done early in the morning of November 19 prior to having breakfast. There will only be a limited amount of these tests available. If you are interested, do it early.

The Farm Bureau is provid-ing this health screening fair for you as a member service, thanks to the donation of the time and

materials provided by Broadview University. Please, take advan-tage of it. If you have any ques-tions about any of these services or tests please feel free to contact

me at 801-233-3006, or if you would like other types of health evaluations offered during our tradeshow please, let me know.

Winter Exercise to Stay FitShoveling snow can be a good

exercise however, don’t shovel more than you can physically handle.

Shoveling quick tips:à If you or family members

have a history of heart problems, be sure to con-sult with your doctor first.

à Take it slow. Shoveling, l ike weight l i ft ing, can raise heart rate and blood pressure. Pace yourself.

à P u s h i n g s n o w a s y o u shovel is easier on your back than lifting snow.

à Don’t over load the shovel.

à Always lift with your legs bent. Don’t lift with the back.

à Keep the back straight.

à I f y o u r u n o u t o f b r e a t h , t a k e a b r e a k .

à If you feel tightness in your chest, stop immediately.

à Dress warmly.


TAXESContinued from pg. 14

these taxes. Rather, these taxes are used to provide sufficient revenue for the public goods and services collectively desired by the citizenry.

For example, Utah’s income tax is largely dedicated to fi-nancing public and higher education. Yet many Utahns who pay the income tax do not directly use either system of education. Utah’s sales tax is primarily committed to the state’s general fund.

Regardless of the tax and ones financial position, paying taxes is not popular. A balanced tax policy that includes property, income and sales taxes is es-sential to economic growth and providing certainty to business owners, particularly farmers and ranchers.

to represent the alumni council to help award this honor to Mr. Ferry. He’s been a distinguished leader in his family, commu-nity and within our Farm Bureau family. It was fun to be with John and his wife and parents as he was honored with this dis-tinguished award. If you know someone that has shown great leadership and outstanding per-formance in their professional field and is a USU College of Ag-riculture alumnus, I invite you to nominate them for consideration to the Hall of Honor.

For more information about nomination criteria and to nomi-nate someone, please visit the USU Award website at https://caas.usu.edu/awards/nominate.

FERRYContinued from pg. 22 for FFA members throughout

the country and help set poli-cies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy.

The National FFA Organi-zation provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agri-cultural education to 629,367 student members who belong to one of 7,757 local FFA chap-ters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

In Utah, participation in FFA has more than doubled in the past 10 years, under strong leadership from Buddy Deim-ler (Utah State Officer of Edu-cation), Brett Evans (Utah FFA Association State Executive Sec-retary), and the countless hours of dedication from Utah’s 133 agricultural education teachers.

Despite the strong tradition of Utah FFA and many qualified candidates in recent years, the state has not been represented with a national FFA officer since Jay Phillips of Springville High School was a Western Region VP back in 1973.

Draper got involved in FFA as a freshman at Box Elder High School in Brigham City, after taking an agricultural science course. Since then she’s been a fixture in FFA, immersing her-self in ag classes and participat-ing in competitions, as well as serving as the Box Elder FFA Chapter president.

“Sarah is an amazing person and we’re so very proud of her,” said Jason Bingham, an agri-culture education instructor at Box Elder High School. “She’s always set goals, and when she’s had those in mind, she’s put her heart and soul into it until she accomplishes it.”

Though her passion for agri-culture is evident, Draper has worked hard to learn the many issues impacting farmers and

FFAContinued from pg. 6

ranchers because her family is not involved in production agri-culture.

It’s incredible to think of how many opportunities FFA offers to students to develop their po-tential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success,” Draper said. “Com-ing from a non-agricultural background, FFA opened many doors for me and grew my pas-sion for agriculture.”

“Sarah worked at a local dairy all through high school to earn money, and is no stranger to long hours and hard work,” Bingham said. “She also raised goats while also competing in speaking contests throughout high school.”

Draper also won the State Creed Speaking CDE as a fresh-man in high school. Those com-peting must present the FFA Creed from memory, and an-swer questions about its mean-ing and purpose.

Following high school, Draper served as State FFA Vice-Presi-dent in 2014-2015 while attend-ing Utah State University.

“[Draper] has been very active in the leadership part of FFA, and she has been working hard to prepare herself since she was selected as Utah’s candidate in May – including attending sev-eral training opportunities for national officer candidates,” said Buddy Deimler, Agricul-ture Education Specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. “She is very talented, bright, comes from a strong family, and is of the highest character.”

As a National FFA Officer Draper will be crisscrossing the country giving keynote address-es, promoting Agricultural Edu-cation, attending conventions and conferences, addressing sponsors and stakeholders all while helping students amplify their experience in FFA.


A

Farming is a business of uncertainty, but here’s something you can count on.Chevrolet presents this exclusive $500 private offer1 toward the purchase or lease of an all-new Chevy Silverado — the 2014 North American Truck of the Year. From the family of the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickups2 in America, rest assured your Silverado will keep you working without skipping a beat.

1 Offer available through 4/1/17. Available on qualified 2014 and 2015 Chevrolet vehicles. This offer is not available with some other offers. Only customers who have been active members of an eligible Farm Bureau for a minimum of 30 days will be eligible to receive a certificate. Customers can obtain certificates at www.fbverify.com/gm. Farm Bureau and the FB logo are registered service marks of the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used herein under license by General Motors. 2 Dependability based on longevity: 1987–April 2013 full-size pickup registrations.


come together to support and advise one another. So it is with the Farm Bureau! We won’t al-ways agree with our neighbors or understand issues that other counties are going through, but it’s always nice that you have a voice in Farm Bureau. You are able to let others know what you’re going through and have the support the state and nation-al levels. Additionally, it’s nice to hear from others that are go-ing through the same thing that you are dealing with, discussing what the issue is, and finding a solution to the problem. We need to stand up for our way of life, even when it’s not politi-cally correct. We live at a time

anything that has required us to go somewhere new. We have always tried to keep our children involved in whatever we are do-ing. We want our kids to see us serving, and want to give them the opportunity to serve as well.

As an added benefit, it has also been helpful that along the way, we have arranged marriages for our girls with future Farm Bu-reau members! We look forward to keeping some of our friends as in-laws. In another instance, our daughter recently went to Logan for college and friends that we met at Farm Bureau offered her a job. I can’t tell you how thank-ful we were for the opportunity that they gave her.

McCONKIEContinued from pg. 23

when we are challenged every day on how we make our living. The media and social network-ing has made it easy for others to put misleading and incorrect information out to the public. It’s nice to know that we have Farm Bureau looking out for us, to make available the correct in-formation for consumers. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this organization that allows you to stand up for what you believe is right and fair!

Finally, we have made many lifelong friends. We have served with many of you, and have had the best of times. It’s been fun for our family to go to con-ventions, FFA Luncheons, or

We can’t say enough about how much we have enjoyed our time serving the YF&R, and the opportunity that it gave us to meet others that do what we do and share in the same goals of agriculture that we do. Meagher and I will continue to serve on county and state positions as long as they will have us. We hope to see all of you young farmers and ranchers in January for the YF&R Leadership confer-ence at Ruby’s Inn.


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.

FARM EQUIPMENT:14’ Chisel plow/ Allis Chambers tractor “two twenty” w/duals & cab (diesel), John Deere 105 Harvester, 16’ Header, Cell 801-231-1024, John Deere double plows. Gene Drake (801-789-3507 or 801-956-4623) 7285 S. Executive Drive, West Jordan, UT 84084, [email protected] Home 801-562-2530

2009 Challenger 185SP Rotary Swather 1764 hrs. $70,000.00 OBO Hesston 956 Round baler $18000.00 OBO Kuhn Gyrorake hay turner. Used one season $5000.00 OBO Balemaster Round bale wagon hauls 7 bales $3,000.00 OBO 435‑823‑5116 in Altamont Utah1982 CASE 2090, 108 Horsepower, 4971 hours, 6 cycle diesel, 540/1000 PTO Powershift Transmission, A/C does not work, well maintained. Contact Dan Stevenson 435-454-3555 or Robert Stagg 435-724-5688. Located in Altamont, Utah. Price $12,000.Ames Hand Line Irrigation pipe 1 ½ miles aims 40 ft. 4 in. ready to use, new rubber gaskets, $8,000 includes trailer or OBO. Was used last year. Call 435.231.0000 and ask for C. J.3 forage wagons--2 John Deere and 1 Gehl—John Deere corn and hay chopper (2 row), and a Knight manure slinger 7725 Call 801-254-4550 or Cell 801-259-5161 and ask for Lawrence.Four used Waterman C-10 18” head gates‑‑$300 each. Two used Fresno 24” head gates-- $400 each—400 feet of used 6’ commercial chain link fencing, post, railing—Located in Syracuse, Utah—Call 801-825-7311‘96 Chevy ¾ ton pickup—112,000 actual miles, good rubber, 5th wheel trailer hookup, very good condition, push blade scraper that fits any tractor—10 ft wide, used for pushing silage, snow, etc. very good condition, set of 1438 size dual wheels for tractor—9 hole lugs, Call: Joe Hill 801-698-7014.Aluminum syphon tubes, ¾”, 1”, 1 ¼”, 1 ½”, two 1000 gallon fiberglass water tanks, one 1987 Volvo box truck, three cultivator 2-row bars, one 10’ disk #335, Call Ray Child 801-825‑1701.

FEED:FOR SALE: 300 3X4 bales of alfalfa, some with a little grass, 1350-1400 pounds per bale, $90 a bale, 200 3X4 bales of wheat straw, no weeds, all stored in sheds, $20 a bale. Larry (Cache Valley) 435-757-5970

LIVESTOCK:Bred heifers for sale, 50 head registered polled Hereford heifers top quality, bred to calving ease bulls to start calving early. Take all or part with or without papers. Contact Phil Allen and Son, Antimony, UT Phil at 435‑624‑3236 or Shannon at 435‑624‑3285.25 head fancy replacement type red Angus weaned heifer calves with or without registration papers--Lyle Taylor, Vernal Utah, 435-790-8880 or 435-789-0530.Gelbvieh and Balancer Bulls, Heifers and bred cows.Yearling Bulls are selected now and delivered in the spring. Many Homozygous black, all Polled. Erik 435 279-7669, Tremonton UT20 Top Quality Hereford females for sale. Weaned heifers and mature cows available. Line One registered and commercial females for sale including a group of baldie heifers. See more at www.johansenherefords.com or call Jonathan/Craig Johansen @ 435‑650‑8466/435‑381‑2523.Rocky Mountain Annual Angus female and bull sale, Sat., Nov. 14 at 1 pm Weber Co. Fairgrounds, Ogden. Selling 50 plus registered Angus females and bulls. For a sale catalog call 916-837-3095 or 801-540-6818.Utah Cattlemen’s Classic All Breed Bull Sale Wed., Dec. 2 at 7 pm at the Utah State Fairgrounds. Selling 6 breeds of bulls. Sale is sponsored by the Utah Cattlemen’s Association. For info or a sale catalog call 801‑540‑6818 or 916-837-3095COWS – Angus & Gelbvieh x Angus Balance. Cows mostly fall bred but a few spring pairs. Price varies depending on age and breed or pairs! $2,200 – $3,000. Larry 435-864-7879

REAL ESTATE: Beautiful 49.5 acre ranch or farm along the lower Weber River! Deer, beaver, quail, 7 shares of water, and a nice camp trailer. Canoe up and down the river for miles. Only $11,800 per acre. Call Ben 801‑400‑5865

DWELL REALTY GROUP, BRENT PARKER, (435)881-1000, email: [email protected]

37.91 Acres located on the foothills of the Wellsvilles. Can be divided in up to five lots. Water shares. Canal runs through. 16.75 acres in Petersboro. Great for crops or pasture. Has an existing well on one end and a spring. 12.92 acres in Richmond. Excellent soil with water shares. Adjacent 9.53 acres available. 60 Acres in Cache Valley. Majestic setting with incredible views of the valley. 7.51 Acres in Cache Valley. Lots at Bear Lake. Views. Two at The Reserve. in Cache Valley. Views. Horse Property. Well permit. 60.96 acre ranch in Morgan Valley. Could be divided. 65 shares of water and a 6 bedroom home. Great views. 7.37 acre parcel in Nibley in Cache Valley. Horse property. Can be subdivided. Irrigation shares. 18.75 Acres in Cache Valley. Artesian well already dug. Secondary gravity pressure irrigation. Cabin in Logan Canyon. Beautiful setting close to river. View Lots in Mt. Sterling in Cache Valley. 4 to 5.5 acres Home sites. Horse property. Dairy Farm in Cache Valley 41 acres. Irrigated. Updated home, excellent crops. Double 5 Herringbone parlor.

MISCELLANEOUS:FREE Male & Female English Bulldogs to a good home. If Interested Contact: ([email protected] ) For More Information.

AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:SMITHFIELD HOG PRODUCTION OF MURPHY BROWN LLC: If you are looking for a career in a fun, rewarding team environment, Smithfield Hog Production 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. Next board meeting is Oct. 6, 7 p.m. at UFBF Offices in Sandy. Annual Business meeting Nov. 12. at State Office in Sandy.Sevier County▶ Board meetings on 4th Wednesday of each month. Washington County▶ Board meetings are the first Wednesday of each month. Next meeting is, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. at Insurance office.Carbon County▶ Board meetings on 2nd Tuesday of each month.Utah County▶ Meetings are typically held the fourth Thursday of each month. Next board meeting is Jan. 27, 7 p.m. at Extension office. Sanpete County▶ Board Meeting, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. at Insurance office in Manti

State and Regional Activities ▶ UACD Convention, St. George, Nov. 5-6▶ UFBF Resolutions Committee meeting, Nov. 18, in Layton▶ UFBF Annual Meeting, Nov. 18-20, Davis Conf. Center in Layton▶ UFBF Discussion Meet, Nov. 18 & 19, in Layton▶ UFBF Board Meeting, Nov. 21, in Layton▶ UFBF Center closed Nov. 26-27 for Thanksgiving holiday▶ Utah Cattlemen’s Association Convention, Dec. 2-4, in SLC▶ UFBF Center closed Dec. 24-25 for Christmas holiday▶ UFBF Center closed Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day holiday▶ AFBF National Convention, January 10-13, Orlando, Florida

DWR Board & RAC MeetingsNext DWR Board meeting schedule for December 2 (Wednesday). Visit wildlife.utah.gov for details. DWR Board meetings takes place at DNR Salt Lake Office Auditorium, 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City. They are typically held at 9 a.m, on the first Thursday of each month.

RACs scheduled for November. RACs scheduled as follows:• Northern RAC, Nov. 10, Weber State Univ., Shepherd Union Bldg.,

Room 404, in Ogden. Note Location change.• Central RAC, Nov. 12. (Thursday) Civic Center, 110 S. Main St.

in Springville.• Southern RAC, Nov. 17, Cedar City Middle School, 5 p.m.• Southeastern RAC, , Nov. 18. John Wesley Powell Museum, 1765

E. Main St., Green River.• Northeastern RAC, Nov. 19, Wildlife Resources NER Office in

Vernal

The November RAC meetings will focus on Big Game 2016 Hunt Tables and Dates; CWMU Recommendations; and 2016 Waterfowl Recommendations. The December RAC’s will focus on Bear Hunt tables and permit numbers; the 2016 Hunting Field Regulations and Season Dates.

• Northern RAC, Dec. 3 (Thurs), Brigham City Community Center• Central RAC, Dec. 2. Dept. of Natural Resources, 1594

W. North Temple in SLC. Note different location• Southern RAC, Dec. 8, Snow College Admin. Bldg.,

Richfield, 6 p.m. Note different location & time.• Southeastern RAC, , Dec. 9. John Wesley Powell Museum, 1765

E. Main St., Green River.• Northeastern RAC, Dec. 10, Wildlife Resources NER Office in

Vernal

DWR Board Meeting, Dec. 2, 2015.

FB County Corner

[Top] Juab County’s Melonie Brinkerhoff talks to students during the County Farm Bureau’s Farm Field Days in Nephi. [Middle] Attendees of the American Farm Bureau’s ‘Women’s Media Boot Camp’ in Washington, D.C. Utah County’s Sara Harward (third from right on back row) was a participant. [Bottom] Members of the Weber County Farm Bureau pose for a picture after the County organized an ag tour to help familiarize county & state legislators with agriculture.

Documents

Utah Farm Bureau News - November 2015