 Now through October—County Farm Bureau annual meetings.
County Farm Bureau members will meet to adopt policies on local
issues and make policy recommendations on state and national
issues affecting agriculture. Jeremy C. Nagel, (800) 292-2680, ext.
6584.
 State Fairs —The Upper Peninsula State Fair runs Aug. 18-23 in
Escanaba. Details are at www.michigan.gov/upsf. The Michigan State
Fair in Detroit is Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. For information, go to
www.michigan.gov/mistatefair.
AgriNotes & News
Aug. 14, 2009
Published weekly by the
Michigan Farm Bureau
Information and Public
Relations Division
Jill Corrin, Manager
Media Support Services
Phone: (517) 323-6585
Fax: (517) 323-6541
E-mail: [email protected]
THIS WEEK:
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and governors from the nation’s other top-pork
producing states are urging President Obama to take immediate action to help U.S. pork
producers through a nearly 2-year-old economic crisis. For more information, contact Ernie
Birchmeier, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2024.
Guest viewpoint: Call it H1N1, please. The last week of April 2009 will be a week hog
farmers will never forget. The week changed our lives and not in a positive way. For more
information, contact Ernie Birchmeier, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2024.
With partial help from the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), 80 Michigan FFA members
were among 2,000 young people from across the nation who took part in FFA’s premier
Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) in Washington, D.C. For more information,
contact Dennis Rudat, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6586.
Visit our site on the World
Wide Web! You can nd
Farm Bureau at
www.michiganfarmbureau.com
7373 W. Saginaw Hwy.
Lansing, MI 48917
Find Michigan Farm Bureau’s fan page on Facebook, www.facebook.com, by searching for Michigan Farm Bureau.
Find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MichFarmBureau, and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/MichiganFarmBureau.
AgriNotes & News
Granholm, fellow governors seek federal help for ailing pork industry
Contact:
Ernie Birchmeier,
(800) 292-2680,
ext. 2024
LANSING, Aug. 14, 2009 — Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and governors from the nation’s other top-pork
producing states are urging President Obama to take immediate action to help U.S. pork producers through a nearly
2-year-old economic crisis.
In a letter recently sent to the president, the governors of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska,
North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin asked the administration to:
•Support at least an additional $50 million of pork purchases for government feeding programs. (The U.S.
Department of Agriculture annually buys pork for federal food programs; it bought nearly $62.6 million worth
in 2008.)
•Remove a spending cap on USDA’s Section 32 food-assistance program so that additional purchases of surplus
agriculture products, including pork, can be made. (Congress imposed the cap as part of USDA’s fiscal 2009
budget.)
•Urge China to quickly lift a ban on U.S pork that was put in place because of the H1N1 flu outbreak and to
eliminate other barriers to U.S. pork exports.
“Today, the pork industry is facing an economic crisis that is catastrophic in nature,” said the governors in their
letter to the president. “For the pork industry to remain as vibrant entities in rural communities, we need your prompt
actions to assure that our communities and the U.S. pork industry remain competitive world wide.”
Since September 2007, the U.S. pork industry has lost nearly $4.4 billion, with producers losing an average of
$21.37 per pig over the past 21 months.
The Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) commends Granholm and her counterparts across the country for their
outreach, said MFB Livestock and Dairy Specialist Ernie Birchmeier.
“Any relief is appreciated — and badly needed — and this is one step that could help,” said Birchmeier.
As Birchmeier explains, record commodity prices in 2008 sent the cost of livestock feed soaring while pork
prices remained flat, leaving many producers in the red. Then earlier this year, an outbreak of H1N1 influenza,
inappropriately named “swine flu” at the onset, further damaged the already injured pork industry. In fact, since April
24 when H1N1 was made public, potential lost profit for pork producers has amounted to $330 million. If these losses
are projected to October 2009, it’s estimated losses for pork producers will exceed $1 billion.
“We have too much supply, too little demand and high feed costs that continue to eat up any chance for profit. It’s
a continued recipe for disaster,” said Birchmeier.
The governors’ letter to Obama also shared these findings:
•The U.S. pork industry supports about 550,200 jobs, ranging from producers and suppliers to processors and
handlers.
•An estimated $20.7 billion of personal income and $34.5 billion of gross national product are supported by
the pork industry, based on 2007 levels of production.
•In 2008, the United States exported about 20 percent of domestic pork production, valued at $4.9 billion.
These exports alone supported more than 65,000 U.S. jobs.
•Pork exports added about $48 to the value of every U.S. hog marketed.
In addition to Granholm, the following governors signed the letter: Bill Ritter (D-Colo.); Pat Quinn (D-Ill.); Chet
Culver (D-Iowa); Steven Beshear (D-Ky.); Dave Heineman (R-Neb.); Beverly Perdue (D-N.C.); Brad Henry (D-Okla.);
and Jim Doyle, (D-Wis.)
-30Editor’s note: A guest viewpoint addressing fallout from the misnamed “swine flu” is also
included in this issue of AgriNotes & News.
AgriNotes & News
Guest viewpoint by Chris Chinn: The week H1N1 stole the farm
Contact:
Ernie Birchmeier,
(800) 292-2680,
ext. 2024
For release Aug. 17, 2009
By Chris Chinn, a Missouri hog producer. Chinn is a member of the American Farm Bureau
Federation’s (AFBF) Partners in Agricultural Leadership program. She previously served as chair of
AFBF’s national Young Farmer and Rancher Committee.
Call it H1N1, please. The last week of April 2009 will be a week hog farmers will never forget. The week changed
our lives and not in a positive way.
The last week of April is when the H1N1 flu outbreak became news. Most media outlets tagged an inappropriate
name to the flu virus. The unintended consequence of calling H1N1 the informal name “swine flu” has been devastating
to all farms that raise hogs, including my family farm.
Because of the unfortunate name choice, exports of U.S. pork have dropped, eliminating a key market rally that
is typically seen each summer. This summer’s rally was especially crucial; hog farmers have lost money since September
2007. In fact, hog farmers have lost more than half of their accumulated equity since September 2007. Hog farmers
desperately needed a summer rally to return profit to our farms. The other name for H1N1 stole this from us.
Call it H1N1, please. There are many important facts about H1N1 that help set the record straight–a matter
especially important now that H1N1 is once again rearing its ugly head and the unfortunate moniker is creeping back
into the news media.
The H1N1 flu virus is not in pork. H1N1 influenza is not a food-borne illness. The safety of pork and pork
products has been affirmed by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organization for
Animal Health, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that U.S. pork is safe to eat. His statement is supported by recent
research conducted by the National Animal Disease Center and international researchers.
Influenza is a respiratory disease and the virus is not found in the blood or meat of healthy pigs or in pigs that
have recovered from the illness. Of course, sick pigs are never allowed to enter the food supply. Hog farmers have
protocols established for caring for animals that develop illness. Ill pigs are not sent to market. Just like humans, pigs
can get ill, but like humans, they recover.
Call it H1N1, please. My family consumes the same food as other Americans. I want to ensure my family has a
safe food supply that is raised in the United States. The best way to help ensure the safety and security of our domestic
food supply is to support the U.S. hog industry. Buy and enjoy U.S. pork and encourage your lawmakers to support trade
agreements to open export markets. U.S. pork is safe and nutritious, and hog farming contributes needed jobs in the
United States.
So, do your country and U.S. hog farmers a favor—call it H1N1, please.
Remind the news outlets you rely on for timely and accurate information—it’s H1N1. Together, we will beat this
bug, and with your support, U.S. hog farmers will survive until our markets turn around. Eat pork, and call it H1N1,
please.
-30Editor’s note: A photo of Chris Chinn is available online at
http://www.michfb.com/files/2009/08-13_Chinn_Chris.jpg.
AgriNotes & News
Local youth attend national FFA conference with Farm Bureau help
LANSING, Aug. 14, 2009 — With partial help from the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), 80 Michigan FFA
Contact:
Dennis Rudat,
(800) 292-2680,
ext. 6586
members were among 2,000 young people from across the nation who took part in FFA’s premier Washington
Leadership Conference (WLC) in Washington, D.C.
(TO LOCALIZE BY ADDING INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE FROM YOUR AREA, SEE THE FOLLOWING
LIST OF LOCAL PARTICIPANTS.)
A collaborative effort between the national FFA and the U.S. Department of Education, the Washington Leadership
Conference helps FFA members learn to make a positive impact in their communities by improving leadership skills, and
prepares them to shoulder more prominent roles and responsibilities in their chapters, communities and future careers.
“This conference provides the finest leadership and citizenship training FFA has to offer,” said Burt Henry, the
conference coordinator for Michigan and an agriscience teacher and FFA advisor at Alma High School.
The conference is divided into seven weeklong sessions. With a $30,000 Farm Bureau scholarship and an
additional $6,000 from the Michigan FFA Foundation, two busloads of Michigan FFA students were able to attend, one
each during the last two weeks of June.
“FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference is the first opportunity for many students to attend a national
conference, and often it’s their first-ever trip to our nation’s capital,” said MFB President Wayne H. Wood. “These are
experiences these students won’t forget. It’s a privilege for Michigan Farm Bureau to help make a positive and lasting
impression on our youth.”
MFB works with youth on leadership and character building at the state level through MFB’s Young People’s
Citizenship Seminar. FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference, said Wood, “provides a natural transition for these
students to continue their education and development at the national level.”
MFB also lent a hand by arranging for the Michigan students to tour the American Farm Bureau Federation
headquarters and the Capitol building. Students further increased their appreciation for the nation’s heritage with visits
to Mount Vernon; Arlington National Cemetery; the Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt memorials; and other notable D.C.
sights. Attendees also were able to visit the office of their legislator.
Formerly known as Future Farmers of America, FFA is a national youth organization of nearly half a million
student members—all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. For
more information, visit www.ffa.org.
-30Editor’s Note: Photographs of local participants, grouped by their week of attendance at the
conference, are available for download at www.michfb.com/newsroom/photos/23 and
www.michfb.com/newsroom/photos/24.
FFA 2009 Washington Leadership Conference Attendees
Week 1: June 15-19
Allegan County
Alex Bauman – Hopkins FFA Chapter
Stephen Reinart – Hopkins FFA Chapter
Ryan Skinner – Caledonia FFA Chapter
Alpena County
Mallory Beaudoin – Alpena FFA Chapter
Emily Howard – Alpena FFA Chapter
Lacey Parks – Alpena FFA Chapter
Branch County
Karice Hard – Branch Area Career Center FFA
Chapter
Taylor Truckey – Branch Area Career Center
FFA Chapter
Calhoun County
Landon Young – Marshall FFA Chapter
Gratiot County
Emily Cross – Breckenridge FFA Chapter
Garret Doyle – Breckenridge FFA Chapter
Rebecca Gulliver– Breckenridge FFA Chapter
Jordan Henry – Alma FFA Chapter
Aubree Jenkins– Breckenridge FFA Chapter
Jodi Meeker– Breckinridge FFA Chapter
Huron County
Bret Foltz– Laker FFA Chapter
Nick Holzwart– Laker FFA Chapter
Katie Smith – Laker FFA Chapter
Nick Verhaar– Laker FFA Chapter
Ingham County
Rachelle Hall – Mason FFA Chapter
Jason Korroch – Byron FFA Chapter
Dani Lee – Mason FFA Chapter
Kent County
Cass County
Margaret Hein – Cassopolis FFA Chapter
Clinton County
Beverly Georg – Ovid-Elsie FFA Chapter
Lauren Sandbrook – Ovid-Elsie FFA Chapter
Laura DeVoogd – Caledonia FFA Chapter
Alyssa Gerloski – Caledonia FFA Chapter
Lenawee County
Rachel Brackney – Sand Creek FFA Chapter
Derek Burke – Lenawee FFA Chapter
David Stutzman – Lenawee FFA Chapter
Muskegon County
Andrew Iwaniw – Ravenna FFA Chapter
Tia Martin – Ravenna FFA Chapter
Ben Postema – Ravenna FFA Chapter
Newaygo County
Caitlin Grabill – Freemont FFA Chapter
Ryan Silvernail – Freemont FFA Chapter
Jason Smith – Freemont FFA Chapter
Ottawa County
Carlos Guzman – Ravenna FFA Chapter
Saginaw County
Kaitlin Ebenhoeh – New Lothrop FFA Chapter
Sanilac County
Sarah Michalek – Sanilac Career Center
Shiawassee County
Alyssa Hook – Byron FFA Chapter
Abigail Seamon – New Lothrop FFA Chapter
Melanie Yasell – Laingsburg FFA Chapter
Washtenaw County
Anthony Finkbeiner – Lenawee FFA Chapter
FFA 2009 Washington Leadership Conference Attendees
Week 2: June 22-26
Branch County
Hillsdale County
Calhoun County
Huron County
Cass County
Ionia County
Jacob Sloan – Branch Area Career Center FFA
Chapter
Riley Cortright – Springport FFA Chapter
Stephanie Stickle – Cassopolis FFA Chapter
Eaton County
Martin Fabrik – Charlotte FFA Chapter
Glen Wheaton – Charlotte FFA Chapter
Genesee County
Donald Wight III – Byron FFA Chapter
Gratiot County
Elonda DeGroft – Alma FFA Chapter
Myranda Lee – Ithaca FFA Chapter
Laurie Steere – St. Louis FFA Chapter
Pam Steere – St. Louis FFA Chapter
(chaperone)
Tom Steere – St. Louis FFA Chapter
(chaperone)
Lane Thompson – Alma FFA Chapter
John Emens – Waldron FFA Chapter
Alicia Knapp – Waldron FFA Chapter
Jordan Hieber – Ubly FFA Chapter
Kari Bergy – Lowell FFA Chapter
Mackenzie Roerig – Lowell FFA Chapter
Jackson County
Whitney Shuette – Jackson Area Career Center
FFA Chapter
Taylor VonHeeder – Springport FFA Chapter
Kent County
Paula Blough – Lowell FFA Chapter
Jack Weeber – Lowell FFA Chapter
Lenawee County
Clarissa DuMoulin – Blissfield FFA Chapter
Cierra Sell – Blissfield FFA Chapter
Monroe County
Olivia Keinath – Blissfield FFA Chapter
Muskegon County
Aubrey Boerema – Montague FFA Chapter
Kirsten Hissong – Montague FFA Chapter
Niel Sommers – Montague FFA Chapter
Newaygo County
Samantha Chapman – Grant FFA Chapter
Brad DeVos – Grant FFA Chapter
Oceana County
Lindsey Jager – Montague FFA Chapter
Rebecca Symons – Montague FFA Chapter
Sanilac County
Travis Noble – Sanilac Career Center FFA
Chapter
Shiawassee County
Sloan Bachi – Durand FFA Chapter
Lance Braid – Corunna FFA Chapter
Jennifer Declerg – Durand FFA Chapter
Taylor Fagan – Durand FFA Chapter
Austin Fisher – Corunna FFA Chapter
Jill Gulick – Byron FFA Chapter
Brianna Jones – Corunna FFA Chapter
Megan Luchenbill – Durand FFA Chapter
Laura Krhovsky – Corunna FFA Chapter
Donald Wight III – Byron FFA Chapter
AgriTips
Editor’s Note: The following story ideas are designed to provide a
quick look at the issues affecting agriculture. For more information
on any of these subjects, please call Jill Corrin at the Michigan Farm
Bureau home office at (517) 323-6585. Or for a local angle from a
producer in your area, call Jeremy Nagel at (517) 323-6584.
Aug. 14, 2009
Higher yields expected for Michigan fruit this year
Michigan’s fruit crops experienced more favorable weather
conditions this year compared with the previous growing season and
yields are expected to be higher than normal, says the Michigan Field
office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service.
Michigan’s apple production forecast is 1.05 million pounds, up 75
percent from last year and 36 percent from 2007. The initial 2009 U.S.
apple production forecast is set at 10.1 billion pounds, 4 percent more
than the 2008 crop year and 11 percent above 2007. Grape production in the state is forecast at 98,000 tons, up 33
percent from the previous year. U.S. grape production for 2009 is
forecast at 7.03 million tons, down 4 percent from 2008 and slightly
below 2007.
Michigan’s peach production forecast is 20,000 tons, unchanged
from the July 1 forecast and up 43 percent from 2008. The fresh market
crop forecast is 12,000 tons; the processing crop forecast is 8,000 tons.
The August 2009 forecast of U.S. peach production is 1.08 million tons,
up 1 percent from the July 1 forecast but 5 percent below 2008. Plum production in the state is forecast at 2,700 tons, up 17 percent
from the previous year and down 13 percent from 2007. Production in
Idaho, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington is forecast at 18,300 tons; up
18 percent from last year and 51 percent higher than 2007.
Contact: Ken Nye, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2020
Survey reveals Michigan crop outlook is ‘positive’
The crop outlook in Michigan is positive, despite the difficult
growing season, according to the Michigan Field office of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Here are some highlights of the office’s August Crop Production
Report as of Aug. 1:
• Michigan corn yield is expected to total 140 bushels per acre, up 2
bushels from 2008.
• Soybean production is expected to total 73.6 million bushels, up 5
percent from a year earlier. The yield is forecast at 37 bushels per
acre, the same as 2008.
• Sugar beet producers estimate a yield of 27 tons per acre, down 1.7
tons from 2008.
• Winter wheat is expected to total 4.02 million bushels. The yield
is forecast at 67 bushels per acre, down 1 bushel from July 1 and
down 2 bushels from last year.
• Dry bean producers are expecting their crop to yield 1,850 pounds
per acre, the same as last year.
• Michigan’s all hay yield is forecast at 2.62 tons per acre, up 0.04
tons over last year.
Nationally, corn production is forecast at 12.8 billion bushels, up
5 percent from last year but 2 percent lower than 2007. Yields are
expected to average 159.5 bushels per acre, up 5.6 bushels from last
year. If realized, this will be the second highest yield on record, behind
2004, and production will be the second largest, behind 2007.
U.S. soybean production is forecast at a record high of 3.20 billion
bushels, up 8 percent from last year. Yields are expected to average
41.7 bushels per acre, up 2.1 bushels from 2008. If realized, this will
tie for the fourth highest yield on record.
Contact: Bob Boehm, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023
2008 farm production expenditures up 8.3 percent
U.S. farm production expenditures totaled $307 billion in 2008
and $284 billion for the revised 2007 crop year. The 2008 total farm
expenditures rose 8.3 percent compared to the 2007 rise of 19.2
percent over 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The 2007 revised estimate is up from the preliminary estimate by
$23.5 billion due to significant summary adjustments based on 2007
Census farm numbers.
The largest percentage contributors to the year-over-year increase
were: other farm machinery, up 34.1 percent; tractors and selfpropelled machinery, up 32.6 percent; fertilizer, lime, and soil
conditioners, up 27.1 percent; seeds and plants, up 19.8 percent; fuels,
up 18.5 percent; and rent, up 13.7 percent. Rising fertilizer prices was
the fastest expanding non-capital expense.
In 2008, the average per farm U.S. total farm expenditure was
$140,075 compared with $129,062, an increase of 8.5 percent over
2007. On average, U.S. farm operations spent: $21,398 on feed,
$17,337 on farm services; $13,550 on labor; $12,912 on livestock and
poultry purchases; $10,265 on fertilizer, lime, and soil conditioners;
and $10,220 on rent. Average 2008 total expenditures for the largest economic class of
farms, $5 million and over, were $11.4 million—6.4 times larger than
the next largest economic class of farms, $1 million to $4.9 million,
averaging $1.8 million. Farms in the $500,000 to $999,999 economic
class averaged $0.7 million. The average total expenditure for a crop
farm was $175,141 compared with $113,390 per livestock farm.
Total expenditures by farm production expenditure region were up
for all five regions in 2008. The Midwest had the highest increase at
13 percent, followed by the West up 11 percent. The Midwest region
contributed the most to U.S. total farm production expenditures with
expenses of $91.2 billion or 30 percent, up from $80.7 billion in 2007.
Contact: Bob Boehm, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023
AgriNotes & News
Significant events in agricultural history 1731 – Jethro Tull introduces the horse-drawn cultivator and seed drill to English farming.
1798 – John (Johnny Appleseed) Chapman plants some of his first apple trees in western Pennsylvania.
1856 – A patent for condensing milk is issued to Gail Borden.
1887 – The Hatch Experiment Station Act is passed, providing federal grants to states for agricultural
experimentation.
1914 – The federal-state Extension Service is established.
1946 – The National School Lunch Act is initiated.
Source: American Farm Bureau Federation