El Agricultor Latino Farmworker to Farm Owner Center for Latino Farmers - Yakima, WA NASS/CBO’s Partnerships Mtg to Increase Ag Count 2014 Inside This Issue USDA-NASS Conf 1 County Elections 1 Coop Dev 1 USDA-NRCS News 1 FSA Microloans 1 Fin Mfg Series 2 Comp Classes 2 2014 Harvest 2 Record Crops 2 Compensation 2 BFRDP Dir Mtg 2 RMA Director 3 Specialty Crops 3 New Association 3 Workshops 3 2015 Farms Conf 3 Lopez Farms 4 General Voting 4 FSA Loan Rates 4 KDNA Program 4 Vocabulary 4 Vegetable Marketing Coop Development Luz Bazan Gutierrez was one of over 55 representatives from community based organizations (CBO) that were invited to attend a NASS partnership meeting on 9/2-4/14 in Kansas City, KS. The purpose was to strengthen partnerships with CBO by reaching out & informing the members about the importance of the Census of Ag by presenting results. Joe Reilly, NASS Administrator, said…there is not a single approach that works with all groups or regions of the country…so work needs to be collaboratively with each organization to develop strategies that will help promote the census to their constituents. Hubert Hamer, national statistician, provided the welcome and set the tone for the meeting. NASS staff presented the statistics that had been released in regard of growth of farm operators, and the how farm operators for most SDA’s had increased. The relationship of NASS with NASDA was clarified in that they association receives a cooperative agreement (contract) to administer and hire enumerators to do the AG Census. Only 7 (14.5%) of the 55 CBO reps present were Latino/Hispanic, yet the Ag census shows the biggest growth of farm operators are Hispanic. The financial support currently provided to CBO’s does not match the increase in the numbers. Some recommendations made were: More cooperation between universities, in particular extension serv, in support of CBO’s as partners, and that NASDA needs to sub contract directly with CBO’s to allow them to hire enumerators to get the work done right with appropriate training. No formal report on the meeting has been released. Carolyn Parker, Director Office of Outreach, spoke about the value of Radice, NASS Dir of Outreach & Diversity; CBO’s in their work in Michelle Luz Bazan Gutierrez, RCDR CEO; Hubert Hamer, Chair, NASS Ag Statistics Bd; Heladio Zavala, the field, & support of MAFO CEO; Lydia Villanueva, Dir Casa del Llano their efforts. County Committee Elections-Producers to vote! LAA #1 Nach es Tieton Selah Yakima Moxee Union G ap W apato Harrah Toppenish USDA Microloans Increased to $50,000 In USDA’s effort to improve access to farm loans to help more beginning & family farmers, it is raising the borrowing limit for the microloan program from $35,000 to $50,000 effective 11/7/14. The microloan process is less cumbersome in regard to paperwork & processing the loan for approval can take less time. Lilia McFarland, Coor for Beginning Farmers & Ranchers in USDA spoke at the BFRDP annual directors meeting & commented on this important tool being offered by the new farm bill to increase of microloan from $35K to $50K. She said that this is one more avenue to provide more access to capital for new & beginning farmers. EQUIP Deadline Nears! In 2014, producers residing within the Local Administrative Area (LAA) #2 (Blue area in map below) will vote on who will be their representative. Only producers registered with FSA and that reside in that area can vote. Nov 3 - Ballots mailed to producers Dec 1 - Last day to return ballots at FSA office Current members: Elected: Brad BonnyChair, Mark Barrett, Vice Chair, & Steve Isaac. Appointed Advisors: Carol Hull, Sergio Marquez. New members take office 1/1/2015. “We are ready to work as a group to get this coop going, because we need to sell everything that we grow,” said one of the farmers in attendance at the second organizing meeting held in Granger on 10/14. Ten vegetable farmers were surveyed on what they currently produce, & any additional acreage they have for production & what they want to grow. They also felt strongly about the need for a processing facility for properly washing vegetables prior to selling & the need for a commercial kitchen for processing unsold produce to add value to the produce. The meeting is set for 11/20/14 at Radio KDNA in Granger. For more info or to be part of the coop development, call Maria Giedra at 509-453-3157. Zillah LAA#2 Granger Sunnys ide Grandview LAA#3 Ma bton USDA-NRCS announces that the deadline to sign up for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is November 21, 2014. If you are a farmer and would like technical or financial assistance to improve your irrigation systems, manage animal waste, improve the health of native plants or reduce soil loss you may be eligible for the program to pay for half the costs of your conservation efforts. For more information of the programs , you can contact your local NRCS office or the Center at 509-453-3157. 10 Farmers Complete FSA Borrower Training The Center hosted a 20-hr Farm Financial Management Series for new & beginning farmers/ranchers that included importance of credit reports, financial statements: profit & loss, balance sheets, equity assessments. Each was also helped with setting up manual filing system, learning how to prepare actual and projections on spreadsheets, as well as assisting those that wanted to set up computerized accounting systems. All class series were taught in Spanish with English translations available in a take home manual. Hector Franco, MBA, provided the training and was assisted by Maria Giedra, Center staff and Crispin Garza an FSA employee. Ten farmers received a Certificate of Completion for the training which is sanctioned training for FSA loan approvals for new and beginning farmers and ranchers. Those receiving certificates were Ruben Diaz, Santos & Zenaida Guadarrama, Jose Mendoza, Custodio Olivera, Maria Ramirez, Avelino Santos, Abel Sedano and Luis/Maria Silva. Beginning Farmers/Ranchers Directors’ Mtg Baltimore The annual meeting for about 45 project directors themed “Sailing Ahead” was hosted by Univ of Maryland Ext on 9/23 thru 9/25/14 in Baltimore, Md. CEO Luz Bazan Gutierrez was on a panel reporting on the success of the grant for assisting Latino/Hispanic immigrant beginning farmers/ranchers in WA State. Jill Auburn & Denis Ebodaghe, National Program Leaders for the USDA/NIFA did the welcome & provided program agenda. The highlight of the trip were the farm tours to Gorman Farm an organic farm that grows fruits & vegetables for a CSA program & farm stand, Big City Farms who use vacant lots & blighted urban land to produce organic vegetables & Calvert family owned certified organic farms. Ms. Auburn reported that over 200 proposals were received for 2015 RFP, yet less money was available than previous years. Review panels had scored all & those selected would receive notifications soon. She also reported that the 2016 RFP was being formalized. Several of the CBO’s present questioned the disparity in funding for CBO’s in that many felt was directly related to the make up of panels. Ms. Gutierrez said, “This has been the constant bone of contention for decades. the review Jill Auburn, USDA Nat Prog Leader; Luz Bazan Gutierrez, RCDR CEO; Denis Ebodaghe, USDA Nat process.” Prog Leader; Ed Gomez, Professor NMSU Needed!!! Technology Savvy Farmers Two 20-hour series “Computer-Tools for Success" will be hosted by the Center, one in Yakima on November 3, 4,5, 6, 2014 Yakima, and second one in Wenatchee on November 17, 18, 19, 20. The series will be conducted in the evenings to accommodate the end of harvest. The training will enhance basic computers skills, us of internet for information/research, web browsing, to access USDA programs. Pre-registration is required & is limited to 15 persons. Please call 509-453-3157 to sign up. Lots of Apples - Record Harvest Apple growers forecasted a record crop and they were not disappointed! The commission aims to export 60 million boxes of apples, a 50% jump from its previous high of 40 million in 2012. The state sends apples to more than 60 countries. They are ready to compete with full crops from Michigan & New York, & the import bans in China & Russia have left fewer overseas markets. “We’ve got a lot of apples…we are looking for new home,” said Steve Smith, general manager of Yakima Fresh, a fruit marketing firm. The WA Apple Commission contracted marketing representatives from Middle East & countries like Columbia & England & brought them to the Yakima Valley to receive a six day crash course tour of the state’s orchards & packing houses so they can witness the changes that are taking place in the industry. (Yakima Herald 10/14/14) Harvest plentiful for 2014 A Yakima-based tree fruit growing and packing company turned to the federal H-2A program because it had so much trouble finding workers. “It still wasn’t enough.” The state’s labor shortage is well-documented and seems to be getting worse, according to industry experts. The topic frequently comes up during conventions and association meetings, while homemade signs that reads “necesitamos trabajadores” (we need workers) dot the Yakima Valley’s county roads during harvest. The high yield of apples created a lot of work and a high demand for workers, and provided for better wages throughout the state. “Ahora si nos necesitan y estan pagando bien,”said a farmworker. (Now (farmers) need us, & we are getting paid good wages). USDA Discrimination Claims Resolution Process A tad bit of news. One local claimant shared a letter he received on 9/25/14 about his claim that said: 1) All claims, including this one had been adjudicated 2) Claim administrators & USDA are currently in the process of reviewing all the adjudicated claims for quality control & auditing purposes 3) Work will take additional time for quality control & auditing purposes 4) Within 2 months from now tier (1) claimants will be notified 5) Successful claims will be paid within 45 days 6) Checks will be mailed 45 days after the decision letter goes out 7) Few tier (2) claims filed 8) Tier (2) & tier 1(b) will get decision letter about a month before tier 1(a) Please call 1-888-508-4429 if you submitted a claim & make sure that you give them your name, address and phone number once again to make sure they have the correct information. If you filed a claim and received any updated correspondence, please contact the Center. WSDA Received $4.2 Million Specialty Crops Thiel Appointed RMA Regional Director The WA State Dept of Ag (WSDA) was approved by USDA for a $4.2 million in specialty crops grant funding for projects that will support the fruit, vegetable and horticulture growers. The awards for individual projects range from $20,000 to $250,000 and will go to commodity commissions, agricultural associations, and nonprofit organizations. WA State is the third largest producer of specialty crops in the U.S. behind California & Florida. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Ben Thiel has been appointed as the new RMA director of RMA Spokane Regional office. Mr. Thiel will oversee all aspects of the federal crop insurance program for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and WA, and work closely with growers, grower groups, other USDA agencies, community based organizations, and approved insurance providers. The Center looks forward to working closely in partnership with the new director in providing tech assistance for accessing crop insurance for Latino Ben Thiel, RMA Director of Spokane Regional Office (Courtesy of RMA) farmers/ranchers in WA State. USDA Programs Have $$$$ for Farmers! DeVaney Heads New Tree Fruit Industry Group November 12, 2014 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon - FSA Microloan Program Increased to $50,000 - RD Energy Efficiency Program (REAP) Grants options for saving energy for farm/business Register by calling 509-453-3157 Jon DeVaney was named president of a newly formed Yakima Valley Growers Asso that brings together the functions of WA St Hort Asso, Wenatchee Valley Traffic Asso, WA Growers Clearing House Asso & Yakima Valley GrowersShippers Asso. He said the merger was driven by the desire to create less duplication of effort & better utilize industry resources. Mr. DeVaney said, “It’s very exciting & a huge honor. This merger is something that the industry has talked about for a long time. There are a lot of people who have been skeptical over a lot of years about the ability to do this, so there’ll be a lot of attention on how well we perform over the next few months.” For more information, call 509-452-8555. SAVE THE DATE! Small Farms Conference Friday - February 6, 2015 7:30 am - 4:00pm Yakima Convention Center To be a sponsor, get a booth, or be a presenter call the Center at 509-453-3157 Center for Latino Farmers P.O. Box 9492 Yakima, WA 98909 509-453-3157 www.centerforlatinofarmers.com BE PROUD! Exercise your American Citizen Privilege and Voice your opinion with your "VOTE” November 4, 2014. You cannot complain if you do not cast your vote! Mil Gracias Lopez Farms ! ! ! The Center works with great farmers that appreciate the work that is done on their behalf. Victoria & Jorge Lopez were called early one morning about providing a freshly picked box of honey crisp apples for some legislators in Olympia. By noon he had the box ready for us to pick up. They are a model family owned farm operated in the Tieton area. The Lopez have 53 acres of a variety of applies including Honey Crisp, Red Delicious, Golden, Gala, and Braeburn, Gracias! FSA Loan Rates-Effective as of October 1, 2014 Program Interest Rates Farm Operating-Direct 2.125% Farm Ownership-Direct 3.625% Farm Ownership-Direct, Joint Financing 2.50% Farm Ownership-Down Payment 1.50% Emergency Loan-Amount of Actual Loss 3.125% Conservation Loan 3.625% Monthly Radio Program Month Oct Nov Dec Day Thurs 16 Thurs 20 Thurs 18 Time 4 - 5 p.m. Word of the Day Socially Disadvantaged Farmer/Rancher: A group whose members have been subject to racial ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group, without regard to their individual qualities. These groups consist of American Indians, or Alaskan Natives, Asians, Blacks or African American, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics & or Veterans. “This project was supported by the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Dev Program of the National Institute of Food & Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2012-49400-19670. To find more resources and programs for beginning farmers and ranchers please visit www.Start2Farm.gov, a component of the Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program
© Copyright 2024