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March 2015 • Volume 19, Issue 2
3
Producers Explore
Farm to School
Opportunities
8
State Favors Collaborative
Approach to Federal Land
Management
®
Idaho Farm Bureau
10
Horse Racing Legend
Honored
Time to Move Ag Trade
Forward with TPA
By Bob Stallman
American economy.
AFBF President
TPA legislation isn’t new, but
now is prime time for renewal. It
first passed in 1974 and has been
critical to the success of important
agreements for U.S. agriculture
with South Korea, Colombia and
Panama. We’re now ready to expand our markets even further with
ambitious trade negotiations across
the globe from Asia to Europe. But
we need to stand firm and show
U.S. agriculture exported more
than $152 billion in products last
year alone, and there’s room for
more growth yet. With Trade Promotion Authority expected to take
center stage on the legislative agenda this spring, farmers and ranchers are ready for trade agreements
that create business and boost the
Eminent Domain
Legislation Shows Foresight
By Frank Priestley
President Idaho Farm Bureau
Federation
A bill that would limit the use of
eminent domain currently before
the Idaho Legislature is an important piece of legislation that is being
attacked by misinformation.
When My Ship
Comes In
By Rick Keller
CEO Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
During the 19th century, Bristol,
England was the busiest seaport in
the world. While local sailors were
at sea, tradesmen would extend
credit to their wives until the very
day their husbands’ ships returned
2
The Ag Agenda
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Sponsored by Sen. Jim Guthrie, RMcCammon, the legislation would
eliminate the use of eminent domain, or in other words the taking
of private property, for the use of
recreational pathways. If acceptable uses of eminent domain are
not explicitly spelled out by law, it
can become a disastrous intrusion
on the rights of private property
owners.
Eminent domain was established
by the federal government to serve
the public’s needs. Freeways, electo port. Because the ship meant
her family’s livelihood, a woman
would refer to her husband’s vessel
as “my ship.” And when asking for
credit, they would promise to pay
the tab “when my ship comes in.”
These days, the expression often
means dreaming of better times
since the arrival of the figurative
ship is not a sure thing. On the West
Coast of the United States there is a
labor dispute at the ports, causing
a slowdown and stoppage of business. Our question is now literally,
“When will my ship come in?”
other countries that we’re ready to
act on final offers at the negotiating table. TPA creates an important
partnership between the administration and Congress to move trade
agreements forward.
The U.S. economy loses out when
trade agreements are crushed in the
final hour by deal-killing amendments. We weaken our standing in
the global marketplace, and hand
See STALLMAN, page 6
tric and other infrastructure transmission lines, schools and fire stations are examples of public needs.
Bicycle paths clearly don’t fit in the
same category.
The effort to use eminent domain
to take private property along the
Portneuf River to create a bike and
walking path is wrong. If the people who live along the river want
to sell their land so that it can be
turned into a recreational path, so
See PRIESTLEY, page 7
What is the dispute all about? The
Port of Portland was not making
money as a public entity, and so
privatizing was a way to stem the
losses. The Port of Portland now
acts a landlord, rather than port
manager. In 2010, the Port of Portland decided to lease out the container terminal business to International Container Terminal Services,
Inc. (ICTSI), a Philippines-based
company. The company signed a
25-year lease with the Port of Portland.
See KELLER, page 6
Volume 19, Issue 2
IFBF OFFICERS
President ................................... Frank Priestley, Franklin
Vice President ...................................Mark Trupp, Driggs
Executive Vice President ............................... Rick Keller
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bryan Searle ............................................................Shelley
Mark Harris ................................................. Soda Springs
Chris Dalley ....................................................... Blackfoot
Dean Schwendiman ........................................... Newdale
Danny Ferguson ........................................................Rigby
Scott Steele ..................................................... Idaho Falls
Gerald Marchant .................................................. Oakley
Rick Pearson ................................................... Hagerman
Rick Brune............................................................Hazelton
Luke Pearce ............................................. New Plymouth
Cody Chandler....................................................... Weiser
Tracy Walton ........................................................ Emmett
Marjorie French ............................................... Princeton
Alton Howell ................................................ Careywood
Tom Daniel ............................................... Bonners Ferry
Judy Woody ................................................................ Filer
Cole Smith ...................................................... Montpelier
STAFF
Dir. of Organization............................... Dennis Brower
Commodities & Marketing Assistant ........... Peg Pratt
Member Services Assistant ..................... Peggy Moore
Public Relations Assistant ........................ Dixie Ashton
Dist. I Regional Manager ........................... Justin Patten
Dist. II Regional Manager .............................. Zak Miller
Dist. III Regional Manager .................. Charles Garner
Dist. IV Regional Manager ..........................Brody Miller
Dist. V Regional Manager ....................... Bob Smathers
Dir. of Governmental Affairs ................Russ Hendricks
Asst. Dir. of Governmental Affairs .... Dennis Tanikuni
Energy/Natural Resources ....................... Bob Geddes
Director of Public Relations .............. John Thompson
Video Services Manager ............................ Steve Ritter
Broadcast Services Manager ..................... Jake Putnam
Office Manager, Boise .................... Julie Christoffersen
Member Services Manager ........................ Joel Benson
Administrative Assistant ............................... Cara Dyer
Assistant Treasurer.................................. Tyler Zollinger
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Students at West Junior High School in Boise line up for lunch. Local farmers recently toured
the school to learn about the Farm to School program. Photo by Steve Ritter
Farmers take part in
Farm to School workshop
By Jake Putnam
Matt Wissel of Nampa grows sweet corn in Southwest Idaho. His corn is a staple at farmer markets across Idaho and prized by foodies, yet the
delicious and healthy food is not in the local school lunch program. Wissel is pushing the marketing envelope because he’s trying to get his crops into a
new and growing market; local schools. On February 6th, Wissel and 40 other fellow Idaho food producers attended a special
meeting in Nampa to learn the steps needed to get local food into neighboring school
cafeterias.
“We grow the best sweet corn in the country right here and yet they buy corn from
the Midwest to serve in the schools,” said Wissel. “I think it would be great to get my
corn in Nampa, Caldwell and Boise Schools.”
The Idaho Department of Agriculture sponsored the workshop in conjunction with
the United States Department of Agriculture. Both are promoting a new program
called Farm to School. Leah Clark coordinates the Idaho Preferred program in Idaho, she says Idaho Schools are looking to buy local.
MAGAZINE CONTACTS:
Idaho Farm Bureau Federation
EDITOR (208) 239-4292 • ADS (208) 239-4279
E-MAIL: [email protected]
www.idahofb.org
“We have school food service directors talking to Idaho producers. They’re telling
them what they’re looking for, about what they buy, why they buy it, how they buy
it, and then we’re taking a cafeteria tour,” said Clark. Cover: Students at West Junior High School in Boise
line up for lunch. Area food producers are looking at
ways to get more local food into schools through the
Farm to School Program.
Farmers, food wholesalers and school lunch administrators took their conference
on the road visiting one of the largest junior schools in the state. Clark says taking
Photo by Steve Ritter
See FARM TO SCHOOL page 4
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
3
FARM TO SCHOOL
Continued from page 3
the conference to a cafeteria is
priceless because a single visit
can shatter misconceptions
about school lunch, what’s
served on a daily basis and how
school lunch is served.
“Cafeterias have changed since
my day,” said Wissel. Peggy Bodnar heads the Boise
Schools Food Service. She says
students know that local food is
delicious and nutritious food.
“Local food is great, it teaches
kids so much, it exposes them
to what Idaho is about in agriculture and so the Farm to
School program is fun,” said
Bodnar. She also pointed out
Idaho products in the school
lunch that day.
Bondnar says program is
bringing more and more local
food into school menus.
“We definitely have an interest, we’re making sure that different foods are available and
it’s important to have these
meetings,” she said. “Go to any
of our farmer markets in town
and you can see that interest is
growing.”
The Wissels of Nampa have
farmed in Canyon County for
more than 100 years. Their
Double Diamond brand of produce supplies super markets
and farmer markets throughout
the Treasure Valley. Wissel’s
biggest challenge is cutting
through red tape and getting
fresh produce into the schools.
“Despite the obstacles, there
is a good possibility of getting
our foods into school cafeterias,” he said. “I think we need
to prepare and labor is always
the biggest issue. Then get4
#
ting food into the cafeterias
that they can cook and getting
it cooked quickly. Sweet corn
straight from the field takes a
lot of time and labor. The stuff
that comes from the can is terrible because it’s packed in salt
water and unhealthy. I’d like to
change that.”
The Idaho Department of Agriculture’s Idaho Preferred program says changing attitudes
about local food are bringing change to school lunches
across the nation and in Idaho.
Schools buy local products
through a lot of different channels. Some take direct deliveries from farmers or pick up
orders at the farmers market.
Others buy local products
through distributors or acquire
them through fresh sellers.
Some buy local foods that have
already been turned into readyto-eat meals by food producers,
while others want raw products
that they can serve fresh or use
for scratch cooking. “We grow a lot of commodity
crops, and many are usable in
schools,” said ISDA’s Clark.
“We can’t use a sugar beet in
school lunch. Barley is another
tough crop. It needs processed
like sweet corn. We need produces to think about school
menu needs. Maybe instead
of everyone growing pumpkins, have a few growers plant
cucumbers. Schools say they
need cucumbers and will buy
everything produced. We’re
the top growers of carrot seeds,
but no one grows carrots. We
need carrots and start thinking
about growing for our school
market. Thea school market is
viable, we just need to grow
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
A group of Treasure Valley food producers enjoy lunch at West Junior
High School in Boise during a recent tour which was part of the Farm to
School program. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
Photo by Steve Ritter
specifically for them.”
Producers learned about USDA
rules and regulations governing
food in the federal school lunch
program. There are barriers but
still many opportunities exist.
The Farm to School program
continues to grow and cafeteria
food has changed drastically
over the past decade.
Brian Davis, who works for
ProSource Produce of Bellevue
attended the workshop with
hopes of getting Idaho products
into central Idaho cafeterias. “ProSource is a big supplier of
potatoes and onions, he said.”
Our packers are here they’re
healthy and they’re Idaho. Our
schools should be buying Idaho
and this is a great opportunity
to do that. We have a long way
to go because so much food is
shipped out of state. The more
we make our produce available
the better the chance we have
of getting good, healthy food
in the schools. It’s a two way
street.”
More than 70 schools participated in the program under
the Idaho Preferred umbrella.
Clark says the old barriers are
slowly giving way to healthy
foods and the buy local movement.
IFBF Winter Conferences
The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation held its annual Legislative Conference in Boise in early February. Several legislators came to have dinner with
their constituents during the strolling buffet.
Dale Parkinson from Challis High School was the winner
of this year’s Idaho Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership
Committee Speech Contest.
Scott Bedke, left, speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives and Senate Pro
Tem Brent Hill spoke to IFBF members about pertinent political issues during the
conference.
See IFBF WINTER CONFERENCES page 23
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
5
STALLMAN
Continued from page 2
economic leadership over to other countries. With TPA, the administration represents our best interests before other countries without flying solo in negotiations.
Congress and the administration must continue to shape and set priorities based on
what they’re hearing directly from American businesses.
This is where agriculture can continue to
take a leading role in shaping our trade
agenda. Farmers and ranchers know the
challenges we face in other markets, and
it’s our job to get this message to policymakers. When we’re all on the same page
in negotiations, the process moves swiftly
as Congress can act on final agreements
with a straight up or down vote. Limiting access to American food just
doesn’t make sense. Farmers and ranchers
are ready to bring their goods to new mar-
“Farmers and ranchers
know the challenges we
face in other markets, and
it’s our job to get this message to policymakers”
kets, but high tariffs and non-scientific barriers place our exports at a disadvantage.
Take the EU, for example. Last year the
U.S. exported $12.7 billion in agricultural
products to the EU, but we also imported
$18.7 billion in agricultural products from
the EU. These numbers don’t mean we had
less to sell: Our markets are simply more
open while the EU continues to let politics
rather than science dictate its trade restrictions. Meanwhile, on the other side of the
globe, our trade with Japan is just a fraction of what it could be, largely because of
price restrictions and high tariffs.
American businesses rely on trade agreements to break down barriers and create
a more balanced marketplace for all. But
we must come to negotiations with a clear
agenda and the authority to back it up. The
U.S. is on the verge of completing one of
our most ambitious trade agendas in decades. TPA is essential to completing these
agreements, including the Trans Pacific
Partnership with 11 other countries across
the Asia/Pacific region and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with
the EU.
TPA expired too long ago: Congress and
the administration need to work together to
renew it before valuable trade relationships
are spoiled.
KELLER
Continued from page 2
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is a large union, and
members work at most West Coast ports.
There are 60 local unions, and Portland’s
is Local 8. The Longshoreman have complained that ICTSI Oregon is poorly managed, responsible for driving business
away, and does not care about safety. The
dock workers began intentionally slowing
down work disputing over which union
should plug, unplug and monitor refrigerator containers. A labor judge ruled in 2014
that the dock workers were intentionally
slowing down work.
What does a slowdown mean? It delays the
arrival and loading/unloading of containers. The shippers are feeling anxious because every time a shipment arrives late,
or takes a long time to get through the
port, that puts the shipper behind schedule.
They have made schedules and promises
based around consumer demand.
However, this is not just a shipper’s problem alone. Manufacturers and farmers rely
6
“The Agriculture Transportation Coalition estimates
that port delays and congestion in Portland and other
western ports have reduced
U.S. agricultural exports by
$1.75 billion a month”
on shippers and the shipping lines being
on time to meet deadlines. Farmers ship
seasonal and fresh fruit. Christmas trees
scheduled for the Christmas export market miss their deliveries. Blueberries turn
into mush and mold. Other U.S. produce
perishables, including meat and produce,
are unable to be sent to Asian consumers.
Containers of shovels, fencing, bathroom
tiles, and shoes are stuck at the docks or
on ships anchored just offshore. Car parts,
medical equipment, and furniture are also
held up.
Hanjin Shipping is the ninth largest shipping company in the world and largest
container shipper in Portland, account for
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
nearly 80 percent of the container business. Because of the uncertainty of performance, it officially dropped the Port of
Portland as a stop for their container ships
the first of March. That accounts for 1,600
containers per week.
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition
estimates that port delays and congestion
in Portland and other western ports have
reduced U.S. agricultural exports by $1.75
billion a month, while the North American
Meat Institute put losses to U.S. meat and
poultry producers at more than $85 million
a week, including hides and skins.
The Idaho Farm Bureau encourages the
Obama Administration and Congress to
invoke the Taft-Hartley Act. This act addresses labor disputes and promotes the
full flow of commerce. It will put pressure on the White House, the Port, and
the ILWU to quickly resolve this dispute,
which has negatively impacted Idaho’s
economy. We are waiting for our ship to
come in!
PRIESTLEY
Continued from page 2
be it. No one can object to that and there is
no argument that a greenbelt wouldn’t be
beneficial to Pocatello. However, several
landowners along the Portneuf don’t want
to sell. They don’t want a path through
their backyards that could be occupied at
any time of the day or night.
“Life, liberty and property do
not exist because men have
made laws. On the contrary, it
was the fact that life, liberty and
property existed beforehand
that caused men to make laws in
Private property rights are vital and are
among the civil liberties that separate our the first place.”
nation from many third world countries.
Private property rights are fundamental
to our society. Property that is defined and
protected by law allows us to establish
businesses and create commerce. If governments or private entities are allowed to
strip private property rights away for dubious purposes, who is to say what might
happen next?
Private property rights are at the core of our
organization’s beliefs and have been since
the Idaho Farm Bureau was established 75
years ago in 1939. In a more broad sense,
private property rights are central to our
culture and vital to our agricultural way of
life. We take it very seriously when anyone
attempts to compromise those rights – especially the heavy hand of government.
With regard to the Portneuf River Greenway Project, we agree it would make Pocatello a more attractive community and
provide recreational opportunities for its
residents. In addition, we support the Gre-
enway Project if access to the river corridor can be obtained from willing sellers.
In a recent editorial the Idaho State Journal questioned the Idaho Farm Bureau
and Sen. Guthrie’s intent in voicing opposition to the use of eminent domain to
obtain property along the Portneuf River.
The Journal’s editorial states that no one
is advocating taking the property without
paying fair market value. Fair market value
has no bearing on this situation. If a landowner chooses not to sell, it should be their
choice and a landowner clearly has the authority to set the price for that land.
Claude Bastiat, a French politician and
economist who died in 1850, said “Life,
liberty and property do not exist because
men have made laws. On the contrary, it
was the fact that life, liberty and property existed beforehand that caused men to
make laws in the first place.”
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Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
7
Multiple use of federal lands in Idaho, including grazing, mining, logging and recreation are all vital to the state economy. Whether all or some federal
land in Idaho should become state property was the focus of a legislative interim committee that recently released its findings. Farm Bureau file photo
Committee Recommends Conservative
Approach on Federal Land Transfer
By John Thompson
A committee made up of nine state legislators and one former legislator recently
concluded that in many instances the risks
to the State of Idaho outweigh the benefits
when it comes to acquiring federal land.
Almost since the time of statehood, Idaho
residents have found fault with federal government ownership of 62 percent of the
State. In September 1891 delegates to the
first National Irrigation Congress met in
Salt Lake City and adopted language stating
the U.S. Congress should grant all public
lands in the West to the states for the purpose of developing irrigation. The memorial complained loss of timber to wildfire
and poor forest stewardship by the federal
government harmed the ability to irrigate
the valleys below.
Legal Aspects
The Property Clause of the U.S. Constitution allows for disposal of federal lands.
Since 1781 the U.S. has disposed of 70 percent of its landholdings, mainly in eastern
and Midwestern states. Private ownership
8
of land is prevalent in most of those states.
However, in the late 1800’s the federal government transitioned toward a policy of retention and conservation, which left most
western states with large percentages of
federal ownership.
boundaries thereof, and to all lands lying
within said limits owned or held by any Indians or Indian tribes and until title thereto
shall have been extinguished by the United
States the same shall be subject to the disposition of the United States.”
Idaho has asserted that upon admission to
the Union in 1890 a binding contract was
entered requiring the U.S. to dispose of
all lands within Idaho for the benefit of
the State in exchange for Idaho foregoing
aspects of sovereignty such as taxation of
those lands.
After consulting with the Idaho Attorney
General’s office and other legal experts, the
Federal Lands Interim Committee decided
to take more of a wait and see approach to
the legal aspect of acquiring federal lands.
Utah has filed suit demanding the U.S. turn
over ownership of federal lands but the
claim has so far been ignored by the federal government. The interim committee’s
report states as follows:
However, when President Abraham Lincoln
signed the Admission Act that created the
Idaho Territory in 1868, the language included a disclaimer stating Idaho was not
entitled to any additional grants of land other than the state lands provided in the Act.
Further, Idaho’s State Constitution reads as
follows:
“And the people of the state of Idaho do
agree to declare that we forever disclaim all
right and title to the unappropriated public
lands lying with the boundaries within the
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
“Legal analysis suggests that litigation of the
state claims to ownership of federal lands
would be a time- consuming and expensive
endeavor without a great deal of certainty as
to the outcome. While the state could make
good faith legal arguments for the transfer
of federal lands, the federal government and
intervenors similarly could assert good faith
legal defenses.”
There is much more history regarding disposal of federal land contained in the interim committee report. Residents who would
like to learn more are advised to read the
report in its entirety at the Idaho Legislature
website.
The report further notes that federal government actions, including establishment of
the General Land Office in 1812, the Homestead Act of 1864, the Carey Act of 1894
and other attempts to encourage settlement
and grant federal land to private ownership were not successful in the arid western states. Idaho is known to have abundant
natural resources including water and rich
soil. However, large portions of the state
were not conducive to irrigation and farming and therefore were never homesteaded.
Therefore, the committee concluded that litigation is not the preferred path to resolving
the issue but did not rule it out as a future
alternative.
Public Testimony
The interim committee in meetings over the
past two years has heard public comment
from hundreds of Idaho residents. Two
main themes emerged. First is that no one is
content with the status quo.
A document cited in the report from the
U.S. Supreme Court states: “Multiple use
management is a deceptively simple term
that describes the enormously complicated
task of striking a balance among the many
competing uses to which land can be put,
including but not limited to recreation,
range, timber, minerals, watershed, wildlife
and fish and natural, scenic, scientific and
historic values.”
The report notes that the committee does
not seek to cast aspersions on the able, professional managers of our federal lands but
states the litigious nature of managing public land has resulted in a lack of management.
The second theme to emerge from the committee’s work is that no one wants to lose
access to public lands regardless of whether
they are managed by federal agencies or the
state. In northern Idaho public testimony
supported transfer of federal lands to the
state. In southern Idaho public comment to
the committee supported federal lands remaining in federal control with major concerns stated as potential loss of access, cost
of management and potential sale of public
lands. Some residents believe the cost of
management, especially in bad fire years
could break the State’s budget, even if the
federal government were to grant the land
for no cost, which it will not do, according
to the report.
Economics
The Policy Analysis Group in the College of
Natural Resources at the University of Idaho was commissioned to study whether the
transfer of public lands to the state would
result in a loss or generate income for the
State. Using three different timber quality
price scenarios and assuming that fire management costs at an annual average, the experts determined the State could anticipate
timber sales ranging from a loss of $6 million per year to a profit of up to $129 million per year. Net income would be reduced
by $19 million per year if the State were
to provide recreational services similar to
those available now. Payments to counties through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes
program and the Secure Rural Schools program would deduct another $32 million per
year if continued under state management.
Costs to manage BLM land net of grazing
and mineral receipts would be $53 million
per year, according to the report.
In total, after subtracting all costs from
timber net income, the proposed transfer of
15.8 million acres of federal land to Idaho
would result in a net loss to the State of $111
million under the low cost scenario, a $60
million loss under the medium scenario and
a $24 million per year profit under the high
end timber pricing scenario. New jobs that
would come with increased timber harvest
were estimated between 3,400 and 12,300,
creating wages and salaries ranging between $100 million and $363 million per
year. Income taxes would bring between
$16 million and $58 million into State coffers, according to the estimates.
Collaboration
Finding ways to improve the health of public land while working with federal agencies
is being viewed as a positive step forward.
In its final recommendations, the Interim
Committee supports collaborative efforts
but also cautions that they are no panacea.
The Clearwater River Basin Collaborative
and the Bitterroot River Basin Collaborative
have worked for ten years to thin overgrown
forests and improve watersheds and wildlife
habitat. However, a proposal contained in
the Farm Bill that provided funding for forest health projects on nearly 2 million acres
of insect damaged and diseased timber in
Idaho was approved by the Forest Service
but has not been implemented due to federal regulations. The report states that it may
not move forward for several years. Former
Idaho Senator Skip Brandt, who has been a
member of the Clearwater Basin Collaborative testified that the collaborative process
no longer works because of environmental
group lawsuits and burdensome federal regulations, according to the report.
Committee Recommendations
For complete details on the Interim Committee’s recommendations, refer to the report on the Idaho Legislature website. In
brief, following are some of the Committee
recommendations:
Work with Idaho’s Congressional Delegation to amend the Multiple Use Sustained
Yield Act of 1960 to allow states to manage
federal lands to meet multiple use and sustained yield goals in perpetuity with a high
level of annual or regular output of renewable resources without impairment of the
productivity of the land.
Authorize and fund a permanent commission or working group. The Committee
recommends funding two full-time state
employees and a permanent commission
or working group to implement the recommendations passed by the Legislature.
“Transfer of federal jurisdiction should be
seen as and supported as a long-term effort
worthy of annual appropriations starting at
$250,000,” according to the report.
Investigate ways to work with other western
states with similar interests.
Delay and reassess commencement of litigation.
Encourage and facilitate existing collaborations.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
9
Left to right, lobbyist Jesse Taylor and Hall of Fame Jockey Gary Stevens chat with Les Bois track announcer Paul J. Schneider at the Idaho Statehouse
just before Stevens was honored on the Senate floor.
Hall of Fame Jockey Gary Stevens
Honored At Idaho Statehouse
By Jake Putnam
Hall of Fame jockey and Idaho native Gary
Stevens made a special trip home in early
February.
Stevens, a Boise native, took the floor of
the Idaho Senate that morning and received special honors for an epic horse
racing career.
Stevens won nine Triple Crown races and
logged more than 5,000 wins during a four
decade career as a jockey.
The Farm Bureau’s Jake Putnam caught up
with the legend at the Idaho Statehouse.
Farm Bureau: The Senate is recognizing
10
you in just a few minutes. How does it feel
like to come home for this special occasion?
Stevens: It’s always great to come home.
I don’t get home enough. Idaho is still my
home and I come back as often as I can.
My folks are still in the same house where
I was raised and its fun to sleep in my old
bed that I did as a kid. The furniture has
changed little there. But to come home
and be recognized by this great state
makes me proud. Sometimes being in LA,
I lose track of home and I take for granted
my accomplishments. My nick-name in
Southern California is just plain Gary and
I’m proud of that, proud of my Idaho heritage and the standards I was held to here.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
I don’t think I would be the person I am today or achieved what I did had I not been
raised here.
Farm Bureau: You took seven and a half
years off after a knee injury and at your
age many thought that was the end of
your career, but you came back and won
the Preakness in 2013 and looked as strong
as ever.
Stevens: Yes, seven and-a-half years is
a long time. They say when you’re riding
horses that it’s like riding a bicycle, the
skills never go away. It took a while to get
the timing back. Things were going great
but after a year and-a-half of riding I had
terrible pain and then a full knee replacement. To be honest, the comeback from
the knee replacement was a tougher hill
to climb than the retirement. Not because
of what I felt, I rode well, it was the confidence level of my clientele many of which
thought that there was no way I could ride
at a high level again. I can’t blame them. I
had a prosthetic knee, but I proved them
wrong again. I suppose at 51 not many
would give you a shot and that’s the reason I came back. I’ve had a great career.
Then to win the Breeders Cup Classic in
2013. That’s the thing I really wanted to
get in the trophy case. Coming back I’ve
met so many people that encouraged me
and I was able to return the favor. Many
have said to me if you can come back with
a new knee, I can ski, and I can do my
sports just like you are. I confess, I’m not
a trail blazer and I’m not the first man to
walk on the moon, but I proved to people
that they can do what they want with this
new technology.
Farm Bureau: What a thrill to have a sec-
ond chance, in many aspects another career altogether
It’s great because my first win in the comeback was for Idahoan Larry Williams who
was nice enough to put me on one of his
horse several months ago. That was my
first win back. I have to tell you that it was
fun winning for an Idaho connection down
in Del Mar, California. It was so cool. We
have a lot of great history here in Boise. It
was fun to join my older brother Scott, he’s
been an idol since we were little kids and
I followed in his footsteps. It is great that
we’re both still riding. He’s the leading rider at Paradise right now and without my big
brother I wouldn’t be where I am right now.
Farm Bureau: So where do you go from
here?
I have a full season set, and right now its
Derby time. Everything I do is in preparation for the Kentucky Derby. I raced on a
horse last Saturday that hopefully will get
the roses again. His name is Firing Line. We
were in a big battle over the weekend. Un-
fortunately I lost that battle and took second but hopefully we’ll come back and win
the Derby.
Farm Bureau: 51 years-old and still in the
game
I say today’s 50 year old, is yesteryears 30
year old. We’re taking better care of ourselves. I won’t say that I’ve taken the best
care of myself at times growing up in my
20s and 30’s, but I’m taking better care
of myself today than I did back then. If I
would have known that I was going to last
this long I would have taken a lot better
care of myself. But I’m having fun and being fit has focused me.
Stevens was elected into the US Racing Hall
of Fame in 1996 and appeared in the movie
Seabiscuit and the HBO mini-series, “Luck.”
On Valentine’s Day last month Stevens
picked up his 5,000 career win at Santa
Anita Park aboard Catch a Flight. He lives
in California but calls Idaho, home.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
11
Workers pack apples and peaches at Symms Fruit Ranch in Canyon County in this Farm Bureau photograph taken in 2013. A slow down and work
stoppages at West Coast ports stemming from a union contract dispute is causing fruit and other perishable products to rot on the docks.
Focus on Agriculture
Portmania: Pileup at the West Coast Ports Continue
By Kari Barbic
U.S.-grown apples and pears rot on the
docks never again to see the light of day.
Bins normally piled high with U.S. produce at markets across Asia are looking scant. Storage facilities across the
country are packed with tons of meat
that should be on dinner plates around
the world. Why? Loading docks from
Seattle to San Diego—once bustling
with activity—are now moving with
all the speed of a DMV line thanks to
prolonged contract negotiations between
the Pacific Maritime Association and the
International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union.
12
The dock workers’ contract expired in
July, and although workers continue to
show up, not much is getting done. The
ports were brought to a halt in early
February as shippers and port operators
suspended operations for two days. The
financial losses are stacking up along
with the unmoved cargo. From $40 million per week in meat sales to $70 million in wasted fruit in Washington, these
numbers are a mere fraction of sales
and long-term market share losses that
farms, ranches, lumber yards and factories are suffering.
While the two parties slog out salary
and benefit terms, American businesses
are paying the price as they lose skilled
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
workers, valuable sales and good standing with our largest overseas customers.
Fresh produce and meat exports to Asia
are largely on hold until the docks are
running at a normal pace again. Pork
producers are among those being hit
especially hard with no way to reach
six of their top 10 world customers, all
Asia/Pacific countries. While our supply is landlocked, the demand has not
dwindled, and our overseas customers
are now left to find other, more reliable,
suppliers in the meantime.
Delays, added costs and failed shipments
are putting our trade relationships on
See FOCUS ON AGRICULTRE page 34
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
13
Wildfires and the
Forest Ecosystem
By Randy Brooks
It seems that there have been a lot of
natural catastrophes lately. Record
snowfall in the northeast, hurricanes in
the spring & summer, tsunamis on the
other side of the world, and wildfires
Fire serves many positive purposes in plant and animal ecosystems
in the west are just a few occurrences.
Although not all fires are natural, many
duction or benefited by the nourishment danger if fuel materials within the immeare a result of Mother Nature, in the
form of lightning activity. The recent dev- left in its path. Fire-dependent ecosystems diate vicinity of buildings, campgrounds,
astating fires in the West have raised many are an interesting study in the way plants and homes are cleared away. Curtailing fuquestions as to what effect fire has on the and animals have evolved to profit from els also reduces the intensity of wildfires,
such a destructive natural phenomenon.
which leads to easier management of them
ecosystem.
because they become more predictable and
Historically, humans have thought that all Fire is an important management tool for less powerful.
fires were detrimental because they black- production agriculture. Excess wheat and
ened landscapes and burned trees. In fact, barley stubble is often burned to ease till- Fire serves many positive purposes in
plants and animals evolved together with age practices. This practice saves time plant and animal life in ecosystems, but
fire, making it a necessary element in the and fuel costs, (especially with high fuel it can also damage communities just as
survival of many ecosystems. Through- prices). Kentucky bluegrass growers burn well. Perhaps the most damaging effect
out time, natural selection and adaptations grass to stimulate seed production. Wood- of fire is erosion. Intense fires, especially
have acted on plant and animal life to result land owners burn vegetative cover to de- in small tree and shrub communities, can
in fire-dependent ecosystems. Many plants crease tree seedling competition. Fire also burn the vegetation down to the roots. On
depend on fire to heat and scar their seeds reduces bugs, and unwanted vegetation. hillsides and mountainsides, the vegetaas a process for germination. Burned out Removal of brush by fire improves range tion holds excess rainfall runoff. When a
fire destroys the intricate matrix of roots
trees provide useful shelter for birds, rep- conditions and in turn grass production.
tiles, and small mammals. Decaying trees Prescribed burns prevent forest fires by and grasses, devastating landslides can ocrelease nutrients into the soil and serve as a clearing out vegetation, such as small cur. Sediments can cloud streams, which
base for new plants to sprout. Much of the trees, shrubs, and brush, which can even- can affect fish. Humus, the decaying orplant life in the United States has evolved tually fuel a much larger fire. Fire fighters ganic material on the ground within the
to use fire directly as a catalyst for repro- can allow lightning fires to burn with less vegetation, can hold five times its weight in
water. Therefore, the increased runoff re14
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Uncharacteristic wildfire can be detrimental to the forest ecosystem. Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
sulting from erosion can seriously damage
the watershed. Water and mud are not the
only debris that can slide down a charred
mountainside. Landslides, rock slides, and
avalanches are far more devastating, and
occur frequently when heavy rains follow
a fiery summer or fall.
Soil and water temperatures are also greatly
affected by fires. When the overhead canopy is destroyed, sunlight reaches regions
that are not used to the added heat. Foliage
that normally survived under the previously shady regions cannot survive because of
the increases in sunlight and temperature.
Stream water temperatures are also affected by the increase in sunlight. Spring
runoffs can lead to floods because snow
reserves melt much sooner, especially on
steeper, sunlight facing slopes. Fire erosion
affects both landscapes and plant and animal habitats; and often the effects are felt
many years following a heavy fire because
the regrowth can take years to occur.
Water quality can be affected by fire. Increased concentrations of dissolved nutrients generally occur in stream water after a
fire. These concentrations tend to get diluted as streams become larger. Nutrient con-
centrations vary with fire intensity, length
of time for the watershed to re-vegetate,
and amount of precipitation the watershed
receives in subsequent years.
Fires can affect animals in a variety of ways
depending on the animals and the region involved. Seldom are animals left unscathed
after a devastating fire sweeps through
their habitat. After a fire has ravaged an
ecosystem, animals with specialized diets
seldom survive as well as animals that can
feed on a variety of food sources. If a fire
destroys their habitat, their populations can
be affected for many years. After a fire,
elk, deer, and other large herbivores thrive
on the newly sprouted grasses and shrubs
that occupy recently burned forests. During long periods without fire, trees in dense
forests often out-compete (shade out) the
grasses and shrubs that large animals feed
on, resulting in a decline in big game. Many birds also thrive after a fire when the
seeds of many trees are dispersed. Birds,
like the woodpecker, take advantage of
burned out trees to make nests or forage
for dead insects. On the contrary, other
birds, for instance the grey owl, flourish in
old-growth forests and therefore decrease
after a fire has destroyed their community. Insects usually do not survive fires
well because their escape range is too
small. This can affect birds if the specific
insects are a food source. Trees can benefit from the death of insects that reside in
their trunks. Many insects, in this case the
mountain pine beetle in lodgepole forests,
kill the trees in which they inhabit. A lot of
these forest pests, like bark beetles, or the
spruce bud worm, which resides in Douglas and subalpine fir forests, are burned out
by fires.
Fires are natural occurrences, similar to
hurricanes, floods, and heavy snow and
rain events. Although they can be devastating, they are also important to the survival
of ecosystems. Fire acts as a necessary
evil, destroying, cleansing, and diversifying wildlife communities. The impact of
fire on the ecosystem can vary dramatically
with severity or intensity of the fire.
Randy Brooks is a University of Idaho
Extension Forestry Specialist based on
campus in Moscow. He can be reached at:
[email protected]
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
15
16
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Teton County Farm Bureau Makes Food Bank Donation
Teton County Farm Bureau
President Stephen Bagley presents
a check to Sharon Froberg,
Coordinator for the Teton Valley
Food Pantry / Food Bank.
Teton County Farm Bureau
members recently sponsored
a “Get Moving challenge.” The
Idaho Farm Bureau Health and
Safety Committee coordinated
the event. County Farm Bureau
Board members participated and
competed against other County
Farm Bureau members from around
the state. The winner having the
greatest number of members
participating in a 30-minute or
more walk per day for last October
and part of November was awarded
a prize of a donation to the food
bank of the winner’s choice.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
17
Here’s to bringing up the sun.
Here’s to muddy boots and grease-stained hands.
Here’s to caring for this great land.
Here’s to protecting what you live for.
We’re proud of our agricultural roots, and proud to be the insurance company so
many families rely on to protect them from the unexpected. Here’s to protecting
you, your family and your future.
www.fbfs.com
FB10 (4-14)
18
ID-Here’sTo…(4-14).indd 1
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
5/14/14 3:04 PM
Simpson Perseveres on Sawtooth
Wilderness Area Proposal
By John Thompson
The acronyms may have changed but
the story remains the same in Idaho
Congressman Mike Simpson’s epic
struggle to create a wilderness area in
central Idaho.
The effort that began over ten years
ago with the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act
(CEIDRA) has now morphed into the
Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Plus or SNRA+ and is being spurred
into creation on a six-month timeline
by a threat from the Obama Administration that would create a national
monument over three times the size
of Simpson’s current wilderness proposal.
The politics at play in this saga are
fascinating. We’ve seen the two effected county commissions in the
area, Blaine and Custer, vacillate between solid support, to severe angst, to
neutrality on one front and acceptance
with conditions on the other. As the
situation stands today, Custer County
supports SNRA plus viewing it as the
lesser of two evils, while Blaine County Commissioners can’t seem to make
up their minds.
The Custer County Farm Bureau recently voted to support SNRA+ with
the condition that if key provisions are
negotiated away to appease conservation interests the county Farm Bureau
will withdraw its support. The Idaho
Farm Bureau Board of Directors supported Custer County Farm Bureau’s
position without altering the organization’s longstanding policy in opposition to creating any new wilderness in
Idaho.
We’ve seen groups that staunchly support wilderness, namely the Idaho
Conservation League and The Wilder-
ness Society, switch their allegiance
from Simpson’s wilderness proposal
to a national monument in spite of
the fact that land use restrictions in
national monuments could be far less
restrictive than that of a wilderness,
which are defined in the Wilderness
Act of 1964. Land use rules for national monuments are developed by
federal agents after a monument is
designated.
In addition, Idaho politicians have
pin-balled the issue of wilderness in
the Boulder White Clouds region ever
since its conceptual inception. Idaho
Senator Jim Risch, who effectively
killed CEIDRA during previous negotiations, is now supporting SNRA+.
Former Idaho Governor and Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus has also
thrown his support behind a national
monument rather than a wilderness.
Idaho Governor Butch Otter opposed
CIEDRA but is yet to voice an opinion on the most current developments,
while Boise Mayor Dave Bieter lobbied President Obama in support of a
monument during a recent Presidential visit.
The major difference between SNRA+
and a new national monument as they
stand today is the monument’s footprint would take in over twice as much
land as the proposed wilderness. The
monument total acreage is nearly
700,000 acres while the wilderness total is 296,000 acres. A key provision,
at least from Custer County’s standpoint is the release of four wilderness
study areas totaling 132,000 acres that
have been managed as wilderness for
several years.
Custer and Blaine counties will also
receive over $6 million in grants that
would be used to improve the Trail
Creek Highway and fund improvements in Clayton, Challis and Mackay. Specifically, the bill provides one
acre of land to Blaine County for a
school bus turnaround, 114 acres for
a park and campground near Mackay,
10 acres for a fire hall at Mackay, 80
acres for a waste transfer site to Custer
County, 460 acres to Challis and
Custer County for undefined public
purposes, 23 acres for a cemetery to
Clayton, 2 acres for a park to Clayton,
2 acres for a water tower to Clayton, 6
acres for a waste water treatment facility to Clayton and 2 acres for a fire hall
to Clayton.
Further, Simpson’s bill, which is available at the Congressman’s website,
spells out the creation of three distinct
wilderness areas in the Boulder White
Clouds region. The Hemingway-Boulders Wilderness is 88,000 acres, the
White Clouds Wilderness is 91,000
acres, and the Jim McClure – Jerry
Peak Wilderness is 117,000 acres.
The bill further clarifies that grazing,
outfitting, hunting and oversight of
wildlife management in the wilderness areas, as they exist today, will not
change.
The four wilderness study areas to be
released under Simpson’s bill include
the Jerry Peak Wilderness Study Area,
the Jerry Peak West Wilderness Study
Area, the Corral-Horse Basin Wilderness Study Area and the Boulder
Creek Wilderness Study Area.
Next Page:
Map of proposed
wilderness areas
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
19
WHITE CLOUDS
90841.85 ACRES
HEMINGWAY/BOULDERS
63563.95 ACRES
Vicinity Map
References
q
Map data sources include the Intermountain Region Automated
Lands Program land status data, USGS Federal Lands data, and
data created by Sawtooth GIS personnel to represent the proposed
Wilderness area.
Disclaimer
The USDA Forest Service makes no warranty, expressed or implied
regarding the data displayed on this map, and reserves the right to
correct, update, modify, or replace this information without notification.
0
1.5
3
Leg
6
Miles
Map Cr
Map Re
Map Re
Data used
20
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Notes / Narrative:
All 3 areas; Hemingway / Boulders,
White Peak and Jerry Peak shown with acreage.
Includes revised Jerry Peak and
Hemingway/Boulders boundaries.
JERRY PEAK
120421.74 ACRES
Wilderness Area Proposals
This proposed National Wilderness Areas are located wholly or partially in Townships:
T5N R17-18E, T6N R15-19E, T7N R15-19E, T8N R15-20E, T9N R15-20E,
T10N R14-16E, T11N R14-16E, Boise Meridian
gend
The proposed White Clouds, Hemingway/Boulders and Jerry Peak National
Wilderness Areas are located upon approximately 274,828 acres
of federal land located in Custer and Blaine Counties, Idaho
within the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests.
Wilderness Proposals
Roads open to motorized use
Copies of this map are available for public inspection
in the Office of the Regional Forester, Intermountain
Region, USDA Forest Service, 324 25th Street, Ogden, Utah.
Trails open to motorized use
reation Date - 03-Dec-2014
evision Date - 17-Dec-2014 \ Version 1
evision Date - 10-Feb-2015
Sheet 1 of 1
This map was prepared at the request of Congressman Mike Simpson.
For additional information please contact Congressman
Simpson's Staff at 208-334-1953
d in creation of this map are on file with [Region 4 Boundary & Title], C:\Users\randynmiller.USDA\Documents\workspace\CIEDRA\2014\OVERALL_34X22L.mxd and T:\FS\NFS\Sawtooth\Program\2300Recreation\GIS\CIEDRA\2014\Overall_34X22L_revisedJerryPk.mxd
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
21
Poll Finds 90% of Idahoans
Support Livestock Grazing
BOISE - A new statewide poll found that
90 percent of Idaho residents approve of
livestock grazing as a legitimate use of
public lands, the same percentage as guided recreation and mountain biking. Ninety-eight percent of the respondents approve
of hiking and camping on public lands, and
65 percent approve of the use of motorized
recreation such as ATVs and motorbikes.
The new survey conducted by the University of Idaho Social Science Research Unit
for the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission (IRRC) was based on 585 telephone surveys with Idaho residents. The
poll was completed in December 2014.
More than half of the survey participants
have lived in Idaho for more than 30 years,
and participants represent a diverse crosssection of political ideology, UI officials
said.
Public support for livestock grazing was
approximately 20 percent higher than it
was for logging, which had a 71 percent
approval rating. Using public lands for energy development and transmission lines
received the lowest level of support at 62
percent. Public approval of livestock grazing on public lands went up 1 percent since
2010, and 10 points since 2001, according
to previous polls conducted for IRRC by
the University of Idaho.
“We’re pleased to see public support for
livestock grazing on public lands increasing,” said Chris Black, IRRC board chairman and a Bruneau Rancher who has received a BLM national stewardship award
for exemplary livestock management on
public lands. “We think Idahoans are seeing improved range management when
they’re out recreating on rangelands and
forests. And over the last five years, we’ve
highlighted more than 30 stories of ranchers engaged in rangeland stewardship
through the Commission’s “Life on the
Range” web site and video series.
“We feel it’s important to show real people
22
doing tangible things to improve public
lands, the environment and threatened and
endangered species, including candidate
species such as sage grouse,” Black continued. “That’s what is expected in 21st Century public lands management.”
IRRC officials said they commissioned the
poll to understand the overall perception
of Idaho residents about grazing, and how
those perceptions might be evolving due to
changes in Idaho’s population demographics and the emergence of the “New West.”
In a wildlife-related question, the poll
found that 84 percent of the respondents
recognize that private ranchlands provide
important wildlife habitat. On a scale of
1-7, 68 percent of the respondents rated
the value of private farms and ranches for
wildlife as being a 5 or higher.
Seventy-nine percent believe that sheep
and cattle ranchers manage rangelands in a
responsible manner, and 82 percent believe
that livestock grazing should continue to
be part of public lands management.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
In a series of questions rating the credibility or reliability of information provided
to the public, ranchers and scientists rated
84 percent and 83 percent reliable, while
BLM officials received a reliability rating
of 80 percent and environmentalists received a rating of 55 percent.
The poll is statistically valid, sampling a
broad cross-section of Idaho’s rural and
urban residents, an equal number of males
and females, and mobile phone users as
well as landline users, UI officials said.
About the Idaho Rangeland Resource
Commission: The Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission is an Idaho state
agency that seeks to increase public understanding about the balanced management of public rangelands. The commission sponsors the award-winning
web site, www.lifeontherange.org, and
it provides information and educational
materials to Idaho’s school children. For
more information, see www.idrange.org.
IFBF Winter Conferences
Continued from page 5
Clark Johnston gave a commodity outlook report during the annual IFBF Commodity Conference held in
early February at the Riverside Hotel in Boise.
Idaho Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership
Committee Vice Chairman Allis Chandler,
foreground and Sherril Tillotson, District 1
Chairman, distribute gift bags to legislators
during IFBF’s annual winter activities
in Boise. The Women’s Leadership
Committee also made a charitable
donation to the Ronald MacDonald House.
The annual Idaho Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Conference was held in Burley in late January. Farm Bureau members were interested in a
workshop on drones or unmanned aerial vehicles and their applications in both farming and ranching. Photos by Steve Ritter
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
23
Grain Marketing with Clark Johnston
Grain Marketing, Production
Challenges Likely in 2015
By Clark Johnston
Over the past few weeks I have had the
opportunity to visit with producers across
the entire state. I have met with producers from Moscow down to Preston and it
seems as though they all have the same
concerns and challenges as we look forward to the 2015 crop year.
Some producers, especially in the southeast part of the state, are still remembering
the effects of the past harvest. Although
the closer we move to spring work the
past seems to move further into the back
of their mind. After all, producers are always looking forward. This doesn’t mean
that we don’t remember the past and learn
from those experiences it’s just that we are
continually looking at the next year and the
next crop.
This year is going to be just like years past
with its own challenges for us to face with
not only production but, marketing will
have its own challenges as well. This is
stacking up to be a year without any layups.
This doesn’t mean that we won’t have opportunities to market our commodities at
profitable levels but, at this time it looks
as though our opportunities will be short
lived throughout the year. Remember it
generally will take a long time for the market to move higher and a very short time to
retrace lower.
This year we need to watch for quick
moves to the upside. (Whether the strength
comes from the futures or the basis) This
past year we saw the basis trade at very
24
high levels compared to previous years. In
some instances the basis moved as much as
50 points overnight and then moved back
lower.
It may sound silly at times but one of the
most important rules to follow in marketing is, Sell when someone wants to buy!
We have talked about the importance of
watching the basis and knowing a good
level to contract your commodities. Last
fall the basis on Hard White strengthened
by 100 points and then weakened by that
same 100 points all within a two month
time frame. Futures during this same time
frame moved 50 cents higher and then
moved back lower to settle within a nickel
of where we had started.
The opportunity was there for those that
could take advantage of the strength. This
is just what we will need to watch for this
year. We may or may not see a 100 point
move in the local bid but, we will see a
move and we need to be ready. There is a
real possibility this year that the strength
in the market won’t last long enough for us
to analyze the market and then make our
decision.
It will be important for us to know the levels that will give us the opportunity to be
profitable ahead of time. By knowing this
we will be comfortable in making the decision to contract when presented with the
opportunity. Futures at this time look as
though they could be lower than last year
but, basis could be a little stronger and this
is where we could very well find our price
movements this coming year.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Clark Johnston
At this point in time the winter wheat crop
in Kansas isn’t anything to write home
about. Total wheat production at this time
could be slightly lower than 2014. Soft
white acres in Idaho also looks to be a little
lower than 2014.
Basis for new crop soft white is a little low
for now. Look for this to strengthen as we
move into new crop harvest and into the
fall. We should have at least one good opportunity to lock in the futures side of our
wheat price just for the fact that we haven’t
killed the wheat crop just yet. The basis
strength will come later.
Establish the levels that will help you be
profitable right now and then market to
those levels. Don’t be afraid to contract
at least some bushels when the opportunity arises. I realize that once you sell
your grain it is gone without an opportunity to produce more but we can’t let that
keep us from contracting at levels that
maybe aren’t as good as we want but, good
enough to keep us in business. Remember,
it is always easier to sell into an up market
than one that is moving down.
Clark Johnston is a grain marketing specialist who is on contract with the Idaho
Farm Bureau. He is the owner of JC Management Company in Northern Utah. He
can be reached at clark@jcmanagement.
net
American farm bureau federation news
Feeding America Benefits from Farm Bureau Donations
The farm and ranch families
of Farm Bureau raised more
than $1.2 million and donated
a record of nearly 42 million
pounds of food to assist hungry
Americans as part of Farm Bureau’s “Harvest for All” program in partnership with Feeding America. Combined, the
monetary and food donations
also reached a record level of
the equivalent of more than 46
million meals.
Now in its 13th year, Harvest
for All is spearheaded by members of Farm Bureau’s Young
Farmers & Ranchers program,
but Farm Bureau members of
all ages from across the nation
contribute to the effort. In all,
23 state Farm Bureaus and the
American Farm Bureau Federation heeded the call to action.
The joint effort between Farm
Bureau and Feeding America,
the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, is a national
community action program
through which farmers and
ranchers can help ensure every
American enjoys the bounty of
food they produce.
In addition to raising food and
funds for the initiative, farmers and ranchers tallied nearly
14,000 volunteer friend hours
assisting local hunger groups
in 2014.
“By working together and
sharing our bounty, we’re able
to help nourish those who need
help the most,” said Jon Hegeman, a greenhouse grower
from Alabama who chairs the
AFBF YF&R committee.
“No one in America should
have to go without food,” Hegeman said. “Through the coordinated efforts of America’s
farmers and ranchers and Harvest for All, the equivalent of
46 million meals made it to the
tables of those who needed it
the during the past year.”
Harvest for All is one of the
most important community
service efforts undertaken by
Farm Bureau members. Although the U.S. economy is
stronger overall compared to
a few years ago, many Americans still need the help provided by Feeding America and its
national network of local food
assistance organizations, according to Hegeman.
“The American Farm Bureau and its Young Farmers
& Ranchers have consistently
contributed to Harvest for All
throughout our 13-year partnership, providing much-needed assistance for the one in six
Americans who are struggling
with hunger,” said James Borys, regional produce manager
at Feeding America.
The Florida Farm Bureau
took top honors for donating the most food in 2014,
16,978,541 pounds. Illinois
Farm Bureau raised the most
money, $1,034,541. Illinois
Farm Bureau also tallied the
most volunteer friend hours,
4,043. Thanks to the generosity of Chevrolet, each of those
state organizations received a
$1,250 grant to donate to a local food bank of their choice
or for another Harvest for All
project.
Second-place winners were
the California Farm Bureau
for food donated at 12,775,725
pounds; Indiana Farm Bureau
for donated funds at $46,836;
and Michigan Farm Bureau for
volunteer time at 3,640. Each
of the second-place winners
received a $750 grant from
Chevrolet to donate to the local
food bank of their choice.
In addition, three state YF&R
committees received $500
grants from Chevrolet for
“most innovative” programs.
Those winners were Georgia,
Arizona and North Carolina.
The awards were presented
during AFBF’s FUSION Conference in Nashville earlier this
month. Since Harvest for All
was launched, Farm Bureau
families have gathered more
than 147 million pounds of
food, logged more than 97,000
volunteer hours and raised
more than $4.8 million in donations. Combined, the food
and money donations are the
equivalent of more than 166
million meals.
Idaho Farm Bureau members can save a
significant amount on their medications.
Take 5 minutes to get a price quote.
USE IDAHO FARM BUREAU CODE (IDFB)
Toll-Free Phone 1.866.335.8064
www.thecanadianpharmacy.com
Step 1:
Call 1.866.335.8064 or go to
www.thecanadianpharmacy.com
Step 2:
Tell them you are with the Idaho
Farm Bureau (code IDFB) and that you
need a price quote on your medication.
Step 3:
If this price is lower than what you
currently pay, then The Canadian
Pharmacy will help you get your
prescription at the discounted price.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
25
26
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
A new government report takes aim at America’s diet and the environmental impact of the beef industry.
Dietary Guidelines Report Misleading
IFBF
A new report released by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration calls on Americans
to change their dietary preferences due to
environmental and health concerns.
The report appears to point fingers at the
environmental impact of beef feedlots stating that production of other forms of meat
protein have a lighter footprint. However,
several farm groups are pushing back noting that U.S. farms and ranches are the
most efficient producers in the world.
“Science must drive policy that feeds
people all over the world, so we applaud
the (FDA) advisory board for its notable
contributions to public health,” according
to American Farm Bureau President Bob
Stallman. “We are concerned, however,
that the report’s lengthy foray into sustainability issues goes well beyond both the
group’s expertise and its clearly defined
mission. Its conclusions would have benefitted from the contributions of agronomists, animal scientists, ecologists and
others with deeper expertise in agriculture
and sustainability.”
According to an executive summary of
the report provided by FDA the work was
guided by two fundamental realities. First,
about half of all American adults—117
million individuals—have one or more
preventable, chronic diseases, and about
two-thirds of U.S. adults—nearly 155 mil-
lion individuals—are overweight or obese.
These conditions have been highly prevalent for more than two decades. Poor dietary
patterns, overconsumption of calories, and
physical inactivity directly contribute to
these disorders. Second, individual nutrition and physical activity behaviors and
other health-related lifestyle behaviors are
strongly influenced by personal, social, organizational, and environmental contexts
and systems. Positive changes in individual
diet and physical activity behaviors, and in
the environmental contexts and systems
that affect them, could substantially improve health outcomes.
See DIETARY GUIDELINES, page 34
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
27
The Fear of Running Out of Farmers
By Stewart Truelsen
A demographic study of farming and
ranching in Wyoming forecasts there will
be no operators under the age of 35 by
the year 2033. The study in Rangelands, a
publication of the Society for Range Management, found that the average age of
farmers has increased in every county in
Wyoming since 1920, and will reach 60 by
the year 2050. Based on these results, the
authors predict a bleak farming future for
Wyoming and the rest of the country where
trends are similar. Believe it or not, the fear of not having
enough farmers and ranchers has been
around as long as the first county Farm
Bureau, founded a little over a hundred
years ago in Broome County, New York.
The concern back then was that too many
young men were leaving the hard life of
farming to seek gainful employment in the
big cities. Farm Bureau was formed out of
a desire to make farming more socially and
financially rewarding. The exodus from farms and ranches con28
tinued, however, but became far less worrisome because of mechanization and the
tremendous increase in farm productivity.
In fact, the pendulum swung the other way.
During much of the 20th century there
were too many people trying to make a living from farming, and too much land was
in production.
The aging of the farm workforce became
noticeable in the 1950s and has continued
relatively unabated ever since. The average
age of farmers was 48.7 years in 1945, the
first year it was officially reported in the
Census of Agriculture. The average age
now is 58.3 years. The share of farmers age
65 and older was 14 percent in 1945: It is
now 33 percent. Only 6 percent of farmers
are under the age of 35.
Do all these numbers spell big trouble for
the nation’s agriculture? Not necessarily.
The entire American workforce is aging.
By the year 2020, 25 percent of the labor
force will be over 55, up from 12 percent
in 1990. Agriculture, real estate and education are the three employment catego-
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
ries with the highest number of workers
over 55. An older agricultural workforce
is nothing new, at least not in the last half
century.
Generally speaking, today’s 65-year-old is
better educated, healthier and more willing to extend their working years than seniors in the past. It seems fair to say that a
58-year-old farmer today is comparable to
a 48-year-old farmer in 1945. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity, agriculture will need to rely on a
larger share of older workers and use them
as well to train young workers. The U.S.
birth rate is projected to average 4.6 million per year from 2015 to 2060, that’s
more than the peak year of the baby boom.
American agriculture has a recruiting job
to do, but it has never been in a better position to convince future generations to become farmers and ranchers.
Stewart Truelsen, a food and agriculture
freelance writer, is a regular contributor
to the Focus on Agriculture series.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
29
30
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Preparing for When
Times Change
By Andrew David Junkin
“Haven’t I done anything
right?” Hank screamed at me.
Hank was stuck in his ways.
He had spent his entire life
working towards a single goal:
pay off all his debts and make
his dairy farm incredibly profitable. With a lot of hard work
and sacrifice, he had achieved
that goal in his sixties. He
thought that his son would be
grateful to have such a nice
farm to take over, but things
didn’t look like they were going to turn out that way.
Hank’s son Derek had graduated from agriculture college
and had spewed out thousands of ideas over the past
three years. It was as if Derek
couldn’t help but offer a new
million-dollar idea every day.
The problem was that most of
his ideas would actually cost a
million dollars but would never
return the investment.
The year after Derek returned
home from college, he went behind his father’s back to get a
pre-approved loan for a major
barn expansion. When Hank
mistakenly got the call from
the bank regarding this plan,
he was furious. Needless to
say, the expansion didn’t happen. When Hank put his foot
down, Derek’s attitude toward
his Dad changed. He criticized
his father’s every move. The
two men went from being the
best of friends to worst of enemies almost overnight. The
accountant called me in to mediate the crisis, and I arrived
at the farm just as Derek was
removing his belongings from
the “hired man’s” house with a
plane ticket in his hand.
The problem wasn’t the barn
expansion plan; it was that
neither Derek nor Hank had
a system in place to deal with
change. Derek didn’t know
how to bring up new ideas so
his father would listen, and
Hank didn’t know how to be
open to the good ones, or to
challenge the bad ones without
running Derek down.
I asked Hank, “Are you going
to define change or is it going
to define you?” Like it or not,
things were about to change.
Either Hank would have to
learn to take input from his son,
or learn to live and work without him. Without an heir, he
would have to sell the farm and
Andrew David Junkin
change his lifestyle completely.
Both men needed to transform
how they viewed change and
how they dealt with it.
Change is difficult, and it’s a
tough topic to discuss. That’s
why facilitated monthly family
business meetings that focus
on managing change successfully are a good idea. Here is
how I structure the discussion:
Step 1: Brainstorm: I tell every family member to come to
the table prepared to present
one simple idea for change.
They have to think through
their idea, not to just blurt out
the first thought that comes to
mind. The proposed change
can’t cost more than 1 per cent
(i.e. <$5,000) of the farm’s assets, and must pay the farm
back in an appropriate amount
of time. The simpler the change
and the higher the return, the
better.
Step 2:
Evaluate the Idea:
Once all of the proposals are
on the table, the family and I
discuss each idea together. I
help them weigh the pros and
cons, and make sure each person has enough time to express
his or her opinion. It’s critical
that everyone participates at
this stage. If a family member
is reluctant to speak, I encourage them and I remind them
that this is the time and place
for different perspectives.
We start small. Learning how
to evaluate simple ideas can
teach everyone how to evaluate
bigger strategic problems down
the road. Once the technique
is mastered, no matter what
comes up, the family will have
a process to follow to ensure
that everyone has a say.
Step 3: Make a Decision: Once
everyone has had a chance to
say what they think about each
idea, it’s time to make a deciSee FARMING WITH FAMILY, page 32
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
31
FARMING WITH FAMILY
Continued from page 31
sion. Making a decision is a process in itself. Here are the three steps I encourage
my clients to follow:
Decide on how to decide. Will it be by consensus, by simple majority, or done by the
person in charge?
Put a timeline on the decision. When will
the final decision be made? Sometimes it’s
best to delay making certain decisions to
another meeting in order to give people
time to do more research, or just more time
to think about it. But, at some point, a decision has to be made. Giving the process a
timeline prevents procrastination.
Make sure that the decision making process is objective and civil. Having a facilitator present to make sure one party isn’t
a “bully” is key. Decisions shouldn’t be
made by the loudest voice or the person
who speaks most frequently.
32
Step 4: Follow Through: It’s easy to discuss an idea, but it can be hard to decide
how good it is. It’s even harder to make
sure the decision gets implemented. Implementation of a change is actually one of the
most difficult challenges a family business
can face. A facilitator can help hold family
members accountable for doing what they
say they will do, which means no one in
the family has to act as an enforcer. It takes
the pressure off family members and really
diffuses tensions.
Step 5: Learn from Mistakes: Learning
from mistakes is the most important part
of the family decision-making process.
Most families never discuss mistakes unless it’s in a vindictive tone and during a
family argument about an unrelated matter. As a result, the business organization
never learns and improves. It’s one of agriculture’s greatest failures.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
It is very important that everyone in the
family participates in this process as a
group. Just like a basketball team, try to
instill the attitude that we win together and
lose together. Pointing fingers will only
stall future success. If this process is done
well, you will not only be teaching the next
generation how to be the most knowledgeable farmers, but also how to be wiser decision makers.
Are you going to define how your farm
proactively adapts change, or are you going
to let change negatively change you?
Andy Junkin improves HOW farm
families make decisions together making farm succession & partnerships
easier. Get his book @ www.agriculturestrategy.com 1 800 474 2057. 2015 Idaho FFA Foundation Tractor Raffle
Win this Classic
1946 John Deere GM Tractor
and support Idaho FFA members
with your
$10 raffle ticket donation
2nd Prize—Traeger Grill
3rd Prize—$250 Carhartt Gift Card
Proceeds benefit Idaho FFA Members through post-secondary education
scholarships and support of Idaho FFA programs statewide
through the Idaho FFA Foundation. $58,000 in scholarships have been awarded
to date and another $14,000 in scholarships will be awarded in April 2015.
In addition, the local FFA chapters designated on the winning tickets
will receive a portion of the total ticket proceeds.
Tickets may be purchased from your local FFA chapter or the Idaho FFA
Foundation. The drawing will be on April 10, 2015 at the Idaho State FFA
Leadership Conference in Twin Falls. Need not be present to win.
This restored classic tractor includes a sprayer tank and new tires.
Idaho FFA Alumni
Tractor donated by Ralph and Pat Breeding of Twin Falls
Contact your local Idaho FFA Chapter for Tractor Raffle tickets, or call Idaho FFA Foundation
Tractor Raffle Chairman Sid Freeman at 208-941-3584.
For more information about the Tractor Raffle, visit: www.idffafoundation.org
Idaho FFA Foundation Tractor Raffle
Scholarship presentations in previous years
THANK YOU!
Idaho Farm Bureau
for your support of Idaho
FFA and the
Tractor Raffle!
For a full list of Tractor
Raffle sponsors and more
information about the
Tractor Raffle program,
please visit:
www.idffafoundation.org
Tickets may be purchased on
the website.
FFA—Premier Leadership, Personal Growth and Career Success through Agricultural Education
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
33
Focus on agriculture
Continued from page 12
shaky ground. Agreements to open up
more trade in Asia will do us little good
if we can’t meet our end of the bargain.
“This is turning into a disaster,” one potato exporter noted. “If we cannot supply
to the Pacific Rim as we have assured
over recent months, we will lose volume
and confidence of these newly established customers.”
An estimated 60 percent of shippers
have redirected their products to avoid
the clogged ports. Although non-perishable products can be re-routed to Eastern
U.S. ports through the Panama Canal,
this still adds time and significantly ups
the price tag. As a last resort, some retailers have taken to the skies to bypass
the traffic jam. The U.S. military even
resorted to air shipments to get yogurt
and cottage cheese to troops in Japan and
South Korea.
How did it get to this point? Last May,
the PMA and ILWU began negotiating
terms for a new contract. Weeks passed.
The contract expired in July and work
at the ports slowed. By the time holiday
shipments were picking up in the fall,
retailers could feel the sting. Two- to
three-week delays in just getting goods
off ships became standard operating
procedure. In some cases, truck drivers
would sit at the docks all day waiting for
a shipment to be offloaded, only to be
turned away empty-handed.
Meanwhile, threats of strike and full
shutdown continued to loom. In January,
both parties brought in a federal mediator. By month’s end a deal seemed nearly
in sight. Under the new five-year contract
the PMA presented, dock workers would
see a 3 percent pay raise each year and
full coverage for healthcare. PMA estimates the average dock worker’s salary
to be $147,000 per year under the expired
contract. Yet, negotiations continue.
Once a deal is finally struck and the
ports return to operating at their normal speed, it’s still expected to take another eight weeks to clear the backlog.
Some losses will never be recovered, but
America’s farmers and ranchers are eager to get back to business and restore
the trade relationships we’ve worked so
hard to build.
Kari Barbic is a media specialist for the
American Farm Bureau Federation.
DIETARY GUIDELINES
Continued from page 27
In specific, the report recommends Americans eat less red meat and seek out other
forms of protein. This recommendation in
particular caused concerns among many
farm groups.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sent out a statement by doctor and
cattle producer Richard Thorpe calling the
committee biased and the meat recommendation absurd. He said lean beef has a role
in healthy diets. executive branch moves forward. bon footprints.
Environmentalists are pushing the committee and the government to go the route
being considered. “We suspect the report’s unrealistically
pessimistic view of sustainability colors its
views regarding meat in the American diet.
Instead of supporting the health benefits of
lean meat consumption -- as previous advisory committees have consistently done
-- the authors focus only on a diet “higher
in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or
non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts;
moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower
in red and processed meat.”
“We need to make sure our diets are in
alignment with our natural resources and
the need to reduce climate change,” said
Kari Hamerschlag of the advocacy group
Friends of the Earth. “The report makes many good observations about the need for a balanced diet,”
Objections are coming from Congress, too. Stallman said. “But we are troubled that it
A massive year-end spending bill enacted also repeats alarmist and unsubstantiated
last month noted the advisory committee’s assertions about land use first promulgated
interest in the environment and directed by a UN agency with scant agricultural
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “to understanding. These assertions contradict
only include nutrition and dietary infor- the views of the UN’s own agricultural exmation, not extraneous factors” in final perts and fly in the face of decades of sciguidelines. Congress often uses such non- entific consensus. The overall guidelines
binding directions to put a department on also ignore easier and more effective ways
notice that lawmakers will push back if the ordinary Americans can reduce their car-
34
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
“American farmers and ranchers pay close
attention to their actions because that’s
good for the environment and their own
welfare, too. We stand ready to help the
administration make sure the world’s most
qualified experts are present when decisions affecting the food supply are made,”
Stallman said.
Employer, Contractor, It’s Time to Get Real tion, Sustainable Livestock
USFRA Announces
Grazing Management. This
and H-2a Labor Laws
About Milk
Nine New Affiliates
Forum
For some reason, milk has been report highlights four success- The U.S. Farmers and Ranch-
Are you an agricultural grower
who employs migrant or seasonal workers? Are you a farm
labor contractor, or interested
in becoming one in Idaho? Do
you contract agricultural workers via the H-2a visa program?
Do you provide or control
housing for migrant workers?
Do you provide transportation
for agricultural workers? Do
you want to learn more about
the various federal labor and
safety requirements involving
the employment of migrant and
seasonal farm workers?
If you answered “yes” to any
of the above questions, then
this FREE training will benefit you! Wage, hour, safety
in transportation and housing,
field sanitation and comprehensive H-2a visa contract labor requirements training will
be included, and provided by
the U.S. Department of Labor,
Wage and Hour Division.
Dates & Locations: March 9,
2015, State of Idaho Department of Labor, 4514 Thomas
Jefferson St, Caldwell
March 11, 2015, State of Idaho
Department of Labor, 420 Falls
Avenue, Twin Falls.
Time for both: 9:30 am to 12:00
pm, lunch break, 1:00 to 3:00
pm
under attack. Some critics are
saying don’t drink milk – it’s
unneeded, unnatural and bad
for you. That couldn’t be further from the truth, points out
the MilkTruth.com website.
Thousands of scientific studies have documented the benefits of drinking milk. Don’t be
misled by alarming headlines
or passionate critics. Get the
full story about milk. Nutrition is a science, not a point of
view. See what the real experts
are saying about milk – one
of the most naturally nutrientrich beverages you can find.
Some are avoiding dairy milk
or replacing it with an alternative. But it’s tough to make up
for the nutrients that real milk
provides – which is particularly troubling for growing kids,
who will likely suffer the most.
Go online to learn about the
“Get real about milk” tagline
and the just-launched website
and campaign, organized by
MilkPEP, which aims to set the
record straight about the science behind milk.
Sustainable Livestock
Grazing Management
Report Published
Four Successful Research
Projects
The Western Sustainable Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture program (SARE) recently
released its 12-page publica-
ful Western SARE-funded research and outreach projects
addressing livestock grazing
on rangelands and in riparian areas, providing valuable
information for ranchers, land
managers, and ag professionals.
The full report can be downloaded from westernsare.
org/Learning-Center/FactSheets/Sustainable-Livestock- Grazing-Management.
The four Western region projects described include:
· Creating handbook for utilizing livestock as a tool in
noxious weed control in nine
western states
· Building a network of
trainers using the BEHAVE
method to modify livestocks’
preferred foods
· Training cattle to eat big
sagebrush to reduce feed costs
and improve biodiversity
· Distributing recommendations on riparian friendly grazing
The high-quality research projects were collaboratively led by
researchers, ag professionals,
and ranchers and the research
results reached hundreds in
western states.
ers Alliance® (USFRA), a
consumer-facing organization
dedicated to leading the national conversation about how food
is grown and raised, has grown
to more than 80 organizations
with the addition of nine new
affiliates. The mission of USFRA is for all of agriculture
to work together to enhance
consumer confidence and trust
in today’s food production system.
With the commitment of its affiliates and industry partners,
USFRA is leading the way in
bringing experts throughout
the industry to the table for
candid dialogue around some
of the most contentious issues
in agriculture. These conversations take place through
several of USFRA’s most notable programs including The
Food Dialogues and the Faces
of Farming and Ranching,
programs that amplify farmers’ and ranchers’ voices. The
documentary FARMLAND,
produced by award-winning
filmmaker James Moll, is also
a unique and creative medium
in which non-ag consumers are
emotionally connected with
real farmers and real ranchers.
Additionally insights learned
from USFRA’s proprietary
consumer research helps guide
the development of programs
and outreach efforts, and is a
tool exclusively available for
affiliate and industry partners.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
35
Farm Bureau Members
Pay Less For
Choice Hotels!
FARM BUREAU COMMODITY REPORT
GRAIN PRICES
Portland:
White Wheat
11% Winter
14% Spring
Oats
Ogden:
White Wheat
11% Winter
14% Spring
Barley
Pocatello/
Blackfoot:
White Wheat
11% Winter
14% Spring
Hard White
A $40 room will be closer to
Burley:
$32
A $60 room will be closer to
White Wheat
11% Winter
14% Spring
Barley
Nampa:
White Wheat (cwt)
(Bushel)
1/29/2015
2/20/2015
Trend
No Bid
6.20-6.53
8.21
265.00
No Bid
6.19-6.33
8.56
265.00
N/A
- .01 to - .20
+ .35
Steady
6.05
5.54
6.00
5.40
6.20
5.46
6.16
5.85
+ .15
- .08
+ .16
+ .45
5.75
5.32
6.10
5.32
5.80
5.38
6.31
5.48
+
+
+
+
5.70
4.71
5.65
5.20
5.75
4.63
6.17
5.00
+ .05
- .08
+ .52
- .20
8.75
5.25
9.15
5.49
+ .40
+ .24
6.50
8.36
6.34
151.50
+ .22
+ .12
- 1.80
Steady
2/20/2015
Trend
235-340
190-308
170-219
170-202
235-367
200-310
171-224
155-195
Steady to + 27
+ 10 to + 2
+ 1 to + 5
- 15 to - 7
210-305
185-265
164-215
158-178
220-337
185-257
162-217
120-172
+ 10 to + 32
steady to - 8
- 2 to + 2
- 38 to - 6
140-186
120-170
140-188
120-175
steady to + 2
steady to + 5
85-110
75-98
85-120
79-105
Steady to + 10
+ 4 to + 7
1400-2175
1200-2200
- 200 to + 25
90-132
97-139
+7
25.00-26.00
Not Established
38.00-40.00
24.00-25.00
Not Established
40.00
- 1.00
N.A.
Up 2.00 to Steady
Lewiston:
$48
A $90 room will be closer to
White Wheat
6.28
H. Red Winter
6.24
Dark N. Spring
8.14
Barley
151.50
LIVESTOCK PRICES
1/29/2015
Feeder Steers
Under 500 lbs
500-700 lbs
700-900 lbs
Over 900 lbs
$72
1.800.258.2847
Farm Bureau Discount Code
00209550
advanced reservations required
Feeder Heifers
Under 500 lbs
500-700 lbs
700-900 lbs
Over 900 lbs
Holstein Steers
Under 700 lbs
Over 700 lbs
Cows
Utility/Commercial
Canner & Cutter
Stock Cows
Bulls
Slaughter
BEAN PRICES:
Pinto
Pink
Small Red
Compiled by the Idaho Farm Bureau Commodity Division
36
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
.05
.06
.21
.16
IDaho Hay Report
Idaho Weekly Hay Report
Fri Feb 20, 2015
Tons: 2100 Last Week: 800 Last Year: 11,500
Compared to last Friday, Supreme and Feeder quality Alfalfa steady to weak in a light
test.Trade very slow this week with light demand for export and feeder hay. Demand
remains light as more feeder hay shows up on the market. Retail/feed store/horse
not tested this week. All prices are dollars per ton and FOB the farm or ranch unless
otherwise stated. Delivered prices include freight, commissions and other expenses.
Tons
Price
300 220.00-220.00
200 164.00-164.00
1100 150.00-170.00
500 130.00-130.00
Wtd Avg
220.00
164.00
164.55
130.00
Comments
Tarped
Export
Tarped
Source: USDA Market News, Moses Lake, WA.
Potatoes for Processing
Potatoes & onions
February 18, 2015
IDAHO---Open-market trading by processors with growers was inactive.
Onions, Dry
IDAHO AND MALHUER COUNTY OREGON--- Shipments 279-299-269---Movement
expected to remain about the same. Trading slow. Prices Yellow colossal, jumbo
and Red jumbo lower, others generally unchanged. Yellow Spanish Hybrid U.S. One
50-pound sack Super Colossal mostly 6.00, colossal 4.50-5.50, jumbo mostly 3.50,
medium mostly 3.00; White 50-pound sacks jumbo 13.00, medium 11.00; Red Globe
Type U.S. One 25-pound sacks jumbo 5.00-6.00, medium mostly 4.00-5.00.
5 Year Grain Comparison
Grain Prices..................2/25/2011.....................2/20/2012.................... 2/19/2013...................2/25/2014...................2/20/2015
Portland:
White Wheat..................... 7.60 ............................7.00 ..............................8.64...............................7.36 ........................No Bid
11% Winter...................8.74-8.94 .....................7.25-7.32...................... 8.64-8.91..................... 8.47-8.57......................6.19-6.33
14% Spring....................... 11.88 ...........................No Bid.............................9.26...............................8.61.............................. 8.56
Corn.............................. 287-288.25................... 271-272.25....................290.50-293 .....................No Bid..........................No Bid
Ogden:
White Wheat..................... 6.95 ..............................6.20............................... 8.40.............................
11% Winter....................... 7.63 .............................. 6.17 ............................. 8.03.............................
14 % Spring......................10.16...............................8.02 ............................. 8.60.............................
Barley................................ 10.50.............................10.80..............................12.00.............................
Alfalfa
Large Square
Supreme
Good
Fair
6.35............................ 6.20
7.00............................. 5.46
7.77............................. 6.16
8.05............................ 5.85
Pocatello:
White Wheat..................... 6.90 .............................5.90............................... 8.00............................. 6.10............................ 5.80
11% Winter........................7.59 ..............................5.83 ............................. 7.52............................. 7.15............................ 5.38
14% Spring....................... 10.50.............................. 7.78 ............................. 7.81............................. 7.41............................. 6.31
Barley................................. 9.90 ............................9.27 ............................ 12.08.......................... No Bid........................ No Bid
Potatoes
UPPER VALLEY, TWIN FALLS-BURLEY DISTRICT, IDAHO--- Shipments
668-717-695 (includes export of 2-4-4) ---Movement expected to decrease slightly.
Trading baled moderate, cartons fairly slow. Prices baled slightly higher, cartons generally unchanged. Russet Burbank U.S. One baled 5 10-pound film bags non size A
3.00-3.50; 50-pound cartons 40-60s 13.00-13.50, 70s mostly 12.50-13.00, 80s 8.008.50, 90s 6.00-6.50, 100s 5.00-5.50. Russet Norkotah U.S. One baled 5 10-pound
film bags non size A 3.00-3.50; 50-pound cartons 40-60s 13.00-13.50, 70s mostly
12.00-12.50, 80s 8.00-8.50, 90s 6.00-6.50, 100s 5.00-5.50. Shipment breakdown
by variety for the week ending February 14, 2015 was generally Russets with 57
percent Burbanks and 33 percent Norkotahs.
Burley:
White Wheat......................7.12 ..............................5.95............................... 7.90............................. 6.08............................. 5.75
11% Winter....................... 7.44 ..............................5.97 ............................. 7.50............................. 6.81............................ 4.63
14% Spring....................... 10.18............................... 7.96 ............................. 7.90............................. 6.97............................. 6.17
Barley................................10.00 ............................9.50 ............................ 12.25............................ 7.50............................ 5.00
Nampa:
White Wheat (cwt)......... 10.85............................. 10.17............................. 13.08........................... 10.50............................ 9.15
(bushel)........... 6.51 ..............................6.10.............................. 7.85........................... 6.30............................ 5.49
Lewiston:
White Wheat..................... 7.40 ..............................6.70............................... 8.48............................. 7.02............................ 6.50
Barley............................... 201.50...........................186.50.......................... 231.50......................... 156.50......................... 151.50
Bean Prices:
Pintos...........................26.00-27.00........................50.00........................35.00-35.00................. 35.00-37.00..................35.00-37.00
Pinks............................25.00-28.00.................. 45.00-46.00...................0.00-42.00..................39.00-40.00.................39.00-40.00
Small Reds........................30.00....................... 45.00-46.00 ................40.00-42.00.......................40.00............................40.00
***
JANUARY MILK PRODUCTION UP 2.1 percent
February 20, 2015
Milk production in the 23 major States during January totaled 16.5 billion pounds,
up 2.1 percent from January 2014. December revised production at 16.3 billion
pounds, was up 3.4 percent from December 2013. The December revision represented an increase of 14 million pounds or 0.1 percent from last month’s preliminary
production estimate.
Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,918 pounds for January, 17
pounds above January 2014.This is the highest production per cow for the month of
January since the 23 State series began in 2003.
The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.62 million head,
103,000 head more than January 2014, and 8,000 head more than December 2014.
2014 Annual Milk Production up 2.4 Percent from 2013
The annual production of milk for the United States during 2014 was 206 billion
pounds, 2.4 percent above 2013. Revisions to 2013 production increased the annual
total 13 million pounds. Revised 2014 production was up 52 million pounds from
last month’s publication.
Production per cow in the United States averaged 22,258 pounds for 2014, 442
pounds above 2013. The average annual rate of milk production per cow has increased 13.9 percent from 2005.
The average number of milk cows on farms in the United States during 2014
was 9.26 million head, up 0.4 percent from 2013. The average number of milk cows
was revised up 2,000 head for 2014.
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
37
5 Year livestock comparison
...................................... 2/21/2011.....................2/20/2012.....................2/19/2013.....................2/21/2014....................2/20/2015
Under 500 lbs................ 137-179 ......................155-226 ......................142-207........................ 180-259........................235-367
500-700 lbs....................120-167.........................137-199..........................120-175.........................167-231........................200-310
700-900 lbs....................105-137 .......................125-160.........................115-142.........................130-175........................ 171-224
Over 900 lbs................... 95-116...........................95-140 .........................92-131..........................105-152........................ 155-195
Feeder Heifers
Under 500 lbs................108-161 .....................140-210.........................128-172.........................170-237........................220-337
500-700 lbs..................... 97-153 .......................132-186..........................116-153.........................153-197........................185-257
700-900 lbs..................... 91-128..........................115-162..........................107-134.........................129-174.........................162-217
Over 900 lbs...................90-110.......................... 110-119..........................100-120.........................101-144........................ 120-172
Holstein Steers
Under 700 lbs.................65-102...........................75-129...........................75-110.......................... 98-128.........................140-188
Over 700 lbs....................65-94 ..........................75-110............................55-103.......................... 90-130......................... 120-175
Cows
Utility/Commercial...........54-84.............................61-84.............................59-79............................ 70-97...........................85-120
Canner & Cutter..............40-72.............................55-81.............................53-70............................ 60-94........................... 79-105
Stock Cows.....................875-1500.......................800-1600.......................750-1425..................... 925-1425.....................1200-2200
Bulls – Slaughter............65-95............................62-107............................60-95...........................70-111.......................... 97-139
Cattle on Feed
February 20, 2015
United States Cattle on Feed Up Slightly
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots
with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.7 million head on February 1, 2015.
The inventory was slightly above February 1, 2014.
Placements in feedlots during January totaled 1.79 million, 11 percent below 2014.
Net placements were 1.71 million head. During January, placements of cattle and
calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 405,000, 600-699 pounds were 340,000,
700-799 pounds were 477,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 565,000.
Marketings of fed cattle during January totaled 1.63 million, 9 percent below 2014.
January marketings are the lowest since the series began in 1996.
Other disappearance totaled 77,000 during January, 8 percent above 2014.
2014 Cattle on Feed and Annual Size Group Estimates
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots
with capacity of 1,000 or more head represented 81.6 percent of all cattle and calves
on feed in the United States on January 1, 2015, up from 81.3 on January 1, 2014.
Marketings of fed cattle for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head during
2014 represented 87.2 percent of all cattle marketed from feedlots in the United
States, up from 86.9 percent during 2013.
Cattle Outlook
February 20, 2015
The February Cattle on Feed report said there were 10.711 million cattle in large
feedlots at the start of February. That is up 0.3% from a year ago. USDA said January
placements were down 11.3% and January marketings were down 9.1% (there was
one fewer slaughter day than in January 2014). The pre-release trade estimates had
placements down 13.7%, marketings down 8.8% and the February on feed number
unchanged from a year ago.
The USDA Cold Storage report said stocks of beef in cold storage at the end of January were up 14.4% from a year ago. A month earlier they were up only 1.1%. Frozen
stocks of pork, chicken, and turkey also increased relative to the month before. This
is likely related to slowing exports because of the labor problem at west coast ports.
At the annual Ag Outlook Forum this week, USDA predicted acres planted to corn
would be down 1.8% this year, soybean acres down 0.2%, and wheat acres down
2.3%. This shouldn’t create a big problem for feed prices as long as the weather is
good. Fewer acres and a hot, dry summer will mean much higher feeding costs for
livestock and poultry producers.
Boxed beef prices increased following four consecutive weeks of decline.This morning the choice boxed beef cutout value was $240.12/cwt, up $2.03 from the previous
Friday and up $25.34 from a year ago.The select carcass cutout was $236.86/cwt this
morning, up $2.49 from last week and up $25.04 from a year ago.
Fed cattle prices were mixed this week on good sales volume.Through Thursday, the
5-area average price for slaughter steers sold on a live weight basis was $159.99/
cwt, down 55 cents from last week’s average, but up $17.99 from a year ago. The 5
area average dressed price for steers was $256.36/cwt, up $1.21 for the week and
up $26.36 compared to a year ago.
Cattle slaughter this week totaled 524,000 head, down 2.4% from the week before
and also down 2.4% from the comparable week last year. Cattle slaughter has been
below year-ago for the last 51 weeks.The average steer dressed weight for the week
ending on February 7 was 884 pounds, up 3 pounds from the week before and up 13
pounds compared to the same week last year. Steer weights have been above yearago each week since June 14, 2014.
Feeder cattle prices at Oklahoma City were steady to $4 higher this week. Prices for
medium and large frame #1 steers by weight group were: 400-450# $309-$322, 450500# $287-$307, 500-550# $270-$281, 550-600# $266-$287, 600-650# $239-$257,
650-700# $219-$240, 700-750# $213-$221.50, 750-800# $193-$213.35, 800-900#
$186.75-$208, 900-1000#, $181.50-$189/cwt.
The February live cattle futures contract settled at $156.70/cwt today, down $3.30
for the week. April fed cattle settled at $148.52/cwt, down $4.70 from the previous
Friday. June fed cattle lost $4.15 this week to settle at $141.87/cwt.The March feeder
cattle contract ended the week at $199.17/cwt, down $4.68 for the week.April feeders settled at $198.35/cwt.
University of Missouri
38
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
Classifieds
Animals
Real Estate/Acreage
4-H/FFA market lambs for sale. Proven
genetics and winners from the top producers
in the nation. Good spread of ages that will
work for July through January shows. Ewes
for breeding projects also available. Call
Katrina at 208-412-7960.
Farm Market For Lease - Owners Retiring.
3 Roadside Market locations. 35 acres in
Twin Falls. Please call 208 420-9195 or visit
www.proostfarms.com
Registered Angus and Salers bulls. April/May
2 year olds. $3500. B&B Livestock (208)3472345 www.b-blivestock.com
Farm Equipment
New squeeze chute, green hand-pull. $1,300.
Midvale, Id 208-355-3780.
1032 N. Holland stacker pull type. M.
Ferguson 12 ft tandem disk 22” blades. Dual
rubber transport model 620. Ace 12 ft till
& pack roller. All in good shape. Rupert, Id.
208-438-5955
Balewagons: New Holland self-propelled or
pull-type models. Also interested in buying
balewagons. Will consider any model. Call Jim
Wilhite at 208-880-2889 anytime
Help Wanted
Ballard Cheese LLC is looking for an
Assistant Cheesemaker. This position will be
responsible for assisting in the production
of all types of cheeses and performing all
the tasks that go into transforming milk
into cheese. Call for more info. Gooding, Id.
208-934-4972
Miscellaneous
S.E. Idaho Water Rights For Sale: 23 acres
of water with 4 acre feet per acre, total
92 acre feet. WR is ground water with a
priority date of 1953. Located 2 miles East
of Pocatello Airport and ½ mile north of
I-86. Call 208-251-2627.
New kids saddle, never been on a horse.
Idaho Falls, ID 208-681-3587.
Rear tine rototiller, 5.5 hp. Bliss, Id 208490-1300.
Lot For Rent: Mobile Home Lot - 14x70 or
smaller Mobile Home - 2005 Mobile Home
or Newer. $175.00 monthly, includes water/
sewer Only. Shelley Area. Application process
and contract required. Shelley, ID. More Info
Call 528-5337. Please leave message.
Vehicles
1963 Dodge 500 Power Wagon 4x4. Double
ram hoist, 10’ Meyers plow, dual batteries,
grain chute, fold down stock side with slide
up gate, slide out loading ramp, slide out
hitch, tire chains. Low miles but unknown
exact. Clean title $6,000. Chubbuck, Id. 208221-6544.
1994 Jeep, runs, sold as is $1000.00,OBO
See at C&J Power Equipment 503 Fort Hall
American Falls 208-226-5411.
FREE
CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR IDAHO FARM BUREAU MEMBERS
send to: [email protected]
DEADLINE DATES:
ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY
MARCH 20 FOR
NEXT ISSUE.
75 Corvette $9,500; 1973 Jeep CJ5 $3,000;
1957 Willys Pickup $3,500, Want - front
loader for 656 International Tractor. Preston,
ID 208-427-6237
Wanted
Wanted: Great Plains grain drill. Prefer 14
ft and with grass/alfalfa seeder. 208-3177858.
Paying cash for old cork top bottles and
some telephone insulators. Call Randy.
Payette, Id. 208-740-0178.
[email protected]
Paying cash for German & Japanese war
relics/souvenirs! Pistols, rifles, swords,
daggers, flags, scopes, optical equipment,
uniforms, helmets, machine guns (ATF
rules apply) medals, flags, etc. 549-3841
(evenings) or 208-405-9338.
Old License Plates Wanted: Also key chain
license plates, old signs, light fixtures. Will
pay cash. Please email, call or write. Gary
Peterson, 130 E Pecan, Genesee, Id 83832.
[email protected]. 208-285-1258
Idaho Farm Bureau producer / MARCH 2015
39