What to expect in Farm Bill mark-up

Posted on May 9, 2013 by SDPrairieWriter
By Codi Vallery-Mills
Another round – the third to be exact – of Farm Bill re-writes and discussion is set to spark up again this week and next.
The House Agriculture Committee is expected to mark-up a farm bill on May 15 while the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee is expected to produce something yet this week.
South Dakota Congresswoman Kristi Noem is concerned about efforts to include an animal welfare provision in the House version of the farm bill. Noem has mentioned animal activists are pushing for mandated care standards and if successful it would be devastating to livestock producers. She’s also concerned about the push for large Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts, which could hurt the chances of passing the farm bill.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Lucas (R-OK) has indicated he intends to change the framework of his bill to achieve $38 billion in savings. Those savings will likely come from cuts in SNAP, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Conservation Reserve Program. Lesser cuts from commodity subsidies are expected.
The Senate did pass a farm bill last year and will likely make that version its starting point this May according to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI).
The bill will achieve the $23 billion in savings that last year’s bill achieved, and that the cuts to achieve the savings will be distributed as they were in last year’s bill — i.e., approximately $6 billion from conservation, $4 billion from the SNAP, and $16 billion from the commodity and crop insurance titles, with the balance above $23 billion targeted to renew programs that do not have automatic funding baselines.
National Cattlemen Beef Association members are concerned about an amendment that could make it into the Senate version of the farm bill.
NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts says the provision was introduced by California Senator Dianne Feinstein and includes an agreement between the United Egg Producers and HSUS that dictates and curtails agricultural production practices.
Butts says Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow may include the Feinstein amendment for consideration in the new farm bill and NCBA will fight inclusion of it at any level.
Butts says NCBA has been working for the past two and a half years to get a five-year farm bill passed. She says however if the Feinstein amendment is included in the final package, NCBA will ask Senators to vote against the entire farm bill.

StabenowSenate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will lead Farm Bill markup discussion.
What to expect in Farm Bill mark-upBy CBW Staff
Another round – the third to be exact – of Farm Bill re-writes and discussion is set to spark up again this week and next. The House Agriculture Committee is expected to mark-up a farm bill on May 15 while the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee is expected to produce something yet this week. South Dakota Congresswoman Kristi Noem is concerned about efforts to include an animal welfare provision in the House version of the farm bill. Noem has mentioned animal activists are pushing for mandated care standards and if successful it would be devastating to livestock producers. She’s also concerned about the push for large Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts, which could hurt the chances of passing the farm bill.  House Agriculture Committee Chairman Lucas (R-OK) has indicated he intends to change the framework of his bill to achieve $38 billion in savings. Those savings will likely come from cuts in SNAP, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Conservation Reserve Program. Lesser cuts from commodity subsidies are expected.The Senate did pass a farm bill last year and will likely make that version its starting point this May according to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI).The bill will achieve the $23 billion in savings that last year’s bill achieved, and that the cuts to achieve the savings will be distributed as they were in last year’s bill — i.e., approximately $6 billion from conservation, $4 billion from the SNAP, and $16 billion from the commodity and crop insurance titles, with the balance above $23 billion targeted to renew programs that do not have automatic funding baselines.National Cattlemen Beef Association members are concerned about an amendment that could make it into the Senate version of the farm bill.NCBA Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts says the provision was introduced by California Senator Dianne Feinstein and includes an agreement between the United Egg Producers and HSUS that dictates and curtails agricultural production practices.Butts says Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow may include the Feinstein amendment for consideration in the new farm bill and NCBA will fight inclusion of it at any level.Butts says NCBA has been working for the past two and a half years to get a five-year farm bill passed. She says however if the Feinstein amendment is included in the final package, NCBA will ask Senators to vote against the entire farm bill.

Originally appeared in May 8 issue of Cattle Business Weekly

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Plastic Flowers

Posted on February 9, 2013 by SDPrairieWriter

By Codi Vallery-Mills

Novices stumble in search of their markers, and fuss over what looks right. The well practiced sit down in silent remembrance.

A husband steps out of his pickup and surveys the sea of plastic flowers and American flags. He grabs his own offering from the cab seat, a small bundle of fragrant yellow roses – her favorite – and walks to his wife’s grave.

He sinks to his knees and presses the cool stone with his hands. He tells her he loves her, the kids are well and work is good. He is staying fed, but he knows she will notice the new holes punched into his belt.

A petal falls and he lowers the flowers to their vase. Elegant and petite they look out of place here in this place of large store bought memorials.

He bends to breathe in their fragrance and pictures her nose buried in them too. He stays awhile longer waiting for the deer to arrive. They always do.

As they begin to slip out of the pines and onto the well-manicured lawns he pictures her there – sitting on her own headstone. He knows she will coax the deer one by one and feed them the fresh rose petals. She was always one to nourish another soul.

He steps back and climbs into his pickup to wait and watch. The sun fades, the roses droop, and the deer move on searching for other morsels. The man shifts his pickup into gear and leaves her there to flourish – in a garden of false blossoms.

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Ready For Russia

Posted on December 27, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

Cattlemen on the trip, including Troy Thomas at left, had the opportunity to speak with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.

South Dakota is latest to visit country, talk cattle trade

By Codi Vallery-Mills
Thousands of live cattle cross the ocean each year to be placed into Russian cattle operations from the United States. The US Department of Commerce reports 61,000 head left the U.S. for Russia between May 2011and May 2012. Cattlemen in the region, like Eldon Krebs in Nebraska and Darrell Stevenson in Montana, are among the pioneers who have successfully shipped cattle to the old USSR.
There will continue to be opportunity for American cattle operations to supply cattle genetics to Russia’s cattle industry, as it is just in its infancy. Because of this, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture conducted a trade mission of sorts to the country in October. Ty Eschenbaum, value-added marketing specialist with the department, was joined by Kelly Bruns a professor of animal science at South Dakota State University, and Troy Thomas of the Thomas Ranch, Harrold, S.D.
The fact that Russia is in the beginning stages of cattle production was evident for Thomas.
“There is a vast difference in the number of cattle, as well as size and management of the herds there,” says Thomas of what he saw.
Also lacking is infrastructure. Since the fall of communism in the 90s, the government owned, collective farms have been divided up and done away with. The buildings are now run down, roads are inadequate and equipment is modest.
The terrain is similar to central Minnesota.  Forested areas in some places and then open grasslands in others. Eschenbaum, Bruns and Thomas spent 10 days in Russia, based in Moscow and traveling into the countryside from there. A 200 mile trip could easily take them all day because of the poor roads and traffic.
They met with local farmers, businessmen, butchers, and herd managers of a few of the U.S. oriented cattle herds.
For Thomas, “seeing American cattle in Russia, and the huge potential for more
exports and expansion of the cattle industry there,” was the highlight of the trip.
It isn’t just genetic resources the country needs though as Bruns points out.  He says there is a need for knowledge in reproduction, herd management, nutrition and meat science.
There are a few on farm butcher operations in the countryside. Many of them harvest 1-2 animals weekly and sell them locally or in nearest town.
In 2013 and 2014 two meatpacking plants are to come online in Russia. However, they will need the cattle and the education to meet the demand for supply and quality.
“The country will have to import beef yet,” says Bruns of the impact on imports. “I don’t see them being sufficient for 10-15 years. Their beef herd number is less than a half a million beef cows, which is only a third of the beef cows we have in South Dakota, that being the case, they need to rebuild the herd to be sustainable. It will take them a while for them to rebuild. ”
In regards to herd management, many of the cattle ranches there, have sought out American cowboys to oversee and educate their work force.
“If you are energetic and don’t mind being isolated there is huge opportunity for young people to work with cattle in Russia,” says Bruns.
Angus Genetics, Russia’s largest cattle operation to date with 16 ranches, 60,000 cattle and 60 managers while Miratorg Ranch has plans to double in size in the near future.
One of the Miratorg managers is Anthony Stidham a rancher from Oklahoma. In talking to Stidham it was brought home that Russia’s government is invested in building it’s beef business into the future. Opportunity is abundant.
“On top of live cattle genetics, there will also be potential to ship semen and embryos but even more than that, there will be opportunity for nutrition managers, herd management, vet medicine – all industries that support the cattle industry – to do business in Russia,” says Eschenbaum
And what does all this opportunity mean for Russia? According to Bruns the establishment of a beef cattle sector there means huge things.
“The cattle industry will enable the Russian people who have not had a lot of opportunity for jobs, establish themselves by working for someone, or themselves, and make a nice income. In many areas we observed what could be considered subsistence agriculture, where  small villages consumed all of what they raised,” says Bruns.
According to Eschenbaum a return trip in 2013 is on the books, but does depend on what the Farm Bill looks like in 2013. Regardless, the department plans to offer their new Russian contacts assistance in supplying the resources they need. Or, says Eschenbaum, hosting a Russia to South Dakota trade trip would be great as well.
For more information about possibilities in Russia, contact Ty Eschenbaum at the South Dakota Department of Agriculture via email, Ty.Eschenbaum@state.sd.us or (605) 773-5146.
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Why the estate tax matters to farmers

Posted on December 13, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

As we approach the end of the year lots of political dander is floating through the air on a variety of topics. Included is the estate tax.

The Federal Estate Tax is designed to tax a certain amount of the estate left behind by someone who has recently passed. Currently people are able to gift/exempt a value of $5.12 million of their estate to an individual or ($10.24 million per couple). Any remaining estate value above those figures is then taxed at 35 percent.

The estate tax is set to take a tax hike in 2013 to 55 percent and only a $1 million/individual exemption unless legislators act soon.

Why does this matter to farmers? Because numerous farm and ranch operations are well over that $1 million or even $5 million estate value mark.

You have to be aware that agriculture operators are often asset rich (land, cattle, equipment) and cash poor. They operate on a revolving line of credit so having to come up with tax money (cash) is not the easiest thing.

In the cases that I have heard about, multi-generation farms have had to sell off large parcels of land or cattle to pay for the tax burden.  What happens then is a significant step backwards in their production. Less production means less revenue, and sadly often times it leads to them exiting the business.

What does this then mean to the mainstream American public? A depletion in their rural America with the loss of farmers and ranchers that grow the food they eat. Food prices will rise, more food will be imported and food safety and quality will likely suffer.

Have problems with us as a nation that depends on foreign oil? Wait until we depend on other nations for food.

– Codi Vallery-Mills

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Consistency Plus

Posted on November 12, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter
This summer the local grocery store played a cruel joke on me. It remodeled and switched around its layout. Just when I had the locations of all my regular items memorized too.
On a Saturday afternoon I commiserated with an older man who was looking for jell-o. His wife, who needed to make a quick salad for a church potluck, had sent him to the store with a short list.
A short list maybe, but she must have forgotten about the remodel, and he looked like he had been wandering awhile. Dazed, he asked me if I knew where the jell-o was. “Probably the same place where they hid the bread,” I said. So we set off to look for strawberry jell-o and wheat bread together, muttering along the way about why the grocery store thought they needed to upgrade its lights, flooring and display cases anyway.
In truth, both food items were found in relatively close proximity to their original location. Plus the layout is much nicer, but that isn’t the point.
The point – driven home to me in the grocery store that day – is about how much we humans depend on and enjoy consistency. It’s a simple life truth and yet we often forget it.
Stop for a minute and think about the places where a little extra consistency would pay off in your life (and maybe the life of someone else). A few suggestions:
Mark a date on the calendar and schedule a whole family farm meeting every month. Some months you might have quite a bit to talk about, others maybe not, but it helps keep the door of communication open.
If you have noticed a way your clients like a certain product, do your best to delivery that quality to them every time. Consistency in product results in consistency in clients.
If you made a commitment to attend every one of your son’s home basketball games, (and not just when the farm work allows) do you think his pride and capability as an athlete would increase? What other ways can you be consistent in your children’s lives?
While volunteering to help with something is a noble gesture, make sure you follow through and are dependable. The project you are helping with will thrive under your commitment.
And don’t forget to commend those who are showing consistency. Let them know  you appreciate their dependability and commitment.
- Codi Vallery-Mills
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Why newspaper editors drink

Posted on October 30, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

For a long time there has been a stereo-type/myth/semi-fact that most newspaper editors have a bottle of hard liquor stored in their bottom desk drawer.

Professional journalism is not an easy gig and there are days when you can imagine how a bottle of whiskey may be soothing. It’s an unyielding job that requires a knack of listening, letting your mind become vulnerable to all sides and then an acceptance of the task – to filter, distill, and prioritize the news that matters to your readership.

I can’t say I have mastered any of the above yet, few editors would say they have, but I know we strive each day to do so.

As a journalist who has worked in trade publications most of my career (there were two small stints working for community newspapers) I can tell you these publications are a different beast.

And I do mean beast.

Trade publications are historically known as cheerleaders for their industry. Traditionally, editors of these publications have filled the pages with feel-good-success stories, latest technologies and current event news. If they ventured into something controversial often their readership bulked, turned ugly and questioned the newspaper’s allegiance.

Only in the last 20 years have you seen agricultural trade publications begin to take on hot button issues of their industry. I commend those editors who have come before me who have seen the importance of this objective style of reporting.

For how does an industry improve without facing its problems?

Yes, trade pubs still like to make people feel good, but they don’t solely print rah-rah stories. Instead, today’s agricultural publications are created, edited, and published with an understanding that “good news” and “tough to hear news” gives their readers the most value.

Hopefully readers understand that too. And if not, well . . . there’s always that bottom drawer.

– Codi Vallery-Mills

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Cafeteria Chatter

Posted on September 25, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter
Some schools in the region have been in session for a month now. It has been interesting to hear the feedback about the new school cafeteria guidelines that went into effect this year.
The United States Department of Agriculture oversees the National School Lunch Program. The objective of the program is to, “To provide a nutritious, well-balanced lunch for children in order to promote sound eating habits, to foster good health and academic achievement and to reinforce the nutrition education taught in the classroom. A school lunch will provide 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for lunch and be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and caloric goals.”
New meal pattern requirements indicate every school meal must include fruit, vegetables, grains, meat or meat alternative and fluid milk.
Sounds like a win, right? Well, not exactly.
If you read the lunch program fact sheet found online at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch, you will see there are calorie limits per each age group. The age groups are broken up into Kindergarten through fifth grade, sixth through eighth and ninth through twelfth.
The first age group is what is most concerning to parents as they know a fifth grade boy will eat more than a kindergarten age girl. The potential to under or over nourish a child in that age bracket is high.
North Dakota’s Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is calling for revisions in the school meal program.
“The guidelines are currently based on a “one-size-fits-all” formula without consideration of individual needs, especially those of physically active and growing students,” Goehring says. “The guidelines deprive these students of sufficient calories and protein for healthy growth and mental alertness.”
He also questions the restrictions on meat protein something Beatrice, Neb. senior Travis Eubanks is also concerned with. The high schooler, who is less than enthusiastic about what has been showing up on his school plate has started the blog schoollunchessuck.blogspot.com. On it he provides the public a weekly visual of what he consumes at lunchtime.
After viewing the blog I had to ask myself, Since when did pepperoni classify as a high quality meat protein?
It was encouraging to see black bean salsa and a sloppy joe on the same plate once in the blog, but the author quickly pointed out those were the only “meaty” items on the plate to help fill him up. The rest was tomato, lettuce, slice of pear and milk. And as a high school athlete he noted he was likely to be hungry in a few hours.
Which brings me to the next “beef” I have had parents mention to me about their school food programs – the availability of snacks. When I was in school we had one milk break a day. Yes, orange juice and maybe even chocolate milk were an option, but that was it. We did not have a snack machine to purchase extra food out of during school hours.
It is understood that the home environment of today’s children is much different than past generations. Breakfast at home, after school snacks made by a parent and family suppers are not as commonplace today.
Which means nutritional education for our students might be even more important than we thought. And putting the right foods and snacks options in front of them is necessary.
Ag Commissione Goehring is introduced a resolution at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reassess and revise the new dietary guidelines implemented through the National School Lunch and Breakfast program.
“I believe my counterparts from other states will be supportive,” says Goehring. “This issue has raised concern in other states besides North Dakota.” Goehring sauys he believes the new guidelines are well-intentioned, but fall short of providing a comprehensive policy for educating students in healthy living. He also said the health care profession should be part of the dialogue because of its knowledge of child growth and development.
“Overly restrictive guidelines in the school lunch program will not solve the serious, national problem of childhood obesity,” says Goehring. “What is needed is a more comprehensive approach, including dietary education and increased physical activity, to help students adopt a healthier lifestyle.”
Farm to School Program
There is another option to help get the foods you would like offered to your children into their school lunch program. The Farm to School Network is designed to help school districts either establish their own gardens or connect with local growers to bring in fresh produce for use in school meals.
Schools that have established farm to school programs say the benefits are huge. While fresh produce is a main perk, the program has also helped sustain local agriculture and given school children a better understanding of where their food comes from.
Each state has a Farm to School Network representative.  Listed on the national website, www.farmtoschool.org. For our region are:
Colorado
Jim Dyer
970-588-2292
jadyer@frontier.net
Iowa
Tammy Stotts
515-281-7657
Tammy.Stotts@IowaAgriculture.gov
Kansas
Barb Depew
785-456-7388
bdepew@ksde.org
Minnesota
JoAnne Berkenkamp
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
612-870-3410
jberkenkamp@iatp.org
Montana
Aubree Durfey
Farm to School Consultant, Gallatin Valley Farm to School
aubree@gvfarmtoschool.org
406-581-8209
North Dakota
Sue Balcom
701-486-3569
sbalcom@farrms.org
South Dakota
Holly Tilton Byrne
605-697-5204
hollyt@dakotarural.org
Wyoming
Cindy Garretson-Weibel
307-777-6589
cindy.weibel@wybusiness.org
– Codi Vallery-Mills
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Labor Day Thanks

Posted on August 31, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

In agriculture there is rarely idle time and so, while Labor Day is often thought of as a day dedicated to those involved in labor union type jobs, I am lifting up farmers and ranchers as my honorees this year.

What qualifies them you ask? Let me tell you . . .

• They often risk their own lives for the life of another. Be it an animal or another man, farmers and ranchers (hereby referred to as FRs) will battle weather and terrain to make sure someone/something they care about is safe.

• 365 days a year is dedicated to planning for and producing the food you and I eat every day. I guarantee you, even when a cowboy has thrown off the boots and has a drink in hand, somewhere in his mind he is thinking about his “to-do” list.

• During their days on the farm and ranch they are often mentoring the next generation of agriculturalists. How many other workers can put in a successful days work while answering the wondering questions of a 4-year-old?

• As if they didn’t have enough to do, many FRs are involved in civic roles. County commissions, PTAs and church councils are often on their resumes.

• FRs take pride in their work. How many of us can say that on a routine basis?

• Many FRs will help a man down on his luck. Not to give him a hand out, but a hand up.

• FRs believe that an honest days labor will bring you the other 3 L’s – Liberty, Love, and Life – and rightly so.

Thank you to all the farmers and ranchers who work daily for my benefit.

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The Lord Giveth and Taketh

Posted on August 2, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. That thought has been running through my mind all week. The Olympics, coupled with our area’s need of rain, is a reminder that we are not the ones in control. That someone else is pushing the gas even though you might be the one driving sort of thing.

The Olympics is a great example of how the good Lord shows his own mighty strength. Expectations and predictions are often blown out of the water because God had something (or someone) else in mind.

The Great Britain men’s gymnastics team thought they had the silver medal all wrapped up. Then Japan files a petition and suddenly Team Great Britain is bumped to third. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

U.S. women’s gymnast Gabby Douglas mentioned in an interview that she had been praying and meditating on scripture. Her results? Two gold medals.

So I decided to take a cue from Gabby and have been asking the good Lord incessantly to send rain. My result? It has rained three times in two days.

Which makes me believe that if you giveth (aka have faith in) the Lord he will make all things possible.

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Why the 4th of July matters

Posted on July 3, 2012 by SDPrairieWriter

It’s not the fireworks, the pomp and circumstance of the parade; the yells at the rodeo or the band on the grand stand stage.

It’s about an expression of faith in a country that has had its share of black eyes, humbling moments, and absolute greatness.

It is a day of remembrance  – for the soldiers, the cowboys, and the pioneers  – who have given life and limb, staked their last dollar and walked a thousand miles in someone else’s shoes, to make our lives a wondrous adventure.

The 4th of July is our nation’s birthday. An annual milestone marked by a country founded on hope and faith.  We celebrate the day in pride of our nation’s accomplishments and in acknowledgement of its faults.

Because of all these things, we celebrate . . . because it matters.

– Codi Vallery-Mills

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