e-Direction: 3/18/2008

Senate votes to extend farm bill until April 18
USDA Now Accepting Applications for Energy Projects
Lavergne appointed to Louisiana Egg Commission for 3-year term
New 4-H University Web site
New 4-H Intranet
New Statewide Commissioner of Higher Education
Pigs, Cows, Hoops and Clovers
EPA Agricultural Advisory Committee Members and First Meeting
Manila Rice Plea a Wake-Up Call for a Hungry World
Louisiana Plant Pathology
Louisianians express favorable opinions of farmers, farming
Golf Tournament and Raffle to Benefit Louisiana 4-H
 

Senate votes to extend farm bill until April 18

The Senate passed an extension of the 2002 Farm Bill to give its and House Agriculture Committee leaders more time to try to reach an agreement with the White House on a new farm bill.

The House was considering similar legislation, which would extend the expiration date of the current law from March 15 to April 18. Congress extended the 2002 law to March 15 shortly before it would have expired last Sept. 30.

“Talks continue on a bipartisan basis between Senate and House negotiators and each day brings us closer to resolution,” said Sen.Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and one of a group of farm-state congressmen who have been meeting with Bush administration officials on the farm bill.

“Although a new bill is within reach, Congress needs more time to reach agreement and obtain the necessary cooperation from the White House,” he said. “There is still a considerable amount of work ahead before we can pass a bill: obtaining the needed funding for the bill and fitting all of the demands within the funding we expect to be available.”

If the farm bill is allowed to expire, USDA must begin implementing what’s known as permanent law, the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agriculture Act of 1949 because all subsequent farm bills have been amendments to those two laws.

The two laws would require USDA to conduct referendums on mandatory acreage control programs for cotton and wheat and would increase the Commodity Credit Corp. loan rates for several of the program crops to a percentage of parity. USDA estimates the CCC loan rate for cotton, for example, would rise to $1.32 per pound for base loan and grade.

“This short-term extension will ensure America’s farm and nutrition programs continue until the new farm bill is completed,” Harkin said in a statement released shortly after the Senate voted to extend the law. (Ag committee leaders originally planned to extend the new expiration date to April 15.)

Source: Delta Farm Press

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USDA Now Accepting Applications for Energy Projects

USDA Rural Development is now accepting applications for energy projects! Loan guarantees and grants are available to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. USDA will issue one grant solicitation for two separate competitions in FY 2008. For the first competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted to the address below no later than April 15. For the second competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted no earlier than April 16 and no later than June 16 to the address below. Applications for loan guarantees, as well as those for loan/grant combinations, must be completed and submitted to the address below no later than June 16. Applicants may access the electronic grant application at http://www.grants.gov.  

For more information, contact Kevin Boone at:
USDA Rural Development
905 Jefferson Street, Suite 320
Lafayette, Louisiana  70501
Telephone:  (337) 262-6601, extension 133
e-mail:  kevin.boone@la.usda.gov

For application and submission information about this funding opportunity, see the March 6 Federal Register at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont08.html.  

Source: USDA

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Lavergne appointed to Louisiana Egg Commission for 3-year term

Theresia Lavergne, associate professor in the School of Animal Sciences, has been appointed to the Louisiana Egg Commission by Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain. She will serve a three-year term. She is one of eight members on the commission and was elected vice-chair for a one-year term.

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New 4-H University Web site

A new, exciting and user friendly Web site has been developed for 4-H University. The site, http://intranet.lsuagcenter.net/unit/4H/4HU/default.aspx, contains information on contest rules, Clover College, educational programs, due dates, required forms, housing and general information for attending 4-H University. To log on to the Web site, you must enter agcenter\username and your AgCenter password. The registration Web site will be open on Monday, May 19 at 8:00 a.m. with a deadline date of Wednesday, June 4 at 4:30 p.m. Review the staff assignment list, located under the Forms link to determine the person you should contact with a particular question. For questions on the contest, contact the superintendent directly. For questions or concerns with the Web site, contact Robin Green or Amanda Caruso.

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New 4-H Intranet

4-H is also introducing a new Web site for the 4-H Intranet. The new intranet, http://intranet.lsuagcenter.net/unit/4H/Pages/default.aspx, will replace the current intranet site currently located at https://www.lsuagcenter.net/fourh/. To log on to the Web site, you must enter agcenter\username and your AgCenter password.  Please contact Robin Green and/or Amanda Caruso for assistance.

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New Statewide Commissioner of Higher Education

The state Board of Regents, which sets policies for Louisiana’s colleges and universities, has named Sally Clausen of Baton Rouge the new statewide commissioner of higher education. In her new job, Clausen will oversee all the state’s public universities and two-year colleges. She currently is president of the University of Louisiana System, which oversees many of the state’s universities, such as Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

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Pigs, Cows, Hoops and Clovers

What do pigs, cows, hoops and clovers all have in common? The answer is easy: the celebration of the Louisiana 4-H Centennial. The Centennial was highlighted at two major 4-H events that took place in February. These two exciting events were the State 4-H Livestock show and the New Orleans Hornets 4-H game.

The state livestock show was held at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales on February 9-16. More than 5,000 youth and adults from around the state participated. Banners were hung and announcements were made throughout so everyone would be informed of this momentous celebration. Door prizes, which included centennial items, scholarships to 4-H camp and LSU Football tickets were given out throughout the week. We were very excited to introduce the 4-H Centennial pig who wore a large green bow and 100 painted on her side. She was the main attraction before the start of our parish group competition. Hats-off to Acadia parish for using the 100th birthday theme for their swine parish group. With all the excitement we also raised money for the centennial. The livestock show ended on Saturday night with an awards program in which two of our 4-H executive committee members were able to speak. Paige Chauvin of St. James and Kevin Goebel of Jeff Davis did an excellent job of speaking to the group about what 4-H meant to them.

The New Orleans Hornets Basketball 4-H game was held in New Orleans on February 22. More than 2,300 tickets were sold to 4-H members and their families. The game was quite an exciting time for all. The centennial was promoted with basketballs, t-shirts, buttons and posters. They were all a big hit with the fans. Some of our 4-H’ers were able to participate in some unique opportunities such as singing the Stars Spangled Banner, high-five group,  taking photos with players and Honey Bee cheerleaders, color guard and ball boys. More than 50 4-H’ers participated in the halftime event where they walked on court with 4-H Centennial signs. Thanks to these 4-H’ers who made quite a showing.

And the fun continues. March highlights have included the 4-H Documentary aired on LPB March 12 and 16 and the Mudbugs/4-H Hockey game on March 15. Be on the lookout for Blue Bell 4-H Centennial ice cream that will be out in stores soon. Until next time, I hope everyone is having lots of fun celebrating the 4-H Centennial.

Source: Renee Castro

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EPA Agricultural Advisory Committee Members and First Meeting

Thirty people have been named members of the new EPA Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee. The committee chairman is James Moseley, former USDA deputy secretary. The first meeting of the committee was held March 13 and 14 in Washington, D.C.

The committee’s initial focus centers on three issues: 1) how EPA's policies and regulations on climate change and renewable energy will affect the agriculture community; 2) an environmental strategy for managing waste from livestock operations that considers regulatory and voluntary approaches and provides tools for producers to attain superior environmental performance; and 3) development of a constructive approach to advancing sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment and addressing communication between environmental and agricultural interests.

See http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/frrcc/ for more information.  

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Manila Rice Plea a Wake-Up Call for a Hungry World

This article is taken from the PlanetArk World Environmental News on February 28:

The Philippines' unusual plea for Hanoi to guarantee rice supplies is the clearest sign of a growing global anxiety over how nations will feed their people.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had contacted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to see if he could pledge an undisclosed supply of rice, officials said on Thursday, an exceptional move in a market that normally operates on a purely commercial basis among traders or state procurement agencies.

It was not the first time an Asian government has taken action in the face of soaring grain prices and growing fears over the security of food supplies. India has restricted some rice exports, Indonesia has raised taxes on palm oil shipments and Malaysia is building up stocks.

But Arroyo appears to be the first to take an overtly political route to allay fears that the Philippines, whose rapidly expanding population is among the most dependent on imports, could run short of its staple national food.

"This is a wake-up call," Robert Zeigler, director general of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), told Reuters on Friday. "We have a crisis brewing in terms of rice supply."

Nearly half the planet's 6.6 billion people depend on rice to survive, but rising populations and economic growth mean that the world is already eating more of the grain than is harvested. Vietnam, the world's second-biggest exporter, has put a temporary ban on shipments to meet domestic demand between harvests. World stocks of the grain are currently around 72 million tonnes, their lowest levels since the early- to mid-1970s when food shortages triggered a devastating famine in Bangladesh.

Zeigler said other importing nations in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia could also be at risk and as soon as this year. "When you have a president calling a prime minister asking them to guarantee rice supplies it's a possibility, that's for sure," said Zeigler.

Bangladesh is currently scrambling to secure supplies of rice after a devastating cyclone last year washed away about 1 million tonnes of the grain. The rising price of food has triggered protests in Indonesia and Jakarta is having to hike its food subsidy bill by over a third to around 9 trillion rupiah this year, partly due to climbing prices. China, a net exporter of corn, rice and wheat in 2007, has removed import taxes, raised export taxes and imposed export quotas on grains and flour due to red-hot inflation.

Average rice prices have nearly doubled to around $393 per tonne in the past five years but yields are plateauing as rapid urbanization shrinks available farmland and diverts water and labor away from production. Meanwhile soaring grains prices are also driving up competition for arable land.

Surging demand from the fast-growing Middle East and growing African consumption have boosted the price of rice from Thailand, the world's biggest exporter, by over 20 percent to their highest in a decade -- yet another inflationary headache for policymakers.

"There is no easy relief in sight," said Ted James, principal economist at the Asian Development Bank. "I don't think we will see them (prices) falling precipitously any time soon. But I don't think there will be a shortage if the price is allowed to reflect the market. If you try to keep prices below the market then shortages could emerge because of hoarding and speculation."

The IRRI, which spearheaded the development of high-yielding rice seeds in a Green Revolution around 40 years ago, says more research and development is needed to kickstart another Green Revolution that will help feed the world for decades to come.

Meanwhile the Philippines faces a sterner test than many other nations, as it has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world with three babies born every minute. It is planting more high-yielding varieties of rice and is hoping to produce a record 17 million plus tonnes this year, but is constantly struggling to keep pace with demand. "They have a challenge that is much greater than in other countries in terms of trying to be somewhere near self sufficiency. They have to keep running faster than other countries run," said Randy Barker, of the IRRI's social services division.

Source: http://www.planetark.org/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=47155 

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Louisiana Plant Pathology

Louisiana Plant Pathology is a new series of publications for disseminating information on plant disease identification and management. The goal is to provide a comprehensive series of high quality printed and online-only publications for your information and use. The first of these is a fact sheet on downy mildew of cucurbits and can be accessed online.

Source: Drs. Hollier, Ferrin, Overstreet

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Louisianians express favorable opinions of farmers, farming

Three-quarters of Louisianians have favorable opinions of farmers and farming in Louisiana, according to a recent statewide survey. The scientific study conducted by Market Research Insight for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and the LSU AgCenter showed a full 75 percent of those polled said they had favorable or very favorable opinions about farmers and farming in the state. Only 3 percent expressed unfavorable opinions, while 22 percent had either neutral opinions or expressed no opinion when asked, “Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of farmers and farming in Louisiana?”

Generally, most responses to questions in the survey were favorable toward agriculture and reflected that Louisianians seem to possess a good body of knowledge about the current state of affairs for the industry.

The full new release and a summary of the survey’s finding is available online.

Source: AgCenter Communications

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Golf Tournament and Raffle to Benefit Louisiana 4-H

The 11th annual Louisiana 4-H Foundation Golf Tournament will be held Friday, April 4 at the Tamahka Trails Golf Club in Marksville. The golf course is part of the state’s Audubon Trail. The trail consists of 13 courses located throughout Louisiana.

This year is the centennial celebration for 4-H in Louisiana, and 4-H Foundation director Eric Eskew says this year’s event will be one of the featured statewide events surrounding 4-H during its 100-year celebration.

“I’m excited about having the tournament in central Louisiana this year. Tamahka Trails is a great facility, and the proceeds generated by this event will enhance our own facility and benefit the youth of the Louisiana,” Eskew said.

Proceeds from the golf tournament will be used to expand programs and renovate existing programming areas at the Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center near Alexandria. The camp serves as home to the 4 H summer camp that annually draws more than 5,000 students from across the state, as well as a variety of other educational events for youth.

The cost to enter the tournament is $150 per person, and that fee includes cart and greens fee, lunch, dinner, a polo shirt and chances to win multiple door prizes. To register, contact Eric Eskew at (225) 578-1172 or eaeskew@agcenter.lsu.edu.

In addition to the golf tournament, the Louisiana 4-H Foundation is conducting a $10,000 4 H Centennial Raffle. Tickets are $100, and only 1,000 tickets will be sold with the drawing being held on September 13 as part of the 4-H Tailgate Party that culminates with the LSU-North Texas football game in Tiger Stadium. To purchase tickets, call the Louisiana 4-H Foundation office at (225) 578-2972 or contact your local 4-H agent.

Funds generated through the raffle will be used to support environmental education initiatives at Grant Walker 4-H Educational Center. In addition, a portion of the funds will provide 4-H camp scholarships for low-income and at-risk youth.

4-H is an educational youth program of the LSU AgCenter. More than 220,000 Louisiana youth participated in 4-H sponsored activities last year.

Source: AgCenter Communications

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