S P E C I A L R E P O R T
‘Water Availability’
‘Estate Taxes’ Ag groups weigh in on biotech alfalfa case
Farmers, ranch-
The Supreme Court in April
ers wary of will hear a case on whether farm-
tax’s return in ers can plant biotech alfalfa. It
will be the first time the high
2011 | 3 court has ruled on the risks of
genetically engineered crops.
The American Farm Bureau
Federation and other groups have
‘Young Farmers submitted a friend of the court
brief in support of the petitioner
& Ranchers’ in Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed
Survey shows Farms. The groups say that a low-
er court’s approval of an injunc-
optimism, tion must be reversed “to protect
concerns | 8 the farmers who choose to grow
‘No HFCS’ marketing
claim misleads
Grassroots opposition to cap-and-
consumers trade climate bill delivered to Senate
More and more food
labels are touting the
“No HFCS” or “No High
Fructose Corn Syrup”
claim. Just like the
“lite” and “all natural”
claims food makers
have splashed on
their product packaging to appeal to
health-conscious consumers, the “No
HFCS” declaration has little-to-nothing
to do with eating healthfully.
Continued on Page 6
AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION President Bob Stallman (left) presents Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and a number of other
lawmakers with hats, postcards and a banner signed by thousands of farmers and ranchers who oppose cap-and-trade legislation.
The American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration’s successful, six-month
grassroots campaign, “Don’t CAP
Our Future,” to oppose cap-and-
trade climate change legislation,
culminated March 10 when
farmer and rancher members
from across the country pre-
sented to key lawmakers some of
the 100,000 calls-to-action gath-
ered in opposition to the issue.
“Cap-and-trade provisions
would create an energy shortage
n e w s p a p e r
and ultimately reduce food pro-
duction. That was the driving
force behind the Don’t CAP Our
Future campaign,” AFBF Presi-
dent Bob Stallman said at the
event on Capitol Hill.
Stallman, members of the AFBF
board of directors and additional
state Farm Bureau presidents and
members warmly thanked sena-
Competing water uses spur agri-
culture and government to plan
for future needs | 4
March 22, 2010 Vol. 89
genetically engineered crops, as
well as the public benefits that
agricultural biotechnology brings
to producers and consumers
around the world.”
In the lower court case, envi-
ronmental groups and individ-
ual organic alfalfa farmers sued
USDA, claiming that its decision
to grant deregulated status to
glyphosate-tolerant (or Roundup
Ready) alfalfa violated the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act.
The court determined that USDA
should have done an environ-
tors attending the event who
have shown outstanding leader-
ship in the battle against cap-
and-trade legislation.
“On behalf of the American
Farm Bureau Federation board
of directors, please accept my
sincere appreciation,” Stallman
said. “Thank you for your sup-
port of America’s farmers and
ranchers and for your recogni-
tion of both the challenges that
they face and their important
contributions to our nation.”
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) was
recognized by Stallman for “lead-
ing the charge” against cap-and-
trade legislation in the Senate.
Stallman and other Farm Bureau
leaders also expressed appreciation
to other strong supporters of the
effort, including Sen. Saxby Cham-
bliss (R-Ga.), ranking member of
No. 6 fbnews.org
mental impact statement (EIS)
before deciding to deregulate.
Deregulation is, in essence,
USDA’s approval for farmers to
plant a biotech variety.
In 2007 a federal district court
in California banned almost all
planting and sale of Roundup
Ready alfalfa pending USDA’s is-
suance of an EIS.
AFBF and the other groups say
that there’s already ample evi-
dence that biotech alfalfa does
Disaster Continued on Page 8
the Senate Agriculture Committee,
and Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Kit
Bond (R-Mo.), Sam Brownback
(R-Kan.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
and Robert Bennett (R-Utah).
Speaking about a measure that
would have established a nation-
wide cap-and-trade system,
Chambliss urged growers to be
steadfast in their opposition.
“This massive piece of legisla-
tion would have driven farmers
off of farms and put people out
of business,” he warned. “You
need to rally your troops every
single day until we have put this
to bed forever.”
A comprehensive approach was
used for the Don’t CAP Our Fu-
ture campaign, including e-mails,
online petitions, signed postcards
from farmer and rancher mem-
bers and social media outreach.
 fbnews.org March 22, 2010
Viewpoint 2|

Beef checkoff gives producers a national voice

By Robert Fountain Jr.
With a farm nestled along a major north-
south state highway running from north
Georgia down to the coast, a highway that
carries thousands of football fans on Satur-
days to the University of Georgia, I am no
stranger to being in the public eye when it
comes to cattle production.
The “home place” has been in the family
for more than 100 years. In the mid-80s,
we converted all row crop production to
either pasture or timberland. Today, raising
cattle is the primary business. I believe that
the land on which I farm and raise cattle
has been entrusted to me and that I have a
duty and responsibility to be a good stew-
ard of the land and livestock that are such
an important part of the life I live. In an
effort to give back to what I hope will sus-
tain my family for generations to come, I
employ a variety of environmentally sound
practices, including incorporating checkoff-
funded Beef Quality Assurance standards
and conservation of soil and water.
I think we may take for granted that we
know and understand these management
practices because it’s part of what we do
every day, but since they’re “hiding behind
the timber” at times, it’s my job to share
that story with the public. The way I do
that is through Farm Bureau, the local and
state cattlemen’s associations, Georgia Beef
Board and my beef checkoff. These educa-
tional opportunities allow me to tell my
story to both agricultural and non-agri-
cultural groups in an effort to correct mis-
information, and bridge the gap between
producers and consumers concerning the
food they buy and serve to their own families. or how you can be involved, visit www.My
I’m also able to talk with fellow farmers BeefCheckoff.com.
and ranchers about what their beef checkoff
program—the program they all pay into—is
doing for them both domestically and inter-
nationally. My message is this: I produce a
quality product and I put that product into
a much larger production system. I’m part of
that system, and I pay my own money to sup-
port the promotional and research efforts to
make my product even better. I can’t do that
by myself. My neighbor can’t do that as an in-
dividual. We can’t even do that together. But
as part of a national system, we all contribute
to a program that has the power and the dol-
lars to make a lot happen, far beyond what
we can do alone. This increases the value of
Robert Fountain Jr. is a third-generation
what I produce, and that increased value is
what goes back into my pocket and those of owner and operator of his family farm in
my fellow producers. Adrian, Ga. He is a Georgia Farm Bureau
So what does our checkoff do? Our checkoff vice president, the Emanuel County (Ga.)
investment supports many programs, includ- Farm Bureau president, Georgia Cattlemen’s
ing protecting our industry from false or mis- Association past president, Pineland Tele-
leading information and telling consumers
phone Cooperative director and a member of
the true story of American agriculture. These
checkoff-funded “issues management” acti- the Georgia Beef Board and National Cattle-
vities include providing consumers, the me- men’s Beef Association.
dia and other influencers with factual infor-
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as
mation about animal welfare, producer prac-
tices, beef safety, Beef Quality Assurance, nu- part of the 1985 farm bill. The checkoff assess-
trition and the impact of beef production on es $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and
the environment. These issues management imported cattle, in addition to a comparable
programs also help give individual farmers assessment on imported beef and beef prod-
and ranchers the tools we need to help us tell ucts. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar
our story.
and forward the other 50 cents per head to
Though it may feel at times as if we are just
one small slice of a much bigger pie, we all the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research
contribute to a successful program. For more Board, which administers the national check-
information about your checkoff investment off program, subject to USDA approval.

Opposition to greenhouse
gas regulation grows
A number of lawmakers are join-
ing farmers and ranchers in their
opposition to the Environmental
Protection Agency’s proposal to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions
under the Clean Air Act.
AFBF and 97 other organizations
representing all sectors of the
economy have sent a letter to the
full Senate urging support for S.J.
Res. 26, a resolution to disapprove
EPA’s plan.
10. “If we don’t get this passed,
we say it’s okay for unelected
bureaucrats to make the law.”
AFBF also sent a letter of sup-
port for a companion House mea-
sure (H.J. Res. 76), sponsored by
Rep. Ike Skelton (R-Mo.). Joining
Lincoln and Murkowski to urge
Farm Bureau members to reach
out to lawmakers, Skelton fo-
cused on how the regulations
would have a ripple effect be-

“We are greatly concerned that
small businesses, small farms,
hospitals and small manufactur-
ers will be brought under a regu-
latory regime that will be expen-
sive, onerous and crippling to our
economy—while providing little
to no environmental benefit,”
the groups wrote.
Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)
and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska),
co-sponsors of the Senate resolu-
tion, tasked farmers to help get
the 51 votes needed to pass it.
“Put a face on this,” Lincoln
told American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration board members on March
Stallman recognizes
yond farming and ranching.
“When you hurt the agriculture
economy in districts like mine,
you hurt the economy across the
state,” he said. Montana Farm Bureau’s 2010
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.),
a co-sponsor of the House resolu-
tion, was also on hand to urge
membership achievement
growers to take the lead against
American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman (right) congratulates Bob
the administration’s plans to reg-
Hanson, president of Montana Farm Bureau, which, for the third consecutive year,
ulate greenhouse gases.
S.J. Res. 26 currently has 40 co- became the first state Farm Bureau to report membership growth for the 2010 mem-
sponsors. H.J. Res. 76 currently bership year. Farm Bureau membership in Montana is now 14,001 family members. The
has 31 co-sponsors. A similar res- organization’s achievement of 2010 membership quota follows a strong 2009 member-
olution (H.J. Res. 77), introduced ship year, when the organization added 1,000 members from 2008. That accounted for
by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), has membership growth of 7.69 percent, earning the organization another membership
105 co-sponsors. Navigator award for the achievement.

FBNews
Don Lipton, Director, Public Relations
Lynne Finnerty, Editor
Erin Anthony, Assistant Editor
Phyllis Brown, Assistant Editor
March 22, 2010 Vol. 89 No. 6
Published semimonthly, except monthly in August and December, by the
American Farm B ­ ureau Federation, 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, DC 20024.
Phone: 202-406-3600. E-mail: fbnews@fb.org. Web site: http://www.fb.org.
Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Subscription rate for officers
and board members of county and state Farm Bureaus—$6, which is deducted from dues.
For other subscribers—$10.
Postmaster: Send address changes to FBNews,
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, DC 20024. (ISSN 0197-5617)
March 22, 2010
Farmers, ranchers wary of estate tax return
Already one-third of the way through an es-
tate tax-free year, opponents of the levy are
growing more anxious about putting in place
a lower rate and higher exemption than those
that will kick in next year, when estate taxes
revert to their pre-2001 levels.
In 2009, the estate tax rate was 45 percent,
with a $3.5 million exemption. The tax ex-
pired on Dec. 31, 2009, but returns on Jan. 1,
2011, with a top rate of 55 percent and a $1
million exemption.
The return of the estate tax—and the high
rate and exemption—could result in as many
as 10 percent of farm estates owing estate tax-
es in 2011, compared with about 1.5 percent
of farm estates in 2009, according to USDA’s
Economic Research Service (ERS). The depart-
ment estimates the amount of taxes owed by
farm heirs would increase to about $2.55 bil-
lion in 2011, from $683 million in 2009.
“Estate taxes can destroy family businesses
when the tax forces surviving family members
to sell land, buildings or equipment to gener-
ate enough money to pay the tax,” explained
Pat Wolff, American Farm Bureau Federation
tax specialist. “A higher exemption and lower
rates will give family farms and ranches a
better chance to remain in operation when
transferring from one generation to the next.”
The estate tax burden falls heavily on farm-
ers because it takes a lot of capital assets, such
as land and equipment, to generate the same
dollar in income that another type of busi-
ness could generate with less.
While estate planning to try to reduce what
fbnews.org
|3 Capitol View
a farmer’s heirs would have to pay diverts provision with a 45 percent rate, not indexed
money that could have been reinvested in the for inflation, and a $3.5 million exemption.
farm, the uncertainty surrounding the tax Last week, House Ways and Means Commit-
also comes at a cost, AFBF and dozens of oth- tee Acting Chairman Sander Levin (D-Mich.)
er organizations pointed out in a March 3 let- said he may try to reinstate the tax retroac-
ter to Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch tively for 2010.
McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate majority and mi- The Senate has not put forward a timeline
nority leaders, respectively. to address estate taxes, but that’s not really
“The uncertainty of the current law has left an indication of what will happen over the
many family-owned businesses and farms next few months, or even weeks, Wolff
guessing about their estate tax liabilities and pointed out.
unable to make prudent business decisions,” “At the end of last year, a number of law-
the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition makers were adamant they weren’t going to
(FBETC) wrote. ring in an estate-tax-free 2010, but here we
The coalition said it stands by its goal of are,” she said.
eliminating the estate tax as the best way to
protect all family-owned businesses, but un-
derstands that might not be possible. The TYPICAL OPERATION SIZE TO REACH
group is calling for a permanent estate tax $1 MILLION EXEMPTION IN 2011
provision that would reduce the maximum
rate to 35 percent and adjust it for inflation Corn 519 Acres
and increase the exemption level to $5 mil- Cotton, Peanuts, Tobacco 386 Acres
lion. Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Jon Cow-Calf 329 Acres
Kyl (R-Ariz.) have proposed just that. Dairy 153 Acres
Estate tax reform must also provide for Fruit, Vegetables, Nursery 156 Acres
spousal transfer and include stepped-up ba- Soybean 473 Acres
sis, FBETC said. Stepped-up basis limits the Wheat 1,401 Acres
amount of property value appreciation that
is subject to capital gains taxes if the assets
are sold. Because farm land typically is held
by one owner for several decades, setting the
basis on the value of the estate on the date of
the owner’s death under stepped-up basis is
an important tax provision for farm heirs.
The House last year passed an estate tax

Stallman: U.S. should be preferred supplier to Cuba

While U.S. exports to Cuba have
grown since resuming just over a
decade ago, U.S. farmers have not
been able to benefit from the full
potential of the Cuban market,
says American Farm Bureau Fed-
eration President Bob Stallman.
Stallman testified on March 11
before a House Agriculture Com-
mittee hearing on the Farm Bu-
reau-supported Travel Reform and
Export Enhancement Act (H.R.
4645), introduced by the commit-
tee’s chairman, Rep. Collin Peter-
son (D-Minn.), and senior commit-
tee member Rep. Jerry Moran (R-
Kan.). Stallman said the bill would
increase agricultural exports by
eliminating “costly obstacles.”
The U.S. has exported $320 mil-
lion, on average, in farm goods to
Cuba each year since a law en-
acted in 2000 allowed sales of
food and medicines to the island
nation that has been under a U.S.
embargo for 47 years. However,
Restrictions on trade with Cuba put U.S. farmers and ranchers at a competitive disad-
vantage and should be eliminated, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob
Stallman recently told the House Agriculture Committee.
U.S. regulations that limit ways for
Cuba to pay for U.S. products have
resulted in high transaction fees
for wire transfers from third-coun-
try banks and have taken a bite
out of Cuba’s purchasing power.
Also, the State Department’s Of-
fice of Foreign Assets Control in
2005 put in place a requirement
that Cuba pay for its purchases
before they leave U.S. ports, rather
than upon transfer of title or own-
ership as had been the case under
the original interpretation of the
2000 law. As a result, the value of
Cuba’s agricultural imports from
the U.S. fell 10 percent in 2005
and another 4 percent in 2006.
With the cash-in-advance hur-
dle in place, Cuba provides let-
ters of credit from third-country
banks. That raises further the
cost of doing business with U.S.
farmers and ranchers and makes
U.S. agricultural exports less
competitive.
Another problem for our ex-
porters, Stallman said, is U.S.
denials of visas for Cuban of-
ficials to enter the country for
meetings and to inspect U.S. food
processing facilities, the same
as other countries’ officials do.
“Our competitors do not have
the same obstacles in trading
with Cuba,” said Stallman. “Elimi-
nating these restrictions will de-
crease the advantages the United
States has given our competitors
and restore the advantage to U.S.
farmers. These actions will make
it easier for Cuba to purchase
U.S. commodities and, most im-
portantly, will reduce the cost of
purchasing our commodities.”
The Peterson-Moran bill would
lift the financing and cash-in-
advance restrictions, as well as
allow U.S. citizens to travel to
Cuba. Under changes the Obama
administration made about a
year ago, Cuban-Americans may
travel to Cuba to visit family.
Also, under the 2000 law, U.S.
citizens who are working to de-
velop the export opportunities
made possible by that law may
travel to Cuba in order to do so.
However, all other Americans
remain banned by their own
government from traveling to
Cuba, which is a popular Carib-
bean destination for residents of
other nations such as Canada.
If the travel restrictions were
lifted, the International Trade
Commission (ITC) reports, “the
influx of U.S. tourists would be
huge,” and the increased tour-
ism would boost Cuba’s demand
for high-quality agricultural
products from the U.S. Accord-
ing to the ITC report, “U.S.
Agricultural Sales to Cuba: Cer-
tain Economic Effects of U.S.
Restrictions,” removing both
the financing and travel restric-
tions would increase U.S. agri-
cultural exports to Cuba to $924
million-$1.2 billion per year,
an increase of $216-$478 mil-
lion over the 2008 export level.
Most of the committee mem-
bers at the hearing expressed
their support for provisions of
the bill that would make it easier
to export U.S. farm goods; how-
ever, some members said they
were much less supportive of
lifting the travel ban. Stallman
defended the travel provisions.
“Lifting the travel restriction
is a key piece of this legislation,”
he said. “It is just as important
for increasing our sales as is lift-
ing the other restrictions.”
Absent the U.S. government re-
strictions, the ITC report says, the
U.S. share of the Cuban market
would be as much as 64 percent,
compared to about 38 percent
today. Top U.S. exports to Cuba
in recent years have included
corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and
soybean products, meats and
dairy products. Live pork and
cattle, dried beans and peas, and
fresh and dried fruits, including
apples, grapes and pears, also
are exported in large amounts.
Stallman said the U.S. should
be the preferred supplier of these
and other food and feed products
given our competitive prices,
high-quality products and lower
delivery cost due to proximity.
“Instead,” he said, “we have
opened the door to countries
like the European Union, Bra-
zil, Canada, Vietnam, while
hindering ourselves.”
“What we are asking for from
Congress and the administration
is to give U.S. farmers the compe-
titive advantage in Cuba that they
should rightly have and the op-
portunity to increase U.S. agricul-
tural exports,” Stallman testified.
 N.C. group developing ag water strategy
North Carolina’s Agricultural
Water Work Group is using a
$100,000 grant from Altria to
make sure farmers in the state
don’t end up high and dry in
the future. Water issues have
been a swelling concern for
growers in the Tarheel state
since the drought of 2007, and
competition for water resources
is expected to increase signifi-
cantly over the next two de-
cades, according to Larry Woo-
ten, North Carolina Farm Bu-
reau president and co-chair of
the 14-member group.
“The need for planning is
simple: We don’t want to come
out of a drought both hungry
and thirsty,” said North Caro-
lina Agriculture Commission-
er Steve Troxler, who also co-
chairs the work group.
Many types of farms rely on
water for irrigation and other
Water concerns run deep and wide for Colorado growers
Farmers and ranchers in Colo-
rado are fighting for their share of
what is an increasingly shallow
pool of water. According to the
results of a study presented last
month to state lawmakers, the
Department of Natural Resources
predicts the divide between wa-
ter supply and demand could hit
1 million acre feet of water by
2050, even if half of the ongo-
ing water projects are completed.
An acre foot of water is defined
by the volume of one acre of sur-
face area to a depth of one foot.
Summit Economics’ Tom Bin-
nings, one of the authors of the
Front Range Water Council-com-
missioned study, said a primary
reason for the gap is the expected
doubling of the state’s popula-
tion, from its current 5 million
to 10 million in the next 40
years.
The study raised the hackles of
a number of lawmakers who rep-
resent rural, agricultural areas.
They felt the finger was pointed
at farm- and ranch-dominant
areas for using the most water,
but earning less per acre foot
than more populated areas. Rep.
Sal Pace, who represents Pueblo,
suggested municipal providers
could use the report as a reason
to divert water from agricultural
areas to more urban areas. Tucker
Hart Adams, an economist who
also worked on the study, agreed.
Despite the prospect of parched
farms and ranches and strong
support from growers, projects to
boost the state’s water resources
are meeting some resistance. One
of those is a Colorado Farm Bu-
reau-supported plan to build two
reservoirs, one northwest of Fort
Water Av
purposes, but public perception
that growers use too much is
wrong, Troxler said. He pointed
out a 2009 statewide survey of
agricultural water use that
showed farmers withdraw only
about 1 percent of the water used
daily in North Carolina.
“With the state’s population
increasing like it is, water is go-
ing to be a determining factor
in where agriculture grows in
this state and how fast it grows,”
Wooten said. “If we’re going to
preserve the rights of agricul-
ture to use water, we’ve got to
work together on a strategic
plan and do the right thing for
agriculture.”
The Agricultural Water Work
Group has been tasked by the
North Carolina Foundation for
Soil and Water Conservation, the
Altria grant recipient, with devel-
oping that blueprint, known as
Collins and the other northeast
of Greeley.
When completed, the Northern
Integrated Supply Project (NISP)
will provide water for 15 grow-
ing towns, as well as help main-
tain agricultural production in
the area. The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers has already invested
more than $5 million and five
years in the $426 million project.
The first phase of a study on the availability of Colorado River water flagged poten-
tial water storage problems on the Northern and Western slopes.
“Without NISP, I think you’ll
see thousands of acres [of farm-
land] going out of production
and failing cities without that
water,” said Crystal Korrey, CFB
state affairs director.
The Environmental Protection
Agency in September and Octo-
ber 2009 told the U.S. Army
the “Strategic Plan for Protecting
Agricultural Water Resources for
North Carolina.”
In addition to Wooten and
Troxler, the work group includes
other representatives of agricul-
ture, government, academia and
conservation.
According to Wooten, farmers
have long been engaged on water
issues.
“During the late 1990s, aquifers
in eastern North Carolina began
losing more water than was re-
plenished naturally. A height-
ened regulatory environment has
been the result,” he explained.
“Fortunately, agricultural advo-
cates have had a seat at the table
of discussion.”
Growers have recommended nu-
merous voluntary and incentive-
based solutions, education and
conservation, alternative sources
and protecting the rights of private
Corps of Engineers it thought the
project would worsen already
identified water quality problems
along parts of the Cache la Pou-
dre and South Platte rivers.
Officials from the Northern
Colorado Water Conservancy
District, which proposed the
NISP, said many of the agency’s
concerns have already been ad-
dressed or will ultimately be re-
solved so the Army Corps of En-
gineers can get a final permit for
the project.
At the state capitol, farmers
and ranchers are working against
a bill that would, according to
Arthur Bee, owner of the Bee
Family Centennial Farm and
Museum in Fort Collins, give
well owners and landowners.
“There’s a better way to pro-
tect our resources without re-
stricting landowner rights,” he
said.
The Agricultural Water Work
Group will focus on identifying
water resources, future needs
and ways to better manage wa-
ter resources. In addition, the
group will guide farmers in im-
proving efficiency, conservation
and supply of water resources.
The foundation plans to offer
demonstrations of some of the
panel’s findings.
“This plan will identify the
specific things we can do to re-
duce water usage, increase our
capacity to store water, and
keep agriculture growing well
into the future,” Wooten said.
The Agricultural Water Work
Group plans to complete its
project by October.
the commercial rafting industry
unfettered access to rivers and
streams running through pri-
vate property. Bee, in a March
3 Coloradoan.com column, said
the bill would “upset the deli-
cate balance between agriculture
and tourism in the state.”
CFB, along with more than two
dozen members of the Colorado
Ag Council, have made their op-
position to the bill known.
“We have not seen such a bla-
tant attack on private property
rights in this state for some time,”
said Alan Foutz, CFB president.
The Colorado House of Repre-
sentatives passed the bill last
month. The Senate has yet to
take it up.
The early stages of a Colorado
Water Conservation Board study
on the availability of water from
the Colorado River highlights
some challenges ahead for farm-
ers and ranchers from a frequent
adversary—Mother Nature. Cli-
mate models forecast more winter
precipitation on the Northern
Slope, but in the form of rain
rather than snow. This could
lengthen the growing season by
two to three weeks but create a
much-dryer summer during which
growers will have to tap more into
reservoirs for irrigation. It also
means less water will be available
for storage. In addition, water
storage will be a problem on the
Western Slope where the summer
rains will often be “monsoonal.”
The first phase of the study,
which was started in 2007, was
released last month and is cur-
rently open to public comment.
The second phase will be com-
pleted later this year.

vailability
California FB welcomes additional water supplies
Farmers in California’s Central
Valley welcomed a March 16 an-
nouncement of improved water
supplies from the federal Central
Valley Project (CVP), according
to the California Farm Bureau Fed-
eration (CFBF). CFBF President
Paul Wenger said the additional
water will help to replenish
groundwater supplies in regions
plagued by water shortages, and
will help ensure availability of wa-
ter for post-harvest irrigation of or-
chards and vineyards this summer.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
announced that CVP agricultural
water service customers south of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Del-
ta could count on having 25
percent of contract water sup-
plies from the CVP, and custo-
mers north of the delta could ex-
pect 50 percent.
“This is certainly a big improve-
ment from the 5 percent supplies
that the CVP promised last
month,” Wenger said, “and we
appreciate the Interior Depart-
ment’s pledge to enhance the al-
location further through actions
that could add another 8 percent
to 10 percent to CVP supplies. We
National Water Census will assess nation’s resources
As Americans start to fill out
the U.S. Census forms they have
received in recent days, one gov-
ernment agency is working on
another kind of census: a Nation-
al Water Census to get a handle
on the water resources that are
available for various uses—irri-
gation, livestock, public use, ther-
mal electric power generation,
aquaculture, mining, industry
and well withdrawals.
The water census is part of a
broader Interior Department
project called the Water Smart
Initiative. The initiative tasks
department agencies—the Bureau
of Reclamation, U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS) and office of the
assistant secretary for Water and
Science—with establishing cur-
rent water footprints and identi-
fying ways to conserve. The cen-
sus, overseen by USGS, is an on-
going accounting of the chang-
ing quantity, quality and use of
water resources across the nation.
Congress ordered the project
when it passed the Secure Water
Act in early 2009 as part of an
omnibus public lands bill.
Eric Evenson, National Water
Census coordinator at USGS, says
his agency’s expertise is deter-
mining how much water is avail-
able and the consequences of its
usage to other users and the en-
vironment. That leaves out a
whole array of other issues, such
as regulatory and economic fac-
S P E C I A L R E P O R T
This almond orchard in the San Joaquin Valley is just one of the casualties of Cali-
fornia’s severe water shortage. Recent announcements of more water deliveries this
year are welcome news for the area’s farmers.
will continue to press the depart-
ment to make that additional wa-
ter available as soon as possible.”
Wenger said people through-
out the U.S. depend on the food
and farm products grown in
California, and ensuring the
tors, that also play a role in wa-
ter availability.
“Many of those go beyond the
role or mission of USGS. We are
not trying to answer all the ques-
tions about water availability, but
we can provide the information
and tools to allow stakeholders—
water resource managers and peo-
ple who deal with water resourc-
es—to answer those questions.”
Counting every person in the
country is a huge undertaking.
Counting every drop of water is
even more difficult, but the two
are connected.
“Part of counting water includes
counting the people who use the
water,” Evenson explained. “To
determine domestic demand, we
rely heavily on population data.”
The agency also relies on data
from USDA’s Economic Research
Service and National Agricultural
Statistics Service. The Census of
Agriculture, irrigation surveys and
the annual Agricultural Resource
Management Survey all help
gather information that is needed
for the National Water Census.
“We work with the Agriculture
Department and its agencies to
gather information about agricul-
ture’s water use,” Evenson said,
“so farmers’ and ranchers’ par-
ticipation in ARMS and irriga-
tion surveys is automatically
helping us do our job.”
Farmers and ranchers will ben-
efit from the water census, Even-
future of that farm production
should be a national priority.
The CVP warned in February
that farm customers both north
and south of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta could see alloca-
tions as low as 5 percent under
son says, because the information
it gathers will give state water
authorities and others the tools
they need to develop water plans.
“It’s important to understand
accurately the trends that have
been occurring in the past and
use them to chart the future,” he
explained.
One of the changes he says has
occurred in agriculture is that the
number of irrigated acres in the
West has declined and leveled off
over the last 15 to 20 years. Mean-
while, irrigated acreage in the East
has been growing since the 1950s.
“We believe that is associated
with changes in crop patterns,”
Evenson said, “and the desire to
ensure that you’re going to get a
yield off of that cropland during
a drought.” The South has suf-
fered from severe droughts in re-
cent years.
Another change is a continual
decrease in the amount of water
needed to produce the same if
not more crop yields. Everything
from better irrigation technol-
ogy, more usage of drip irriga-
tion and downward nozzles on
central pivot systems, to high-
yielding hybrid and biotech seeds
has lessened for many crops the
amount of water used per yield.
“It’s important to acknowledge
that,” Evenson said.
Still, agricultural irrigation is
the second-largest use of water in
the U.S., making up 31 percent
March 22, 2010
the most conservative scenarios.
The State Water Project set its
projected water deliveries at 15
percent. Wenger said those al-
locations were disappointing at
a time when snowpack levels
were near average and reservoirs
were refilling. Federal officials
said that allocations could rise if
precipitation remained at least
average through the winter.
Farmers in the San Joaquin Val-
ley last year left 100,000 acres of
some of the nation’s most pro-
ductive farmland fallow because
of too little water. Three years of
drought and water diversions for
a fish on the threatened species
list, the delta smelt, resulted in
state and federal water authori-
ties cutting deliveries of irriga-
tion water to nothing in some
areas. The economic impact has
gone far beyond agriculture,
worsening unemployment and
increasing demand on state hu-
man services agencies by farm
workers who were out of work.
Reprinted with permission from the
California Farm Bureau Federation.
of withdrawals. Thermal electric
generation is the No. 1 use, ac-
counting for 80 percent of with-
drawals. However, with thermal
electric, more of the water is re-
turned to the environment after
it is used to make steam or as a
coolant. Irrigation, while mak-
ing up a smaller share of water
withdrawals, is what’s called a
more consumptive use—less of
the water goes back into streams,
rivers and other water bodies.
However, irrigation is undoubt-
edly important. It takes water to
grow food, so we all can eat. As
obvious as that is, it hasn’t made
water conflicts any easier to navi-
gate. One thing the 2010 Census
is likely to show is continued
population growth in most cities
and towns. As population rises,
so does competition for water.
In order to prepare for and ad-
dress future water conflicts, Even-
son says, you first have to know
what the uses are, how much
water is needed, how much water
is available and its quality and
the cost of removing substances
that would limit a certain use.
“Being able to characterize needs
for water and how much flow is
available is part of trying to en-
sure enough water is available
for everybody’s needs,” he said.
http://water.usgs.gov/wsi/
 fbnews.org March 22, 2010
For the Record 6|

Senate extends Name/Party Vote Name/Party Vote Name/Party Vote Name/Party Vote Name/Party Vote

tax cuts, approves Alabama

Shelby (R) n
Hawaii
Inouye (D) Y
Massachusetts
Brown (R) n
New Mexico
Udall (D) Y
South Dakota
Johnson (D) Y

ag disaster aid
Sessions (R) n Akaka (D) Y Kerry (D) Y Bingaman (D) Y Thune (R) n
Alaska Idaho Michigan New York Tennessee
Begich (D) Y Crapo (R) n Levin (D) Y Schumer (D) Y Alexander (R) n
The Senate on March 10 ap- Murkowski (R) Y Risch (R) n Stabenow (D) Y Gillibrand (D) Y Corker (R) n
proved the American Workers, Arizona Illinois Minnesota North Carolina Texas
State and Business Relief Act of McCain (R) n Durbin (D) Y Franken (D) Y Burr (R) n Hutchison (R) n
2010 (H.R. 4213) by a vote of 62- Kyl (R) n Burris (D) Y Klobuchar (D) Y Hagan (D) Y Cornyn (R) n
36. The bill extends through 2010 Arkansas Indiana Mississippi North Dakota Utah
several tax provisions that ex- Lincoln (D) Y Lugar (R) n Cochran (R) n Conrad (D) Y Hatch (R) n
pired at the end of 2009, includ- Pryor (D) Y Bayh (D) Y Wicker (R) n Dorgan (D) Y Bennett (R) n
ing the $1 per gallon blenders tax California Iowa Missouri Ohio Vermont
credit for biodiesel, the small Feinstein (D) Y Grassley (R) n Bond (R) Y Voinovich (R) Y Leahy (D) Y
agri-biodiesel producer credit of Boxer (D) Y Harkin (D) Y McCaskill (D) ? Brown (D) Y Sanders (I) Y
10 cents per gallon, the $1 per Colorado Kansas Montana Oklahoma Virginia
gallon production tax credit for Bennet (D) Y Brownback (R) n Baucus (D) Y Inhofe (R) n Warner (D) Y
diesel fuel created from biomass, Udall (D) Y Roberts (R) n Tester (D) Y Coburn (R) n Webb (D) Y
the tax credit for electricity from Connecticut Kentucky Nebraska Oregon Washington
biomass, the five-year deprecia- Dodd (D) Y McConnell (R) n Johanns (R) n Wyden (D) Y Murray (D) Y
tion for farm business machinery Lieberman (I) Y Bunning (R) n Nelson (D) n Merkley (D) Y Cantwell (D) Y
and equipment and enhanced Delaware Louisiana Nevada Pennsylvania West Virginia
tax deductions for donated food Carper (D) Y Landrieu (D) Y Reid (D) Y Specter (R) Y Byrd (D) ?
and conservation easements. The Kaufman (D) Y Vitter (R) Y Ensign (R) n Casey (D) Y Rockefeller (D) Y
bill also includes $1.5 billion in Florida Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Wisconsin
agricultural disaster aid. Also Nelson (D) Y Snowe (R) Y Gregg (R) n Reed (D) Y Kohl (D) Y
included is an extension of tax LeMieux (R) n Collins (R) Y Shaheen (D) Y Whitehouse (D) Y Feingold (D) Y
incentives for rural communi- Georgia Maryland New Jersey South Carolina Wyoming
ties and increased Medicare pay- Chambliss (R) n Mikulski (D) Y Lautenberg (D) Y Graham (R) n Barrasso (R) n
ments to rural hospitals and phy- Isakson (R) n Cardin (D) Y Menendez (D) Y DeMint (R) n Enzi (R) n
sicians. The American Farm Bu-
reau Federation favored a “yea” Legend:  Y — Yea  n — Nay  ? — Not Voting
(Y) vote.

‘No HFCS’ marketing claim misleads consumers

Continued from page 1
The body handles high fructose
corn syrup the same as sugar. It
has the same number of calories
as sugar.
Audrae Erickson, president of
the Corn Refiners Association,
which represents makers of corn
sweeteners and other corn-based
products, says consumers are be-
ing misled by food makers’ “mar-
keting gimmicks.” Bowing to
consumer demand, however,
food makers are trying to give
their products an aura of being
more natural, with fewer, simpler
ingredients. Haagen-Dazs last
year launched “five,” a line of
“all natural” ice creams with just
five ingredients, and other food
companies like Heinz, Hunt’s,
Nabisco and Pepsi are rolling out
new formulations that exclude
HFCS.
HFCS prices have dropped
about 14 percent since last year.
Meanwhile, the price of raw sug-
ar is the highest it’s been since
the 80s. The American Sugar Al-
liance (ASA), which represents
the cane and beet sugar industry,
says the higher price of sugar is
due to a sugar shortage in other
countries, and that the vast ma-
jority of sugar sold in the U.S.
goes for 25 percent to 30 per-
cent less than the USDA-reported
spot price. ASA also says the low
sugar prices of the last two de-
cades have led to contraction in
the sugar industry, reducing
supply. It says 54 sugar mills
and refineries have closed since
1985.
Both HFCS and sugar contain
about the same ratio of glucose to
fructose—the component that
tastes the sweetest. Even the
American Dietetic Association
and some consumer advocates
say that the body can’t tell one
sweetener from the other.
“The bottom line is there isn’t a
shred of evidence that high fruc-
tose corn syrup is nutritionally
From Thomas’ English muffins to new lines of ketchup, sodas and snack crackers,
more products are bearing the “No high fructose corn syrup” claim.
any different from sugar,” said
Michael Jacobsen, executive di-
rector of the Center for Science
in the Public Interest in a March
2 USA Today article.
The American Medical Associa-
tion in 2008 looked into claims
that HFCS was making Ameri-
cans fat, and it concluded that
“high fructose corn syrup does
not appear to contribute more
to obesity than other caloric
sweeteners….”
That hasn’t stopped the con-
sumer trend or the onslaught
of accusations that HFCS and
U.S. farm subsidies are contrib-
uting to America’s weight prob-
lems. News stories, op-ed articles
and Web pages are rife with
claims that Americans get too
many of their calories from corn
and soybeans and not enough
from fruits and vegetables.
Movies like King Corn and Food
Inc. feed that argument. Food
makers, knowing that they can
charge a premium price for
foods perceived as more health-
ful, are taking full advantage of
the trend. So are farm bill
opponents.
“The agriculture and food in-
dustry is under baseless attack,”
Erickson said. “This goes back to
the farm bill. This is an issue
where we need to stand up and
take back the debate.”
She said all farmers must help
consumers understand where
food comes from and why cer-
tain products are used. Other-
wise, farm policy opponents will
effectively use the issue to attack
the farm bill.
Consumers also could pay the
price, she said, by “losing some
products they have come to
love.” Food makers invest a lot of
time and money into formu-
lating their products for the best
mouth-feel, taste, appearance
and shelf-life. They often use
HFCS as much for how it affects
a food’s texture or character as
for any other reason.
HFCS critics point to the pres-
ence of the sweetener on a label
for something like bread as evi-
dence that it’s in too many foods.
In the hit movie Supersize Me,
from 2004, the filmmaker chroni-
cles a month of eating food
from McDonald’s restaurants for
all of his meals, and in one
scene he is surprised to find
that HFCS is an ingredient in
his burger (it’s in the bun).
However, as any home baker
knows, all breads have some
sweetener in them. The sugar
aids the yeast and helps the
dough rise, and it aids in brown-
ing and, of course, taste. Using
HFCS may be the food maker’s
choice because it helps keep the
bread soft for a longer time.
Erickson reiterated that this
isn’t a competition between the
sweeteners.
“There truly are cases where
the food maker would prefer to
use one and not the other,” she
said. “Sugar is better for dry mix-
es, breakfast cereals and other
things that we’ll never be in.
This is not a conflict between
sugar and HFCS. It’s to deliver
the most appealing product to
the consumer.”
Despite the increase in HFCS-
free marketing claims, only 3.6
percent of consumers in a con-
sumer research study done last
year reported having concerns
about HFCS. That’s actually
down from 8.3 percent in 2008.
About 44 percent of the con-
sumers surveyed said they have
heard or read about food prod-
ucts marketed as HFCS-free.
However, when consumers are
given facts about HFCS, they
often view food companies
that market products as HFCS-
free more negatively, with near-
ly half of consumers surveyed
saying they felt misled by the
claims. CRA is encouraged by
the findings and is placing ra-
dio and television ads to try to
get the message out that HFCS
is a safe product that, like all
sweeteners, is fine to eat in
moderation.
www.sweetsurprise.com
March 22, 2010
Grants awarded for
agricultural education
The American Farm Bureau
Foundation for Agriculture has
awarded $500 mini-grants to 28
county Farm Bureaus and two
state Farm Bureaus to further ag-
ricultural education programs
in their communities. The grants
are awarded through the foun-
dation’s White-Reinhardt Fund
for Education.
Criteria for selecting the win-
ners included the effectiveness
of demonstrating a strong con-
nection between agriculture and
education, how well the programs
encouraged students to learn more
about agriculture and the food
and fiber industry, and the pro-
cedures and timelines expected
for accomplishing project goals.
The 2010 mini-grant awardees
are the Farm Bureaus in Brown
County, Ohio, Bureau County,
Ill., Butts County, Ga., Carroll
County, Ill., Christian County, Ill.,
Clark County, Ill., Cook County,
Ill., Effingham County, Ill., Gar-
rard County, Ky., Gove County,
Kan., Greene County, Ind., Knox
County, Tenn., Marshall-Putnam
County, Ill., Martin County, Ky.,
Muskegon County, Mich., Newton
County, Ga., Northwest Michigan
County, Mich., Peoria County,
Ill., Pope-Hardin County, Ill.,
Powhatan County, Va., Richard-
son County, Neb., Sauk County,
Wis., Stafford County, Kan.,
Switzerland County, Ind., Wash-
ington County, Kan., Washtenaw
County, Mich., Western Palm
Beach County, Fla., and Windham
fbnews.org
|7
Reinhardt proud of
ag education legacy
County, Conn., as well as the Kan- Linda Reinhardt of Kansas says
sas and Michigan Farm Bureaus. she feels honored to be a name-
In addition, 10 teachers have sake for the White-Reinhardt
been recognized by the founda- Fund for Education, because
tion for their outstanding agri- educating consumers about ag-
cultural education efforts. The riculture has been, for many
teachers received $1,500 schol- years, high on her scale of things
arships to attend the National that need to be done so the pub-
Agriculture in the Classroom lic knows both where our food
Conference in Baltimore, Md., comes from and the importance
in June. The scholarships also of producing good
are funded through the White- food in America.
Reinhardt Fund for Education. The White-Rein-
Scholarship recipients were hardt Fund awards
judged on past use of innovative mini-grants to
programs to educate students communities,
about agriculture, plans to imple- through county
ment information gained at the and state Farm
AITC conference in their own Bureaus, to foster
classrooms and goals to share the agricultural educa-
information with other teachers. tion projects. The
The AITC Conference brings to- fund also awards
gether organizations and speak- scholarships for
ers to discuss how to improve teachers to attend
agricultural education, showcase the annual na-
successful programs and offer tional Agriculture
educational materials. The Agri- in the Classroom
culture Department coordinates (AITC) conference. Linda Reinhardt
the AITC program with the goal During her more
of helping students gain a greater than 40 years of serving agricul-
awareness of the role of agricul- ture, Reinhardt, who raised cattle
ture in the economy and society. along with her husband until re-
The Maryland Agricultural Edu- tiring a few years ago and letting
cation Foundation (sponsored in their kids take over the opera-
part by Maryland Farm Bureau) tion, served as chair of the Kansas
is hosting the conference this Farm Bureau Women’s Commit-
year. Other state Farm Bureaus tee and, from 1993 until 2001,
and AFBF also support and par- chair of the American Farm Bu-
ticipate in the program’s efforts. reau Women’s Leadership Com-
This year’s scholarship winners mittee. She also did substitute
teaching and worked with her
Grants Continued on Page 8 local 4-H club and FFA program.
State FB Links
In 2002, she accepted the most
prestigious award AFBF gives, the
Distinguished Service Award, for
her commitment to agriculture.
The other namesake of the
White-Reinhardt Fund is the
late Berta White of Mississippi,
whom Reinhardt succeeded as
Women’s Committee chair. Rein-
hardt said she was “so pleased”
to share the honor
with White.
“She was my
mentor,” Rein-
hardt said. “To
this day, if I’m go-
ing to do some-
thing—give some
kind of presenta-
tion or respond to
something—my
mind just auto-
matically goes
back to, ‘How
would Berta
White handle
this?’”
Reinhardt
helped pioneer
the Women’s Committee’s in-
volvement in agricultural edu-
cation. She attended one of the
first AITC conferences. Back
then only a few states were par-
ticipating in AITC. She says it
has grown tremendously since
then.
She is also a founder of Food
Check-Out Week, celebrated by
Farm Bureau each February with
Reinhardt Continued on Page 8

State Focus

Illinois Farm Bureau’s new
academy tests leaders’ skills
Illinois Farm Bureau’s inaugural Leader-
ship Academy provided 11 Farm Bu-
reau leaders from around the state the
opportunity to hone important skills,
including teamwork and communicating
with the media and lawmakers. Among
the challenges put to the participants
was to work as a team to quickly develop
an issue-related response plan geared
toward media and legislators. “It was a
real eye-opener on how up [to date] we
have to be on issues,” said Rob Sharkey, a
county Farm Bureau leader from Brad-
ford. Adams County Farm Bureau leader
Terry Smith appreciated the chance to
fine-tune his communication skills. “I
worked on listening more to make sure
what I heard, not what I wanted to hear,”
he said. County Farm Bureau boards
nominated up to two leaders for the
academy, which will be offered every two
years. Participants were selected from the
nominee pool by a panel of three judges
representing academia, agribusiness and
a past IFB board member.
Michigan Farm Bureau blasts
‘Michigan Meatout Day’
Wayne Wood, Michigan Farm Bureau
president, criticized a proclamation by
Gov. Jennifer Granholm proclaiming last
Saturday, March 20, as “Michigan Meatout
Day,” calling it “unconscionable and an
insensitive slap in the face to Michigan’s
livestock and dairy farmers, not to men-
tion Michigan’s meat-eating residents.”
Wood said the rationale cited in the proc-
lamation for encouraging residents not to
eat meat is misleading and incriminating,
as there is science to refute many of the
claims raised. “It’s inconceivable to us that
the governor could stoop to this level of
telling people what they should and
shouldn’t eat based on the philosophies
of ‘food elitists,’” Wood said. “It’d be one
thing if Granholm proclaimed a day to
promote increased consumption of vege-
tables, fruits and whole grains.” Wood said
the governor crossed the line in singling
out meat products and belittling a whole-
some source of protein. He noted that the
USDA Food Pyramid Guide recommends
2-3 servings of lean meat per day.
New York Apple Association
creates iPhone app for shoppers
 How do you like them apples? Check
your iPhone. Shoppers now have imag-
es and information on more than 20 dif-
ferent apple varieties available right on
iPhones and iPod touch. Them Apples, a
new application downloadable through
iTunes, features a comprehensive index
of the most popular apple varieties and
best uses. The app is a free download.
“This app is like having an apple variety
guide right at your fingertips,” said Jim
Allen, president of the New York Apple
Association. The application was creat-
ed by Aquariform Designs (aquariform.
com) in conjunction with the New York
Apple Association, which represents all
of New York’s apple growers. Each apple
variety on the app is assigned a details
page that highlights the flavor and
texture characteristics of the variety as
well as how it rates for basic uses such
as eating, baking, and making sauce
and pie. The program is best suited
for consumers while shopping at the
supermarket.
Pennsylvania FB criticizes
Chesapeake Bay executive order
New rules to increase regulatory pressure
on Chesapeake Bay cleanup programs go
well beyond the authority granted to the
Environmental Protection Agency under
the Clean Water Act, Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau said in comments on an executive
order issued by President Barack Obama.
The executive order threatens to require
implementation of federal total maximum
daily load (TMDL) requirements for
streams in the watershed and to expand
the number of farms subject to federal
permitting, such as confined animal feed-
ing operations, according to PFB. “Cur-
rently under the Clean Water Act, EPA has
no authority to specify the elements of a
TMDL implementation plan, nor does it
have authority to compel states to imple-
ment such a plan,” explained George Haz-
ard, PFB natural resources director. If states
fail to comply, EPA said consequences in-
clude tighter TMDL allocations and ex-
panded coverage of national pollutant
discharge elimination system permits to
sources that are not currently regulated.

Grassroots
Young farmers, ranchers face concerns but express optimism
Profitability, increasing gov-
ernment regulations and the
impact of activist groups are
the top concerns of America’s
leading young farmers and
ranchers, according to a survey
conducted by the American
Farm Bureau Federation.
Despite the
challenges,
80 percent
of those re-
sponding to
AFBF’s 18th
annual sur-
vey of young
farmers and ranchers say they
are more optimistic than they
were five years ago, while 82
percent say they are better off
than they were five years ago.
“Last year was a tough year
economically for many sectors
of agriculture,” said AFBF
Young Farmers and Ranchers
Committee Chair Will Gilmer,
a dairy farmer from Lamar
County, Ala. “But despite the
challenges, the survey shows
young farmers and ranchers
are optimistic and hopeful. We
expect a bright future ahead.”
The informal survey shows
young farmers and ranchers
have a high level of apprehen-
sion about government cli-
mate change
regulations,
with 79 per-
cent of those
surveyed ex-
pressing high
or very high
concern.
A huge majority of those sur-
veyed expressed concern about
the impact of activist groups
on their farm and ranch oper-
ations. A total of 85 percent
were concerned or very con-
cerned about activist groups.
Ag groups weigh in on biotech alfalfa case
Continued from page 1
not harm the environment or
neighboring organic crops. In
addition, the brief explains that
lower courts failed to consider
the public benefits of agricultural
biotechnology, such as increased
crop quality and quantity. Bio-
technology is adopted widely in
the United States for a number of
key crops such as corn, soybeans,
Grants awarded for ag education
Continued from page 7
are: Patrick Ryan, Trailside Ele-
mentary, Anchorage, Alaska; Lin-
da Bush, Tri-County Christian
School, Freeport, Ill.; Theresa
Pierce, Horizons Unlimited Sup-
plementary Education Center,
Granite Quarry, N.C.; Cheryl
Bombenger, Holy Spirit Elemen-
tary School, Fargo, N.D.; Jo
Conrad, Dodge Public School,
West Point, Neb.; Theodore Kry-
zak, Riverside School, Milton
Mills, N.H.; Audrey Harmon,
Morrison Elementary, Perry,
Okla.; Beth Reynolds, Robert E.
Cashion Elementary, Piedmont,
fbnews.org
8|
Only 7 percent expressed little or
no concern.
“Activist groups are becoming
more and more vocal, so that is
something we always have to
keep our eyes on,” Gilmer said.
“There is also a great deal of con-
cern about all the ways the gov-
ernment wants
to regulate us,
whether it’s cap-
and-trade or dif-
ferent Environ-
mental Protec-
tion Agency
rules.”
Respondents were asked to rank
their top three challenges, and 24
percent ranked overall profitabili-
ty as the top, followed by govern-
ment regulations at 23 percent.
Two other concerns tied for third
on that list,
with competi-
tion from more
established
farms and
ranches, and
willingness of
parents to share
management re-
sponsibilities each receiving 9
percent.
And when it comes to what
steps the federal government can
take to help farmers and ranch-
ers, 23 percent
ranked cutting
federal spending
as No. 1. Boost-
ing U.S. agri-
cultural exports
ranked second,
selected by 14
percent of respondents. Provid-
ing greater help to beginning
farmers was third at 11 percent.
A sizable majority, 83 percent,
said they believe farm income
should come totally from the
marketplace, while only 17 per-
cotton, sugar beets and papaya.
USDA’s Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
in 2005 concluded that there was
no significant impact on the hu-
man environment due to granting
non-regulated status to Roundup
Ready alfalfa. Following the lower
court’s ruling, APHIS completed a
1,400-page document as its draft
EIS and, again, has recommended
S.C.; Dinah Armour, Fayette
Academy, Somerville, Tenn.;
and Andrea Schoenfeld, Naples
Elementary, Tridell, Utah.
The White-Reinhardt Fund for
Education is a project of the
American Farm Bureau Founda-
tion for Agriculture in partner-
ship with the American Farm
Bureau Women’s Leadership
Committee. The fund honors
two former committee chairs,
Berta White and Linda Rein-
hardt, former Women’s Com-
mittee chairs who were leaders
in early national efforts to ex-
pand agricultural education.
cent said farm income should be
supplemented by government
farm program payments.
Young farmers and ranchers are
also committed
environmental
stewards, with
68 percent say-
ing that balanc-
ing environmen-
tal and economic
concerns is important for their
operations. The survey says 58
percent used conservation tillage
on their farms.
The majority of those surveyed,
57 percent, plan to plant biotech
crops this year, while 43 percent
said they do not plan to do so.
The survey also shows the In-
ternet is an important tool for
young farmers and ranchers.
Nearly 99 per-
cent said they
have access to
and use the In-
ternet, with the
vast majority, 72
percent, saying
they have access
to a high-speed
Internet connection. Only 20 per-
cent rely on slower dial-up con-
nections and 8 percent turn to
more costly satellite connections.
The social media site Facebook
is very popular with young farm-
ers and ranchers. Nearly three-
quarters of those surveyed have a
Facebook page. Ten percent of
the young farmers say they use
the micro-blogging Web site
Twitter, while about 12 percent
say they post YouTube videos.
Communicating with consum-
ers is also important, with 77 per-
cent saying they consider reach-
ing out to the public about agri-
culture and their operations an
important part of their jobs as
farmers and ranchers.
that Roundup Ready alfalfa be
deregulated and that farmers be
allowed to grow it. The comment
period on the draft EIS ended last
month.
The other groups submitting
the brief along with AFBF in-
clude the Biotechnology Indus-
try Organization, American Seed
Trade Association, American
Soybean Association, National
Reinhardt proud of ag ed legacy
Continued from page 7
the national Women’s Leadership
Committee making a donation
to a Ronald McDonald House
and with state and local commit-
tees doing the same, or making
other charitable donations, in
conjunction with raising aware-
ness about U.S. food production.
Reinhardt says educating about
agriculture is an ideal role for
farm women.
“Women are still the main
ones who are preparing food and
going to the market to shop,”
she explained. “So they’re prob-
ably the ones that need to be
March 22, 2010
“We’re recognizing that we
need to get out there and talk
with our consumers, and we
are doing so,” Gilmer said.
“Social me-
dia is just
one more
avenue for
us to reach
those who
buy and
consume what we produce.”
In addition, the Internet is
an important tool for the
group to access both general
and farm news, with 84 per-
cent saying they use the Web
for that function. Seventy-two
percent said they turn to the
Internet to collect buying in-
formation for their operations.
The survey also reveals the
group’s strong commitment to
agriculture, with 96 percent
saying they consider them-
selves life-long farmers or
ranchers. They also expressed
hope for the next generation,
with 98 percent saying they
would like to see their chil-
dren follow in their footsteps;
85 percent believe their chil-
dren will be able to follow
them into agriculture.
“Young farmers and ranch-
ers share the same tradition-
al hopes and values that
have always guided agricul-
ture,” said AFBF President
Bob Stallman. “This survey
shows that the future of
American agriculture is in
caring and capable hands.”
The informal survey of
young farmers and ranchers,
ages 18-35, was conducted
during AFBF’s 2010 YF&R
Leadership Conference in Tul-
sa, Okla., last month. There
were 373 respondents to the
informal survey.
Alfalfa and Forage Alliance,
National Association of Wheat
Growers, National Cotton Council
and National Potato Council.
Only about 1 percent of the
more than 10,000 cases appealed
to the Supreme Court each year
are accepted for review. The alfal-
fa case is scheduled for oral argu-
ment on April 27, with a de-
cision expected by June.
informed and leading this charge
of educating the rest of the
population. Also, through the
years, the visibility of women
in agriculture has become more
prominent. In my mother’s day,
most women stayed home and
kept house. They didn’t go out
and promote things. Now we
have that role of getting out
there and telling our story.”
That change is, no doubt,
largely due to Linda Reinhardt
and, similar to Berta White’s
influence on her, the part she
has played as a mentor and
role model for other women.