SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 | VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 19
Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE
ArFB HIRES HOOTEN FOR PR ROLE Chad Hooten has been hired as Public Relations Specialist at the Arkansas Farm Bureau, . He will work as a multi-media storyteller as part of the organization’s efforts to promote agriculture policy and heighten awareness concerning the value and importance of Arkansas agriculture.
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Hooten has spent the past 30 years guiding the Hootens Publishing business, which includes an annual football guide, an accompanying weekly television show and radio appearances, as well as pre- and post-season events promoting Arkansas high schools and the communities they represent. Hooten holds a communications degree from
Chad Hooten
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GET THE LINKS Diversity in Ag | ArFB hosted the 2022 Diversity in Agriculture Conference Sept. 14 in Little Rock. The conference provided outreach and education to farmers from diverse agricultural backgrounds in Arkansas. Topics discussed included heirs property, state and federal funding opportunities, mental health and success stories from farmers. Amberley Snyder (right) was the keynote speaker. More photos can be found online.
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the University of Arkansas. Before starting Hooten’s Publishing, he spent time as a public relations coordinator for the City of Little Rock, and with Washington Regional Medical Center. He also was a reporter and editor at KHOG-TV in Fayetteville and spent time at KNWA-TV. He was as an overnight DJ on KKEG radio while in college and worked with the UA Media Services department during that time. He started work as a 15-year-old at KKDI radio in his hometown of Sheridan. Hooten and his wife Ashley live in Benton with their three children.
ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FOUNDATION NIGHT-IN The Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation will be hosting our Foundation Night-In event during the Arkansas Farm Bureau 88th Annual Convention. The event will be held Nov. 30 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, Halls C & D, from 6 to 8 p.m. The meal will be catered by Woods Place Catering of Camden, and will include fried catfish, shrimp and chicken along with all of the fixings. The event will also include live music by Kordsmeier Music and a silent auction. This year’s event will have open seating to go along with the casual theme for the event. Tickets are $60 each. To reserve tickets, please contact Amanda Williams, Director, ArFB Foundation, at amanda.williams@arfb.com or 501-228-1493 by Thursday, Nov. 17. We hope you join us for a fun, casual evening, with great food and entertainment, benefiting the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation.
Washington Co. Fair | The Washington County Fair was held Aug. 23-27. Insurance agents provided lunch for all the exhibitors and parents on Aug. 23 and the Annual Junior Livestock Premium Auction was held on Aug. 25. Some 141 exhibitors went through the ring with their 4-H and FFA projects, bringing in a record $219,050 in bids before any add-on monies. Above: Cooper Horn exhibited the Grand Champion Market Steer drawing a final group bid of $6,500. Below: Washington Co. Farm Bureau agents serving lunch.
NATIONAL FARM SAFETY AND HEALTH WEEK: SEPT. 18 - 24, 2022 The 2022 National Farm Safety and Health Week will be held Sept. 18-24 with the theme Protecting Agriculture’s Future. Fall harvest time can be one of the busiest and most dangerous seasons of the year for the agriculture industry. For this reason, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week. Each day during National Farm Safety & Health Week, AgriSafe will host two free webinars related to the daily topic of focus. Participants only need to register online one time to access allof the NFSHW webinars.
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AQUACULTURE/FISHERIES FIELD DAY SET FOR OCT. 6 An aquaculture/fisheries field day is planned for Oct. 6 at the Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center (SNARC) at 2955 Highway 130 in Stuttgart. The event is sponsored jointly by SNARC and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Aquaculture/ Fisheries Center of Excellence. The field day is free and open to the public. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Tours begin at 9 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m. The field day will conclude with lunch at noon. Several of the topics are related to diets for different fish species. Other topics related to fish health cover the prevention of fish diseases and production losses. Attendees will also learn about small-scale aquaponics, the implications of inflation on the aquaculture industry, the re-establishment of aquatic vegetation in water bodies, split-pond catfish production and observation of fish behavior through radio telemetry. For more information about the aquaculture/fisheries field day, contact Casandra Byrd at 870-575-8123 or byrdc@uapb.edu.
WEBINAR CORRALS LEGAL ISSUES OF FENCES AND LIVESTOCK A fence is more than just posts and strands of wire; it’s the foundation of a whole class of laws about property, range and stray animals and the rights and responsibilities of ranchers.
Benton Co. Brings Charlotte to Students | The Benton Co. Women’s Leadership Committee, YF&R and county extension agents volunteered to help with the hands-on experience with farm animals after the students of Eastside Elementary in Rogers read the book “Charlotte’s Web.” There were live pigs provided by Benton Co. Farm Bureau board members Tim and Nikki Crawley, and the University of Arkansas Arachnology Department provided live spiders for the kids to see. There was also a simulator cow the students could milk and a program on beef cattle. More than 500 students attended the program.
The laws will be front and center Sept. 21 during a webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center, titled “Fence Laws: Corralling Legal Issues and Livestock.” There is no cost to attend, and registration is available online. The hour-long webinar begins at 11 a.m. Central. The webinar features Rumley and Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, agricultural law specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. “What happens when a cow gets loose? Who foots the bill for maintaining fences between properties?” said Rusty Rumley, senior staff attorney with the National Agricultural Law Center. “Fence laws aren’t particularly glamorous, but they are integral to the livestock industry.”
A-State Collegiate YF&R | Craighead Co. Farm Bureau recently sponsored dinner for the Arkansas State University Collegiate YF&R meeting. County Board President Jeffrey Tubbs and Second VP Chris Damron grilled beef hamburgers and hot dogs for the more than 30 students in attendance.
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MARKET NEWS as of Sept. 14, 2022 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com Rice The September Crop Production and Supply/Demand reports were bullish for rice futures. U.S. all-rice production was lowered again and is now pegged at 165.144 million hundredweight, and ending stocks for the marketing year were lowered to 30.9 million bushels down 22% from the previous year. That was due to a 41 pound/acre cut in expected yield. Average expected yield nationwide is now pegged at 7,586 pound/ acre. In Arkansas, the average yield is projected to be 7,500 pound/ acre. Harvest is well underway, but a bit behind the average pace. In Arkansas, 24% of the crop is in the bins compared to a five-year average of 33%. USDA raised the expected onfarm price of long and medium grain rice by another 50 cents to $16.50 and $17.00 respectively. Futures rallied on Friday in reaction to news that India will limit exports due to concerns about a small crop, and the rally continued in reaction to Monday’s reports. November is now in position to challenge resistance at $17.95½. Cotton The story for cotton was very different, as USDA raised the 2022 U.S. crop forecast by 1.262 million bales despite a lower projected yield per acre. USDA raised harvested cotton acres by 747,000 acres, including 145,000 acres in Arkansas. Both FSA certified acres and Boll Weevil Eradication enrollment suggested Arkansas acres were significantly underestimated by NASS, and this correction reflects that. Across the country, planted acreage was raised 4
from 12.48 million to 13.79 million acres. Exports were raised to 12.6 million bales, and the U.S. on-farm average price dropped a penny to 96 cents/pound. Cotton futures have weathered the bearish news fairly well thanks to carryover support from other commodities. The market is trading in a narrow sideways pattern currently, with support above $1.01 and resistance is near $1.08. Soybeans The September reports held bullish surprises for soybeans. The harvested acreage projection was cut by 600,000 acres, and the projected yield was cut by 1.4 bushels per acre. The estimate of a national average yield of 50.5 bushels per acre shocked the market and was a full bushel below the average trade guesstimate. The net result was a 3.4% cut to the total production estimate since the August report. The USDA 2022/23 carryout is now pegged at 200 million bushels. The average on-farm price was unchanged from the August report, and remains $14.35/bushel. November beans rallied on Monday in reaction to the report. So far, the market has been unable to close above $15. Corn USDA lowered its U.S. crop and carryout forecasts for corn, too. A 1.2 million acre cut in the planted acreage estimate was a surprise. It was partially offset by an increase in the average yield estimate to 172.5 bushels per acre, but supply estimates were reduced more than use estimates, resulting in a projected carryout of 1.2 billion bushels. The season-average corn price was raised 10 cents to $6.75 per bushel. Livestock and Poultry In the August Supply/Demand report, USDA raised its red meat and poultry production estimates, with higher beef, pork and broiler forecasts were partially offset by lower turkey production. Beef production was
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raised on higher expected slaughter numbers for the second half of the year. Lower expected carcass weights partially offset the increase. The story for pork production was the same, higher slaughter numbers were partially offset by lower carcass weights. That speaks to herd liquidation in the face of high feed costs. Broiler production was raised on current slaughter data and higher eggs set and chicks placed. Turkey production was slightly lower on slaughter and hatchery data. The beef import forecast for 2022 was lowered on July trade data and expectations for slower imports, and the export forecast was unchanged. Pork import and export forecasts were both lowered. The national average price for steers was raised slightly to $142.80/ cwt, while the national average for barrows and guilts was lowered $2.50 to $71.30/cwt. The national average for broilers was projected to be $1.434/pound, and the turkey price was pegged at $1.513/pound. Dairy The 2022 milk production forecast was lowered this month in the Supply/Demand report. Milk cow numbers have been reduced, and slower growth in cow numbers is expected through the rest of the year and into 2023. Output-per-cow is forecast to increase at a slightly more rapid pace in 2022. The forecasts for butter prices and nonfat dry milk prices were raised slightly on current price strength. Both Class III and Class IV prices were raised, reflecting changes in its component values. The 2022 all milk price forecast was raised to $25.45/cwt.
EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com