We’ve Moved!

Readers,

The Pulse has moved to a new location on Colorado Farm Bureau’s new website. Go to www.coloradofarmbureau.com or www.colofb.com and click on Newsroom. We will be providing the same quality coverage of Colorado and national agriculture news, just in a new location. We hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for reading The Pulse!!

CFB Legislative Conference in Pictures

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No Meat, Only Potatoes – for 60 Days!

 

To Our Veterans

On Veterans Day

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We Will Never Forget

Our nation and its people have suffered yet another attack on our nation and our way of life over the last year. We have been the subject of several failed attempts to take the lives of our citizens and terrorize our people. These events have only strengthened our resolve to NEVER FORGET.

God Bless.

USDA Announces Next Steps on Sugar Beet Ruling

Out with the new, in with the old. Unless USDA can come up with a solution, the renewed ban on Roundup Ready beets would send production practices back to yesteryear.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service outlined steps to respond to a recent court case to keep sugar beet growers in compliance with a recent court ruling which overturned the agency’s decision to deregulate, or allow unlimited planting, of biotech sugar beets.

APHIS has received applications from and is issuing permits to sugar beet seed producers to authorize “steckling” (i.e seedlings) production this fall under strict permit conditions that would not allow flowering of the stecklings. APHIS anticipates that issuance of such non-flowering permits can be completed in the next two weeks.

Food Price inflation only Mild this Year

Although agricultural commodities have been on the rise this summer, the United States Department of Agriculture expects an unusually tame food-price inflation.

The consumer-price index for food is expected to rise only 0.5% to 1.5% this year; the smallest increase since 1992. Comparatively, wheat, corn and soybean prices have seen increases over the summer months.
Although generally it takes several months for commodity prices to reach super markets, it appears that the USDA is not forecasting these commodity increases to significantly affect supper market prices. The inability of the U.S. economy to pick up steam prompted the USDA to lower its forecast by one percentage point from the range of 1.5% to 2.5% it calculated a month ago.

(image:markcoatsworth)

Colorado Farm Bureau Proud Membership Update

The Colorado Farm Bureau Proud Membership Campaign is well under way and as of June 1^st 2010 we have 36 new memberships signed up by Colorado Farm Bureau members.

There is still plenty of time to engage in the campaign and win great prizes for your county and yourself!

This year we are again offering the Grab 4 for Farm Bureau challenge. Any county that signs up a total 4 producer members either by signing up a new or actively renewing a previous member from a non renewal list between August 1st and September 30th will be recognized at the CFB annual meeting membership awards breakfast and be eligible for a special prize.

Agriculture Degree Equals Opportunity

A new study shows a good job market for agriculture college graduates.

The study, conducted by Purdue University and the Agriculture Department, predicts about 54,000 agriculture-related jobs will be created in the U.S. every year between now and 2015.

The job growth is driven in part by increased food demand in other countries

(Image:ralph and jenny)

Women’s Ag-vocates for Agriculture Conference

Don Shawcroft Testifies in Support of HB1159

On Thursday, February 4^th Don Shawcroft, Vice-President of the Colorado Farm Bureau, testified before the Joint Ag Committee on HB 1159.  The bill requires a water judge to consider leases and changes to the use of water rights.  Applicants must meet requirements with the affected water conservation district(s).

Read Shawcroft’s testimony below for the Farm Bureau’s stance on the bill.

AFBF Women’s Luncheon

The women of the Colorado delegation.

 The women of AFBF gathered Sunday for the Women’s Leadership Recognition Luncheon. AFBF President Stallman was in attendance. He commended the attendees on taking the first steps toward leadership roles and urged them to continue on their paths.

AFBF President Stallman models his paink ballcap.

Each state was recognized for their work in 2009. Colorado’s Angela Ryden accepted an award for Colorado’s Women’s Committee and the committee was recognized for their stellar fundraising during the silent auction at the State Annual meeting. Vice Chair Sherry Saylor was appreciative of the committee’s auctioning of Troy Bredenkamp, the Executive Workhorse.

Ron Nereson and Charles Ryden show that they are tough guys in pink.

All attendees were presented with pink Farm Bureau ballcaps to present to legislators in their home states and a photo was taken of all attendees showing their support by holding up the pink ballcaps in support of the Don’t Cap Our Future campaign.

Trio of Senators Offer New Climate Change Proposal

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I.-Conn.) on Thursday held a press conference to talk up a proposal on climate legislation that includes caps on greenhouse gas emissions and incentives for offshore oil-and-gas exploration and nuclear power plants. The proposal won praise from President Barack Obama.

more about “Climate Change Bill – C-SPAN Video Li…“, posted with vodpod

According to a Wall Street Journal article, it’s unclear whether the proposal can win over Democrats from heartland states and Republicans that are opposed to adopting caps on U.S. carbon emissions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has put off consideration of a climate bill until spring and is currently focusing attention on health care and jobs.

Sen. Lindsey Grahm earlier this year, bucked the party line and pledged to work with Sen. Kerry on global warming legislation after negotiations slowed in the Senate.

Pulse Poll

Me and CFB

Nick Colglazier and I compete in the Final Four. Colglazier is an amazing speaker and a downright entertaining guy.

My dad, a lifelong businessman, has always said that ‘if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu’. This was part of my opening statement in the Final Four round of the YF&R Discussion Meet and this moment, this entire weekend, marked the beginning of an amazing journey.

When I first attended a CFB meeting last year, I had no idea the opportunities that would be available to me. Since then, I’ve developed amazing friendships with a number of other members including a mentor-like relationship with Susan Leach. Leach is not only one of the state’s most active and exceptional District Representatives, she’s a mentor and a great pal.

When I signed up to compete in the Discussion Meet, I knew I would meet other young members and maybe even forge a friendship or two. I had no idea that I would meet Nick Colglazier, who is so dynamic that I step my game up ten steps around him. Nathan Weathers, from Yuma County, is brilliant and brave. The Discussion Meet winner, Deanna Bartee, a fellow teacher, is headed to Seattle and I’m (courtesy of the Women’s Committee essay contest and YF&R) lucky enough to go too! She’s also gracious enough to use me as a resource while preparing and competing at the AFBF Discussion Meet and I’m looking forward to being her “person”.

CFB is filled with amazing individuals and opportunities and I’m so glad to be a part.

Reminder, Turn Your Clocks Back on Sunday

On November 1 at 2 AM local time, clocks should be set back one hour (to 1 AM local time) to switch from DST to Standard Time. (This does not apply to parts of the United States not observing DST.)

Before 2007, older rules had DST beginning later in the spring, and ending earlier in autumn. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 implemented new rules effective in 2007 to save energy by beginning DST on the second Sunday of March and returning to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November, increasing the period of Daylight Saving Time by four weeks most years.

Whole New (Search) World

Twitter’s deal with Google opens up the web to Ag’s message

Much has been written about the recent deal inked between Twitter and Google that will allow the search giant to include tweets in search results.

Obviously the public nature of tweets lends itself to search and imbedded social media results within each Google search – much like ‘image’ or ‘news’ searches are currently displayed – will add tremendous value to the space. No doubt that any marketers still fence-sitting about the value of Twitter will now be forced to jump in.

For Ag users, the deal has significant impact on the scope and reach of our online message.

• While Twitters explosive growth has been more than enough reason for agriculturalists to adopt the platform, it has its limits. Twitters traffic is roughly 14-18 million visitors per month, however eMarketer estimates that there are only 6 million registered users. This represents only about 3.8% of people on the Internet.
• Google’s social search feature will help break down the barrier between the Twitterverse and the rest of the internet. No longer will Ag related RT’s and tagged tweets simply bounce around inside the #farm or #agchat bubble. They will have direct access to the general internet public.
• Twitter users now have greater power to directly and organically impact search results. This means that despite large SEO budgets directly controlling search rankings, individual users will have the ability to logroll content and deliver what’s really important.
• Twitter will continue to become less of a destination and more of a presence on the web. (3^rd party clients, search)

The deal should have an impact on the way you tweet. If Ag professionals don’t change the way they use Twitter to reflect the newly broadened horizons opened up by Google, they will be missing out on having impactful and insightful messages reach a larger set of eyes on the broader internet. Users should consider several areas that they can change and ‘tweak’ the way they use the space.

Takeaways

• More focus on relevant search terms beyond hashtags.

In order to improve search rankings and visibility, bloggers focus on using of common search terms in their writing and reuse them often. Twitter users should now think twice before shortening valuable search terms and /or relying on hashtags too much. Use terms that the general public will use when seeking information on a specific topic. We may like to use animal wellbeing, but the public is searching for animal welfare.

• Trending topics have the potential to greatly influence search results.

Ag users have shown that they can successfully influence the conversation on Twitter. The recent trending topics #oink and #moo were successful in focusing a broad conversation about Ag within the space. Users should expect trending topics to break out of the space and return results within a Google search. Supporting documentation and information should be in place before any organized attempt to trend a topic.

• Social relevance will be more important to a successful Twitter campaign than before.

Engaging and more importantly ‘real’ Twitter personalities will become more important now that tweets will reach the broader web. We already know that consumers have virtually no trust in corporate (read, lifeless) blogs. We also know that users feel that same way about Twitter accounts that do nothing but promote a groups latest news release. Tweeps should remember to give their stream some life from time to time, and organizations should consider developing companion accounts that compliment the organizations feed with personal tweets.

With a little forethought, Twitter users will easily cultivate a strong following on the web and even among those who have never visited the site. Real time updates and conversational topics will become central to internet search. Ag users have the ability to continue to leverage the power of Twitter to reach millions of viewers with our message and engage with them on a more personal level. It will simply require a re-thinking about the way we use the tools currently at our disposal.

Update:

Thanks to @Mica_MON and @RayLinDairy for adding to the conversation and bringing up the following points. I had not thought about this at all and I thank them for their thoughts. You can find their entire posts in the comments section.

@Mica_MON – “I also think there are lessons for us in the types of people we engage on Twitter. What conversations are going to be useful for the broader Internet user to learn about agriculture? When we get into a heated exchange with an organic/local/food activist are we communicating in a professional manner? Do those converastions provide the type of information/knowledge we want people to have?”

I would agree wholeheartedly. I would also add that the potential for Ag users to look bad in the eyes of readers when engaging in these types of exchanges increases exponentially due to the nature of the medium. Unlike comments on blog posts, Twitter conversations are not threaded and therefore the opportunity for searchers to take tweets out of context is greater. Users should try to embed a message or grow a relationship with every conversational tweet and make their comments as clear as possible. If you can, incorporate questions into answers and make good use of “Re:”

@RayLinDairy – …we in AG need to get back in the relationship game. With SM we have gone too far to the propaganda/politics side and need to readjust.

This goes somewhat to the previous point, and there is not time like now to readjust. We as Ag users should re-evaluate who we have conversations with and what those conversations are about. I think both crop and livestock users can all identify several @’s on the opposite side of the aisle that are no longer worth engaging with, especially now that our words are open to the entire web. Focus more on casual users as opposed to agenda users. Build relationships and have conversations that you wouldn’t mind your preacher reading!

National FFA Convention Kicks Off Next Week

Next week, the National FFA Organization will host its 82nd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. More than 55,000 high school students from across the United States will gather to compete, perform and learn through competitions, workshops, sessions and more.

Highlights of the convention include addresses by Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant, Mike Rowe from the Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated series “Dirty Jobs With Mike Rowe,” a celebration honoring “40 Years of Women in FFA,” and announcement of the “Stars Over America” program winners, one of FFA’s most prestigious honors.

On 9/11

Thank You, to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, coast guard, counterterrorism and public safety professionals who have prevented a second attack on our nation and our way of life for the last nine years. If not for your bravery and unwavering sense of duty, we as Americans might have seen more pictures like this one in the last few years.

God Bless.

The Ag Agenda

By Bob Stallman, AFBF President

A Climate Bill That Won’t Change the Climate

Climate change legislation currently being considered by Congress will have a devastating impact on family farms and agricultural production across the country. The House-passed bill (H.R. 2454), which is being examined by the Senate to serve as the potential basis for its climate change legislation, poses a real economic threat for the U.S. agricultural economy. It also places our nation at a competitive disadvantage with our trading partners and fails to provide viable alternative sources of energy to keep our economy strong and hold down costs. And, after all this, the measure would have little or no impact on the climate.

Isgar’s Vacant Seat Filled

Bruce Whitehead of Hesperus, Colo., will fill the Colorado Senate District 6 seat vacated by Democrat Jim Isgar, not former Montrose County Commissioner Bill Patterson.

After Isgar’s seat became vacant when he accepted a federal position, Patterson applied to the Democratic Vacancy Committee. The committee, which consists of individuals throughout District 6, announced the decision Saturday.

Whitehead worked for 25 years for the Colorado Division of Water Resources and is the executive director of the Southwest and Animas-La Plata water conservation districts. Gov. Bill Ritter appointed him last year to serve on the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Welcome to The Pulse

Welcome to the new and improved Colorado Farm Bureau communications site, The Pulse of Colorado Farm Bureau. We are updating our communications strategy to keep you better informed!

Farm Wife 101

There is a poem I read a number of years ago that now speaks to me with a great deal of levity. Joan Hoffman, a ranch wife since the 1940s, writes about a ranch wife who walks into her new life “love first,’ and “in the evening listens to unfamiliar talk concerning post-hole diggers, pump-leathers, and rake teeth.” She misses her old life with her father’s charge card, her mother’s perfume, skipping out on the dishes and parking on the way home but “she squares her shoulders, burns the toast again and settles in.”

In the days in which this poem meant less to me, I was not yet a member of the largest sorority in rural America, a farm wife. My husband, a fifth generation farmer, has taught me a plethora of new skills and I have not yet caused any major injuries to either of us. When I visit with other farm wives around Lincoln County and eastern Colorado, they all have stories about learning to be farm wives. Many of the stories reflect the similar experiences we have.

I was relaying the story about my husband trying to teach me to drive the old Case tractor and disc to my friend, Larra, and how close I had come to throwing him from the cab. We laughed reliving the story, especially since Jason stood there, without injury, following my driving lesson. Larra’s husband cuts acres and acres of hay and often has Larra run the swather. She said he never really complained as long as the swathing was done until she cut a windrow in a field near a road. He finally told her that if she was going to cut near the road she was going to have to do it straight so no one who drove by thought he had swathed that crooked windrow.

No matter whether we are farm wives in Lincoln County, ranch wives on the western slope, the wives of dairymen, poultry producers, potato growers, honeybee kings or otherwise, we share a common thread and bond. We are all certainly lucky to live where we live and to make a living the ways we do. We are lucky enough.

I would love to hear your stories, email me at  rachelchappelle@gmail.com

The Pulse Welcomes New Contributor

It is probably fair to say that Colorado Farm Bureau is darned important to me.  I met my husband through the Extension Office in Lincoln County and our first date was the Colorado Farm Bureau annual meeting. Really. We were married months later and the Lincoln County Farm Bureau Board members made me feel right at home.

My husband, Jason Vermillion, is a fifth generation farmer and is a Lincoln County Farm Bureau Board Member, Young Farmer and Rancher Rep. and Scholarship Committee Chair. We live near Hall Station, just south of the family farm. We are building a show pig business in addition to raising cattle, hay, crops and the occasional derby car.

I grew up south of Castle Rock and my mom kept me busy with 4-H projects ranging from livestock judging to market lambs in an attempt to keep me busy. I went on to graduate from Fort Hays State University with a degree in Animal Science where I developed farrowing skills I seem to put to good use frequently. I currently teach at Genoa Hugo High School where our son, Caden, is going to be a third grader in the fall.

I will be contributing stories to The Pulse when I can and you may also see my writing in Colorado Way of Life. I’m looking forward to writing about life way out here and about the stories we all share and the people we all know. We’re certainly in good company.