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Greetings!
House Bill 217 Signed into Law! Representative Tarr worked with the Alaska Farm Bureau to get one of our priorities passed this past session. Along with AKFB's priority of limiting liability for agritourism, HB 217 increased the incentives for product preference of Alaska Grown products gave Division of Agriculture receipt authority. This bill passed both the House and Senate and on Wednesday September 5
th
Governor Walker signed the bill! You can read Representative Tarr's press release
here.
It's Annual Meeting Time!
Mark your calendars for the 2018 Friday Forum, Awards Banquet and Annual Meeting; to be held in Anchorage at the Crowne Plaza on November 16-17, 2018.
Along with our Friday Forum and Annual Meeting the Alaska Farm Bureau holds an auction to support our Bruce Willard Scholarship Fund. During the day on Friday is the silent auction, with an outcry auction Friday night at the Awards Banquet. You can start booking your room anytime by calling 1-877-270-1393. Be sure and reference the Alaska Farm Bureau to get the group discount.
We are so thankful for all the donations we receive for the auction! We are able to provide up to two scholarships in the amount of $2000.00 each year to students going into agriculture or natural resources fields. We are asking for donations for the 2018 Bruce Willard Scholarship Auction.
You can send items to the Alaska Farm Bureau office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669, bring the items with you to the Friday Forum, or if it's a large item, provide a certificate.
General members who want to participate in voting for directors or voting at the Annual Meeting need to make sure their dues are current.
Cheers!
Amy Seitz, Executive Director
37075 Nicholas View Lane
Soldotna, AK 99669
907-252-5064
PS. Do you still need to renew your Alaska Farm Bureau membership this year? Or, have you been meaning to join and just haven't gotten around to it? Join/renew on our website -
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WANTED
YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR AND AG APPRECIATION AWARDS
The
Ag Appreciation Award
will honor someone who is exceptional in their service to agriculture and the farmers and ranchers in Alaska.
The
Legislator of the Year
Award is to honor a Representative or Senator who has made a significant contribution to the advancement, promotion, or protection of agricultural producers in the state.
The deadline to nominate is September 15th.
The nomination process is not a formal one as there are no applications or forms to complete. Just send an e-mail or a note with the person's name and a brief description of why you think they should be honored. Send your nominations to the Alaska Farm Bureau's office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669 or e-mail it to
amy.seitz@gmail.com
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14th Annual Alaska Sustainable Agriculture Conference
Nov. 5-7, 2018 at BP Energy Center, Anchorage
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Attention All Producers, Associations, Nonprofits, and Organizations!
Do you have an upcoming event or an anouncement of interest to the agriculture community in Alaska?
Send your announcements for possible inclusion on our website, Facebook or email newsletter to
Amy.Seitz@gmail.com.
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FARM BUREAU BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
It's that time of year! Time to nominate someone to represent your chapter on the Alaska Farm Bureau's Board of Directors.
You will be receiving your Nomination Petition in the mail. Complete the petition with the name and address of the person you wish to nominate to represent your chapter on the Board of Directors.
Two General Members who have their 2018 dues paid must sign the nomination petition. The petition must also be signed by the person nominated indicating that they agree to serve if elected. The person nominated must be a General Member and have their 2018 dues paid. A General Member is actively engaged in agriculture or mariculture.
Nominating petitions must be received or postmarked by September 15th. They are sent to the Alaska Farm Bureau Office at 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters by October 1st.
Members of the Copper River Valley Chapter will not be participating in the election process this year as their Director; Viola Amberg's term of office does not expire until 2019.
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2018 ALASKA FARM BUREAU
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
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2017 AKFB Photo Contest
People's Choice Winner
"And time marches on..." by Emmy Van Wye
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I hope you had your camera with you this summer! Now it's time to submit those photos for the 2018 Alaska Farm Bureau Photo Contest.
The contest is open to every member and their children.
There are three categories:
- Farm Animals,
- Farm Scenery, and
- Country Children.
A $100 first prize will be awarded in each category. Those attending the Friday Forum and Annual Meeting will select the "People's Choice" from among all the photographs entered. That winner will also be awarded $100.00.
Photographs will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, originality and human interest.
The photographs should be digital and e-mailed to AKFB executive director at
amy.seitz@gmail.com
Photos can also be mailed to 37075 Nicholas View Lane, Soldotna, AK 99669. The deadline is October 1st.
Copies of the photographs may be used by the Alaska Farm Bureau to promote agriculture in our membership brochures, website and Facebook. Credit will be given to the photographer if their photo is used.
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USDA Announces Details of Assistance for Farmers Impacted by Unjustified Retaliation
(Washington, D.C., August 27, 2018
) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details regarding actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations. President Donald J. Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. As
announced last month
, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with our World Trade Organization obligations.
"Early on, the President instructed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to make sure our farmers did not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs. After careful analysis by our team at USDA, we have formulated our strategy to mitigate the trade damages sustained by our farmers. Our farmers work hard, and are the most productive in the world, and we aim to protect them," said Secretary Perdue.
These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets:
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USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) to provide payments to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean and wheat producers starting September 4, 2018. This is the first payment period. The second payment period, if warranted, will be determined by USDA.
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USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will administer a Food Purchase and Distribution Program to purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will distribute these commodities through nutrition assistance programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and child nutrition programs.
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Through the Foreign Agricultural Service's (FAS) Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), $200 million will be made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The program will help U.S. agricultural exporters identify and access new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries' restrictions.
"President Trump has been standing up to China and other nations, sending the clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate their unfair trade practices, which include non-tariff trade barriers and the theft of intellectual property. In short, the President has taken action to benefit all sectors of the American economy - including agriculture - in the long run,"
said Secretary Perdue
. "It's important to note all of this could go away tomorrow, if China and the other nations simply correct their behavior. But in the meantime, the programs we are announcing today buys time for the President to strike long-lasting trade deals to benefit our entire economy."
You may click
HERE
to watch a video message from Secretary Perdue regarding today's announcement.
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Background on Market Facilitation Program:
MFP is established under the statutory authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and administered by FSA. For each commodity covered, the payment rate will be dependent upon the severity of the trade disruption and the period of adjustment to new trade patterns, based on each producer's actual production.
Interested producers can apply after harvest is 100 percent complete and they can report their total 2018 production.
Beginning September 4th of this year, MFP applications will be available online at
www.farmers.gov/MFP
. Producers will also be able to submit their MFP applications in person, by email, fax, or by mail.
Eligible applicants must have an ownership interest in the commodity, be actively engaged in farming, and have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the "Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation"regulations. On September 4, 2018, the first of two MFP payment periods will begin. The second payment period, if warranted, will be determined by the CCC.
Market Facilitation Program
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Commodity
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Initial Payment Rate
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Est. Initial Payment**
(in $1,000s)
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Cotton
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$0.06 / lb.
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$276,900
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Corn
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$0.01 / bu.
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$96,000
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Dairy (milk)
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$0.12 / cwt.
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$127,400
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Pork (hogs)
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$8.00 / head
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$290,300
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Soybeans
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$1.65 / bu.
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$3,629,700
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Sorghum
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$0.86 / bu.
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$156,800
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Wheat
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$0.14 / bu.
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$119,200
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Total
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$4,696,300
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** Initial payment rate on 50% of production
The initial MFP payment will be calculated by multiplying 50 percent of the producer's total 2018 actual production by the applicable MFP rate. If CCC announces a second MFP payment period, the remaining 50 percent of the producer's total 2018 actual production will be subject to the second MFP payment rate.
MFP payments are capped per person or legal entity at a combined $125,000 for dairy production or hogs. Payment for dairy production is based off the historical production reported for the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). For existing dairy operations, the production history is established using the highest annual milk production marketed during the full calendar years of 2011, 2012, and 2013. Dairy operations are also required to have been in operation on June 1, 2018 to be eligible for payments. Payment for hog operations will be based off the total number of head of live hogs owned on August 1, 2018.
MFP payments are also capped per person or legal entity at a combined $125,000 for corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans and wheat.
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Classified Ads
Puppies born April 29
th
- two males left. Asking $600 but willing to negotiate price if it's a working home. Contact Jerry 907-590-1325.
2018 Brome Hay:
Brome Hay in Delta for sale - 65lb squars @ $10.00each and 1300lb rounds @ $100 each. Contact Jim Eastwood 907-723-1132
80 Acre Farm:
Farm for sale in Two Rivers, Alaska. $480,000-$520,000 depending on financing- owner financing available. 30 acres brome hay, 2 acres peonies,2 acres vegetables, 3 high tunnels, small barn, unfinished shop, 30 year old unfinished log house, well, septic, electricity. Contact Joni at 907-488-9202
Green Bison Hides:
Scraped, salted, dried and folded green bison hides for sale. Ready for tanning. $150.00 each. Contact Scott Hollembaek @ 907-895-4715
Straw Bales Wanted:
Truck load of square straw bales wanted. Please give a quote including delivery. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Discounts and donations are 100% tax deductible. Contact Mike Miller at 907-301-7942
100% Alaska Grown Wine:
Alaska Berries, located near Soldotna, is the first and only Estate winery in Alaska. An estate winery is one that grows ALL of its fruit used in its wine. Our business hours are Wed - Sun from 2:00 to 7:00pm. Come visit our tasting room and sample our wines before you buy. At this time we are not shipping wine. Contact Brian Olson, 907-252-8511
All Natural Beef:
Locally grown, all natural, grass fed, Delta Barley finished, Black Angus beef for sale. $3.85/lb dressed. Available in whole or halves from Mugrage Hay & Cattle. Call 907-895-2072 or 308-362-9060
We Buy Berries:
Bear Creek Winery is family owned and operated and we are a farm to table operation. Our award winning wines are so popular that we cannot grow enough berries to keep up with demand, so we also buy berries from local farmers. Please keep us in mind if you are thinking of growing or need a buyer for any of the following crops:
Raspberries, Black Currants, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Apples, and Blueberries.
Contact Louis at 907-235-8484.
Visit Website
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Events
September 8-15: 6th Annual Harvest Moon Local Food Week. Those in the Kenai/Soldotna area during this time can participate in events - schedule found
here. The week ends with the Harvest Moon Local Food Festival on the 15th!
September 15: Deadline to submit nominations for Legislator of the Year and Agriculture Appreciation Award. Send nominations to
Amy.Seitz@gmail.com.
October 1: Deadline to submit photos for Alaska Farm Bureau's photo contest. Photo's submitted to
Amy.Seitz@gmail.com.
November 1: Alaska Farm Bureau's 2019 Membership year starts - dues payments due.
November 16-17, 2018: Alaska Farm Bureau Friday Forum, Awards Banquet & Annual Meeting. Crowne Plaza, Anchorage.
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Alaska Farm Bureau Member Benefits
CAT introduces its new, 2-year standard warranty on CAT Skid Steer Loaders, Compact Track Loaders, Multi Terrain Loaders and Mini Excavators that gives your operation flexibility and reliability for the long term. Combined with your up- to-$2,500 Alaska Farm Bureau discount on new CAT machines, that's a hard deal to pass up!
It's time to take your to-do list to done! Use your Alaska Farm Bureau membership to receive access to the John Deere Gree
nFleetâ„¢ Loyalty Rewards program and apply Platinum 2 discounts to your next purchase.
Join the Alaska Farm Bureau for only $40 per year and your dollars will go to support our mission of improving the economic well-being and expansion of agriculture and to enrich the quality of life for all Alaskans.
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Alaska Farm Bureau
37075 Nicholas View Lane
Soldotna, AK 99669
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