January 26, 2023

Alabama Farmers Federation Headed To D.C.

Washington Legislative Conference will be held March 7-10 in Washington, D.C. Registration closes Jan. 27. Register here.

Inaugural Activities Held In Montgomery

Alabama Farmers Federation members joined thousands of Alabamians in congratulating Gov. Kay Ivey and other state officials on their election during inaugural festivities Jan. 16. Festivities included the swearing-in ceremony; parade featuring Outstanding Young Farm Family and American Farm Bureau Federation Achievement Award winners Daniel and Carla Trantham and their children; Inaugural Gala; and a breakfast and reception for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate, hosted by the Federation and other state agriculture organizations. Alabama farm products were featured Jan. 15 during the Made In Alabama Reception at the Governor's Mansion.

Rural Alabama The Focus Of New Economic Growth Initiative

Rural Alabama is poised to benefit from a new initiative cultivating long-term, sustainable economic growth through agricultural investments. The AgTech Initiative received a boon through a $500,000 appropriation from the Alabama Legislature to implement their three-pronged strategy in 2023. “Our goal is to identify Alabama’s real, meaningful strengths that many people can intuitively mention but don’t have the numbers to back up,” said Greg Barker, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA). “From a statistical perspective, we need that validation to bring business to the state, permeate through the rest of our strategy and help the people of Alabama.” EDPA is tasked with implementing AgTech Initiative strategies: to confirm agriculture and forestry’s economic impact, address gaps in the agricultural supply chain and commercialize agriculture-related technologies in Alabama.

The check presentation was made Jan. 25 in Montgomery. From left are Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell; Economic Development Partnership of Alabama's Jimmy Sanford; House Ag Committee Chair Sen. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay; and Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Rick Pate.

Read more here.

Tight Margins, Farm Bill Discussions Dictate 188th Congress

With control of the U.S. Senate settled in an early December runoff, the 188th Congress is governing with some of the tightest margins in history in both chambers. Farmers and congressional allies are also focusing on a new farm bill in 2023, with historically high input costs and labor shortages top of mind. More than half the members of the U.S. House have never voted on a farm bill, which could complicate an already difficult prospect, said the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Mitt Walker. Authorization for most farm bill programs expires Sept. 30.  Alabama is fortunate to have representation on both Congressional agriculture committees. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville will continue to serve on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore will serve on the House Committee on Agriculture.

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville

Read more here.

Tuberville Staffers Visit Alabama,Talk Ag Issues With Farmers

The Alabama Farmers Federation welcomed Emma Johnston and Clay Parker from the staff of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, Jan. 16-19. Johnston and Parker visited farms across the state, met Federation members and talked issues that are impacting farmers' bottom lines and production capacity, such as input costs and labor. Stops included: Alabama Corn & Soybean Association annual meeting Milstead Cotton Gin RL&M Cattle Triple E Farms Priester's Pecans Forestry & cattle visit with Dr. Phil Hardee Gulf States Horticulture Expo Driskell Farms Cassebaum Farms

Alabama Legislative Agriculture Committees Set

Leaders were recently selected to serve on committees in the Alabama Legislature. Alabama Farmers Federation members and staff will work with these leaders to ensure priority items are passed to benefit rural Alabama.

Senate: Agriculture, Conservation, & Forestry  Sen. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay – Chair Sen. Jack Williams, R-Mobile – Vice Chair  Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro – Ranking Minority Member Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton Sen. Josh Carnley, R-Enterprise Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence Sen. Randy Price, R-Opelika Sen. Clay Scofield, R-Guntersville Sen. Robert Stewart, D-Selma Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia

House: Agriculture & Forestry  Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens – Chair Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford – Vice Chair Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville – Ranking Minority Member Rep. Brett Easterbrook, R-Fruitdale Rep. David Standridge, R-Hayden  Rep. Bob Fincher, R-Woodland Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Saraland  Rep. Matthew Hammett, R-Dozier  Rep. Curtis Travis, D-Tuscaloosa Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Mathews Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Demopolis  Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport Rep. Van Smith, R-Prattville Rep. Jennifer Fidler, R-Fairhope

View the most recent Capitol Connection here.

Davis Moves To New Role Serving Alabama Farmers

A familiar face for Wiregrass farmers will soon take on a new role in the Alabama Farmers Federation. Jacob Davis, who spent three years as Alabama Peanut Producers Association (APPA) executive director, starts as the Federation’s Area 8 Organization director Feb. 6. “I’ve enjoyed working with and for Alabama peanut farmers,” Davis said. “And that’s not going to change. Now, I’ll just be working with more diverse commodities and more people. We’re in the relationship business at the Alabama Farmers Federation. Meeting and serving our people well is what I enjoy.” As Area 8 director, Davis will serve as a liaison between the Federation home office and farmers in Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.

Read more about Jacob Davis here.

Freeze Frame: Farmers Recover From Deep Freeze

Three days before Christmas — with thousands of strawberry transplants in the ground and temperatures beginning to hover around 0 F — John and Kate DeLoach made a tough call. Farmers across commodities and counties spent the holiday like John — battling a deep freeze across the Deep South. Factoring in wind chill, many saw temperatures near or below 0 F.

Read how the freeze impacted Alabama farmers.

Down To Earth: Alabama Farmers Prioritize Efficient Land Use

“They aren’t making any more land. What’s there is what we’ve got," said Autauga County Farmer Bill Lipscomb. Sustaining for the future, protecting the land and using resources efficiently is key for farmers — and Lipscomb, Jason Powell and Corey Hill (recently interviewed for Neighbors magazine) are just a few examples of Alabama farmers who are innately Down To Earth.

Read more here.

Complete The 2022 Census Of Agriculture

Learn more here.

Get Ag-tive

Quick Clicks

The forest industry contributes approximately $28 billion to Alabama’s total economic output. More than 44,141 jobs help achieve this output, ranking Alabama in the top three nationally in timber production. Click here to read more of the article from Alabama Extension. The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at Auburn University is looking for a dairy & herd manager. Click here to apply. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is planning two precision agriculture workshops in February. These workshops are designed to provide support to farmers as they implement precision agriculture technologies to strengthen pre-planting, in-season and harvest management strategies. The dates are Feb. 8 and Feb. 28. Click here to learn more. Production for U.S. corn and soybeans declined from last year, according to the 2022 Crop Production Annual Summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Click here to read the article.

Events & Deadlines Jan. 27 - Beef Cattle and Forage Summit in Montgomery Jan. 27 - Deadline to register for American Farm Bureau Women's Communications Boot Camp. The conference is April 3-6 in Washington, D.C. Feb. 2 - Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show and Alabama Peanut Producers Association annual meeting in Dothan Feb. 3 - Alabama Agriculture Hall of Honor banquet in Auburn Feb. 8 - Alabama Extension Precision Ag Workshop in Athens Feb. 9-10 - Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association annual conference & trade show in Gulf Shores Feb. 10 - Wiregrass Cotton Expo in Dothan Feb. 14 - Bermudagrass Hay Growers Summit in Albertville Feb. 15 - Alabama Extension Commercial Poultry Basics Training in Auburn Feb. 20-22 - DIRTT Project Conference in Birmingham Feb. 24-26 - Young Farmers Conference in Birmingham Feb. 28 - Alabama Extension Precision Ag Workshop in Dothan March 7 - Legislative Session begins March 7-10 - Washington Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. March 11 - Jr. Dairy Expo in Montgomery March 16-18 - Jr. Beef Expo in Montgomery March 18 - Jr. Swine Expo in Montgomery New Season Of Simply Southern TV New episodes of Simply Southern season 9 continue. Be sure to tune in! Jan. 28/29 and Feb. 1: Falcon Hill Farm, Murder Creek Mystery Show on the Perdido Queen, Rural Roundup, Extension Farm and Outdoors about blueberries and a Southern Bite recipe for the Best Key Lime Pie Feb. 4/5/8: Rural veterinarians, the Lunch Box Museum, What’s in Season with Sweet Grown Alabama and a Southern Bite recipe for Dill Pickle Deviled Eggs sponsored by the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association Shows air over the weekend on six broadcast stations and on Wednesdays on national cable network RFD-TV. To find out where and when the show airs near you, visit simplysoutherntv.net and click “Where To Watch.”

Watch Simply Southern here.

This Week On Alabama AgCast

Listen here.

In Memory

Earl Culpepper - Dale County Wyeth Holt Speir "Chuck" Jr. - Baldwin County Richard Guthrie - Lee County William "Bill" Collier - Lee County

‌ ‌ ‌