November 13, 2020 | News from the Alabama Farmers Federation
Annual Meeting To Feature Formatting Changes
The Alabama Farmers Federation 99th annual meeting is Dec. 6-7 in Montgomery — and will look a little different this year.

Staff members have worked diligently to combine sessions with meal functions to create the safest environment possible.

Watch this video to learn about agenda changes.

Click here to register and secure your spot by Nov. 30.

And download the annual meeting app through the Yapp platform to access updates.
Commodity Corner
Enjoy updates from Alabama Farmers Federation commodity directors Carla Hornady, Russ Durrance, Jacob Davis, Brady Ragland, William Green and Hunter McBrayer.
Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association 
The Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) will hold its annual business meeting Dec. 3 at the Chilton County Farmers Federation Building. Members will hear updates from Auburn University Horticulture Department Head Desmond Layne and Extension Commercial Horticulture Team Leader Ayanava Majumdar and will elect new board members and a new slate of officers.

Cotton
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Southeast Webinar is Nov. 19 at 7:30 a.m. Click here to register.

Peanuts
November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, and the Alabama Peanut Producers Association is celebrating by giving away a year supply of peanut butter! To enter to win, post a picture of you or your family enjoying a tasty peanut butter snack and tag Alabama Peanut Producers in your post. The contest will run throughout November. Entries are unlimited.

Pork
The National Pork Board has launched a new program, AgView. The web-based tool aimed at helping the industry avoid the spread of foreign animal disease is free and allows producers to share up-to-date information with state animal health officials. For more information, visit pork.org/agview.
Alabama TREASURE Forest Association
The Alabama TREASURE Forest Association recently presented the Bill Moody Award to the Hill family of Elmore County. The Bill Moody Award, named after a former state forester, is the highest honor given by the association. This year’s award was given to the late Dr. Richard Hill, a former ATFA board member; his wife Pam; and their sons, Trent and Tyler, for their work on their Butler County farm, Paradise.
Equine
The State Equine Committee met in Columbiana Nov. 11 to discuss industry topics. Afterwards, Tammy Ray gave the group an informative guided tour of TR Equine Rehab and Spa.

We appreciate these leaders for taking time to invest in the industry.
Listen To The Alabama AgCast
The Alabama AgCast is available wherever you get your podcasts — Spotify, Pandora, iTunes and more!

This weekly conversation focuses on news and issues affecting Alabama farmers and forest landowners. 

Recent episodes touch on Sweet Grown Alabama, hunting season, crop updates and more.
On The Move In Ag
  • Madison County farmer Sam Butler has been appointed by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to the United Soybean Board. Butler will serve a three-year term.

  • Hale County native Shelby Marsh will beef up her organizational, livestock show and agricultural skillset as the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Junior Beef Expo (JBE) intern.

Ag In Action
News

  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new five-year registration for two dicamba products — XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology and Engenia Herbicide. EPA also extended the registration for Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology. 


  • Peanut butter maker Golden Boy Foods has announced plans to invest $13.3 million in its Troy facilities, doubling its industrial footprint and increasing production capacity by 150%.

  • National Conservation Practice Standards updates have been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service. It includes 58 standards that have been updated or revised since August.
Applications


Skeet Shoot Raises Funds For Ag Education
Thirty-six teams had a blast raising funds for the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation — which benefits ag education — during the 5th annual Skeet Shoot at Selwood Farm in Alpine Nov. 6.

View more photos on Facebook or Flickr.
Upcoming Events
Get Ag-tive: Job Opportunities
Auburn Livestock Coaching Position
Applications for the new Auburn University (AU) livestock coach position are open through Jan. 21. Through creating the position, AU hopes to develop a competitive, nationally recognized, instructional program focused on livestock evaluation. Apply here.
County Extension Coordinator Positions — Bibb & Hale
Applications for county Extension coordinators are open in Hale County (closes Nov. 29) and Bibb County (closes Nov. 30).
Tennessee Valley Cover Crop Research
This series from Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Director Greg Pate highlights practical research benefiting farmers at regional units.
Located west of Madison near the Tennessee River, the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center (TVREC) focuses on row crop and cattle production research. The TVREC was an early convert to precision agriculture technologies and has a full inventory of global positioning system-based equipment that includes auto-steer tractors, yield monitors and light-bar guidance systems.

Project Spotlight: Cover Crops for Compaction Remediation on Tennessee Valley Soils by Regional Extension Agent Tyler Sandlin
  • Goals are to decrease soil compaction, increase water and nutrient infiltration and potentially increase overall yield through cover crops.
  • On average, researchers have seen a 37.5% reduction in compaction on cover cropped split versus the fallow split. Soil moisture influences compaction readings.
  • Soil moisture sensors indicate an increase in water infiltration and an increase in soil moisture on the cover cropped split.
  • Early season vigor and plant heights have been greater on the cover cropped split.
In Memory
Roland Williams of Pleasant Hill died Oct. 15. He was 62. Williams was a DeKalb County Farmers Federation board member and poultry farmer. Click here to read more about his legacy.