March 22, 2023

Alabama Jr. Livestock Show Teaches Value Of Hard Work

Cattle and swine took center stage in Montgomery as Alabama youth exhibited animals and showed off a year’s worth of hard work during the Jr. Livestock Expo (JLE) in March. The inaugural Jr. Dairy Expo was March 11, while the Jr. Beef Expo and Jr. Swine Expo were March 16-18. The shows, held annually during the Southeastern Livestock Exposition, were coordinated by the Alabama Farmers Federation and included over 200 exhibitors showing nearly 500 animals.

Mary Elliott Martin of Lee County exhibited the Grand Champion Heifer.

Bryn Lake of Winston County exhibited the Grand Champion Steer.

Emma Ramsey of Calhoun County exhibited the Supreme Grand Champion Gilt.

Tucker Ross of Jefferson County exhibited the Supreme Grand Champion Market Hog.

Read more about JLE here.

Alabama Legislators Attend Jr. Livestock Expo

Members of the Alabama Legislature and other elected officials joined the Alabama Farmers Federation at the Jr. Livestock Expo March 15 for hands-on lessons from exhibitors. Learn more in the Federation CapCon.

Sign up for the CapCon here.

Watch the video here.

Alabama Legislature Celebrates National Peanut Month

Peanut Day at the Alabama Legislature was March 16. Garrett Dixon of Lee County, Carl Sanders of Coffee County and Billy Hixon of Pike County led the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer in the Senate and House, respectively. Alabama Peanut Producers Association (APPA) gave members of the Legislature cans of Alabama-grown, chocolate-covered peanuts.

Garrett Dixon, right, is pictured with Senate Ag Committee Chair David Sessions, R-Grand Bay, during Peanut Day March 16.

APPA President Carl Sanders of Coffee County, left, and Billy Hixon of Pike County visited with Rep. Jennifer Fidler, R-Fairhope, on the House floor.

Dallas County Farmer Named USSA Exceptional Woman In Farming

Fifty-one percent of all farming operations in the U.S. have at least one female operator. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, the U.S. Sustainable Alliance (USSA) celebrated women who make a difference and champion excellence in farming, forestry and fisheries. Honorees include Alabama's Wendy Yeager of Dallas County. Yeager grows soybeans, cotton, corn, peanuts and grain sorghum. Read more here.

AFBF MarketIntel

Inflation And The Banks

The Federal Reserve has followed an unprecedented 40% increase in the money supply in just 2 years with a 2½% decline in the money supply in the 9 months ending in December. This is already unprecedented in the 50+ years since the dollar stopped being tied to the value of gold. It’s also the largest decline in the money supply since 1937, when tight money policy reignited the Great Depression.  The good news is this dramatic reversal of money supply growth should be sufficient to rein in inflation over the next 6 to 12 months, given the actions that have already been taken and the time required to see their full effects.   Just as inflation took 12 months and more to show up after the Fed’s expansionary policies began, so does its contractionary effort take 12 months and more to be fully felt in the inflation rate.

Read more here.

Get Ag-tive

The Alabama Farmers Federation is hosting a Forestry & Wildlife Seminar March 24 at the home office in Montgomery. The cost is free for Alfa Farmers Federation members, but pre-registration is required. Register by emailing William Green at wmgreen@alfafarmers.org. Lunch will be sponsored by the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association. CFE credits are available to foresters.

View the agenda here.

Quick Clicks

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on a U.S. District Court ruling to halt the 2023 Waters of the United States Rule in Texas and Idaho. Click here to read more. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $15 million to the lender Alabama Agricultural Development Authority to support meat and poultry slaughter and processing businesses in Alabama. Click here to learn more. Livestock producers have vested interest in the farm bill. Despite the rapid growth in liability insured by livestock policies, it still represents a small share of the value of livestock production in the U.S., and there are significant opportunities for expansion going forward. Read more about the farm bill and livestock producers. Farm bill funding is expiring amid farmers' ongoing war on feral hogs. Click here to read the article.

Events & Deadlines March 24 - Federation Forestry & Wildlife Seminar Series in Montgomery March 28 - Novel Tall Fescue Renovation Workshop in Tanner April 12-14 - Women's Leadership Conference in Birmingham. The deadline to register is March 21. April 13 - Farm-City Awards Banquet in Birmingham June 5 - Young Farmers of Alabama Golf Tournament in Montgomery June 14-16 - Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute in Huntsville. The deadline to register is April 15. Simply Southern TV Season 9 Simply Southern wraps up the first half of season 9’s new shows this coming week with the tastiest episode yet! In a “Best Of” episode, we’re featuring some of the most watched recipe segments featuring Southern Bite. Be sure to tune in. March 25/26/29: A Best Of Southern Bite episode featuring recipes for Sausage Gravy, Fried Green Tomatoes, One-Pot Ratatouille with Chicken and Mom’s Peach Cobbler April 1/2/5: Equipment Rodeo, Wild Yeast Kitchen, Rural Roundup, Alabama Extension Farm and Outdoors spot on azaleas and a Southern Bite recipe for Pecan Chicken Salad, sponsored by Priester’s Pecans 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.

Alabama AgCast Recaps JLE

Listen here.

In Memory

Shawn Keel, Calhoun County Support the Keel family during this time by clicking here.

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