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 NCDA&CS launches informational Web site to help pork, poultry farmers who have lost contracts during recession
RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has launched a new Web site to provide information to pork and poultry farmers whose contracts with vertically integrated production companies have been cut or terminated because of economic conditions.
The Growers Assistance Information Network, or GAIN, contains listings of information and resources that could assist growers with financial planning, alternative markets and other topics relevant to their situation.The site includes contact information for resources at the NCDA&CS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, N.C. State University, N.C. A&T State University and other state agencies, plus some non-profit organizations. The site also offers a list of steps that growers can take if they find themselves without a contract.
GAIN is accessible at www.ncagr.gov/gain.
"This recession has forced pork and poultry companies to cut back, and unfortunately that means North Carolina farmers have lost contracts to raise animals," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "Our goal with GAIN is to provide these growers with as much information as possible so that they can make good decisions about their next steps."
Kim Decker, an NCDA&CS marketing specialist, said that even though the site is geared toward pork and poultry producers who contract with major companies, a lot of the information on it could be useful to farmers of other commodities who need assistance or are looking for new opportunities.
Growers with questions can contact Decker at (919) 733-7887.
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Disaster Preparedness for Farmers & Animal Waste Operators
Monday, June 29, 2009
3:00-6:00pm
NCCES-Duplin County Center, Kenansville
Weather Spotting & Hurricanes
Code Red & Emergency Management
Basic Farm Preparedness
Program offers 2 1/2 hours waste credit
No charge for the program
Attendees must pre-register by contacting Wanda Hargrove at 910-296-2143
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| Tyson asks hog suppliers to become PQA Plus certified
Reprint from Meatingplace.com
Tyson Foods announced it will ask that all hog suppliers to the company become certified in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program by June 30, 2010, and complete a site assessment by Jan. 1, 2011.
Tyson made the announcement in support of the National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council's "We Care" responsible pork initiative. NPB adopted a resolution at this week's World Pork Expo calling on producers to meet those target dates.
The initiative is aimed at demonstrating that producers are accountable to established ethical principles. These principles include pork producers' responsibility in such areas as the environment, public health, employee care, and community relations. The initiative also involves the PQA Plus program, which provides pork producers with guidelines for enhancing food safety and animal well-being.
PQA Plus is a three-part process that includes attending an educational and training session as well as completing an on-farm site evaluation to achieve PQA Plus site status. The program also includes a third component of random, statistically valid, third-party evaluation of program implementation.
Tyson also said it will donate $10,000 to the NPPC, which will direct the money to a matching fund program with state organizations to help support the on-farm assessments.
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Proposed Rule Being Pushed by Waterkeepers Alliance Goes to Public Comment
In 2007, the Waterkeepers Alliance petitioned the NC Environmental Management Commission seeking the development of rules to assess alleged water quality impacts from animal feeding operations.
In 2008, the EMC approved the petitions and directed the Division of Water Quality, with input from various stakeholder groups, to develop rules to establish and implement a surface water monitoring program addressing the petitioners concerns.
The proposed rules define the process for establishing sampling locations at EACH subject animal operation. Specifically, the proposed rule would require farmers to collect up to three samples per year from three different sites. The samples are intended to determine the level of animal waste discharged into drains, ditches, and streams. Farmers would need to contract with outside commercial laboratories and it would cost livestock farmers about $2,200 annually to comply.
NCPC provided both written and oral comments on the petition and proposed rule and has been involved in the process since the stakeholder meetings began last year.
Our message has been the same throughout the process. First and foremost, NCPC is concerned over the lack of scientific basis for these proposed rules. Further, implementation of these proposed rules would be extremely costly for producers and would place an additional, unnecessary regulatory burden on the industry.
Finally, we believe that if petitioners are truly concerned about water quality issues, any proposed rules need to be focused on impaired watersheds and any evaluation should include all activities on those watersheds.
Now the rule-making process has moved to the public comment period. That process includes the opportunity for any citizen to comment by submitting remarks to the Division of Water Quality. The public comment period also includes a series of four public hearings as shown below. All hearings begin at 7:00 pm and registration for speakers begins at 6:30 pm. In order to ensure that all who want to speak have an opportunity, oral comments may be limited to three minutes. Speakers are encouraged to bring three written copies of their comments to be submitted to the hearing officers.
- June 9, 2009. Iredell County Center, 444 Bristol Drive, Statesville, NC.
- June 11, 2009. James Sprunt Community College - Monk Auditorium,
133 James Sprunt Drive, Kenansville, NC.
- June 15, 2009. Archdale Building - Ground Floor Hearing Room, 512 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC.
- June 18, 2009. Martin Community College, 1161 Kehukee Park Road, Williamston, NC.
NCPC will be represented at each of these public hearings and those speaking on behalf of NCPC will also submit public comments.
We encourage NCPC members to participate in the public comment period. Written comments can be submitted until July 15, 2009, to the following:
Keith Larick
Animal Feeding Operations Unit
Division of Water Quality
1636 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1636
keith.larick@ncdenr.gov
(919) 715-0588 - Fax
If you have any questions or concerns on this issue, please contact Tommy Stevens at NCPC: 919/781-0361 or tommy@ncpork.org.
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