The Farm Post eNews

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

CALL TO ACTION--House to Vote Today

U.S. House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California told fellow House Republicans last week that the House will vote next week on H.R. 636 -- a bill to make the Section 179 small business expensing option permanent at the $500,000 level.

President Obama signed a one-year retroactive extension of Section 179 at the $500,000 maximum expensing level at the end of 2014. On January 1, the maximum expensing level for 2015 fell back to $25,000.

Contact Congressman Schock and thank him for his support of H.R. 636 and permanent Section 179!

Pike CFB Holds Annual Meeting

The Pike County Farm Bureau held its 95th Annual Meeting Wednesday night in Pittsfield.

The meeting saw the election of eight directors among other regular business. The members elected two new directors Murray Martin, Fairmount Township and Kyle Leahr, Perry Township pictured here with President David Gay. They replace Roger Liehr and Bret Lipcaman.

The meeting also featured a presentation by Illinois FFA Treasurer Willow Krumweide of Pittsfield. She shared experiences from her recent leadership trip to South Africa.

At their February Board of Directors meeting, David Gay was re-elected President. Also reelected were Kim Curry, Vice President; Jeremy Thomas, Secretary; and Brandon Gerard, Treasurer. Mark Nation was elected Assistant Secretary replacing Adam Lawson.

Decision Guide Available

The choices and program decisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 can certainly be confusing. The farmdoc team produced a Farm Program Decision Guide to help those just getting starting with the new programs and related decisions or anyone who just wants a quick overview. The material in the new Decision Guide follows the seven steps in the Farm Bill Toolbox.

The new Farm Program Decision Guide can be found here.

The homepage for the Farm Bill Toolbox is available here.

AFBF Appeals; Court Stays EPA Action

A federal district court in Minnesota ordered the Environmental Protection Agency late last Friday not to release farmers' and ranchers' personal information while AFBF and co-plaintiff National Pork Producers Council appeal the court's decision dismissing their lawsuit. By dismissing the suit, the court ruled that farmers are not harmed when the government compiles and releases a storehouse of personal information, so long as individual bits of that information are somehow publicly accessible, such as through an Internet search or on a Facebook page.

In This Issue

CALL TO ACTION

Annual Meeting

Decision Guide Available

EPA and Privacy

"On This Day"

On This Day

FEBRUARY 13, 1692

GLEN COE MASSACRE

A Good Feud Should

Never Be Wasted or Forgotten

Much of Scotland's early recorded history is full of violence - battles, feuds, murders, treachery. But the incident which to this day still arouses the strongest passions was the massacre of the MacIans (a sept of the clan Donald) in Glen Coe in 1692.

It was not just the fact that 38 people were murdered by government troops, led by Captain Robert Campbell; it was the unforgivable sin that Campbell and his men had enjoyed the traditional Highland hospitality before turning on their hosts (who included his own niece and her husband) in an attempt at what today would be called "ethnic cleansing."

Three hundred years later, Campbells still suffer the opprobrium of the massacre. Generations of Scots children have been taught

"never trust a Campbell."