The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus
 MARCH 13, 2015
GBECL/DAPL subject of FB meeting
About 50 landowners who are Farm Bureau members from Pike and Scott counties met in Pittsfield Wednesday to get an update on two energy projects running through the counties.

Laura Harmon, Senior General Counsel with the Illinois Farm Bureau shared information on the Grain Belt Express Clean Line Energy electric transmission project and the Dakota Access Pipeline projects. Both projects impact Pike and Scott counties.

Laura's power point presentation and other information will be posted at www.tworiversfb.org next week.
MARCH 18 IS AG DAY                   

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host National Agriculture Day on March 18, 2015. This will mark the 42nd anniversary of National Ag Day which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day is "Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations."

 

National Agriculture Day marks a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us.

 

The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

  • Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
  • Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
  • Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
  • Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.
Reality of WOTUS Public Comments

The comment period for the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule ended in November and well over 1 million comments were submitted. Comments made on Twitter, such as "I like Clean Water," were counted by the Environmental Protection Agency as supporting the proposed rule. American Farm Bureau regulatory specialist Don Parrish said in last Friday's Newsline there were more than 20,000 unique, substantive comments delivered. According to Parrish, EPA's own contractors said 68 percent of substantive comments opposed the regulation, which is unprecedented.

 

Over 350 'substantive' comments were sent in by farmers, businesses, local governments, and others from Pike and Scott counties.

Schock Sponsors Estate Tax Repeal Bill

Farm Bureau believes that tax laws must protect, not harm family farms. Tax policies that do not punish capital-intensive businesses like farms and ranches, and that do not hinder sons and daughters from following the agricultural legacy of their parents are needed.

 

Congressman Aaron Schock (IL-18) is a cosponsor of H.R.1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015. Drop the Congressman a note of thanks for his support of this important legislation.

2015 Crop Insurance Decisions                   
rma

In 2014, most individuals in Illinois used either 1) Revenue Protection (RP) at a 75% or higher coverage levels or 2) Area Risk Plan (ARP) at a 90% coverage level. Staying with these same products and coverage levels seems prudent for 2015 even given recent additions to crop insurance products including Yield Exclusion (YE) and Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO).

 

Taking YE will be beneficial if the exclusion is available and increases guarantee yields. In most cases, premiums will be slightly higher in 2015 for the same coverage level. For the same guarantee yield, coverage levels will be lower in 2015.

 

Read more of Gary Schnitkey's Comments
$5K in scholarships
scholarship

Applications for Farm Bureau scholarships are now available. Two $1,000 Scott County Farm Bureau scholarships will be awarded to successful applicants-one from Bluffs High School and one from Winchester High School. A $1,000 Pike CFB scholarship will be available to a qualifying high school student from Pike County.

 

The Two Rivers Farm Bureau Foundation is offering the $1,000 Rod Webel Memorial Scholarship to qualified high school seniors who are dependents of Pike County Farm Bureau members and attend high school in Pike County.

 

The Foundation announced today the creation of the Wayne Riley Scholarship. Wayne is a Griggsville farmer who served many years as a Pike County Service Company director and has been an advocate for agriculture since he started farming. This will be a $1,000 scholarship available to an FFA student graduating from Griggsville-Perry High School.

 

All of the scholarships will be awarded to a graduating senior pursuing an education at a technical school, community college, college, or university of their choice. There is no course of study restriction but a major in an agricultural field will be given preference over other majors in the selection process.

 

Applications and selection criteria are available at your county Farm Bureau, from high school guidance counselors, or at: http://www.tworiversfb.org/documents/.

 

All scholarship applications must be returned by March 31.
In This Issue
GBE/DAPL
AG DAY
WOTUS in play
Death Tax
Crop Insurance
$5K in scholarships
"On This Day"
Bzzzzzzz
On This Day

MARCH 13, 1791

URANUS DISCOVERED

 

Sir William Herschel was a German-born British musician who became interested in astronomy later in life and built his own telescopes. It was with one of these instruments that Herschel discovered Uranus on March 13, 1781.

 

Herschel's discovery brought him many honours and allowed him to become a fulltime astronomer employed by George III. He then studied Saturn and discovered the moons Enceladus and Mimas. He also discovered Uranus's moons Oberon and Titania and studied and catalogued double stars and nebulae.

 

Read more at BBC

 

Read more on the discovery of Uranus

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Protecting Honey Bees

 

               

For several years, there has been growing concern that honey bees are under increased stress. Losses of both managed and wild pollinators could have profound impacts on the cost and availability of food - especially fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products.

 

Fortunately, state and local pollinator plans foster the cooperation, good management and ongoing research that are all critical to protecting honey bees, and essential to preventing the sharp sting that consumers could feel from lower food supplies and higher prices.