The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus
 

APRIL 15, 2016
Time to rein in EPA
Congress should hold the Environmental Protection Agency accountable for its repeated violations of open government laws, AFBF board member and Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Tom Buchanan told a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday.

Buchanan testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight nearly a year after the conclusion of the EPA's flawed Waters of the United States rulemaking process. The agency came under fire then for acting as a vocal and highly politicized advocate for its proposal, rather than as a fair broker that would weigh all public comments impartially. The Government Accountability Office ultimately found EPA had violated the law by pushing "covert propaganda" on an unsuspecting public to gin up support for its own actions.

Buchanan highlighted EPA's anti-farmer war of words: "That campaign consisted almost entirely of non-substantive platitudes about the importance of clean water - which no one disputes. It used simplistic blogs, tweets and YouTube videos to generate purported 'support' for the rule among well-intended people who have absolutely no idea of what the rule would actually do or what it will cost."

Buchanan's testimony
AFBF news release 
Looming ag farm downturn concerns
Farmers are feeling the pain of the continued slump in commodity prices, AFBF President Zippy Duvall told Congress on Thursday. Lower prices will affect income for all farmers and ranchers, but will have an even greater impact on new and young farmers who have not built up equity, are renting a significant portion of their land or are paying off equipment.

"The bottom line is that farmers and ranchers are being forced to tighten their belts and pay much closer attention to their financial situation," Duvall told the House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. "They will be in greater need of safety net and risk management programs than has been the case for some time-for some, since they started farming."

AFBF news release
Duvall's testimony  
Look for Foundation mailing next week
At the end of April, Pike and Scott County Farm Bureau members will receive a packet of information requesting funds to assist the Two Rivers Farm Bureau Foundation.

We're excited to be working with the Illinois Farm Bureau on a Direct Mail marketing project to supplement contributions to our Foundation. This will be the first of three mailings this year.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us.
Rural Development Key to Success
Testifying before the Senate Agriculture subcommittee on rural development programs, Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill said the issue directly affects local communities across America.

"Our communities thrive when we have economic development, when we have growth," Hill said in Thursday's Newsline. "Collaborative efforts always work better and the collaboration that we have with USDA rural development has been successful in the past and we'd like to build on that success," he added.
Spring Polaris Event
Now through April 30, get rebates of up to $2,000 or receive financing as low as 1.99 percent for 60 months on select new Polaris off-road vehicles during the Polaris Spring Sales Event! Eligible Farm Bureau members in participating states receive an added $200 - $300 discount on Polaris off-road vehicles.
More than 1,000,000 workers suffer back injuries each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can help spare your back and stay productive on the job by following 10 Tips for Moving and Lifting, an easy-to-read infographic on Grainger.com. 
TODAY IN HISTORY
APRIL 15, 1865
NOW HE BELONGS TO THE AGES

Much is written about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. After the president was shot at Ford's Theater on Good Friday, April 14, he was taken across the street to the Petersen House where he died at 7:22 a.m.

Doctors who attended Lincoln at Ford's Theater recognized he was dying and moved him across the street to a boarding house owned by William and Anna Petersen. He was placed in a bedroom rented by William T. Clark, a Union soldier who was out for the evening.

Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles entered the rear bedroom of the Petersen house soon after Lincoln arrived and noticed that "the President lay extended on a bed, breathing heavily." The doctors explained to Welles that Lincoln could not recover but might linger for several hours.

In his diary Welles wrote, "The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed, which was not long enough for him. He had been stripped of his clothes. His large arms, which were occasionally exposed, were of a size which one would scarce have expected from his spare appearance. His slow, full respiration lifted the clothes with each breath that he took. His features were calm and striking. I had never seen them appear to better advantage than for the first hour, perhaps, that I was there."
The death bed is on display at the Chicago History Museum.
Lincoln on line

Eyewitness Account

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