The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus
 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Teachers learn about AITC
Jackie Bakken Jones with Illinois Farm Bureau made a presentation on Ag-in-the-Classroom to nine teachers from Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus yesterday afternoon. Great job Julie Sellars, Agriculture Literacy Coordinator. in putting the program together.

Winchester teacher, Kathy Barber, won the drawing for a $100 mini-grant that she can use to stock up on AITC books and supplies for her classroom. Teachers were also encouraged to apply for Illinois Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom book grants.

Pike-Scott Ag in the Classroom programs are sponsored by grants from the Two Rivers Farm Bureau Foundation and the Illinois Farm Bureau. You can make a secure on-line contribution at www.TwoRiversGives.org and click the Donate Now button at the bottom of the page.
National Farm Safety and Health Week
National Farm Safety and Health Week 2016 is Sept. 18-24. The theme "Farm Safety...A Legacy to be Proud of " reminds local and rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. and farm injuries and fatalities are preventable through education. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that in 2014 farming accounted for 568 fatalities, with an estimated 70,000 injuries.

Webinars are scheduled for each day of the week and will be available at www.necasag.org, as well as more information.
EPA Violated Farmer Privacy
The USEPA violated the personal privacy of tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers, according to a unanimous ruling issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The ruling in
American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork Producers Council vs. EPA concerned EPA's 2013 release to three environmental groups of a vast compilation of spreadsheets containing personal information about farmers and ranchers who raise livestock and poultry in 29 states. The information included the names of farmers, ranchers and sometimes other family members, home addresses, GPS coordinates, telephone numbers and emails. EPA claimed that it was required to disclose the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

"This was an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy by a federal agency in violation of law," said AFBF General Counsel Ellen Steen. "The court's decision is a vindication of the right of farm families to control their own personal information. "EPA now has to 'recall' all of the personal information it unlawfully released, but unfortunately that information has now been in the hands of the FOIA requestors for three years, and many feel that the damage is done," Steen said. "AFBF will continue to work to ensure that personal information about farmers and ranchers is not disclosed by EPA."

AFBF news release
Big Mergers, Big Deals
The Bayer-Monsanto merger announced Wednesday prompted Bob Young, AFBF's chief economist, to point out in a statement that although market forces led to deals of this type, "major-company mergers have a profound impact on the tools available to farmers and ranchers, sometimes to their detriment."

Young continued, "This deal between Monsanto and Bayer comes close on the heels of the proposed Dow-DuPont merger. Farm Bureau believes the DOJ should undertake a close review of the overall business climate that has encouraged these combinations, rather than evaluating them in isolation. Consumers must continue to have fair access to the best technologies and innovation.

"Farmers are interested in how these deals will impact research and development budgets for companies like Bayer and Monsanto. We depend on access to enhanced technology, and would hate to see agricultural innovation suffer at the cost of business decisions."
U.S. proceeds against China ag subsidies
AFBF supports the action taken by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to begin dispute settlement proceedings against China over agricultural subsidy levels. AFBF President Zippy Duvall pointed out in a statement that Farm Bureau, like USTR, is concerned that China exceeded its domestic support limits for corn, wheat and rice from 2012 to 2015.

"The WTO's Agreement on Agriculture applies to all members," Duvall said. Further, he noted that each country must follow agreed upon levels of domestic support, asviolation of domestic support levels can lead to overproduction and price-depressing surpluses that affect farmers worldwide.
TODAY IN HISTORY
SEPTEMBER 16, 1920
WALL STREET BOMBED

The lunch rush was just beginning as a non-descript man driving a cart pressed an old horse forward on a mid-September day in 1920. He stopped the animal and its heavy load in front of the U.S. Assay Office, across from the J. P. Morgan building in the heart of Wall Street. The driver got down and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

At 12:01 p.m., the cart exploded into a hail of metal fragments (sash weights)-immediately killing more than 30 people and injuring some 300. The carnage was horrific, and the death toll kept rising as the day wore on and more victims succumbed.

Who was responsible? In the beginning it wasn't obvious that the explosion was an intentional act of terrorism. Crews cleaned the damage up overnight, including physical evidence that today would be crucial to identifying the perpetrator. By the next morning Wall Street was back in business-broken windows draped in canvass, workers in bandages, but functioning none-the-less.

Conspiracy theories abounded, but the New York Police and Fire Departments, the Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to the FBI), and the U.S. Secret Service were on the job. Each avidly pursued leads.

The Bureau interviewed hundreds of people who had been around the area before, during, and after the attack, but developed little information of value. The few recollections of the driver and wagon were vague and virtually useless. The NYPD was able to reconstruct the bomb and its fuse mechanism, but there was much debate about the nature of the explosive, and all the potential components were commonly available.

Newspaper account

FBI Files
Learn more about Farm Bureau

CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK
Join Our Mailing List