09-22-11 *USDA TV News* Food Price Increases To Slow Down

Food Price Increases To Slow Down 

Food prices should go up next year, but not as much as this year 

USGC Global Update for September 22, 2011‏

A Look into China’s Future Grains Trade – Page 1
White House Sees Value of Ag Export Programs – Page 2
USGC Barley Product Contest Wins Attention – Page 2
U.S.-Taiwan Partnership Renewed- Page 2
USDA’s Weekly Export Sales Highlights for September 9-15, 2011 – Page 3
Council Remembers a Former Director - Page 2
Council Activity Calendar – Page 4
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A Look into China’s Future Grains Trade
Here is a look at China’s self-sufficiency rate for grains and oilseeds (other than rice) with soybeans and corn also shown separately. There is occasional talk in China about what level of self-sufficiency they can accept, and 95 percent is often mentioned, along with the idea that maybe they can settle for 90 percent self-sufficiency. The chart to the left shows that China has decided they do not need to be self-sufficient in soybeans.

What will China accept for corn? China has a much stronger commitment to corn production than to soybean production.

09-22-11 *WSGALT News* Multi-Generational Ranching Family Conserves Open Spaces in Wyoming

Dick, Suzanne, Shawn, Lacy & Kale Mowry represent three of five generations in the more than 100-year history of the Mowry Ranch in the North Platte Valley. The family placed a conservation easement on their property to save the property from future development and lessen their tax burden.

SARATOGA – In order to sustain the open vistas of their historic ranch, a multigenerational North Platte Valley family has entered 2,035 acres of working ranchland into a conservation easement. The land supports a thriving cattle operation, sage grouse habitat and more than 100 years of family history.

The Mowry Ranch is a traditional cow/calf operation located in the heart of the North Platte Valley nestled against the Sierra Madre Mountains southwest of Saratoga. Located in a Sage Grouse corridor, and providing habitat for many important wildlife species, the Mowry Ranch plays a key role in maintaining continuity of habitat and open space between public and private lands.

“I enjoy the openness of our ranch and the sense of freedom I have,” Suzanne Mowry said. “It’s important to us, as well as our children, to keep the land forever in agriculture.”

The Mowry Ranch is a traditional cow/calf operation that is home to dozens of wildlife species. The Mowry family placed a conservation easement on their property to save the property from future development and lessen their tax burden.

The ranch has been in the Mowry family for more than 100 years and is now run by multiple generations. Dick and Suzanne and their son Shane and daughter-in-law Lacy run the operation together. Shane and Lacy’s children are the fifth generation of Mowrys stewarding the land and carrying on the history of the ranch and the area.

“Family lore has it that my grandmother’s father, John Brewer, was the first white man to winter in the North Platte Valley,” Dick said.

While celebrating the past, the Mowry family also looks to the future. In 2009, the family approached the Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust about protecting their ranch through a conservation easement. As with most of today’s ranch families, the Mowrys were faced with the dilemma of how to pass the place on to the next generation without a huge tax liability. The family found their solution by selling a conservation easement on their property. Conservation easements are legal, voluntary agreements between landowners and qualified conservation organizations which permanently restrict the type and amount of development that occurs on private property.

“We want to keep the land from being subdivided and to preserve the wide-open spaces of the area,” Dick said.

The Stock Growers Land Trust chose to purchase the easement based on several key agricultural and wildlife values on the land.

“The Mowry Ranch is a wonderful example of a highly-productive working ranch that supports a multigenerational family and provides incredible wildlife habitat,” Stock Growers Land Trust Field Representative Leah Burgess said.

09-22-11 *CDA News* Cheers to Growth in Colorado’s Wine Industry …

LAKEWOOD, Colo. –For the first time since the repeal of Prohibition, Colorado wineries reported more than one million liters of wine to the Colorado Department of Revenue, an increase of 10.23 percent over the previous year. Colorado wines’ market share rose to 1.84 percent by volume and represents a 30 percent growth by Colorado wines over the past five years.

“We are extremely proud of the continued growth of the Colorado wine industry,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. “In the face of a small, difficult harvest in 2010 and ongoing economic uncertainty, our wineries continue to expand.”

There are now 100 licensed wineries in Colorado, 40 of which are east of the Continental Divide.  Front Range wineries contributed 41 percent of the wine reported to the Department of Revenue, while the wineries in the Grand Valley American Viticultural Area, along the Colorado River between Palisade and Grand Junction, accounted for 47 percent.  Eighty percent of the grapes grown in Colorado come from the Grand Valley AVA, though there are also grapes grown in Delta, Montrose, Montezuma, Fremont, Pueblo, Boulder, Larimer, Weld and Kit Carson counties.

“The 2010 grape harvest totaled 10,000 tons; due to severe winter temperatures and spring frosts, this is down by one-third from the 2009 harvest,” said Caskey. “But, it is often that same unpredictable weather coupled with low humidity that gives Colorado wine its world-class flavor.”

09-22-11 *NCGA News of the Day* Surveys Reveal Disconnect Between Americans and their Food

Findings of two national surveys about food and how it is grown and raised were released during “The Food Dialogues,” a town hall-style discussion presented by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. The surveys focused separately on the opinions, attitudes and questions consumers and farmers/ranchers have about the current and future state of how food is grown and raised in the United States. Results reveal that lack of access to information, as well as no interest or passion for the topic, have divided consumer opinion on the direction of agriculture.

The National Corn Growers Association is a founding affiliate of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance and NCGA President Bart Schott, a USFRA board member, represented the organization at the New York City panel discussion.

“What brought me to New York is the idea that we farmers and ranchers in the small towns like mine across America’s heartland need to learn more about Americans’ concerns and choices when it comes to eating the food we help produce,” Schott said. “In addition, we’d like to tell them about what we do, especially the great progress underway in American agriculture today to help ensure healthy food for all.”

Results of both surveys are being shared and discussed during The Food Dialogues, which is taking place today in four U.S. cities and online via Facebook and at www.fooddialogues.com.

Highlights of the research include:

09-22-11 USDA Forest Service urges five-year extension of Secure Rural Schools Act

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2011 – The 2012 President’s Budget proposes a five-year-extension of the act that provides funding to historically forest-dependent communities that have been impacted over the last several decades by downturns in the forest-products industry.

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 was enacted to provide temporary funding to help rural communities make the transition through stark changes in the natural-resource economy, particularly in forest-dependent communities of the West. Under the act, rural counties receive funding from the federal government for schools, roads and other projects. It is scheduled to expire at the end of September.

“The Secure Rural Schools Act has kept many of our culturally rich and historically significant Western communities afloat, without having to rely on timber harvests,” said Harris Sherman, USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment. “It’s imperative that we continue this program and protect these American communities.”

Two proposed alternatives to the Secure Rural Schools Act considered Thursday by the House Natural Resources Committee would do more harm than good, according to Sherman. The proposed National Forest County Revenue, Schools and Jobs Act of 2011 and H.R. 2852 — the Action Plan for Public Lands and Education Act of 2011 – would include granting millions of acres of public lands to states, or increasing timber harvests and mining on currently protected lands or be subject to litigation.

The transfer of U.S. Forest Service lands to the states would result in disparate landownership patterns and, as written, would likely remove current recreation opportunities currently available to the public.  The diminution of the government’s multiple-use mandate in H.R. 2852 fails to address many key uncertainties concerning access, liability, and other issues.  Atop inviting controversy and litigation, these programs would likely add to the federal deficit.

09-22-11 *LMA News* First qualifying contest for 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship ‘no walk in the park,’ winner says

      GLASGOW, KY. – Take it from veteran contestant Brandon Neely: winning the first qualifying contest for Livestock Marketing Association’s 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC), in competition held here Sept. 19, “was no walk in the park.”

     The competition from the other 23 auctioneers “was tremendous. There were several seasoned contestants” in the contest held at the Farmers Livestock Market of Glasgow “and a lot of new faces, who are going to go far in this industry,” said Neely, of Southside, Ala.

Darren Carter, of Ninety Six, S.C., was named reserve champion, or second place. The title of runner-up champion, or third place, went to Brian Little, Wann, Okla.

The three winners are guaranteed a spot in next June’s WLAC.  That’s also true for the next five highest-scoring contestants in the contest here.

They are, in alphabetical order, Will Epperly, Moneta, Va.; Tom Frey, Creston, Iowa; Blake McDaniel, Tuscumbia, Ala.; Paul Ramirez, Tucson, Ariz.; and Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky.

A livestock auctioneer for 10 years, Neely, 25, could certainly be called a “seasoned contestant.” Next summer will mark the sixth time he’s competed in the annual WLAC.

09-22-11 *CDA News* Agritourism in CO: Online Resources Help Find Fall Farm Fun

LAKEWOOD, Colo.– Days are getting shorter, the air is crisp and leaves are beginning to turn, sure signs that fall is here. This time of year brings a variety of family events involving agriculture including pumpkin patches and corn mazes. To help people explore agritourism in the state, the Colorado Department of Agriculture lists a variety of seasonal activities online atwww.coloradoagritourism.com.

“Fall is the perfect season to experience agriculture in Colorado,” said Wendy White, marketing specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “More and more farms and ranches are opening their doors to the public to enjoy pumpkin patches, corn mazes and other activities.”

Online resources include a list featuring corn mazes across the state as well as harvest festivals and pumpkin patches. The site also lists farmers’ markets, bird watching trails, wineries, agricultural festivals, ranch vacations and more.

09-22-11 *DoW-CO News* DEER, ELK, & WATERFOWL SEMINARS ON TAP IN DENVER

DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife will host three introductory seminars in late September and early October to introduce new hunters to deer, elk and waterfowl hunting.  Each seminar will cover the fundamentals of habits and habitat of the species, hunting tactics and techniques, and provide a foundation for a lifetime of hunting memories and experiences.  Join the sportsmen who protect our national heritage and conserve our wildlife for future generations!

Deer Hunting 101
WHEN: Wednesday Sept.  28, 2011, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  

Elk Hunting 101
WHEN: Friday Sept. 30, 2011, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.  

Waterfowl Hunting 101
WHEN: Oct. 3, 2011, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

ALL SEMINARS ARE:
WHERE: Hunter Education Building, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216

COST FOR SEMINARS: No cost but must pre-register