10-05-11 Colorado 4H Foundation Celebrates National 4H Week…with Executive Director Gary Small

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Colorado 4H Foundation

(The BARN – Briggsdale, CO) Gary Small, Colorado 4H Foundation Executive Director discusses National 4H Week, the recent Colorado 4H / Rocky Mountain FORD Truck Presentation, scholarships & MUCH MORE…

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CO 4H Foundation Executive Director Gary Small presenting the keys to Heidi Gudelman of Austin, TX while sitting in her new FORD F-150 Truck donated to the Colorado 4H Foundation by your Rocky Mountain FORD Dealers

WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF THE KEY PRESENTATION OF THAT 2011 FORD F-150 TRUCK

SEE MORE PICTURES BELOW…

10-05-11 CO Lt Gov Garcia Weeklong Statewide Listening Tour will Spotlight Focus on Early Childhood Reading

DENVER - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia will launch a statewide listening tour this month to gain local insight and perspective on the critical issue of early childhood literacy in Colorado.   A host of community, foundation and education leaders will join Garcia on the Literacy Bus, which will visit 18 Colorado cities between October 17 and 21 and on November 7.  The focus of the tour will be on hearing from local education and community leaders and parents on how to support their efforts on early literacy.

“Governor Hickenlooper and I share the belief that early literacy is one of the education cornerstones to building a strong workforce for Colorado’s future,” Garcia said.  “We’re joining with communities across the state in a dialogue about what we can do to help ensure every child is a successful reader by the end of third grade.”

The tour, which kicks off October 17 in Steamboat Springs, will feature a series of community conversations with educators, leaders, teachers and parents. All of the forums are open to the public. The objective is to exchange ideas and information on ways to ensure every third-grader reaches literacy proficiency.

Mile High United Way is a lead partner with the Lieutenant Governor on the effort to strengthen early literacy in the state.  Mile High United Way CEO Christine Benero and a group of community leaders will accompany Lt. Gov. Garcia on the tour.   In addition, Serve Colorado, the University of Colorado Denver, and The Pearson Foundation are playing a prominent role in supporting the tour and working to advance literacy in the state.  Mile High United Way recently received a $3.6 million Social Innovation Fund grant to boost literacy advancement programs across the state and is inviting qualified groups to apply for shares of the Social Innovation Fund grant.

“Literacy and education are part of the core of Mile High United Way’s mission,” Benero said.  “The tour and subsequent follow-up the Lieutenant Governor is leading will add a completely new level of focus and dedication to ensuring that our children learn to read.”

The emphasis of the discussion will be on identifying and implementing programs that foster literacy from birth through age 8. Data from across the United States consistently show that literacy skills evolve from birth, and the intervention and education at the earliest stages of life are critical to literacy development.

“By engaging in this week-long dialogue, we will learn how communities foster early childhood literacy and what state leadership can do to support their efforts,” Garcia said.  “Governor Hickenlooper has proven that this kind of community engagement is the right way to build a movement of support toward a common goal.  I’m excited to get started.”

Community conversations tour itinerary (Oct. 17-21, 2011):

10-05-11 *USDA News* USDA Awards Specialty Crop Grants to Strengthen Agricultural Economy…CO Dept of Ag $712K

Investments to Create New Markets for American Agricultural Products

Colorado Department of Agriculture $712,222.00

Wyoming Department of Agriculture $204,661.00

Kansas Department of Agriculture $273,998.65

Nebraska Department of Agriculture $346,205.53

New Mexico Department of Agriculture $458,542.31

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2011 – Today, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that USDA will be investing in 55 specialty crop block grants that will fund 740 initiatives across the United States and its territories. The grants will help strengthen the market for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

“Agriculture plays a vital role in the health and strength of our economy, and by investing in specialty crop growers and producers across the country, we can help spark new markets and job creation, while expanding production of healthy, safe and affordable food,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program for fiscal year 2011 supports initiatives that:

10-05-11 *USDA NEWS* Obama Administration Announces Job-Creating Grid Modernization Pilot Projects

Seven Transmission Projects Across 12 States Will Increase Grid Reliability and Integrate Renewable 

Washington, October 5, 2011 – Demonstrating its commitment to job creation and modernizing America’sinfrastructure, the Obama Administration today announced it would accelerate the permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines. This move will speed the creation of thousands of construction and operations jobs while transforming the nation’s electric system into a modern, 21st century grid that is safer and more secure, and gives consumers more energy choices.

“The President wants to get America working again. He is committed to cutting red tape and making immediate investments to put people to work modernizing our roads, bridges, airports, and energy systems,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality. “Building a smarter electric grid will create thousands of American jobs and accelerate the growth of domestic clean energy industries translating into more energy choices and cost savings for American consumers, and a more secure energy future for our country.”

These projects will serve as pilot demonstrations of streamlined federal permitting and increased cooperation at the federal, state, and tribal levels. Project developers expect that the streamlined projects will increase grid capacity and create thousands of jobs in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

10-05-11 *USDA NEWS* Making Progress on School Meals

By USDA Deputy Under Secretary Janey Thornton

During our celebration of National School Lunch Week, millions of children will line up in cafeterias across the country to eat school meals. This year, parents should be encouraged that many more schools will be providing healthier options that their kids want to eat.

School meals have come a very long way over the years. So believe me when I say that the proposed nutrition standards for school meals put forward by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year as a result of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act are a vast improvement over the status quo and long overdue.

The timing of our proposal could not be more appropriate, particularly as the country faces an epidemic of childhood obesity. Nearly 1 in 3 children are at risk for preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease due to overweight and obesity. If left unaddressed, health experts tell us that our current generation of children may well have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Alongside childhood obesity is the problem of childhood hunger. During 2008, as many as 17 million households in the United States, representing 33 million adults and 17 million children, struggled to put enough food on the table. For many of these children, a school meal is the only nutritious source of food they can count on.

As a dedicated mother and grandmother who cares deeply for the health of not just my own family’s children, but for the children of families throughout America, these issues greatly concern me. And while government cannot solve this problem alone, it makes good sense that the substantial taxpayer investment in healthy school meals be part of the solution along with parents and others.

A comprehensive solution will require bold action. We recognized that at USDA several years ago when we asked the Institute of Medicine – a gold standard for scientific analysis – to provide us with their recommendations for what healthy school meals should look like. We used those expert recommendations as the basis for our proposed nutrition standards for healthy school meals.

10-05-11 US House Committee Passes Border Security Bill

Legislation Finally Addresses Longstanding Problem Posed by Federal Land Policies

WASHINGTON– The House Natural Resources Committee today passed the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act [H.R. 1505]. This legislation was introduced by National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) on April 13, 2011.

The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act addresses one of the prevailing factors preventing the U.S. from obtaining full operational control of the U.S./Mexico border.  Currently, the United States Border Patrol is limited from fully accessing millions of acres of federally managed lands located throughout the border region.  As a result, criminal drug and human smuggling organizations utilize these areas which provide them with nearly unfettered access into the United States.

“As we work to gain full operational control of the border, it is essential that we examine where and why the highest levels of incursions are occurring.  It’s no surprise that public lands are at the top of the list and it makes absolutely no sense that our Border Patrol agents are limited from maintaining a routine presence in these areas,” said Congressman Bishop.  “I am pleased that today we are one step closer to providing them with the access they need to keep our country safe.  We can no longer turn our backs on the violence, environmental degradation and rampant criminal activity occurring on our public lands.  I look forward to working with my colleagues as this bill is considered further and ultimately brought to the floor of the House for a final vote.”

Specifically, the National Security and Federal Protection Act:

10-05-11 USDA Farm Service Agency Increases Guaranteed Loan Limit

Denver, Colorado, October 5, 2011 – Trudy Kareus, State Executive Director of the Colorado Farm Service Agency (FSA), announced that the loan limit for the Guaranteed Loan Program will increase to $1,214,000. The limit is adjusted annually based on the “Prices Paid to Farmers Index,” compiled by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

“Raising the guaranteed loan limit will allow FSA to better meet the financial needs of producers across the state,” said SED Kareus. “This increase comes at a time when Colorado agricultural producers are facing unprecedented economic hardships and need all of the means of obtaining capital they can get,” she said.

Another change to the guaranteed loan program will affect the one-time loan guarantee fee charged on all FSA loans obligated after October 1, 2011. The one-time loan guarantee fee will increase from 1.0 percent to 1.5 percent of the guaranteed portion of the loan.

FSA guaranteed loans allow lenders to provide agricultural credit to farmers who do not meet the lender’s normal underwriting criteria. Farmers and ranchers apply for a guaranteed loan through a commercial lender, and the lender arranges for the guarantee. FSA can guarantee up to 95 percent of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. Guaranteed loans can be used for both farm ownership and operating purposes.

Producers who are unable to obtain financing through a commercial lender, including a guaranteed loan, could be eligible for an FSA direct loan. These loans are made by FSA with government funds and the limit is $300,000 (except for Emergency Loans which have a limit of $500,000).

For more information producers are encouraged to visit their USDA Service Centers or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov.

10-05-11 NCGA Opposes Legislation to Weaken Renewable Fuels Standard

WASHINGTON (October 5, 2011) — The National Corn Growers Association today urged members of Congress to oppose legislation introduced by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) that would significantly weaken the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

“The U.S. ethanol industry is an integral part of job creation and economic opportunity throughout rural America,” NCGA President Garry Niemeyer said.  “This legislation would put progress made by the ethanol industry in jeopardy and we are asking members of Congress to oppose its passage.”

10-05-11 NCBA Supports Tying Ethanol Mandate to Corn Supplies

—Commonsense Bill Will Allow RFS to be Reduced in Years of Tight Supplies

Cattlemen are not opposed to ethanol. We simply want to get the federal government out of the marketplace. Cattlemen support this commonsense legislation to bring relief to livestock producers in times of tight corn supplies.

WASHINGTON (Oct. 5, 2011) – A bipartisan coalition of members of Congress, led by U.S. Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), heeded concerns of livestock producers that current U.S. renewable fuels policies are artificially manipulating corn prices and putting a strain on corn supplies. The lawmakers today, Oct. 5, 2011, introduced the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Flexibility Act of 2011, which will tie the amount of corn ethanol production required under the RFS to U.S. corn supplies.

“The federal government’s creation of an artificial market for the ethanol industry has quite frankly created a domino effect that is hurting consumers. It is expected that this year about 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop will used for ethanol production,” penned Reps. Goodlatte and Costa in a letter to their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Our legislation will alter the RFS to give relief to our livestock and food producers and consumers of these products. This is a common sense solution to make sure that we have enough corn supplies to meet all of our demands.

10-05-11 US Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) Patrick Henry College Interview…

US Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ District 2) interview at Patrick Henry College with the holder of the Distinguished Chair of Journalism and Public Policy and WORLD Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Marvin Olask. Representative Franks graduated from Briggsale High School in Briggsdale, CO.

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10-05-11 *ACE NEWS* House legislation would undo gains of Renewable Fuels Standard

Sioux Falls, SD (October 5, 2011) – The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) strongly opposes legislation introduced today by Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) to reduce the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).  The bill, termed the “RFS Flexibility Act,” would reduce the corn-starch ethanol portion of the RFS by as much as 50% if corn supplies on an arbitrary date fall below a predetermined stocks-to-use ratio.

ACE Executive Vice President Brian Jennings said the bill would reverse significant gains made by the RFS and harm American consumers.

“The RFS is the single most effective policy enacted by Congress to increase supplies of domestic, affordable and clean biofuel and reduce foreign oil imports,” said Jennings.  “Not only would this legislation retreat back to when foreign oil comprised more than 60 percent of U.S. demand and increase fuel prices, it would once again require taxpayers to subsidize the production of cheap corn merely to benefit meat packers and grocery manufacturers.”

10-05-11 Weed Scientists to Focus on Latest Research and Management Practices during 52nd Annual Meeting of WSSA in Hawaii Feb 6-9

Early bird registration now open for February 6-9 event in Hawaii

LAWRENCE, Kansas – October 5, 2011 – Early bird registration is now open for the 52^nd annual meeting of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) – an event that will focus on the latest developments in weed science research and management practices.

Students, educators and professionals from around the world are expected to attend the event, which is scheduled for February 6-9, 2012, in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

“Our annual meeting offers a great opportunity for members and others interested in weed science to stay abreast of the latest developments in the field, network with their peers and enjoy the fellowship of the Society,” says, Michael Barrett, WSSA president and a faculty member at the University of Kentucky.

An extensive scientific program is planned, including three special symposia:

• The Role of Herbicide-Resistant Crops in Sustainable Agriculture
• Stewarding Off-Target Movement of Pesticides
• Non-Chemical Weed Management in Reduced Tillage Systems

General session speakers include:

• Jim Kauahikaua, the scientist leading the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.  The observatory will be celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2012.
• Phil Motooka, retired weed scientist, who will provide an historical perspective of the region.

In addition to presentations and symposia, the society will offer a variety of special tours of the Big Island of Hawaii – from visits to a coffee farm and natural energy lab to an up-close look at the island’s invasive species.

Early bird rates are available to those who register before December 5.  In addition, discounted hotel rates at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel are available through January 5, 2012.  For more information or to register, visit the annual meeting section of the WSSA website:  www.wssa.net/meetings/WSSAAnnual.

Dates and locations for the annual meetings of the four regional weed science societies are:   

10-04-11 *US House Ag Committee Chair* The Ag Minute: It’s Time to Put Jobs First and Pass H.R. 872, Senator Reid

WASHINGTON – This week during The Ag Minute, Chairman Frank Lucas discusses what is at stake for farmers, ranchers, and small businesses if the Senate fails to pass H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, before October 31. The legislation, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Agriculture Committee in bipartisan votes, eliminates a costly and duplicative permitting requirement for the application of pesticides. This requirement is the result of a misguided court order, which goes into effect at the end of the month unless there is a legislative fix.

Click here to listen to The Ag Minute. The transcript is below…