Notes from the MN Farmers Union 9-09-09
Notes from the MN Farmers Union Wednesday September 9th, 2009
MFU heads to DC next week
NFU will host its annual Fall Fly-In Sept. 14-16, bringing 200 family farm and ranch members to Washington, D.C. to meet directly with their representatives in Congress and administration officials. The fly-in will focus on five priorities: agriculture's role in climate change and energy legislation, the dairy crisis, rural health care, a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), and support for the TRADE Act. The dairy crisis has affected producers of all sizes and in all locations. While there is no single solution to address the situation, NFU members advocated for five steps that could lessen the strain on dairy producers: maintain the Sanders amendment to the FY10 agriculture appropriations bill for milk price supports, support the Milk Import Tariff Equity Act, launch the Federal Milk Market Order review as established in the 2008 Farm Bill, launch antitrust and potential market manipulation investigations, and establish a long-term supply management program. Health care concerns are also a top priority for the Farmers Union membership. Rural Americans face significant barriers to receiving quality health care. MFU members attending: Merlyn Hubin of Westbrook; Marvin Jensen of Kensington; Richard Moen of Clearbrook; Alan and Nancy Teich of Pine City; Eunice Biel of Harmony; Alan and Karen Perish of Browerville; John and Jana Thormodson of Madelia; and John and Robin Larsen of Mantorville. Also, for the third year, Farmers Union Foundation scholarship Ag Policy Education winners will be attending the fly-in. They are: Brian Boomgaarden of Pipestone; Christina Fehrman of Lake Benton; Kyle O'Toole of Tyler.
State Fair Wraps Up
MFU President Doug Peterson thanks the many MFU members and friends who stopped by the MFU booth at the Minnesota State Fair. The MFU booth was very busy and always full of people and good conversation. Checkout MFU's Facebook Fan Page soon for pictures from MFU sponsored State Fair events.
Dodge County Farmers Union opposes bypass
In a meeting held Wednesday August 26th, 2009, members of the Dodge County Farmers Union unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Southern Rail Corridor which has been proposed by the Rochester Coalition and would create a 48.3 mile bypass around the city of Rochester. "Farmers and landowners that will be impacted on this have studied this issue very intensely and are simply not convinced that a bypass is needed or frankly a good use of government funds" said Glenn Hahn, President of the Dodge County Farmers Union. Farmers at the meeting also expressed concerns about the process of the funding requests for the proposal, environmental concerns, right of way issues, crossing issues, and the proposed course itself. Dodge County Farmers Union also invited county presidents from five other surrounding counties who will also be discussing the issue at their upcoming meetings. "Farmers Union prides itself on being grassroots-driven, and I applaud Glenn and other members of Dodge County Farmers Union for seeing an issue that concerned them and making sure their rural voices are heard," said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.
Growth Energy Calls for COOL for Fuel
Last week MFU President Doug Peterson attended and event with former NFU President and now Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis and Gen. Wesley Clark, Co-Chairman of Growth Energy, where they called on the United States Congress and the White House to take action to dramatically enhance the market transparency of the nation's fuel supply by requiring a national standard of country of origin labeling (COOL) for fuel. The Label My Fuel initiative would create a COOL standard similar to requirements already in place for common consumer items, including apples, beef, cars and coffee. The goal is to help create consumer awareness of the costs and national security implications of the nation's addiction to foreign oil. Clark also unveiled Growth Energy's www.labelmyfuel.com
, which showcases the costs of American dependence on foreign oil, and serves to rally grassroots support for Congressional action on COOL for fuel legislation.
Livestock Investment Grants Available
Minnesota livestock producers can apply for funding to offset the costs of improving or expanding their operations through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's (MDA) Livestock Investment Program. The program gave the state's livestock industry a much-needed boost when it was first launched in 2008. This year, applications will be accepted through November 30. Qualifying producers would be reimbursed ten percent of the first $500,000 of investment, with a minimum investment of $4,000. Qualifying expenditures include the purchase, construction, or improvement of buildings or facilities for the production of livestock, and the purchase of fencing as well as feeding and waste management equipment. Improvements made since January 1 of this year are eligible for consideration. A new provision added this year would allow qualified producers who suffered a loss due to a natural disaster or unintended consequence to use the grant to help off set some of those losses as a part of the rebuilding process. Qualified grant applications will be awarded competitively through an evaluation committee. The grant will not pay for the cost of purchasing livestock or the cost of debt refinancing. Minnesota livestock producers who applied for but did not receive a grant last year will not have to reapply. Those who received grants will need to apply again to be eligible for consideration. More information on the Minnesota Livestock Investment Program can be found on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/livestockinvestmentgrant.
Walz to hold Health Care Town Hall
On Saturday, September 12th Congressman Walz will hold a town hall meeting to hear from southern Minnesotans about their ideas and concerns on health insurance reform. The general public, as well as members of the media are invited to the event. During August, Walz has held a series of discussions across southern Minnesota in his district offices, workplaces, and homes to hear directly from southern Minnesotans about our health care system.
Event: Town Hall on Health Insurance Reform
Time: 12-2 PM; doors open at 11:30AM
Date: Saturday, September 12
Location: John Marshall High School Auditorium, Rochester, Minnesota
Open Lot news from MDA
Livestock producers who have signed an Open Lot Agreement (OLA) with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency may qualify for a waiver if they apply for cost-share funding by October 1, 2010. The OLA was offered in October 2000 to help livestock producers with fewer than 300 animal units comply with state environmental rules for reducing or eliminating feedlot runoff. Producers who opted to sign an agreement were required to seek cost-share assistance and make corrective measures in phases over a 10-year period, which ends October 1, 2010. Producers who did not sign an agreement had less time to comply with state feedlot rule. Now, however, due to limited cost-share funding, producers who signed an OLA and continue to seek cost-share funding (including applying by October 1, 2010) will be eligible for a conditional waiver from enforcement of state feedlot rules if they don't meet the October 1, 2010 deadline for corrective measures to reduce or eliminate runoff. Producers who did not sign an OLA are not eligible for this waiver. Livestock producers should consult with their county feedlot officer, local USDA NRCS field office or local Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) office regarding their feedlot compliance.
Employment News from Jobs Now
MFU is a members of the JobsNow Coalition and they have released summaries of Minnesota regions regarding employment, for example in Central Minnesota: The latest Job Vacancy Survey from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development shows that in Central Minnesota there are 19,800 unemployed workers competing for only 1,600 unfilled jobs. This means that job seekers now outnumber job openings by more than 12-to-1. Just two years ago, the ratio of job seekers to job openings in Central Minnesota was less than 3-to-1. Since then, job seekers have risen 88 percent; job openings have fallen 58 percent. Other major findings for the Central Minnesota region include:
- None of the five largest occupational groups offer a median wage higher than $10.00 per hour.
- Forty-four percent of openings offer health care.
- Twenty-four percent require education or training beyond high school.
- Fourteen percent require a four-year college degree.
- One out of four openings pays less than $7.50 per hour.
The median wage for Central Minnesota job openings is $9.00 per hour. JOBS NOW's Cost of Living research shows that in a Central Minnesota family of four with both parents working, each worker must earn $13.42 per hour to meet basic needs. For more info, checkout: http://www.jobsnowcoalition.org/index.asp?SEC={51A66D34-20BC-47DD-AB25-F3427B233AA2}&Type=B_PR
MDA offers Organic No-Spray signs
To help organic farmers prevent unintended application of prohibited substances the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture is offering 18" x 24" aluminum "Organic Farm Please Do Not Spray" signs to certified and exempt organic growers, as well as to those actively in transition to organic, who farm in Minnesota. MN NRCS has generously agreed to help us distribute the signs. Orders must be placed by October 15. The order form is at www.mda.state.mn.us/food/organic under "Forms."
Wheat Growers pass climate resolution
The National Association of Wheat Growers' Board of Directors met by conference call last Friday to discuss pending climate change legislation. As part of that discussion, the panel voted 26 to 2 to approve a new resolution regarding greenhouse gas regulation. The new resolution reads:
"NAWG is opposed to greenhouse gas legislation or regulation that has a negative impact on production agriculture. NAWG will strive for a net economic benefit to farmers, agriculture and food production. We believe neither greenhouse gas regulation nor legislation should take effect until the major carbon emitting countries of the world have agreed to regulate their own greenhouse gases in a like manner to ours. NAWG urges USDA to do a detailed economic analysis of any legislation or regulation before it becomes law. Furthermore, NAWG will oppose EPA regulation and will work to overturn the Supreme Court ruling." The board also voted 24 to 0 to remove existing resolutions relating to greenhouse gas regulation and an agriculture cap-and-trade program. In a statement, the group said its staff and grower-leaders plan to continue to work on this issue to achieve an outcome that the board feels is in the best interest of grower-members.
Vilsack announces Value-Added Producer Grants
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will soon be accepting applications for grants to assist agricultural producers seeking to add value to the commodities they produce. Approximately $18 million will be awarded nationwide.
USDA plans to award planning grants of up to $100,000 and working capital grants of up to $300,000 to successful applicants. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that use existing agricultural products in non-traditional ways or merge agricultural products with technology in creative ways. Businesses of all sizes may apply, but priority will be given to operators of small and medium-sized family farms - those with average, annual gross sales of less than $700,000. Paper and electronic applications must be submitted to the Rural Development state office in the state where the project will be located. A list of state offices is available at www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html . Electronic applications must be submitted through www.Grants.gov . The Department will publish the official notice for funding availability in the Federal Register within the next week, and will begin accepting applications at that time.
Small Farm Expo
The Second Annual Small Farm and Rural Living Expo will be held on Sept. 12, 2009 at the Scott County Fairgrounds in Jordan, Minn. The fairgrounds will be open for the Expo from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with educational seminars beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Small Farm and Rural Living Expo is for the small farm enterprise or the small-acreage owner and will feature presentations and demonstrations on topics related to small farms and rural living, vendors, local foods, children's activities, music, and more. The 2009 Expo will include six stages, including two demonstration stages featuring topics such as cheese making and beekeeping as well as an on-farm research stage highlighting area farmers and their field projects. No preregistration is required for the event. Admission will be $10 per person or $20 per family. For more information about the Expo, including an informational brochure with a map to the Scott County Fairgrounds, please refer to the University of Minnesota Extension Small Farms website at: http://www.extension.umn.edu/SmallFarms/
County Conventions
This Thursday night Sept. 10th, the Renville County Farmers Union holds their annual meeting at Bart's Café in Renville at 7:00 p.m. Many more conventions are being scheduled each day, check out our website often for updates: http://www.mfu.org/event#fragment-2
That is all for now as usual questions, comments and complaints to me!
Thom Petersen, Director of Government Relations, MN Farmers Union