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Peanut Leadership Academy XI Tours Texas

Peanut Leadership Academy XI Tours Texas

PLA XI

Peanut Leadership Academy XI class members, from left, Justin House, Jacob Davis, APPA Executive Director, Wade Helms, Lance Miller, and Kevin Holland

The Peanut Leadership Academy XI (PLA) held their third session in Lubbock,Texas, August 12-15, 2019.

 

The class began the session at the farm of Gary Jackson, who grows peanuts, cotton, corn, peppers, and rosemary. He explained that he tries to grow a diverse set of crops as a way to maximize profitability and hedge against potential losses from any one particular crop.

 

After meeting with Jackson, the class stopped at Birdsong’s peanut shelling facility. For many of the leaders, it was their first time seeing how peanuts are shelled, sorted and stored. Several said that it gave them a better understanding of how peanuts move from field to market.

 

The next day, the class went through a media training course presented by a communications professor at Texas Tech University and a reporter from a local television station. The training was an invaluable course in learning how to talk to the media as a voice for all farmers. The class ended with a tour of a cotton field and composting facility that repurposes byproduct from cotton gins.

 

Alabama’s PLA XI class members are: Wade Helms, Houston County; Kevin Holland, Baldwin County; Justin House, Monroe County; Lance Miller, Blount County.

 

The Peanut Leadership Academy is an education project coordinated by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation and sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection and the American Peanut Shellers Association. The program provides intensive training opportunities to develop and improve leadership skills and industry understanding for peanut growers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, as well as sheller representatives.

Purchase Your Favorite Peanuts Online

Purchase Your Favorite Peanuts Online

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association has a new online store open. You can purchase 12 ounce cans of Skinless Salted, Honey Roasted, and Butter Toffee peanuts. They are sold in a full case (12 cans), half case (6 cans) and a tri-pack (3 cans), and they can be mixed.

 

You can also purchase a box of the 3/4 ounce individual bags (200 per box), and the gold peanut lapel pins.

Check out our new store at www.alpeanuts.com/shop.

 

Annual Field Crops Day to be held at Wiregrass Research & Extension Center

Annual Field Crops Day to be held at Wiregrass Research & Extension Center

The Wiregrass Research & Extension Center will host their annual field crops day on Friday, August 23, 2019. 

 

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Field tours begin at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at 12 p.m.

 

Topics to discuss include:

  • Disaster Relief Payment
  • Sprayer drift demonstration
  • Cotton pest management
  • Cover crops
  • Peanut Varieties

 

The Wiregrass Reserach & Extension Center is located at 167 E. AL Hwy. 134,Headland, AL 36345.

 

For more information, contact Kris Balkcom – 334-693-3800.

Shaver is Finalist of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Shaver is Finalist of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Hunter Shaver of Goshen FFA is the fourth-place finalist of the 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production State Proficiency Award. Shaver works on his family farm in Pike County, which includes 200 acres of peanuts and 450 acres of cotton.

 

Shaver, the son of Kristi and Jim Shaver, began working on his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in 2017. Shaver was inspired by his dad to continue to working on the family farm, and join him in doing the work that they both love.

 

He said his greatest challenge while working on his SAE happens almost every day. “Every day at work has some form of challenge,” Shaver said. “Since I began learning how to operate equipment, I have faced several trials. Like when I broke a drive shaft to a KMC peanut picker because I got in too big of a hurry.”

 

Shaver’s main responsibilities on the farm involve preparing the cotton and peanut fields before planting time. “At the beginning of the planting season I focus on preparing the soil and watching for germination,” Shaver said. “Throughout the season, I implement management practices to assure crop growth through every stage of the growing season.”

 

One of Shaver’s greatest accomplishments in his SAE was learning how to farm and getting to work at it daily. “It teaches you things you couldn’t learn anywhere else,” he said. “Not only have I gained experience with operating farm equipment and viewing the growth of plants, but I have developed public speaking skills. I have built my communication skills through connections with local farmers in my county. This has helped me be able to speak with others about my personal experiences on the farm.”

 

The 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award was sponsored by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association.

 

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association has been representing the interests of peanut growers through promotions, research and education programs since 1958.

 

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

 

Jacob Davis (right), executive director for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, congratulates Hunter Shaver on being the fourth-place finalist of the Fiber and/or Oil Production Proficiency Award.

Adkins is Finalist of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Adkins is Finalist of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Jacob Davis (right), executive director for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, congratulates Jackson Adkins on being the third place finalist of the Fiber and/or Oil Production Proficiency Award.

Jackson Adkins of Rehobeth FFA is the third place finalist of the 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production State Proficiency Award. Adkins currently works on a 2,200-acre peanut, cotton, corn and cattle farm in Houston County.

 

Adkins, the son of Jennifer and Jason Adkins, began working on his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in 2016. Adkins enjoys the different roles and tasks he gets to be involved in on a diversified row crop farm.

 

He said his greatest challenge while working on his SAE has been learning to deal with Mother Nature, especially after Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

 

“The afternoon Michael came through a strong wind gust swooped under our barn and lifted it up and threw pieces of it everywhere,” Adkins said. “When the barn blew away, one of the iron beams landed on the hood of the tractor that we were using to dig peanuts.”

 

Adkins said they couldn’t get in the field for days after the rains, and it was just a constant battle. “Some fields were unable to be picked,” he said.

 

One of Adkins’ greatest accomplishments in his SAE was learning to properly apply chemicals to the crops. “There is a lot more to running a sprayer than just pulling in the field and turning your booms on,” Adkins said. “I had to learn how to correctly mix tanks with the correct amount of chemicals and water. I learned that some chemicals cannot be applied twice in the same application. Another important task was to clean out the tank on the sprayer to prevent cross spraying.”

 

Adkins credits being involved in his SAE for helping him develop a strong work ethic. “The one thing that is constant in being successful in any agricultural career is developing a strong work ethic,” Adkins said. “Because of the ever-changing conditions that the agriculture industry faces, working not by the clock, but until the job is done has given me insight into what it takes to be successful and being able to complete tasks in a timely manner to produce a higher quality product.”

 

The 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award was sponsored by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association.

 

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association has been representing the interests of peanut growers through promotions, research and education programs since 1958.

 

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

USDA Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers

USDA Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers

 

(Washington, D.C., July 25, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced further details of the $16 billion package aimed at supporting American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals.
In May, President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy in line with the estimated impacts of unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods and other trade disruptions. The Market Facilitation Program (MFP), Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP), and Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) will assist agricultural producers while President Trump works to address long-standing market access barriers.
“We would like to thank President Trump and Secretary Perdue for assisting farmers that are facing unjustified tariffs,” said Carl Sanders, president of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association. “We are all for fair trade and appreciate our leaders for for trying to achieve that.”
“China and other nations have not played by the rules for a long time, and President Trump is the first President to stand up to them and send a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices,” Secretary Perdue said. “The details we announced today ensure farmers will not stand alone in facing unjustified retaliatory tariffs while President Trump continues working to solidify better and stronger trade deals around the globe.
“Our team at USDA reflected on what worked well and gathered feedback on last year’s program to make this one even stronger and more effective for farmers. Our farmers work hard, are the most productive in the world, and we aim to match their enthusiasm and patriotism as we support them,” Secretary Perdue added.
 Background:
American farmers have dealt with unjustified retaliatory tariffs and decades of non-tariff trade disruptions, which have curtailed U.S. exports to China and other nations. Trade damages from such retaliation and market distortions have impacted a host of U.S. commodities. High tariffs disrupt normal marketing patterns, raising costs by forcing commodities to find new markets. Additionally, American goods shipped to China have been slowed from reaching market by unusually strict or cumbersome entry procedures, which affect the quality and marketability of perishable crops. These boost marketing costs and unfairly affect our producers. USDA is using a variety of programs to support American farmers, ranchers, and producers.
Details of USDA’s Market Facilitation Program (MFP)
MFP signup at local FSA offices will run from Monday, July 29 through Friday, December 6, 2019.
 Payments will be made by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) under the authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act to producers of alfalfa hay, barley, canola, corn, crambe, dried beans, dry peas, extra-long staple cotton, flaxseed, lentils, long grain and medium grain rice, millet, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, rapeseed, rye, safflower, sesame seed, small and large chickpeas, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, temperate japonica rice, triticale, upland cotton, and wheat.
MFP assistance for those non-specialty crops is based on a single county payment rate multiplied by a farm’s total plantings of MFP-eligible crops in aggregate in 2019.
Those per-acre payments are not dependent on which of those crops are planted in 2019. A producer’s total payment-eligible plantings cannot exceed total 2018 plantings. County payment rates range from $15 to $150 per acre, depending on the impact of unjustified trade retaliation in that county.
Dairy producers who were in business as of June 1, 2019, will receive a per hundredweight payment on production history, and hog producers will receive a payment based on the number of live hogs owned on a day selected by the producer between April 1 and May 15, 2019.
MFP payments will also be made to producers of almonds, cranberries, cultivated ginseng, fresh grapes, fresh sweet cherries, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts. Each specialty crop will receive a payment based on 2019 acres of fruit or nut bearing plants, or in the case of ginseng, based on harvested acres in 2019.
Acreage of non-specialty crops and cover crops must be planted by August 1, 2019 to be considered eligible for MFP payments.
The MFP rule and a related Notice of Funding Availability will be published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2019, when signup begins at local FSA offices. Per-acre non-specialty crop county payment rates, specialty crop payment rates, and livestock payment rates are all currently available on farmers.gov.
MFP payments will be made in up-to three tranches, with the second and third tranches evaluated as market conditions and trade opportunities dictate. If conditions warrant, the second and third tranches will be made in November and early January, respectively. The first tranche will be comprised of the higher of either 50 percent of a producer’s calculated payment or $15 per acre, which may reduce potential payments to be made in tranches two or three. USDA will begin making first tranche payments in mid-to-late August.
MFP payments are limited to a combined $250,000 for non-specialty crops per person or legal entity. MFP payments are also limited to a combined $250,000 for dairy and hog producers and a combined $250,000 for specialty crop producers. However, no applicant can receive more than $500,000. Eligible applicants must also have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000 or, 75 percent of the person’s or legal entity’s average AGI for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 must have been derived from farming and ranching. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations.
Many producers were affected by natural disasters this spring, such as flooding, that kept them out of the field for extended periods of time. Producers who filed a prevented planting claim and planted an FSA-certified cover crop, with the potential to be harvested qualify for a $15 per acre payment. Acres that were never planted in 2019 are not eligible for an MFP payment.
In June, H.R. 2157, the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 was signed into law by President Trump, requiring a change to the first round of MFP assistance provided in 2018. Producers previously deemed ineligible for MFP in 2018 because they had an average AGI level higher than $900,000 may now be eligible for 2018 MFP benefits. Those producers must be able to verify 75 percent or more of their average AGI was derived from farming and ranching to qualify. This supplemental MFP signup period will run parallel to the 2019 MFP signup, from July 29 through December 6, 2019.
For more information on the MFP, visit www.farmers.gov/mfp or contact your local FSA office.
Details of USDA’s Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP)
Additionally, CCC Charter Act authority will be used to implement an up to $1.4 billion FPDP through the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to purchase surplus commodities affected by trade retaliation such as fruits, vegetables, some processed foods, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and milk for distribution by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to food banks, schools, and other outlets serving low-income individuals.
Purchasing:
AMS will buy affected products in four phases, starting after October 1, 2019 with deliveries beginning in January 2020. The products purchased can be adjusted between phases to accommodate changes due to: growing conditions; product availability; market conditions; trade negotiation status; and program capacity. AMS will purchase known commodities first. By purchasing in phases, procurements for commodities that have been sourced in the past can be purchased more quickly and included in the first phase.
Vendor Outreach:
To expand the AMS vendor pool and the ability to purchase new and existing products, AMS will ramp up its vendor outreach and registration efforts. AMS has also developed flyers on how the process works and how to become a vendor for distribution to industry groups and interested parties. Additionally, AMS will continue to host a series of free webinars describing the steps required to become a vendor. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to submit questions to be answered during the webinar. Recorded webinars are available to review by potential vendors, and staff will host periodic Question and Answer teleconferences to better explain the process.
Product Specifications:
AMS maintains purchase specifications for a variety of commodities, which ensure recipients receive the high-quality product they expect. AMS in collaboration with FNS regularly develops and revises specifications for new and enhanced products based on program requirements and requests. AMS will be prioritizing the development of those products impacted by unjustified retaliation. AMS will also work with industry groups to identify varieties and grades sold to China and other markets imposing retaliatory tariffs, such as premium apples, oranges, pears, and other products. AMS will develop or revise specifications to facilitate the purchase of these premium varieties in forms that meet the needs of FNS nutrition assistance programs.
Outlets:
The products discussed in this plan will be distributed to States for use in the network of food banks and food pantries that participate in The Emergency Feeding Assistance Program (TEFAP), elderly feeding programs such as the Commodity Supplemental Foods Program (CSFP), and tribes that operate the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).
These outlets are in addition to child nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program, which may also benefit from these purchases.
Additionally, the rule provides flexibility for FNS to explore new channels of non-profit distribution of product, should the availability of distribution through traditional channels prove to be insufficient. FNS will offer products through traditional channels prior to consideration of new outlets.
Distribution:
AMS has coordinated with FNS, industry representatives, and other agency partners to determine necessary logistics for the purchase and distribution of each commodity, including trucking, inspection and audit requirements, and agency staffing.
Details of USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP)
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) will administer the ATP under authorities of the CCC. The ATP will provide cost-share assistance to eligible U.S. organizations for activities such as consumer advertising, public relations, point-of-sale demonstrations, participation in trade fairs and exhibits, market research, and technical assistance. Last week, USDA awarded $100 million to 48 organizations through the ATP to help U.S. farmers and ranchers identify and access new export markets.
The 48 recipients are among the cooperator organizations that applied for $200 million in ATP funds in 2018 that were awarded earlier this year. As part of a new round of support for farmers impacted by unjustified retaliation and trade disruption, those groups had the opportunity to be considered for additional support for their work to boost exports for U.S. agriculture, food, fish, and forestry products.
Already, since the $200 million in assistance was announced in January, U.S. exporters have had significant success, including a trade mission to Pakistan that generated $10 million in projected 2019 sales of pulse crops, a new marketing program for Alaska seafood that led to more than $4 million in sales of salmon to Vietnam and Thailand, and a comprehensive marketing effort by the U.S. soybean industry that has increased exposure in more than 50 international markets. These funds will continue to generate sales and business for U.S. producers and exporters many times over as promotional activity continues for the next couple of years.
The list of ATP funding recipients is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/atp-funding-allocations.
Lee is Runner-Up of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Lee is Runner-Up of Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award

Jacob Davis (right), executive director for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, congratulates Dyllan Lee on being runner-up of the Fiber and/or Oil Production Proficiency Award.

Dyllan Lee of Enterprise FFA is the runner-up of the 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production State Proficiency Award. Lee works for Walden Farms, a 3,500-acre farm in Dale County.

 

Lee, the son of Christy and Brad Lee, began working on his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in 2016. Lee’s main responsibilities on the farm involve inverting peanuts, hauling peanuts, and raking peanut hay. In addition, he helps with routine equipment maintenance, which in turn, helps him have a good base knowledge of how each piece of equipment works.

 

He said his greatest challenge while working on his SAE was learning to be efficient with the peanut inverter.

 

“The difficult part for me was making sure I stayed exactly between the rows,” Lee said. “If I were not accurate, I would risk messing up the rows, or possibly leaving peanuts from getting inverted which would cause them to not be picked up later. This could cost Mr. Walden a significant amount of money.”

 

Lee said his dad and Mr. Walden always take opportunities when he makes mistakes to teach him the value of always doing a job correctly the first time and getting off to a good start.

 

One of Lee’s greatest accomplishments in his SAE was learning to properly use the Trimble GPS system. “Precision agriculture is a great example of how technology can improve agricultural practices,” Lee said. “Through the use of the Trimble GPS, the peanut inverting and planting process has been improved greatly, saving my employer money and time.”

 

Lee’s future plans include attending Auburn University to study Agricultural Business and Economics, and attending diesel mechanics school. He hopes to one day open his own tractor mechanic shop and farm on the side.

 

The 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award was sponsored by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association.

 

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association has been representing the interests of peanut growers through promotions, research and education programs since 1958.

 

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

Scott Wins Alabama FFA Proficiency Award

Scott Wins Alabama FFA Proficiency Award

Jesse Scott with Jacob Davis

Jacob Davis (right), executive director for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, congratulates Jesse Scott on winning the Fiber and/or Crop Production Proficiency Award.

Jesse Scott Jr. of Slocomb FFA is the 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production State Proficiency Award winner. Scott works alongside his father on their 1,400-acre Geneva County farm where they grow cotton, soybeans and peanuts.

 

Scott, the son of Jesse Sr. and Tammy Scott, began working on his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) in 2014. He said his greatest challenge while working on his SAE was learning to set up and operate the four-row KMC peanut inverter.

 

“The hardest part is setting the correct plow depth,” Scott said. “If I set it too shallow, peanuts are plowed off and left in the ground at harvest. It it’s set too deep, it leaves too much dirt on the vines, making it hard for the peanuts to dry.”

 

Scott said his dad was instrumental in helping him overcome the challenge by adjusting plow point depth in several fields over a long period of time.

 

However, Scott has mastered much of the daily farm tasks. From operating a disc harrow to prepare fields for planting, to operating combines and peanut inverters used at harvest, Scott said his confidence and skill levels have grown, along with his responsibilities.

 

“I can do pretty much everything on the farm,” said Scott who credits his father for motivating him to work on the farm.

 

The 2019 Alabama FFA Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production Proficiency Award was sponsored by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association.

 

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association has been representing the interests of peanut growers through promotions, research and education programs since 1958.

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that changes lives and prepares members for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.