AgNet DEMO

Category: Agri-business

  • Capitalize on Conservation Funding and Enhance Produce Safety

    The Farm Innovation Project will deliver hands-on conservation and produce-safety training to growers.

    By Kristin Woods

    Conservation funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) can help growers implement good land stewardship practices in an economically sustainable way. While these practices may affect pathogen movement in the farm environment, they are not meant to reduce produce safety risk. Additional consideration must be given around how implementing specific practices could affect the safety of produce.

    MICROIRRIGATION

    The USDA NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can provide cost-share reimbursement for the installation of microirrigation. This practice reduces overall water use compared to overhead irrigation by limiting water delivery directly to the roots of the plant and reducing evaporation. On some crops, microirrigation also reduces plant diseases caused by excess moisture accumulating on the leaves.

    From a food-safety perspective, microirrigation can reduce risk. For crops with the harvestable portion above ground, limiting water contact with that portion reduces the chance of pathogens from the water attaching to the surface of the produce. Additionally, the use of microirrigation can minimize the chances of water contacting produce by reduced splashing from the direct water to root application. If you are getting water from an open water source such as a pond, river or canal, the food-safety benefits are even greater since these water sources can be more likely to carry pathogens.

    When using surface water, a filter needs to be installed to prevent debris and solids from the water source from clogging irrigation lines. Because the use of water is reduced with microirrigation, this sometimes makes the use of novel methods for irrigation water treatment more feasible, such as UV light, which is more easily implemented with reduced flow volumes.

    ROTATIONAL GRAZING

    Growers operating diversified farms with both produce and animals can benefit from USDA NRCS EQIP and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funds to help implement rotational grazing. While EQIP provides a one-time cost-share reimbursement, CSP provides ongoing payments based on the specific practices and the acreage that those practices are applied to.

    In the case of rotational grazing, EQIP might help with the upfront capital cost of cross fencing, while CSP helps a rancher enhance soil health and forage quality long-term. Animals can graze primary crop debris, graze cover crops and simultaneously apply organic soil amendments (manure) to a growing area. To maximize animal production and forage, carefully considering the number of animals and the available forage throughout the rotation is important.

    Because forage recovers faster when not overgrazed, land that is properly rotationally grazed can be more productive overall. For goats, rotational grazing also has the added benefit of helping reduce parasite loads, since the barber pole worm larvae, commonly affecting goats, resides primarily in the bottom three inches of grass.

    Implemented properly, rotational grazing can lead to more productive land.

    Whenever animals are present on a farm with fresh produce, there are additional food-safety concerns. Adherence to the National Organic Program 90/120 rule where manure is applied at least 120 days prior to harvesting crops where the edible portion of the crop has soil contact and 90 days prior to harvesting of other crops will reduce risk.

    Adjacent to animal production areas, you might also consider short vegetative buffers that will help reduce manure runoff into growing areas or water sources. Additionally, woody buffers may help with wind spread of pathogens and will provide habitat for pest predators and pollinators.

    CONSERVATION BUFFERS

    Conservation buffers are also supported by EQIP, CSP and several other USDA programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and Wetlands Reserve Program. This broad support is due to the expansive benefits of conservation buffers to water quality, erosion preservation, and support for pollinators and insect predators.

    Conservation buffers are small strips of land strategically located to catch pollutants from entering water sources and to reduce erosion. According to NRCS, buffers can remove up to 50% of nutrients and pesticides from runoff, up to 60% of pathogens and up to 75% of sediment. Smart implementation also provides a diversity of habitat to support native plant, animal and microbial species, ultimately improving the environment for pollinators and pest predators. The ability of buffer strips to catch nutrient runoff and control erosion via wind spread and water runoff potentially reduces food-safety risk by reducing the physical movement of manure and general spread of pathogens in a farm environment.

    FARM INNOVATION PROJECT

    In December 2020, Alabama Extension, along with partners from the Deep South Food Alliance, Alabama A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Alcorn State University and the National Farmers Union, piloted a hands-on training program that will rollout across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia this year. The program, geared toward small and limited resource growers, aims to improve farm viability by helping growers balance food safety and conservation concerns.

    Known as the Farm Innovation Project, the program will bring hands-on training on water conservation, water quality, soil health, rotational grazing and produce safety practices. It will also bring access to technology-based resources to farms and rural communities. Additionally, participants in the program will learn about USDA conservation funds available to help implement practices on their farms.

    To find out more about this project funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, go to aces.edu/farm_innovation.

    ACCESSING FUNDS

    The first step in accessing funds to implement conservation practices is to visit your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to register and receive an FSA farm number. Once registered, visit your local NRCS office to learn about conservation programs in your area. Due to the pandemic, be sure to call ahead and make an appointment. More information on accessing NRCS programs can be found at nrcs.usda.gov.

    Kristin Woods is a regional Extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

  • Cultivating a New Generation of Farmers

    An increasing number of today’s growers are first-generation farmers like Ida Vandamme. Photo by Sarasota Headshots

    By Sarah Bostick

    Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service conducts a census. The 2017 Census of Agriculture captured in numbers what we see happening all around us: Farming is changing.

    GREENER GROWERS

    One of the most notable changes is that a growing number of farms in America are run by new and beginner producers — those who have operated a farm for fewer than 10 years.

    As of 2017, more than a quarter of all producers in America had farmed for 10 years or less. In 2017, there were 908,274 new and beginning farmers producing on over 193 million acres of land. In Georgia, Florida and Alabama, the percentage of beginning farmers is even higher than the national average: 33, 31 and 30 percent, respectively.

    This growing demographic of new farmers is also younger than the average farmer in America: 46.3 years old compared to 57.5 years old. Nationwide, 26 percent of beginning farmers are under the age of 35 compared to only 8 percent of all U.S. farmers.

    New farmers are much more likely to operate a small acreage farm. Beginning farmers are also significantly more likely than the average American farmer to work off-farm, earn the majority of household income from off-farm jobs, have a higher debt-to-asset ratio and have a higher expense-to-sales ratio. 

    Another reality is that beginning farmers are more likely to be first-generation farmers. For as long as humans have farmed, knowledge and land have been passed down from one generation of a family to another. That time-honored tradition is changing.

    The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is a non-profit organization with a mission of supporting young beginning farmers. In 2017, with the help of 94 partner organizations, NYFC surveyed 4,746 farmers across the nation. The survey (see www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/NYFC-Report-2017.pdf) showed that 75 percent of the respondents under the age of 40 did not grow up on a farm.

    So how is the next generation of farmers learning to farm?

    There are countless ways that organizations and individuals are creatively helping new farmers learn. Some of those ways are through incubator farms, farmer training programs, farm apprenticeships, conferences, farmer-to-farmer networks, and college and university student farms.

    INTERNING AND VOLUNTEERING

    In 2016, I was managing the University of Florida’s Field and Fork Farm and Garden program. The program provides an accessible place for students to get their hands dirty and learn to grow food. The program offered a dozen internships each semester, with many more applications than positions. A bright-eyed sophomore named Ida Vandamme applied that fall.

    I still remember Vandamme’s interview. She met us in the carrot field and we showed her how to weed. Without hesitating, she started the delicate work of hand weeding a 150-foot bed. While working together, we asked her formal interview questions. She didn’t skip a beat. She was clearly a natural at thinking, talking and doing at the same time — a skill that is essential in farming.

    Most students, including Vandamme, did not get an internship that year. We encouraged them all to volunteer that semester and apply next year. Vandamme took that advice to heart. She became one of the most consistent volunteers, happily harvesting cucumbers and stringing tomatoes while asking an endless stream of questions. She wanted to know how the things she was learning in plant science and sustainable food production classes related to what she was experiencing on the farm. Vandamme got the internship the next year and worked with Field and Fork until graduating in 2018.

    TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE

    One of the first farmers I met when I started my job as the sustainable agriculture Extension Agent in Sarasota County was Tiffany Bailey, a fifth-generation farmer and owner of both Bayside Sod Farm and Honeyside Farm, which produces vegetables. She grew up operating tractors, fixing machinery and understanding how to manage an agricultural business. In my first conversation with Bailey, she told me that she feels privileged that she grew up knowing how to farm and had a family farm to take over when her dad retired. She realized that most young people who want to farm start from scratch and she wanted to find a way to help change that for someone.

    Tiffany Bailey (left), owner of Honeyside Farm, makes it a priority to give her farm manager, Ida Vandamme, hands-on training. Photo by Sarasota Headshots

    A few months later, Bailey decided that it was time to train someone else to run Honeyside. She wanted Honeyside to grow and knew that she didn’t have enough time to do it herself. She decided to hire a farm manager. One of the people who applied for the job was Vandamme.

    When asked how qualified she was for the farm manager job that she has now held for a year and a half, Vandamme bursts into laughter and says, “Not at all!” Bailey knew that Vandamme wasn’t an experienced farmer. But she didn’t see this as a bad thing; she saw it as an opportunity.

    Bailey said she decided to take a chance on hiring Vandamme to manage her farm because “It is important to think about the responsibility that you have as an agriculture leader. You get to positively impact someone’s life. It doesn’t always work great. You have good days and bad days. But at the end of the day, the thanks you get from the people you have empowered to learn to grow food is amazing.”

    Hiring Vandamme forced Bailey to get all the details out of her head and create systems that other people could easily plug into. “If only you know how to do everything, you can’t grow and you can’t further your impact,” says Bailey. “You are going to stay where you are.”

    Bailey has some advice for established farmers who want to be part of training the next generation of farmers: The transfer of technical knowledge has to be hands-on. “Keep it teachable and keep it repeatable,” she advises. What doesn’t work is thinking that everyone is going to be good at doing everything from the get-go — that take times.

    Vandamme has some advice, too: Aspiring farmers can’t be scared to take the leap when an opportunity presents itself. For Vandamme, applying for a job managing a 10-acre vegetable farm was her big leap.

    “Coming to Honeyside is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” says Vandamme. “I think I won the lottery with Tiffany.”

    For Vandamme, a young first-generation farmer, the hardest thing to learn about managing a farm has been putting all the little pieces together into the big picture. Bailey is committed to helping her with this process.

    An increasing number of today’s growers are first-generation farmers like Ida Vandamme. Photo by Sarasota Headshots

    Vandamme dreams of owning her own farm someday. Land access is the No. 1 barrier to farming for young farmers, and Vandamme is no exception. Bailey hopes that Vandamme stays with Honeyside for a long time. But she knows that Vandamme will probably move on someday — either to start her own farm or work on a larger farm. Bailey hopes that by the time Vandamme moves on, she will leave with the skills she needs to succeed as the next generation of farmers.

    Farming in America is changing. Farming was once something that the younger generation learned from their parents, just as land was passed down through the generations. As more and more farm kids grow up and leave the farm, that generational knowledge is being lost. But it doesn’t have to be lost, and you can be a part of making sure that deep agricultural knowledge is passed on. I encourage new and established farmers to reach out to one another in the great American tradition of cultivating the next generation of farmers.

  • Imperfect Competition Yields Profitable Market Opportunities

    By Kimberly L. Morgan and Jessica Ryals

    Photo credit: © Foap.com / stock.adobe.com

    In nearly all introductory economics courses, the agricultural industry serves as the primary example of a “perfectly competitive” market structure. In theory, farmers are not able to set prices for their products, and instead “take the price” offered by market buyers. To achieve profitability, a grower works year-round to find ways to reduce costs, such as growing a single crop or renting more land, to take advantage of management expertise and investment in equipment.

    Let’s look at the other side of the profit equation to explore opportunities for Florida’s small- and medium-sized farmers to find ways to improve revenues. We can do this by identifying markets where they have some measure of influence on market prices.

    We describe markets in which firms may offer their products by setting their own prices as “imperfectly competitive.” Why are markets considered imperfect? What does this mean to farmers and buyers? What are the added costs and benefits related to stepping into imperfect markets?

    Successful ventures into imperfect markets are motivated by the farm manager’s decision to intentionally focus on solving the why lurking behind a customer’s buying decision. For example, why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving, and maybe Christmas, but rarely during the rest of the year? Are there a lack of turkeys at other times of the year? Why can my class of college freshman rattle off the names of more than 10 apple varieties, but struggle to identify which nuts are picked off trees versus harvested from the ground? In this article, we highlight the power of marketing management to communicate and deliver added value to customers, which can result in higher farm revenues.

    DEFENSIBLY DIFFERENTIATE

    When farmers find ways to invest in marketing activities, intentionally carve out a targeted segment of buyers, and invest effort in building long-term relationships with customers, they become “defensibly differentiable.” The defensibility results from the ability of the farmer and the customer to nurture this relationship over time. The differentiation is built around the needs and wants unique to the target market and known only to involved parties. Higher profits are driven by tracking the marketing costs and setting prices to capture improved revenues that reflect the value of this shared information.

    To make money, farmers need to track customer data because it serves as the market feedback needed to make decisions to build their defensible market strategy. Prices tell the buyer what the farmer has invested in supplying the food and communicate why the food serves as the best choice to meet the buyer’s needs.

    The consumers’ actions up to and including the decision to buy the food informs the farmer about why that item is their preferred choice. Armed with this data, the farmer discovers the answers to the economic questions of what to produce, for whom, how much and when. This keeps customers returning to the farmer while also attracting others with similar demands. Empowered with market intelligence, farmers can make annual production and marketing decisions to protect their clients from competitors and cultivate their share of the target market.

    Why would a farmer be willing to invest in understanding individual food buyers’ wants and needs and setting their own prices? The food system works the way it does because it has proven to be efficient and effective over time. Keeping up with every person’s tastes and preferences is an impossible task for a single farmer. Identifying a market segment of buyers who are willing and able to spend their food dollars on a specific set of food products requires committed effort and the ability to react quickly in response to dynamic situations and unexpected events.

    As experienced farmers know, acquiring the necessary knowledge of market trends to communicate a “price story” requires time, effort, and perhaps, additional risk to the farm business. Added marketing costs and regulatory requirements beyond the farm gate, which include packing, storage, distribution, shipping, etc., must be factored into the pricing strategy.

    BUILD CONNECTIONS ONLINE
    The Southwest Florida Fresh website helps consumers find local producers.

    The key element that is driving opportunities for farmers to compete in imperfect markets is access to relatively cheap technology. Online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are useful to build connections that shrink the distance between farm and customers. Farmers can use these platforms to position their farm story and attract the attention of key influencers.

    Farmers can also share their relationships with their extended networks, which capitalizes on their investment in these promotional tools. Once a marketing campaign has begun, marketing managers can collect data generated by social media platforms, internet orders and mobile purchasing apps. This can capture real-time market reactions to messages aimed at communicating the value of product offerings.

    The Southwest Florida Fresh (swflfresh.com) website was created by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in response to the devasting impacts of Hurricane Irma (2017), and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, on Florida’s southwestern farmers. The platform reduces distribution complexities and provides a regional brand for local producers, while meeting customer expectations for fresh local produce available at convenient venues. With consistent branding aimed at sharing each individual farm story, customers will continue to recognize and seek out your farm products across market outlets.

    SUMMARY

    Imperfect markets offer farmers improved profit margins, driven by the ability to set prices, based on knowing why people buy. Remember, that first customer costs a lot of money and time to attract, and data gathered along the way is valuable information. Long-term profitability for farmers who defensibly differentiate their food offerings is reliant on building loyalty and trust with customers, finding ways to encourage them to spend more at each visit, and incentivizing them to share their experiences with their friends and family networks.

  • Enterprise Planning Budgets for Growers

    © Wayne Smith

    By Kimberly L. Morgan and Tara Wade

    Wanna go fishin’? Have you ever wondered why we don’t ask who wants to go catching fish?

    Entrepreneurial adventures in farming may be compared to the distinction between fishing and catching any fish at all, regardless of hours spent throwing out a line, varying techniques, bait types, pole qualities and past experiences at previously abundant locales. Similarly, the farm financial planning process tends to be viewed as murky and mysterious. As a result, financial planning is often underutilized and misinterpreted. This is especially true when farmers are looking to make changes in existing operations or venturing into new enterprises.

    While financial documentation is viewed as a tedious task, it is the bedrock of any decision about farming.  Further, any future financial decisions should be made in tandem with production, marketing, legal, regulatory and human resource management to ensure all departments are considered prior to the investment.

    Business risks are defined as “uncertainty that matters.” This article highlights key aspects of the enterprise budget useful to address and mitigate the uncertainties that are inherent to entrepreneurial pursuit of farming for profits.

    Enterprise budgets are long-run planning tools. They differ from other budgets, such as income and cash flow statements, balance sheets and owners’ equity statements, which are used to study past farm financial performance. Enterprise budgets give farmers the numbers needed to make timely allocations of resources (land, labor and capital) specific to growing conditions that capture the feasible production and marketing costs and revenues.

    USEFUL FEATURES

    A key benefit to the enterprise budget is the ability to assess the opportunity costs, captured as interest paid on operating costs. Economic opportunity cost measures the entrepreneurial value of the enterprise by calculating what farmers must give up to get what they want the most.

    One alternative to borrowing annual operating capital and paying a 6 percent interest rate on the loan is to invest those dollars and earn a 6 percent return. The interest rate on the operating loan is charged to the enterprise in the budget to ensure the farmer is recovering this cost. Knowing what they are giving up allows farmers to make informed decisions on whether to choose a new enterprise.

    The University of Florida provides online tools to help growers with budgets.

    The enterprise budget contains another valuable risk mitigation tool: It allows farmers to examine whether they can stretch their resources into a new venture. Fixed costs, also described as ownership costs, represent long-term expenses that must be paid every year regardless of what commodity is produced or if any are produced at all. A fixed-cost charge in the form of returns to overhead and farm management is represented by a percentage of total operating costs. This percentage captures returns to the farmer’s own long-term investment of their expertise and efforts into this enterprise. Economics tells us there is no such thing as a free lunch, and this is the only financial tool that reminds the farmer to make sure any new activity results in a paycheck to cover their own involvement with the enterprise.

    A motivating factor for tackling a new enterprise is the desire to find new ways to use existing resources that are costing the business money yet sit idle all or part of a year, such as equipment, buildings or irrigation systems. The enterprise planning tool allows a farmer to adjust the variable (operating) and fixed (ownership) cost numbers to represent their existing resources and expenses. This can easily be done by utilizing information/numbers from the farm’s historical financial statements.

    Another valuable feature of the enterprise budget arises when farmers choose to spend time studying and learning how to utilize the tool to plan for future profits. Specifically, annual updates to the budgets capture information related to changes in input prices and/or technology.

    Examples of changes to input prices important to the farm budget are fuel or fertilizer costs resulting from adjustments in trade, labor or regulatory policies. Similarly, changes in technology such as new equipment features and/or availability can significantly impact overhead/fixed costs. Moreover, predicted yields may be changed to allow for varying physical conditions across the state, such as soil health and weather patterns that are specific to a farm location. Estimated costs of materials may be adjusted to capture savings from purchasing inputs in bulk for use across other farm activities or sharing packing and harvesting costs through cooperative arrangements.

    Estimated revenues are based on average market prices and can be altered to accurately identify prices received by an individual farmer year over year at each market outlet. This includes sales made through a broker, at a roadside stand or online farmers’ market, or via direct marketing connections like restaurants or retailers.

    From the viewpoint of an economist, assessing benefits resulting from the investment in a new enterprise extends beyond the explicit gains in profit. Farmers are often motivated by the implicit gains in managing business risks that may be achieved when adding a new enterprise.

    For example, the ability to employ labor year-round may ensure continued access to staff. This reduces the time and stressors related to attracting and training new people repeatedly, while building trusting relationships between owners and employees. This extends to finding ways for the next generation to stay on the farm through expansion into enterprises that provide the foundation for a long-term career in the family business.

    INTERNET RESOURCE

    To help organize the math behind these economic choices, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Resources (UF/IFAS) provides enterprise budgets for a variety of Florida-grown commodities. These decision tools are built collaboratively with economists, horticulturists and farmers who share lifetimes of experience from the fields to provide a baseline of inputs and outputs for an operation.

    Visit fred.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/commodity-production-budgets for more information and to access the UF/IFAS Commodity Production Budgets. These tools will help you assess your farm’s readiness to capture your next entrepreneurial field of green. Available enterprise budgets include potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers, watermelons, sweet corn, cabbage, tropical fruit, beef cattle and forages, tropical ornamentals, tropical vegetables, citrus and cucumbers.

  • Picking Varieties With Profit Potential

    citrus expo

    By Gene McAvoy

    Choosing which variety to plant is one of the most critical decisions that a commercial grower must make each season.

    Variety selection is a dynamic process. In the past, some varieties retained favor for many years. More recently, with advances in plant breeding and the incorporation of new and improved traits for disease resistance and other horticultural characteristics, there is a trend for older varieties to be supplanted by newer cultivars after only a few seasons.

    “Profit” may be the only word needed to describe the importance of variety selection. Profit potential depends on selecting varieties suited to the farm and your target market.

    Selecting the proper variety may be an opportunity to expand a market or overcome certain production obstacles.

    Growers would be wise to heed the old saying: “There is nothing more optimistic than a seed catalog.”

    DO YOUR HOMEWORK

    Study and use reliable results from local performance tests, including on-farm trials, other growers’ experience, vegetable and seed trade literature and university studies. Discuss results of university and seed trade variety trials with the people who performed them.

    On-farm trials will help identify varieties that may be potential candidates for production.

    START SMALL

    When trying new varieties, do so on a small-scale basis but make it a fair test by growing them under the same conditions likely to be encountered in the field. Whether the new varieties work or not, the process of testing them will provide valuable information.

    RECORD RESULTS

    “Mental notes” on yield or overall performance are usually not as accurate as actual measurements. Keeping accurate records of yield and other data is important but often overlooked. To gain the most benefit from on-farm trials, results should be recorded and documented.

    With good records, growers can identify which varieties will perform best in which fields in which season (early, mid or late) and other production conditions (e.g., climate, disease and insect pressure).

    TRY SOMETHING NEW

    Following the maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” growers sometimes identify and stick with favorite varieties. This approach is understandable, but it shouldn’t prevent a producer from trying new varieties.

    Production and market forces increasingly demand that growers establish identities in the marketplace, partly through supplying unique, high-quality products. For growers, changes in consumer preferences can dictate adoption of new and unique varieties to distinguish themselves in the market.

    KNOW YOUR MARKET

    Research the market to clarify what is valued and accepted. Growers should know their target market and be prepared to grow what the market dictates. Keep in mind that most markets tend to see yield as the grower’s concern and quality as theirs.

    In evaluating a new cultivar, these important selection factors should be considered:

    • Marketability: The harvested plant product must have characteristics desired by the packer, shipper, wholesaler, retailer and consumer.
    • Maturity needed to match the cropping season, supply the market and reduce the risk of weather-related crop failure
    • High marketable yield potential
    • Dependable resistance to diseases, insects, stress and physiological disorders (e.g., blossom-end rot)

    In pepper, these qualities include pack-out, shelf life, shape (blockiness), number of lobes, color (both mature color and shade of green for immature fruit), size, firmness and pod wall thickness. More recently, some markets are interested in nutritional quality and taste.

    The tomato market seeks many of these same qualities, including color, shape, flavor, firmness, pack-out, shelf life and shipping and ripening characteristics.

    Variety evaluation should be an ongoing process for growers who wish to remain profitable and competitive.

  • Farmworker Safety During Unprecedented Times

    Growers take steps to protect farmworkers’ health so they can continue to ensure an abundant, safe food supply is available to U.S. consumers. Image source: The Pajaronian

    By Amy Wolfe

    While the country finds itself navigating unprecedented circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, growers across the Southeast have continued forging ahead in producing the safest possible food supply. That work has included a variety of challenges, including how best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the farm while considering the safety, health and well-being of the agricultural workforce.

    COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS

    There are a variety of precautions to evaluate and implement on the farm to ensure the safety of farmworkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owners and management need to consider the following:

    Communicating with Workers

    The need for daily communication with workers is essential. The misinformation available through social media and other outlets has led to critical misunderstandings around how the virus is spread and what steps employers and employees need to take to minimize risk. As such, it is critical that employees receive the following information:

    Social Distancing

    During the start of the shift, breaks and lunch, keep workers at least 6 feet apart. Provide additional seating, such as plastic or folding chairs, to ensure workers are off the ground. Stagger breaks and lunch if additional seating is not available. Stagger meetings and trainings at the start and end of the shift if additional seating is not available.

    In the field, space workers out to provide distance between them. One row should be separating them when planting, pruning, thinning, harvesting or doing other field work. Make more than one pass through a field when harvesting product with equipment.

    Drinking Water for the Crew

    Assign an employee to serve drinking water to crew members from the communal water receptacle. Ensure the worker serving the water has proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including disposal gloves and a face mask or covering. Sanitize the spigot after filling disposable cups each break. Sanitize the spigot if it comes in contact with a reusable water container drinking area (example: mouth of a water bottle).

    Hand soap, paper towels and potable water must always be available in portable restrooms. Image source: Kerkstra Services

    Portable Restrooms and Handwashing

    Assign an employee to sanitize portable restrooms (door handles, locks and toilet seats) and handwashing facilities (spigot, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser) frequently during the day. Ensure the worker has proper PPE. Provide sanitizing products and train workers on how to properly sanitize. Frequently communicate the expectation that sanitation procedures are followed and assign a supervisory employee to monitor compliance.

    Worker Transportation

    If company vehicles are provided to workers, ensure that those vehicles are being cleaned and sanitized on the inside and outside regularly, ideally once a day. If it is essential to use transportation, such as a van or bus, to transport workers:

    • Sanitize at least twice a day (following employee pick-up and drop-off) all points of contact (seats, seat belts, knobs, doors, handles, buttons, etc.) that employees touch.
    • Ensure ample ventilation and airflow inside the vehicle.
    • If possible, seat workers spaced at least 6 feet apart.Consider additional trips to allow spacing of workers.
    • Assign seating so if a worker becomes ill, it is easy to identify those in proximity and take the appropriate next steps around informing them, as well as asking them to stay home from work for 14 days.

    Sanitizing Equipment and Tools

    More frequent sanitation of all equipment and tools is critical. Ensure teams already responsible for cleaning do so at least daily. Do not forget the following items, which can be overlooked:

    • Tractors, forklifts, ATVs and UTVs, including seats, seat belts, knobs, doors, handles and buttons.
    • Areas of congregation and meeting, both inside and outside. This includeschairs, shade trailers, buckets, refrigerators, coolers, water jugs, vending machines, garbage cans, bottles and containers used daily
    • Employee equipment and tools, including bins and hand tools
    GENERAL FARM SAFETY

    With the emphasis currently on new COVID-19 protocols, don’t overlook other tried-and-true agricultural safety measures. It is essential that one risk isn’t traded for another. With the summer months fast approaching, growers need to be mindful of the potential for heat-related illnesses. Ensure workers have access to ample drinking water and shade and that they are aware of the steps they should take if they begin to experience overheating symptoms.

    In addition, be sure workers using equipment like tractors, forklifts and ATVs receive proper training on safe operation. Training should occur annually and include the process for inspecting the equipment prior to use, the correct operation of the equipment and the protocol for reporting any mechanical issues.

    Lastly, it is important that growers remember to be mindful of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and the importance of ensuring workers now receive their appropriate annual training. The WPS was updated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016 to include annual training for farmworkers not involved in pesticide application. They need to be provided details on routes and types of exposure, signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning, first aid care, after-work care of contaminated clothing, field postings and the concept of the re-entry interval, where to find the field worker decontamination site, the contents of safety data sheets, and how to stay out of the application exclusion zone.

    The continued safety and health of farmworkers is paramount. It is critical that growers maintain vigilance with year-round safety issues, as well as consider the unique circumstances now impacting the industry as it navigates through the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Amy Wolfe is president and chief executive officer of AgSafe, headquartered in Modesto, California. AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing training, education, outreach and tools in the areas of safety, labor relations, food safety and human resources for the food and farming industries. For more information, visit www.agsafe.org, call 209-526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org.

  • Alabama: A session unlike any other

    Photo credit: © Rex Wholster / Adobe Stock

    Alabama: A session unlike any other

    By Ashley Robinson

    Alabama lawmakers have never seen a legislative session like the one that took place this year. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced lawmakers to end Alabama’s 2020 legislative session early, causing several issues to fall by the wayside.

    Legislators took a nearly two-month break during the COVID-19 outbreak, returing to Montgomery on May 4to pass state budgets and a few other bills before the regular session concluded May 18. Wearing masks and sitting apart, lawmakers gathered without lobbyists in the hallways or members of the public filling the galleries.

    “Once lawmakers came back, the building was not open to the public … which was pretty unusual, especially taking on something as important as the budgets,” says Leigha Cauthen, Alabama Agribusiness Council executive director.

    FUNDING FOR AGRICULTURE
    Due to the shortened timeframe, Education Trust Fund and General Fund budgets and local legislation were lawmakers’ top priorities.

    The General Fund budget, at almost $2.4 billion, will greatly benefit the state’s agriculture industry. Under the proposed plan, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) will receive almost $15 million, including $100,000 in new appropriations for the North Alabama Agriplex, $130,000 for the industrial hemp program and $120,000 allocated to the Farm to School program. In addition, the new Sweet Grown Alabama state agricultural brand received $250,000.

    Sweet Grown Alabama, which launched on March 13, is a non-profit organization that connects farmers in the state to retailers and consumers. Growers can market their produce anywhere in the state. The online database allows consumers to find farmers in their area. Farmers’ profiles include their location, products grown, social media links, website links and how consumers can buy their products.

    In addition, the Soil and Water Conservation Committee will receive $2.9 million, including more than $81,000 in matching funds for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to increase on-farm irrigation.

    “I think the ADAI was pleased with this year’s funding. At the beginning of the session we were all optimistic about the budgets, but as COVID-19 unfolded, the budgets fell back to the same funding levels as last year,” Cauthen said. “But, some new money made its way to the ag department, so that’s great that those needs were met even as the budget was being scaled back.”

    BILLS LEFT HANGING IN THE BALANCE
    Unfortunately, none of the bills that were of particular interest to Alabama agriculture were passed by the Legislature during the session.

    “We lost a couple of good bills that were left hanging in the balance, but it also kept some bills from passing that could have been detrimental to the agriculture industry,” said Cauthen.

    She expects special sessions later this summer or into the fall to take up additional important issues of the state. But, for the most part, she expects to see the bills she was tracking reintroduced during next year’s session.

    For a complete list of the bills being tracked by the Alabama Agribusiness Council, visit www.alagribusiness.org.

  • Florida: Funding and policy progress

    In preparation for the 2020 legislative session, more than 200 Florida Farm Bureau members traveled to Tallahassee in December to advocate on behalf of Farm Bureau’s legislative agenda.

    By Adam Basford

    On March 19, the Florida Legislature wrapped up the 2020 legislative session after a six-day extension caused by a delay in budget negotiations. Clearly, the COVID-19 outbreak has created significant uncertainty about Florida’s economy and there may be a need for the Legislature to meet again to revise the budget based on updated revenue forecasts. However, for now, Farm Bureau has had a successful session both with funding agricultural priorities as well as in the policy arena.

    Over the course of the session, two policy priorities emerged as being vitally important. Because of recent blue-green algae outbreaks and Governor DeSantis’ focus on environmental issues, water quality was a key issue. The governor also sought to fulfill a campaign promise to pass a bill that would ensure that employers were hiring legal workers using the E-Verify system.

    WATER QUALITY

    SB 712 was the comprehensive water quality bill that largely incorporated the recommendations from the governor’s Blue-Green Algae Taskforce. It passed both chambers unanimously and was sponsored by Sen. Debbie Mayfield. The House companion was sponsored by Rep. Bobby Payne and Rep. Blaise Ingoglia.

    The bill transfers the regulation of septic tanks from the Florida Department of Health to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, creates a water-quality grant program to assist in the transition from septic tanks to central sewer and requires water management districts to update stormwater permit requirements. It also reinforces the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) authority to conduct best management practices (BMPs) implementation verification.

    For Farm Bureau, the most important aspects of the bill add credibility to the agricultural BMP program through the two-year verification process and support additional research by FDACS and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to develop new BMPs.

    SB 712 passed by unanimous votes in both chambers and received broad, bipartisan praise.

    “It is a fantastic beginning and a giant step forward for our state, for our environment, for our water quality,” said Rep. Toby Overdorf, a republican from Palm City.

    “This bill actually advances water quality in Florida in a real, substantive way,” said Rep. Margaret Good, a democrat from Sarasota.

    “This is going to be a piece of legislation that we’re going to talk about decades from now as the starting point where we shifted gears and proved to people that we, as a state, are prepared to take on these big environmental issues,” said Rep. Ingoglia, a republican from Spring Hill. “Make no mistake about it, this is an historic piece of legislation.”

    RIGHTS OF NATURE

    Recently, activist groups around the state have been pushing petitions for so called “rights of nature” county charter amendments. These amendments would grant legal rights to specific rivers, water bodies and other natural features. These amendments would give citizens a broad standing to sue governments or businesses who “interfere or infringe” on those rights. The organization leading this charge is the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, which so far has proposals in Alachua, Brevard, Lee, Orange and Osceola counties.

    Rep. Ingoglia and Sen. Ben Albritton sponsored bills that contained language ultimately passed in SB 712 that preempts these types of initiatives. This provision will prevent frivolous lawsuits that could harm businesses and hamper the ability of local governments to issue permits.

    E-VERIFY

    The E-Verify bill (SB 664) sponsored by Sen. Tom Lee passed both chambers and is headed to the governor’s desk. However, the Senate bill was amended during the last days of session by the House and was passed including the provisions in HB 1265 by Rep. Cord Byrd.

    Throughout the session, the chambers took different approaches to the issue. Generally, the Senate’s approach was to mandate the use of E-Verify for both public and private employers with certain exemptions for private employers. The House approach allowed all private employers to verify the employment eligibility of their workers by using E-Verify or by utilizing the federal I-9 verification process.

    Farm Bureau believes that any immigration legislation should be done at the federal level. But during the session, we strongly preferred the House position because it allows employers to continue using the federally authorized system and because it does not create an additional regulatory burden.

    FDACS BUDGET

    The FDACS budget ended up much better than where it started. The Fresh from Florida program will be fully funded at $5.9 million. The initial House proposal included a $3.7 million cut. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program will receive $8.7 million this year after being zeroed out in 2019. The Office of Agricultural Water Policy also received funding for eight additional staff that will be integral to implementing provisions of SB 712 that call for BMP verifications.

    SUCCESSFUL SESSION

    At the close of the 2020 session, it was clear that it was a successful one for Florida Farm Bureau and its partners in the agricultural community. Successful outcomes for top priorities this year were essential, and Farm Bureau appreciates its members and the Legislature for their hard work.

    Adam Basford is director of state legislative affairs for Florida Farm Bureau Federation.

  • Georgia: Ag bills still in play when session paused

    Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Photo credit: © f11photo / Adobe Stock

    By Will Bentley

    It’s a surreal moment in Georgia politics as two years of policy work hangs in the balance after lawmakers pressed the pause button on the 2020 legislative session due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before turning our full attention to working with state and federal leaders to navigate through the heath crisis, the Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) was actively engaged with legislators. Several bills of importance were still in play when things came to a halt.

    Much of the early talk in the Capitol centered on Georgia’s budget as Gov. Brian Kemp called for across-the-board cuts to government agencies and programs. Debate was intense behind the scenes as everyone fought for their piece of the budget pie. Led by Chairman Terry England in the House and the late Senator Jack Hill in the Senate, Georgia agriculture fared relatively well. We were pleased to see many areas of importance, such as the department of ag and University of Georgia Extension specialists, saved from the deep cuts that first seemed imminent at the beginning of the session.

    Many of the budget discussions are now irrelevant with lawmakers presented with a completely different scenario for budgeting for the 2021 fiscal year after a shutdown of the state and national economies.

    RIGHT TO FARM ACT
    Georgia Agribusiness Council’s Jake Tench and Will Bentley present Gov. Brian Kemp with a pair of Georgia-grown Wrangler jeans. Also pictured are Rep. Gerald Greene and House Ag Chairman Tom McCall.

    After flying through the Georgia House of Representatives during the 2019 session, the Georgia Right to Farm Act (HB 545) remained tabled in the Senate as lawmakers continued to be badgered with misinformation from several environmental activist groups. The Right to Farm Act would provide added protections for Georgia’s farmers against frivolous “nuisance” lawsuits and would provide these protections evenly across all segments of agriculture, including fruits and vegetables.

    This bill is vitally important to close loopholes in our current law and is supported by Gov. Kemp and leaders from both the House and Senate. If and when lawmakers resume the 2020 session, the final vote will be extremely close.

    DISASTER PAYMENTS AND TAXES

    HB 105 by Rep. Sam Watson, a South Georgia produce and cattle farmer, would exempt Hurricane Michael disaster payments from state income taxes. The bill passed through the House in 2019 and passed through the Senate shortly before crossover day. The main sections of the bill exempt payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) directly related to Hurricane Michael from state income taxes.

    However, lawmakers in the Senate used the bill as a vehicle and attached additional language that deals with the taxation of ride share services in Georgia. While we often use Uber and other ride-sharing platforms to get around Atlanta during the legislative session, we focused our support on the portions of the bill that will have real impacts on agribusiness in Georgia. This bill moved far enough prior to the shutdown to make its way to the governor’s desk for final signature.

    HEMP LEGISLATION

    Georgia’s hemp program was a hot topic all year and lived up to the hype during the session. We worked to ensure loopholes in Georgia’s laws were removed and also worked to secure much needed funding for the program to be properly administered. This legislation primarily focuses on five key changes to last year’s legislation that was signed into law. These changes include:

    1. Cleaning up the language within the bill to include and align with the rules and regulations that were released by USDA last year.
    2. Allowing colleges and universities within the state to do on-farm research and to have a contractual agreement with third parties for this research.
    3. Adding language to allow greenhouse growers to sell plants to other growers and to also allow for growers to sell to processors in other states that have a USDA-approved plan.
    4. Increasing processor permit fees to $25,000 for the first calendar year and a $50,000 permit fee for renewal every year thereafter. This aims to make the regulatory program self-sustainable.
    5. Codifing transportation requirements to call for documentation of the load.

    The department of ag has already begun working with hemp growers and processors, and we are excited to see if this new crop option will provide a boost to agribusiness in the state like it has been touted to do.

    TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR FOOD BANKS

    A bill by Rep. Houston Gaines that now has added significance is HB 882, which would extend tax exemptions for food banks. This bill would eliminate the sunset period for the exemption from state and certain local sales taxes for the sale of food to qualified food banks. It would also expand the exemption for the use of food donated to qualified nonprofit agencies to include disaster relief. With food banks playing a large role in the coronavirus relief efforts, we hope that this bill will be considered in the Senate as soon as lawmakers return to conclude the session.

    AG STRUCTURE EXEMPTIONS

    HB 690, by Rep. James Burchett, passed the House with a vote of 169-1. This bill aims to exempt agribusinesses from having to pay full permit and inspection fees on agriculture buildings and structures. While the bill will still require these structures to get inspected and permitted, the fees for these services will be capped at $500.

    The bill will only apply to those producers who qualify for a GATE (Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption) card through the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The structures that qualify for this legislation must be used directly for the commercial production or processing of agriculture commodities and will also include farm labor camps and housing for migrant workers.

    Dozens of other bills that have impacts on Georgia’s specialty crop industry have seen action throughout the session. We have no way of knowing when lawmakers will return to complete the 2020 legislative session, but GAC will be there when they do. We will continue to advocate relentlessly for the best interests and priorities of Georgia agriculture.

    Will Bentley is president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council.

  • N.C. State Economist: Second Quarter Should Be Horrible Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

    Pictured is a farmer in his field.

    By Clint Thompson

    The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to the U.S. economy and especially the American farmer. North Carolina State Extension Economist Mike Walden believes the country needs to do what it can to help those farmers rebound from the current recession.

    “We do need to worry about keeping our farmers afloat. Fortunately, in the stimulus plan, there was about $50 billion that was allocated for various programs that would help farmers,” Walden said. “We certainly need to watch our farmers.”

    Fruit and vegetable producers are struggling because of the lack of the food service market. Restaurants have either closed or reduced their business traffic to try to limit the spread of COVID-19. However, that has caused a problem for producers, especially in Florida.

    “If you look at where people get their food, we’re almost split 50-50 between people eating their food in their homes in home-prepared meals versus eating them in restaurants,” Walden said. “The restaurant industry is essentially shut down. There is some pick-up and take-home but that’s a small fraction of what they do. The problem for the farmer is that their supply chain is geared towards that 50-50 split. People don’t understand that farmers just can’t take the produce that they were sending to restaurants and just ship them over the grocery stores. There are different regulations and different packaging.

    “That’s creating a real headache for farmers.”

    On Friday night, the United States Department of Agriculture announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). According to the USDA press release, President Trump directed USDA to craft this $19 billion immediate relief program to provide critical support to farmers and ranchers, maintain the integrity of our food supply chain and ensure every American continues to receive and have access to the food they need.

    Walden still warns that the economy will likely get worse before it gets better.

    “The second quarter, which is how most economic data are calibrated, is going to be horrible. It’s going to probably be a record in terms of drop of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). But we should start to see growth come back in the third quarter and fourth quarter,” Walden said. “But it’s likely not going to be until, I would say, at the earliest, mid-2021 before we’re back to where we were before this started.”

    Walden said he’s been an economist for more than 40 years. This is his sixth recession but admits this one is much different than the others.

    “Most recessions are caused by imbalances in the economy, particularly over-indulgence in debt. Businesses and consumers taking too much risk,” Walden said. “This is a recession that has actually been mandated by the government. The government has said we have a problem with the coronavirus. It is easily spread. In order to contain it, in order to limit deaths, in order to not overwhelm our hospital system, we have to essentially shut down a large part of the economy.

    “All of the bad numbers we’re getting now should not be surprising because we have to do this in order to control the virus. Apparently we are getting good numbers on that. We will likely see the economy contract by somewhere between 25% and 30% in the second quarter, that is April, May and June. The unemployment rate may very well get over 15%. But the good news is this should be short-lived. We should probably see some return to growth in the third quarter and then forward.”