Hunnicutt of Nebraska Elected YF&R Committee Chair

NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 14, 2013—Members of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee elected Zach Hunnicutt from Aurora, Neb., as the committee’s chairman for 2013. He will take over as chairman in February, at the end of the committee’s leadership conference, and serve for one year. He will also serve a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors. Zach and his wife Anna farm outside of Giltner, Neb., raising irrigated corn, popcorn and soybeans. Hunnicutt attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned a degree in agricultural economics. He and Anna have two children, Everett and Adeline. Both Hunnicutts are very active in social media, working to tell agriculture’s story and helping bridge the gap between consumers and farmers and ranchers. Hunnicutt currently serves as treasurer for the Ag Chat Foundation. With a strong presence on Facebook, Instagram (zjhunn) and Twitter (@zjhunn), he is well-versed in the opportunities social media offers for starting a conversation with consumers nationwide. As YF&R chair, Hunnicutt said he intends to continue to build on young farmers’ efforts to connect with people outside of agriculture. “With social media, I can reach out to people from the seat of my tractor,” Hunnicutt said. “It’s very effective.” Hunnicutt would also like to help younger growers ramp up their involvement in the policy development process in their counties and states. “Whether they’re just getting started or have long been a part of the policy development process, I’d encourage everyone to get more active, from the early stages of shaping policy to implementation,” said Hunnicutt. Getting state YF&R committees to collaborate more is another goal of Hunnicutt’s. “The committees should be a great resource for one another. We should be tapping into each other’s strengths and learning from each other’s successes,” he said. The YF&R program includes men and women between the ages of 18 and 35. The program’s goals are to help younger Farm Bureau members learn more about agriculture, network with other farmers and become future leaders in agriculture and Farm Bureau. -30-

USDA Announces Speakers for the 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Senator Thomas Daschle to speak WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2013–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced speakers for the 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum, "Managing Risk in the 21st Century," Feb. 21-22 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will present the keynote address, followed by guest speaker former Senator Thomas A. Daschle, currently a senior policy advisor with DLA Piper. USDA Chief Economist Joseph Glauber will present the 2013 U.S. Economic Outlook for Agriculture. In addition, a distinguished panel of speakers for the Feb. 21 plenary session includes: Bryan T. Durkin, Chief Operating Officer, CME Group; David Baudler, President of Cargill AgHorizons; and Scott H. Irwin, Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing, University of Illinois. Mike Adams, AgriTalk Radio host, will moderate the panel. The Forum's dinner speaker on Feb. 21 will be Adam Sieminski, Administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), addressing the, "U.S. Energy Market Outlook." A program schedule and registration are available at www.usda.gov/oce/forum. On Feb. 22, Chief Economist Glauber will moderate a panel titled, "Crop Insurance: A Global Perspective." Panelists include Yves Salmon, Advisor to the CEO, Groupama SA – Paris, France; Olivier Mahul, with the World Bank Group; and John Drakeford, with Aon Benfield, an English insurance company. The discussion will focus on the role of crop insurance in risk management, reinsurance, and the changing face of the U.S. and foreign crop insurance. Among the 25 breakout sessions are other risk-management sessions and 85 distinguished experts in the fields of international trade, forestry, conservation, transportation, energy, nutrition, local foods, and food safety. The Forum continues to feature the traditional USDA commodity supply and demand and food price outlooks. USDA has hosted the Agricultural Outlook Forum since 1923 to provide farmers and ranchers, government, and agribusinesses with sound information for decision-making. Attendees are expected to include members of farm organizations, food and fiber firms, academia, foreign governments, and the news media. Individual speakers' topics and biographies are available at www.usda.gov/oce/forum. Registration is $375 until Jan. 22, 2013, and $425 thereafter. Plenary speeches will be Webcast after 6 p.m. EST on Feb. 21, and breakout session speeches and presentations will be posted online after 6 p.m. Feb. 22. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Stallman Highlights Wins, Buoys Members for Action in 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 13, 2013 – Farm Bureau members faced the challenge of drought in 2012, but scored major policy victories, including permanent estate and capital gains tax changes. With a new five-year farm bill and needed reform in key areas such as fiscal, environmental and labor policy hanging in the balance, agricultural unity will be essential in 2013, according to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman. “Lest anyone wonder why we need a farm bill, we should remember the drought of 2012,” Stallman told more than 6,000 Farm Bureau members who gathered in Nashville for AFBF’s 94th Annual Meeting. “More than half of the country was in a severe drought last summer. Crops withered, hay supplies disappeared, feed costs soared and wildfires blazed. Thankfully, our crop insurance program worked as intended and we lived to fight another day.” Beyond the farm bill, Stallman said it is also time for America’s elected leaders to put political differences aside for the good of the nation. Stallman said that recently enacted permanent reform of estate and capital gains taxes was a long-sought victory—“one that Farm Bureau members worked hard to achieve.” Unity within Farm Bureau, despite agriculture’s amazing diversity, is what made the difference in the long fight for these important reforms, he said. Stallman outlined legal cases that AFBF has been involved in, including an ongoing suit challenging over-reaching Environmental Protection Agency water regulations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. He also highlighted the case of West Virginia poultry farmer Lois Alt, who brought suit against the EPA regarding unlawful water regulations. The judge in that case earlier ruled that both AFBF and the West Virginia Farm Bureau could join that case on behalf of other farmers and ranchers who could be affected by EPA actions. Stallman said that American agriculture is also standing together on the issue of agricultural labor. He said farmers need a workforce that is “legal, stable and reliable.” “For too long, we have dealt with the shortcomings of a broken farm labor system,” Stallman said. “The results have been labor shortages, lost crops and bureaucratic nightmares. Our nation’s leaders can’t continue to avoid this issue. We need solutions.” Stallman said Farm Bureau, working in conjunction with the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, will this year offer “a reasonable, practical and common-sense farm labor option that works for growers and workers alike.” Farm Bureau members, in particular, are known for coming together to make progress on common issues, according to Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “It’s impressive to see farmers and ranchers from pastures, orchards and fields across every region of our country come together and determine what is in the best interest of agriculture overall,” Stallman said. Expounding on the theme of the meeting, Stallman added, “We truly are ‘Many Voices, One Vision.’” Stallman praised farmers and ranchers for their innovation and productivity, sufficient to “meet the diverse and growing food demands” of today’s consumers. “Consumer tastes are all over the map, and they continue to change,” he said. One thing that will never change is that consumers need farmers and ranchers to continue to work hard to produce food, Stallman said. “Each farmer already feeds an average of 155 people and estimates are that food production must double to meet global demand,” Stallman said. He encouraged Farm Bureau members to tell their personal stories about how they are using fewer resources to grow crops and produce meat, milk and eggs. “Consumers really listen when we talk about our desire to continually improve sustainability, quality and safety on our farms,” he said. “We must open our doors—and maybe more importantly, open our minds—to consumers and their perspectives about food and agriculture.”