arkansas agriculture - winter 2014

arfb.com

Combating Grain Bin Wire T h e f t

I n s t a l l a n e l e c t r o n i c “ s n i t c h ”

New Ag Hall of Fame class

WiNter2014

OK

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1 Offer available through 4/1/14. Available on all 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet vehicles. This offer is not available with some other offers, including private offers. Only customers who have been active members of an eligible Farm Bureau for a minimum of 60 days will be eligible to receive a certificate. Customers can obtain certificates at www.fbverify.com/gm. Farm Bureau and the FB logo are registered service marks of the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used herein under license by General Motors. 2 Ownership costs based on Vincentric 2013 Model Level Analysis of full-size pickups in the U.S. retail market.

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3Arkansas Agriculture

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Farm Bureau Perspective by Randy Veach 3Faces of Agriculture — Sunni Wiseby Gregg Patterson 18

Combating grain bin wire theftby Steve Eddington 4Ag Hall of Fame inducteesby Bricen Pace 12

Policy Update by Michelle Kitchens 22

Inside...

Rural Reflections Photo 28

New State Board Member Profiles — Thrash and Felts add talentsby Bricen Pace 26

On the cover — Metal theft, particularly copper wire, continues to be a problem on farms. Three Lonoke County farmers have teamed up to help curb it at grain bin facilities. The article begins on page 4.

F e a t u r e s

C o l u m n s

VOLUME 11IssUE 1

WIntEr2014

Executive Editor: Steve EddingtonEditor: Gregg PattersonContributing Writers: Ken Moore, Keith Sutton, Chris WilsonResearch Assistant: Brenda Gregory

W


Arkansas Agricultureis an official publication of

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.

Arkansas Agriculture is distributed to almost 42,000 farming and ranching households in Arkansas.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Included in membership dues.

ArkAnsAs FArm BureAu OFFiCers: President

randy VeachManila

Vice President rich Hillman

CarlisleSecretary/Treasurer

Joe ChristianJonesboro

Executive Vice President rodney Baker

Little Rock

DireCtOrs:Troy Buck, Alpine Jon Carroll, Moro

Joe Christian, Jonesboro Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart

Sherry Felts, JoinerMike Freeze, England

Bruce Jackson, Lockesburg Tom Jones, Pottsville

Johnny Loftin, El Dorado Gene Pharr, Lincoln Rusty Smith, Des Arc Allen Stewart, Mena

Leo Sutterfield, Mountain View Joe Thrash, Conway

ex OFFiCiOJosh Cureton, JonesboroBrent Lassiter, NewportJanice Marsh, McCrory

Arkansas Agriculture is published quarterly by the

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, 10720 Kanis Road, Little Rock, AR 72211. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

Arkansas Agriculture, P.O. Box 31, Little Rock, AR 72203. Issue #32.

Publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation reserves the right to accept or reject

all advertising requests.

Send comments to:[email protected]

We’ve talked about the need for a new farm bill for so long that my personal opinion

of the “farm bill” has encompassed a full set of emotions, including anger, despair, disgust,

anxiety, concern, and – finally – relief.

President Obama has signed a new five-year farm bill, cobbled together by a conference

committee from the vastly different bills passed in 2013 by the House and Senate. I want to

thank those members of the Arkansas delegation who voted for passage. They understand

sustainable agriculture can only be achieved if long-term stability and profitability are part

of the equation. Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas were among the

conferees who worked diligently to bring about a compromise bill.

This is far from a perfect bill, with many of the historic safety net programs used in

the Midsouth now removed. But, frankly, the certainty of the new legislation is needed

for our farmers and ranchers. Having a five-year program, as opposed to year-by-year or

ad-hoc programs, was imperative, particularly as we go about making planting and livestock

decisions for the coming year.

The farm bill continues to be attacked from those unfamiliar with its general purpose.

You, in fact, may have been asked to defend the programs. In a nutshell, the purpose of

federal farm policy is to help ensure the availability and safety of the United States’ food

supply. It does that by helping farmers and ranchers ride the uncertainties of world market

forces, weather and government intervention. Bringing stability to the farm helps ensure

production capacity remains in place and dulls some of the risk farmers and ranchers

routinely face.

The federal farm bill is not something we should be ashamed of but something we

should be happy to defend and explain to those who question its value and purpose.

There are several things of note included in the 2014 farm bill, including more than

$7 billion for livestock producers through conservation (EQIP, etc.), disaster and grazing

programs.

The new legislation expands federal crop insurance and eliminates direct payments.

Those direct payments were crucial for many Midsouth farmers, particularly those who rely

heavily on irrigation. We see an opportunity to work with USDA’s Risk Management Agency

to develop a crop-insurance program that will work for irrigated crops. As it stands now, the

expansion of crop insurance doesn’t help the majority of Midsouth row-crop farmers. The

proposed reference prices in this farm bill won’t replace the safety net that direct payments

provided, but at least it will help.

We are pleased the legislation preserves the farm bill’s permanent law tenets. It also

maintains the historic connection between commodity and nutrition programs. These were

issues for which Farm Bureau worked diligently to include in the legislation. We believe

the linking of the commodity and nutrition programs is natural, and obvious, where the

production of food and the feeding of those in need are appropriately connected.

Farmers make a living adapting to changes, whether they are market forces,

improvements in technology or weather. We’ll have to adjust to this new farm bill, for sure.

But I believe in the resourcefulness of our farmers and ranchers.

God bless you and your families. God bless the farmers and ranchers. And God bless

Farm Bureau.

Farm Bureau Perspective

by Randy Veach, PresidentArkansas Farm Bureau

ŒŒŒ*

pcipublishing.com

Created by Publishing Concepts, Inc.David Brown, President • [email protected]

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Edition 32

4 Arkansas Agriculture

System notifies owners when wires cut, electrical system compromised

by Steve eddington

Local farmers create device to combat wire thef t


FFaced with a copper wire theft epidemic on grain bin

facilities, three Lonoke County farmers have uncovered, and

are now marketing, a theft detection system they believe will

yield dramatic results in the fight against wire theft.

Farmers Scott Mitchell, Matt Schafer and Jerry Kelly were

each victims of copper theft on their grain bin facilities –

Kelly several times. They tried to think of ways to thwart the

thieves who had figured out how to beat camera monitoring

systems and other theft deterrents. They also spoke to law

enforcement to understand their rights and limitations in

protecting their property.

Schafer went as far as staking out his farm at night.

“I’d have dinner, put the kids to bed and get out there

about midnight,” Schaefer recalled. “I had the perfect spot at

a crossroads on our farm, where I could see anyone coming

or going in any direction.”

He says he had the sheriff department’s number

programmed into his phone in one hand and a gun in his

other hand for protection. Problem was, after a long day on

the farm, Schaefer kept falling asleep.

“I’d wake up and say ‘where the heck am I?’ So I’m telling

myself ‘this isn’t fun, it’s probably not very safe, either.’

Finally, I told myself ‘I’m not doing this anymore,’” he said.

“But I knew there had to be something out there – some sort

of technology – that could help us with this problem.”

In the darkness of one of those stakeout nights last May,

Schafer reached for a piece of technology he had with him,

an iPad, and typed into the search bar how to stop copper wire

theft, agriculture. What popped up in the returns ultimately

led him, Mitchell and Kelly to the technology they’ve now

incorporated into a product they call BinSnitch.

An Indiana-based company

named Net Irrigate had already

created a wireless irrigation

monitoring system that included

the ability to notify owners when

copper wiring was cut on center-

pivot irrigation systems. Seeing

an opportunity to transfer that

technology to their problem with

copper wire theft on grain bin

systems, Schaefer and Mitchell

began a series of conversations

with the owners of Net Irrigate.

After several months of discussion

and a visit to Arkansas, Net

Irrigate’s general manager,

Edward DeSalle, came up with

system tweaks that would allow

deployment of his technology in a

grain bin environment.

“If you cut a wire or in any way

break a connection, the BinSnitch

immediately sends notice,” said

Mitchell, who was the first to have

the system installed on his grain

bins last July. “It sends notice out

to 10 different numbers through a

cell phone connection.”

Mitchell says it logs the GPS

coordinates where the device is

located and sends out an email,

text or voicemail message. “You

can program your home number,

your cell number, the sheriff’s

office, your neighbor, your farm

help, whoever,” he said. “Any

number you program into it.

“We think this can be a big help

to law enforcement. We want the

copper thieves to know there is a

deterrent that wasn’t there before.”

Mitchell says the thought of

those who engage in metal theft is

an irritant to his sensibilities.


Build a better mousetrap (from left to right) Farmers Jerry Kelly, Matt Schafer and Scott Mitchell teamed with Edward DeSalle to develop the BinSnitch system to help thwart copper wire theft at grain bin sites.

Stev

e Ed

ding

ton


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“You know, I’ve got to get up

every day, I’ve got to put a crop

in, I’ve got to get a crop out, and

I’ve got a family I want to see. I do

those things, because it’s the life I’ve

chosen,” he said. “But it’s not right

for a guy to take the wire out of my

bins, take it to a scrap yard and get

paid in cash and not pay taxes on

it. This guy doesn’t have a real job,

doesn’t have to pass a drug test, and

the next thing he does is wait until

I fix the wiring in my grain bins and

then hits me again. I don’t like a

copper thief.”

Kelly, who runs a law practice

in Carlisle and continues to direct,

along with his brother, the family’s

farming operation, understands the

difficulty in getting a conviction in

metal theft cases.

“I’ve been a special prosecutor.

I’ve been a judge, and I practice law,”

Kelly said. “I know what it takes to

bring about prosecution. And that’s

not easy (with this type of theft), and

there’s good reason for that.”

He says just having a photo of

someone at your grain bins doesn’t

automatically mean a conviction.

“You have to prove a person is guilty

of a criminal act beyond a reasonable

doubt. With the epidemic of metal

theft we have, the police are getting

a bad rap for not catching these

people, but they’re just as frustrated

as anyone,” Kelly said. “They’re tired

of pulling up and seeing the plastic

clippings from the wire casing that

has been cut and having a mad

landowner, because they haven’t

caught somebody. They know they

need something more.”


Wire theft The amount of copper wire used at grain bin sites along with the sites’ remote but accessible setups make them targets for thieves.

Keith

Sut

ton


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Kelly says they knew Farm Bureau

had worked in the legislature last

session to get more teeth in metal

theft laws with only minimal success.

“We were concerned that our law

enforcement didn’t have the tools

needed to really impact metal theft,”

he said.

They believe the BinSnitch system

can help both the farmer and law

enforcement.

“We want to make this work. How

many of these BinSnitch devices can

we get out there to stop this metal

theft?” Mitchell said. “We believe

this is going to help. You can get

cameras. But cameras are going to get

pictures of people hauling off your

stuff.

“First off, we want to help the

farmer. I cannot stand to think there

are people out there sitting up at

night to guard their grain bins,”

Mitchell said. “When that happens,

the cost of repair is far more

expensive than the wire that’s been

stolen. It’s devastating.

“We’ve got enough sense to know

there’s going to come a time when

Farm Bureau says it can’t afford to

insure your bins anymore or the cost

of that insurance is going to get so

high we can’t afford it,” Mitchell

said. “We knew we had to do

something that took the control out

of the thieves’ hands.”

The BinSnitch system is available

for $2,750 per unit. There are no

monthly monitoring fees, and the

system operates on a battery with

a three- to five-year power supply.

Mitchell says they’ve installed dozens

of units across Arkansas, with the

ability to go nationwide with the

product. Those interested in finding

out more about the BinSnitch should

contact AgSecure at 105 Park Street,

Suite B, Carlisle, AR 72024, or by

calling (870) 552-5000.

Arkansas Farm Bureau paid claims

in excess of $1 million for copper-


More than pictures It can take more than photos of thieves to successfully get a conviction for wire theft. The BinSnitch system can alert farm owners and law enforcement when a theft is in progress, raising the chances that thieves are caught in the act.

Keith

Sut

ton

theft losses on grain bins, irrigation

equipment and farm buildings in 2013,

with losses exceeding $2 million during

the past three years. Nationally, Net

Irrigate estimates wire theft accounted

for more than $1 billion dollars in

losses in 2013.

As a way to counter some of those

losses, Arkansas Farm Bureau will waive

an insured’s deductible up to $1,000 on

claims where a copper theft loss occurs

and BinSnitch was properly installed at

the time of the loss.

“The peace of mind a system like

this can bring to a farmer, you can’t put

a dollar value on that,” Kelly said. “One

thing I know, these copper thieves are

sort of like lightning. You know they’re

going to hit, but you don’t know when,

and you don’t know where.

“At least now, with BinSnitch,

you’ve got a fighting chance with the

thieves.”


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TR. Marion Berry

Despite

earning a

pharmacy

degree from

the University

of Arkansas, R.

Marion Berry,

71, always has

had farming

in his blood and used practices

learned on the farm to become

an influential political figure in

Arkansas agriculture. The Arkansas

County rice and soybean farmer

from Gillett would eventually travel

to Washington, D.C. to promote

agriculture worldwide.

Governor Bill Clinton appointed

Berry to the Arkansas Soil and Water

Conservation Commission where

he served from 1986 to 1994. When

Clinton won the White House, he

brought Berry to Washington with

him, appointing him as his special

assistant for Agricultural Trade and

Food Assistance, and as a presidential

advisor on the White House

Domestic Policy Council during

Clinton’s first term. In these roles,

Berry made sure President Clinton

was well versed on agricultural issues

affecting Arkansas and the rest of

the country. His efforts resulted in

policy implementation promoting

agriculture, trade and rural

prosperity.

In 1996, Berry won election

to the United States House of

Representatives for Arkansas’ 1st

Congressional District, winning by

a small margin. But in the next six

elections, Berry would win with close

to two-thirds of the vote or more.

During this time, he was a major

advocate for lifting the trade ban on

Cuba, so Arkansas rice farmers could

regain trade opportunities. Berry was

a member of multiple committees

and a champion for agriculture

throughout his House tenure; among

those being on the House Agriculture

Committee, where he helped write

the 2002 farm bill. Berry served in

Congress until 2011.

O.H. “Doogie” Darling

O.H.

“Doogie”

Darling, 85,

of Crossett, is

a well-known

name in forestry

in southern

Arkansas.

Darling earned

his forestry technician certificate

from Arkansas A&M College (now

the University of Arkansas at

Monticello). He went on to earn a

bachelor’s degree in forestry from

Louisiana State University and

a master’s in forestry from Yale

University.

In the 1950s, Darling was a

young forester working for the

Fordyce Lumber Company where

he pioneered the first landowner

assistance program, a new

innovation in the forest industry at

the time. This program combined a

forester’s knowledge with landowners

struggling to make ends meet

following the Great Depression and

World War II. The program helped

farmers generate a supplemental

income from their farm woodlots

through scientifically based forest

management and improve the value

of their property while improving

the forestland’s health and

productivity.

When Georgia-Pacific bought the

Fordyce Lumber Company, Darling

continued his landowner assistance

efforts, further expanding the

program. At the peak of Darling’s

career, he was responsible for

managing 3 million acres of Georgia-

Pacific timberland, delivering wood

to 28 forest production mills in eight

states.

After retiring from Georgia-Pacific,

Darling served on the Deltic Timber

Corporation’s Board of Directors for

12 years. Darling has been a member

of the Arkansas Forestry Association

for almost 50 years and served as its

president in 1988 to 1989. He is also

a member of the Arkansas Foresters’

Hall of Fame and mentored many

young foresters throughout the state.

Ag Hall of Fame inducteesNew group to be honoredby Bricen Pace

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of

Fame will induct six individuals

whose leadership and service have

brought distinction to Arkansas

agriculture, the state’s largest industry.

The group will be honored at the

26th annual induction luncheon,

11:30 a.m., March 7 in the

Ambassador Ballroom of Little Rock’s

Embassy Suites Hotel. Luncheon

tickets are $35 each and are available

by calling (501) 228-1470 or email

[email protected].

13Arkansas Agriculture 13Arkansas Agriculture

Ruben H. JohnsonAfter

graduating from

the University

of Arkansas

in 1955 with

a degree in

animal science,

Ruben H.

Johnson joined

the University

of Arkansas Cooperative Extension

Service as associate county agent in

Washington County. While Johnson,

now 83, began his career at the local

level, he quickly was promoted to

the state office after two years.

While in Washington County,

Johnson started the 4-H pullet

chain funded by the Sears-Roebuck

Foundation. His work with poultry

in Washington County led to his

promotion to UACES Poultryman in

1957. Johnson’s accomplishments

included his educational work on

broiler production and the initiation

of some of the earliest work on

proper use of poultry litter.

After working as poultryman for

seven years, Johnson was promoted

to two divisional positions for the

Southwest District: district resource

development specialist (1964-70)

and district agent (1970-75). In

1975, Johnson became UACES State

Leader for Agriculture where he had

administrative responsibility for

35 counties. Under his leadership,

specialists and agents increased

educational programs, such as

research verification programs in

various commodities. With the latest

research available, production yields

increased and production costs

decreased.

Johnson’s major accomplishments

were his appointment to the position

of UACES Acting Director in 1981

and securing a $904,000 grant to

study broiler production. As a result

of that grant, four broiler houses

were constructed in Savoy for broiler

research.

Johnson retired in 1988 and

moved to Magazine where he uses

his Extension experience to obtain

grants for local organizations, such as

the Magazine Rural Fire Department,

Booneville Development Corporation

and the town of Magazine. He’s a

Korean War veteran and retired from

the Arkansas Army National Guard as

a colonel in 1984.

Leroy Isbell

With

innovations in

the rice industry

never before

attempted

by anyone in

Arkansas or

the U.S., Leroy

Isbell, 89, of

England, pioneered methods making

his name internationally recognized.

Isbell’s innovations during a 55-year

career are widely accepted today.

Isbell first learned about rice

farming from GI bill classes he

attended after leaving the Navy. He

began with 40 acres, paying for the

first crop with his GI bill paycheck.

In1959, Isbell purchased 900 acres

— then in use for fish production —

and modified it for rice.

Isbell rebelled against the

common rice-growing practices like

rotating rice crops in fields to lessen

the impact of red rice problems.

He found that by water seeding his

rice crops, he controlled red rice

problems so well he could continue

farming his best rice ground year

after year. He also pioneered zero-

grading of rice fields when he

noticed how long it took for water

to drain from a traditional sloped

contour levee system. Zero-grading

allowed the field to drain water

quicker in four directions rather than

the one sloped direction found in

a traditional rice levee system. This

led to extensive water conservation

benefits. Isbell and his sons were the

first to do this in Arkansas.

It took a trip to California by

Isbell’s son, Chris, to get involved

in another rice-growing innovation.

Chris met a Japanese man, who

claimed that Koshihikari, a Japanese

rice variety, couldn’t be farmed

outside of Japan. Father and son

took on the challenge, successfully

cultivating the Japanese variety and

taking it to market in the U.S. and

eventually Japan when it opened

trade for rice imports.

Isbell’s successes bring visitors

to his family farm wanting to

improve their own rice-growing.

The Isbell family is well respected

and recognizable in Japan where

the family’s picture adorns the rice

products it sells there.

Keith LusbyInnovations

in agricultural

practices are

necessary for

agriculture

and livestock

production to

grow. Moreover,

the methods and

facilities used in educating students

should be innovative, too. Keith

S. Lusby, 66, of Fayetteville, who

earned an animal science doctorate

degree at Oklahoma State University,

returned to Arkansas after 19 years

in extension, research and teaching

at OSU to lead the University of

Arkansas’ Department of Animal

Science.

During his UA tenure, Dr. Lusby

built the animal science department

into a national powerhouse with

rebuilding and renovation projects

that increased jobs, graduates and

educational standards.

More than $10 million in facilities

construction and improvements

included the building of the Pauline

Whitaker Animal Science Center and

the Dorothy E. King Equine Pavilion,

as well as complete renovation of

research facilities at Fayetteville

and rebuilding the research station

at Batesville. The Animal Science

Building was also renovated.

New scholarship endowments were

added to support an intense effort

to increase enrollment. With new

scholarship endowments increasing

more than $850,000, undergraduate

enrollment increased from 85 to more

than 200. To support the increased

enrollment, 12 new positions were

created for research, teaching and

extension.

In the effort to excell, Dr. Lusby

made decisions that would benefit

future students. Lusby closed two

dairies and the bull test program,

which shifted research away from

large beef herds to a diversified

mix of swine, beef cows, stocker,

feeders, dairy replacement

heifers and horses. Dr. Lusby

is an active member of the

Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association

and Foundation where he was

awarded the Arkansas Cattlemen’s

Association Producer Education

Award in 2013.


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J. Keith SmithTaking a one-

room feed store with

an incubator and

turning it into a

multi-million dollar

business, the late J.

Keith Smith of Hot

Springs, pioneered

the development of the broiler industry

in southern and eastern Arkansas. Keith

Smith Company, Inc. was among the first

multifunction corporations in the broiler

industry before it became the standard.

Smith put together a hatchery, broiler

parent stock, feed milling and live grow-

out to provide product to some of the first

commercial processing plants built in the

southern and eastern parts of the state.

During the early years of the Arkansas

poultry business, Smith provided broiler

chicks, live broilers and broiler hatching

eggs to companies, allowing them to focus

on other operations beyond the initial

stage of chick production. This provided

stability and growth for the poultry

industry. Now, 38,000 Arkansans are

employed by the poultry industry, and it

contributes more than $3.3 billion dollars

to the state’s economy.

Smith helped provide parent stock

for the central U.S. that would produce

hundreds of millions of broilers. As a

result, Smith is credited with aiding in the

development of the emerging markets of

products like range-fed, organic, Amish-

grown and kosher chickens. His company

also provided hatching eggs for export

markets, allowing poultry company

expansion into Latin America.

Smith went to great lengths to assist

employees, customers and members of the

community if they were having difficulties.

Smith also helped with Arkansas Foodbank,

Starting Over Ministries, and World Vision.

Smith founded the Keith Smith Company,

Inc. in 1948. He remained CEO until 1981

when he appointed his son, James Keith

Smith, II, as president. ŒŒŒ*


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SSunni Wise, 18, is young,

vivacious and all about ag. The

Southern Arkansas University

freshman is majoring in

agriculture education. She’s also

fully immersed this school year

in ag issues as the 2013-14 state

secretary for FFA. For Sunni Wise,

it’s all about ag; strange, coming

from a girl who didn’t grow up

on a farm or get interested in

agriculture until high school.

The ag bug bit the Bismarck High

School graduate in ninth grade.

“I signed up for my first ag

class, because some of my friends

were showing goats. I thought

that was really cool,” Wise said.

“I didn’t show a goat until 10th

grade, and I absolutely fell in love

with all of it.”

She showed goats the rest of high

school and got involved with FFA. “I

found my passion. No matter where you

come from or what you do, you can be

something, be who you want to be and

work toward success in the FFA,” Wise

said. “You don’t have to be a farmer or a

scientist who’s going to create the next

generation of soybeans to feed the world.

You can just be you and bring what you

have to the table. And I like the aspect of

being in the FFA, and I like that you can

make a difference in the field of agriculture

no matter what you’re doing.”

Originally, Sunni thought she wanted

to be a veterinarian. Then she realized

that wasn’t it. She wanted to be around

animals, she wanted to help people,

and she wanted to make a difference. In

eleventh grade, her ag teacher told her,

“Sunni, I think you’d make a great ag

education teacher.” She says she brushed

it off, but then got to thinking seriously

about it.

“My entire life I wanted to work with

animals, which would be an ag teacher. I

wanted to work with kids, which would

be an ag teacher,” she said. “And I wanted

to make a difference. What other job can

you have to make a difference in the lives

of people to help build them up into the

people they want to be?”

It was then she knew she was going

to be an ag teacher. “I’m really interested

in Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom

program,” she said.

Through FFA, she’s become familiar

with Arkansas Farm Bureau. Sunni was

a Discussion Meet winner while in high

school, proof of her skill in speaking

intelligently about agriculture issues.

“Farm Bureau is an asset to FFA but

just like FFA, Farm Bureau is only as strong

as its members are,” Wise said. “So Farm

Bureau can look to FFA, and FFA can

look to Farm Bureau for strength. They’re

beneficial to each other like a symbiotic

relationship, and the result is both are

helping the agriculture industry.”

Helping spread the good word about

agriculture, that’s what Sunni Wise is all

about. She says her FFA experience has

even helped her teach her family about ag.

She’s even managed to get her 14-year-old

brother interested in agriculture.

“My little brother, Baylen, sent me a

text recently ‘Sister I joined ag’ when he

joined FFA,” Wise said. “He’s 14 now and

has wanted to be a farmer since he was 12.

How cool is that?”


by Gregg Patterson

Sunni WiseAll about ag

Keith

Sut

ton

All ag to the bone Sunni Wise is completing her freshman year at Southern Arkansas University. The agriculture major is busy with school work, as well as her duties as FFA Secretary/Treasurer.

Faces of Agriculture

ŒŒŒ*


Keith

Sut

ton

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Share Your Thoughts

• facebook.com/ArkansasFarmBureau

• youtube.com/ArkansasFarmBureau

• twitter.com/ARFB

• www.arfb.com

D


During the 2013 legislative session,

the Arkansas General Assembly passed

several tax cuts for agriculture. The

legislature is to be commended for their

attention to the state’s largest industry

and the farmers who live in their

districts. The diverse tax cut package

included something for almost all

segments of agriculture, from cattlemen

to forestry.

The largest agriculture tax cut was

Act 1441 championed by Reps. Jeff

Wardlaw of Warren and Jon Eubanks

of Paris and Sen. Larry Teague of

Nashville. The bill had enormous

bipartisan support, with more than 80

legislators cosponsoring the bill. Act

1441 created a sales tax exemption for

electricity, propane and natural gas used

in poultry, cattle, dairy, horticulture,

swine and aquaculture facilities and

operations. That exemption took

effect on Jan. 1, and sign up for the

exemption is ongoing. Act 1441 will

save farmers approximately $11 million

annually. Economists estimate poultry

farms will save about $600 per house

per year.

If you think your farm is eligible

for this exemption, you’ll need to

certify your meter and propane

tanks with the state. This is a simple

process and prevents people from

claiming the exemption when they

aren’t eligible. Tanks or meters must

exclusively serve the agriculture purpose

or they aren’t eligible. If you don’t

already have the necessary certification

form, download it from the Arkansas

Farm Bureau website, www.arfb.com, or

if you don’t have access to the Internet,

contact Farm Bureau at 501-228-1229 or

visit your local Farm Bureau office.

Farmers will need their meter and

tank numbers, the physical location

of the farm where the utilities are

delivered, some tax identification

information and your NAICS code. After

the Arkansas Department of Finance and

Administration receives the completed

forms, they’ll mail an official certificate

that indicates your farm is eligible for

the exemption. Share copies of this

certificate with all your utility providers.

Those providers are responsible for

collecting taxes and will not apply the

exemption without proper certification.

It’s a simple process that leads to

big savings. Next time you see your

legislator, thank them for making this

exemption possible. It’s important to

let them know farmers appreciate their

support. A similar exemption (Act 1401

by Sen. Dismang) for grain drying and

storage will take effect on July 1. Those

meters will need to be certified through

a similar process this spring.

These tax cuts happened through the

efforts of our farmers who let legislators

know the legislation was important and

legislators who listened and kept the

pressure up at the capitol. In a time when

many are down on elected officials, it’s

good to be able to say thanks for the

many good things they do. ŒŒ*

Policy Update

by Michelle Kitchens

take advantage of ag tax cutsCertify now


TASTE ArkAnsAs.com

from farm to table

Food, like nothing else, brings us together. After all, everyone eats.

On Taste Arkansas, a food blog by Arkansas Farm Bureau, this simple

truth is connecting those interested in food production with

the farmers and ranchers who provide us with an abundance of

Arkansas agricultural products. © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2014

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One thing will always be true about farming:

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J


Joe Carroll Thrash, 47, of

Conway and Sherry Wren Felts,

53, of Joiner are the newest

members on Arkansas Farm

Bureau’s Board of Directors.

The two were elected on

Dec. 6, 2013 during Arkansas

Farm Bureau’s 79th Annual

Convention.

Thrash joined Arkansas

Farm Bureau in 1989. A third-

generation farmer, he started

his farming operation in 1989

specializing in rice, soybeans,

wheat and corn. Thrash

followed his father to Farm

Bureau. His father, Carroll,

served on the Faulkner

County Farm Bureau board.

“The opportunity to represent and

serve my fellow farmers was a major

motivation to serve on the Arkansas Farm

Bureau state board,” Thrash said. “I’m

honored to be a part of the long history

of Arkansas Farm Bureau, looking out for

the interests of agriculture statewide.”

Before being elected to the state

board, Thrash held positions at the

county level and worked on committees

at the county and state levels. Thrash

became president of Faulkner County

Farm Bureau in 2001 and also served

as president from 2008 to 2010. Thrash

was part of the state Young Farmers

& Ranchers Committee in 2000 and

the Resolutions Committee from 2010

to 2013. In Faulkner County, Thrash

was also active on the Membership

Committee in 2013.

Outside of Arkansas Farm Bureau,

Thrash has been a member of the

Arkansas Soybean Association for 14

years where he was elected to the

Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board in

2013. Thrash is a member of the Faulkner

County 4-H Foundation. He and his wife,

Renee’, have four children, Benjamin,

Austin, Kate and Anna. He farms 1,050

acres. Thrash enjoys trout fishing and

hunting for deer and ducks.

Felts joined Arkansas Farm Bureau in

1980. A second-generation farmer, Felts

began farming in 1980 specializing in

rice, soybeans, wheat, cotton and milo.

Felts farms 2,000 acres with her husband,

Benton, her son, Wren, and Benton’s

father. The Felts family was awarded the

Mississippi County Farm Family of the

Year award in 2001.

Felts’ service within Farm Bureau

includes serving in Mississippi County

as vice chair of the Women’s Committee

from 2006 to 2007, and she has chaired

the county Women’s Committee since

2008. Felts worked for the state Rural

Health & Safety Committee in 2010 and

has been vice chair of the state Women’s

Committee since 2012.

“There is a long, rich history of

Arkansas Farm Bureau in Mississippi

County,” Felts said. “I’m proud to be a

part of it, and I look forward to doing

what Farm Bureau does best, being an

advocate for and serving the interests of

agriculture throughout Arkansas.”

Joe Thrash Sherry Felts

ŒŒŒ*

New Board Member Profiles

New board members electedThrash and Felts add talents

by Bricen Pace

Keith

Sut

ton

Keith

Sut

ton


Mol

lie D

ykes

Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A improve the lives of families across our state and nation, and around the world. Our future is tied to the businesses of foods and agriculture. Congratulations to Ewell Welch, former AFB Executive Vice President, on his recent retirement and congratulations to Rodney Baker on his recent appointment to AFB Executive Vice President. The Bumpers College grows leaders of today and tomorrow.

GROWING LEADERS

Ewell WelchRetired AFB Executive Vice President Two-time Bumpers College alumnus

Rodney BakerNew AFB Executive Vice President Two-time Bumpers College alumnus

13-238 Arkansas Farm Bureau magazine ad.indd 1 12/2/13 8:46 AM

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Rural Reflections Reflections

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Arkansas Agriculture 29

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Presorted standardU.s. Postage PaId

LittLe Rock, ARPeRmit No. 1884

arkansas agriculture - winter 2014

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