“Fertilizer prices are rising faster than those of almost any other raw material used by farmers. In April, farmers paid 65% more for fertilizer than they did a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That compares with price increases of 43% for fuel, 30% for seeds and 3.8% for chemicals such as weedkillers and insecticides over the same period,”
So why isn’t any one complaining about how much money the fertilizer companies are making?There are a lot of people to blame out there. Farmers are only part of the mix. Why not:
- Blame poorly fed people who want to eat better and can now afford it.
- Blame big oil for low inventories and high prices.
- Blame US policy makers for becoming so dependant.
- Blame environmentalists for pushing for renewable energy.
- Blame fertilizer companies for taking a bigger piece of the pie.
- Blame the consumer for wanting strawberries in the winter.
- Blame US auto manufacturers for not designing more efficient vehicles.
…I bet you can think of a few more.
There seems to be a lot of blame to go around. -Just don’t blame the farmer. He’s the one that’s always been there, even when it was hard to make a profit. He is the one that had the sleepless nights when it didn’t rain. He is the one trying to grow the best crop he could for you, the consumer.
(Source WSJ, Full Article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121184502828121269.html?mod=djemITP )
Alex Tiller
Here is a heads-up for you. -Senator Joseph Lieberman has said he is considering legislation to place limits on large institutional investors in commodities markets. This includes oil and agricultural commodities. The legislation targets investors and speculators who use commodities as a way to hedge against swings in other investment vehicles like stocks and the US dollar.
Lieberman said “We may need to limit the opportunity people have to maximize their profits because a lot of the rest of us are paying through the nose, including some who can’t afford it,” said Lieberman, Independent of Connecticut.”
At first you might say that this is a good idea. ‘All those fancy institutional investors already have enough money anyway,’ right? I say no-way. If you have mutual funds, or own stock in any banks or investment companies, you as a shareholder/investor will be limited from protection of loss. Although I understand the underlying intent, this sounds highly un-American to me.
Use the link below to read the full story.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/21/business/commod.php
Alex Tiller
Have you seen the Buy Fresh, Buy Local signs around town, in the grocery store, and on bumper stickers?
The Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign was designed to persuade small and regional grocery stores to carry locally grown foods, while also encouraging consumers to buy food products from local growers. The campaign was launched in 2003 by its founders Community Alliance with Family Farmers and National Food Routes Buy Local Learning Chapter.
According to www.foodroutes.org, there are five main reasons why buying food locally is so important. They are:
- great taste and freshness,
- help improve the local economy,
- support family farms,
- safeguard your families health,
- and protect the environment.
The awareness campaign reaches out to schools, farmer’s markets, restaurants, and super market patrons alike. Special labels notify consumers that the products that they are purchasing are locally grown and their purchase supports local farmers and the local economy.
Twenty-Five states are currently involved in program including; Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Many states have more than one Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter. Any community can start their own Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter in their town. All they have to do is contact FoodRoutes and ask for a local chapter application.
The Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign is a program dedicated to helping consumers purchase great quality food that was grown right in their own community. Not only are they getting some of the freshest produce available they are helping the economy by keeping their dollars circulating in their community. So the next time you enter a supermarket to purchase your weekly groceries, try mixing things up and looking for the fresh fruit and vegetables with a Buy Fresh Buy Local sticker attached to them.
Alex Tiller
I am pleased to let you all know that the House of Representatives and Senate overwhelmingly passed an historic new farm bill!
The 2008 Farm Bill will benefit all Americans through the following provisions:- Permanent disaster assistance program;
- Mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL);
- Interstate shipment of state inspected meat;
- Continuation of the Milk Income Contract Loss (MILC) program with added cost of production;
- More than $900 million for specialty crops;
- $7.9 billion for conservation programs;
- More than $10 billion for domestic and international nutrition programs;
- Payment reforms by eliminating the triple entity rule and requiring direct attribution of farm program payments; and
- Increased funding for the next generation of renewable fuels.
The Bill makes real gains in subsidy reform in the new ACRE program (Average Crop Revenue Election) and provides funding for conservation, nutrition, and healthy and local foods. ACRE also represents a fundamental reform in how U.S. commodity programs operate—reducing market distortions, cutting direct payments, reducing loan deficiency payment rates, and freeing up funding for other priorities.
This allows producers to choose a market-oriented, risk management tool that adjusts with market prices and pays farmers only when they need it, when they suffer a real loss in revenue. I know many farmers want this choice and it is estimated that nearly 100 million acres to be enrolled in the program because it provides better protection while freeing up money for other priorities. (conservation/ nutrition) Congress also responded to the need for more conservation funding, better efficiencies in current working lands programs and several new/modified options including:- Environmental Quality Incentives Program
- Conservation Stewardship Program
- Wetland Reserve and Grassland Reserve Programs
- And a new conservation loan program
This bill expands commitment to important farmers’ market programs, Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (SNACK) program, and the Community Food Security Program. It also allows schools the flexibility to give preference to local farmers in supplying food for the school food programs while making significant advances to address growing diet-related health concerns, food security and infrastructure needs.
Despite the broad, bipartisan support throughout Congress, President Bush has threatened to veto the farm bill due to subsidy restrictions. He wants farmers whose annual incomes exceed $200,000 to be denied subsidies.
Let’s hope President Bush realizes the importance of the entire package for all Americans and follows the overwhelming signal from Congress by signing this bill.Alex Tiller
Someone asked me about ways to cut down paper in the farm office. The question wasn’t posed by an environmentalist, but rather by a farmer with an office that had been overtaken by clutter. There were too many old farm records, catalogs, invoices, and receipts to fit in file cabinet.
I gave the question some thought and I decided that this would be a great topic for lots of old and new farmers.
I know some of you are computer shy, but let me start by reminding you that the US farmer is the best trained, most educated, farmer in the world. They use the highest tech equipment/machinery (most with GPS), grow genetically modified crops, turn on irrigation pivots from cell phones, track live and approaching weather through the internet, market their crops/livestock through sophisticated indexes, and some are even making use of RFID.
With that being said, we are technology savvy group, but most of us haven’t reassessed the farm office since we bought our first computer and loaded it up with Farmfacts.
I’ve come up with the following 9 technology tips that will help reduce paper usage in your farm office and get your operation more organized and efficient.
Tips for Cutting Paper Usage in your Farm Office
1) Catalogs: Ask your vendors to email you electronic versions of whatever they are trying to sell. If they have a catalog, they have a digital version that they can email. (by the way, you will be doing them a favor by saving production and mail costs) -Estimated Cost = FREE
2) Printer: Unplug the printer. Put it on the other side of the room. Connect it when you need it. –It will be a hassle I know. That’s the point. You will only use it when you need it. -Estimated Cost = FREE
3) Faxes: Get an eFax account. All faxes will be re-roughed to your email. (don’t print your faxes unless they need to be signed and returned) -Estimated Cost = $20 per mo
4) Receipts: Buy a receipt scanner. They are small, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. Here is an example of one with a pretty neat demonstration: http://www.neatreceipts.com/getorganized?gclid=CJWXqaGcopMCFSUqagodDDn9nw -Estimated Cost = $200
5) Invoicing: Use Electronic Invoicing. PayPal is pretty simple and works great. Quickbooks also offers an integrated online bill pay solution that is very slick. (yes, you will loose 3% or so on credit card fees, but keep in mind that you will get your money faster and have less paperwork to track. –good things come with a price.) -Estimated Cost = N/A
6) Bill-Pay: Ask anyone and everyone that you pay bills to, if they offer an “electronic payment solution.” (some call it electronic bill-pay) If you are dealing with a smaller company, ask them to send you a PayPal invoice via email. -Estimated Cost = FREE
7) Software: Use Farm Management Software to do your record keeping and accounting. Check out: http://www.123farmworks.com . The software links your accounting info to your field, livestock, maps and GPS data if you are doing precision farming. -Estimated Cost = N/A
8) E-Statements: Ask your bank, co-op, Credit Card Company, lenders, insurance companies, fuel provider to send e-statements to your email instead of paper statements. -Estimated Cost = FREE
9) Purchases: Stop writing checks and start using a debit card that draws from your checking account. All your expenses will be shown on 1 monthly statement. -Estimated Cost = FREE
(Also see PC Magazine tips cutting paper usage in any business: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2279360,00.asp)
If you spend a little time getting set up, your farm office will become more organized and efficient and there will be far less clutter. Good luck!
Alex Tiller