“ASA applauds Chairman Mica’s proposal, which included multiple soybean farmer priorities, including the renewal of an agricultural harvest time exemption from the hours-of-service rules that limit the number of hours truck drivers may operate, as well as the chairman’s proposed inclusion of provisions enabling states to allow increased truck weight limits if an additional axle is used. ASA is disappointed with efforts during the mark-up to block the provisions to allow increased truck weight limits.

“ASA is also particularly encouraged that the proposed bill includes stated support for the Realize America’s Maritime Promise Act, which will ensure sufficient funding for dredging of inland waterways and port maintenance activities.

“This reauthorization is certainly overdue, and the soybean industry stands to gain much from a new, comprehensive transportation solution. Not only farmers stand to gain from a renewed commitment to transportation infrastructure, however; the lower energy and transportation costs that result will benefit all Americans.

“Our industry and agriculture as a whole needs reliable and modern roads and highways, rail infrastructure, inland waterways and ports to ensure that American farmers can move their products to market as quickly and efficiently as possible. The steps taken this week by Chairman Mica and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are productive ones toward this ultimate goal.”

“Great food, large groups of friends and cheering on your team are what make Super Bowl parties so much fun,” said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. “We want to give hosts a few easy tactics to reduce the chances that their guests will develop foodborne illness amidst all the excitement at their Super Bowl parties.”

First Down: Clean

Clean hands and surfaces with soap and water to avoid a “false start” before preparing food. Unclean hands are one of the biggest culprits for spreading bacteria, and finger foods at parties are especially vulnerable. Chefs and guests should wash their hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after handling food. Also, be sure to clean eating surfaces often, and wash serving platters before replenishing them with fresh food.

Second Down: Separate

Think of your party fare as two different teams — uncooked versus ready-to-eat foods. The juices from raw meat may contain harmful bacteria that will “sack,” or cross-contaminate, ready-to-eat food that would otherwise score big with your guests. Block opposing players by using one cutting board for raw meat and poultry and another one for cutting veggies or foods that will not be cooked. If you use only one cutting board, wash it with hot soapy water after preparing each food item.

Third Down: Cook

Call a “time out” and use a food thermometer to be sure meat and poultry are safely cooked. Remember that internal temperature, not meat color, indicates doneness. Steaks should be cooked to 145 °F followed by a three minute rest time, ground beef should be cooked to 160 °F, and all poultry should be cooked to 165 °F.

Fourth Down: Chill

The Giants may be hoping for a second victory over the Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday, but going back for a second helping of party food could mean a giant defeat if food is left at room temperature for too long. Any perishable foods that are not served with a hot source, such as a chafing dish or slow cooker, or a cold source, such as a bowl of ice placed under the serving dish, should be discarded after two hours at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly to block bacteria from multiplying. When in doubt, throw it out of the game — and your party.

Slow cookers are not safe for reheating leftovers. Cooked food should be reheated on a stove, in a microwave, or in a conventional oven until it reaches 165 °F. Then the hot food can be placed in a preheated slow cooker to keep it hot (at least 140 °F) for serving.

When it comes to foodborne illness, there is no opportunity for an instant replay. To avoid a flag on your winning play, make sure you understand the rules completely. One of the best resources available before kickoff is our Defensive Coordinator, Ask Karen. She is on the headset as USDA’s virtual representative and available at AskKaren.gov. Food safety coaches are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET through Ask Karen’s live chat feature and by phone at the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854). Recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.

Included in the discussion was the support of a limited moratorium on the issuance of permits by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for new instances of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the state. The OFU supported moratorium differs from those supported by some Democrats in the Ohio General Assembly and by some Ohio environmental groups in that it is tied to a preliminary U.S. EPA report due on fracking later this year – rather than the final study results due in 2014.

U.S. EPA is currently studying what, if any, effects fracking has on ground and surface water, according to Ron Sylvester, OFU’s director of external relations. He said that OFU members from the eastern and northeastern areas of Ohio are being inundated with information, both pro and con, about the gas industry and the effects of fracking in places like Pennsylvania.

“We’re not asking for much — the report is due by the end of this year. Our members who own family farms would like a bit more objective information. We’d like to hear what EPA has to say,” said Sylvester. “And, what’s the rush? Natural gas prices are historically low and the U.S. is nowhere near ready from an infrastructure and market standpoint to take advantage of this bounty and become energy independent.”

OFU did not join others in calling for a longer moratorium because the group has no issues with the responsible use of natural gas and wishes to respect the property rights of rural landowners.

“We believe that at the end of the day this opportunity can be handled in a way that is fair to farmers and landowners from a market standpoint, environmentally responsible and with appropriate, responsible rules for the industry,” Sylvester said.

In other business, the Ohio Farmers Union approved 2012 policy language which:

• Called for the restoration of full funding for the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel,

• Opposes privatization of the Ohio Turnpike,

• Supports Ohio Department of Agriculture wishes to expand the farmer-funded Ohio Indemnity Fund, and,

• Re-affirmed its support for Ohio’s current energy policy, which calls for 25% of electricity generated for Ohio to be from renewable resources by 2025.

Six Ohio agri-businesses were among the awardees, including Wood County’s Egg Tech Ltd., Pickaway County’s Van Strohm Fiber Processing Mill, Auburn Twin Oaks Winery in Chagrin Falls, The Ohio Soybean Council in Worthington, Mercer Landmark in Celina, and Loudonville’s Tea Hills Gourmet Meat Products.

“USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grants acknowledge the entrepreneurial spirit of Ohio’s farming and small business communities,” said Tony Logan, USDA Ohio Rural Development state director. “This money provides working capital to support emerging markets in areas such as food production and safety, environmental impact and renewable energy. We at Rural Development are proud to play such a positive role in strengthening Ohio’s agronomy.”

As an example, Loudonville’s Tea Hills Gourmet Meat Products will use its $178,062 grant to expand the family’s popular line of gourmet sausages. In addition to meat raised on its own farmland, Tea Hills draws on locally-sourced produce, organic seasonings and quality cheese to make its signature sausage products. The Value-Added Producer Grant will allow Tea Hills to cut its working capital expenses by 50 percent for three years, promoting growth and potentially adding employees.

The Value-Added Producer Grants announced today total more than $40.2 million.  Funds may be used for feasibility studies or business plans, working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy projects. Eligible applicants include independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures. Value-added products are created when a producer increases the consumer value of an agricultural commodity in the production or processing stage.

The biodiesel tax credit lapsed on December 31, 2011.  Retroactive extension of the biodiesel credit is a top priority for the ASA for continued development of the biodiesel industry. We urge enactment of a tax extenders package as soon as possible, including as part of the payroll tax relief package currently being negotiated by a Senate-House Conference Committee.

Also in December, Congress passed a short term extension of the payroll tax reduction.  That extension expires on February 29, 2012 and a formal House-Senate Conference Committee has been convened to negotiate a longer-term extension. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and other Members have called for the Conference Committee to add the expired tax provisions, including the biodiesel tax credit, to the package.

ASA is also encouraging members to call on their congressional representatives to contact Administration officials in support of the EPA’s proposed increase in Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) volume requirements for biomass-based diesel for 2013. The Administration is expected to make a decision soon on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) volume increase for biodiesel for 2013. The EPA had initially proposed in June 2011 to raise the requirement from 1 billion gallons in 2012 to 1.28 billion gallons in 2013. In December, the EPA and the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) postponed making a decision on the 2013 volume requirement and indicated that they intend to make a final decision in the very near future.

In 2011, the U.S. biodiesel industry actually produced 1.1 billion gallons, 300 million gallons more than the 800 million gallon RFS2 volume requirement for 2011. The RFS2 volume requirement for 2012 is 1.0 billion gallons. Growth of the program beyond 1.0 billion gallons in 2013 is an important market opportunity for soy biodiesel. ASA and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) strongly support the 1.28 billion gallon level for 2013.

By Hannah Thompson

The National Association of Colleges and Employers ranks computer skills among the top 10 desired traits for potential employees to possess, and in one Hardin County FFA chapter members are gaining these necessary skills by using technology to complete the work of their chapter and their agricultural education classwork.

“Our society is moving toward technology, and we’re going to need to know how to use it for our future jobs,” said Shawn Smith, Ridgemont FFA Chapter president.

Smith’s advisor agrees.

“Using technology allows students to look at things differently and innovatively,” said Stephanie Jolliff, agricultural education instructor and chapter advisor. “We really try to think outside of the box, and I think that is one of the things that parlays into business and industry, because when you’re trained to do it at a young age you continue to do it when you enter the field.”

Jolliff’s classroom boasts not only chapter photographs and banners, but also a row of computers and a stack of Apple iPad tablets. The “blended virtual classroom” allows students to complete projects, ranging from their FFA record books to virtual posters for agricultural education courses, all through the computer.

This technologically advanced classroom is possible through Ridgemont High School’s “open school” policy, which allows students to access the school’s wireless network through their own cell phones and other devices, Jolliff said. The school also is working toward a one-to-one ratio of computers to students — a goal the agricultural education department has already easily achieved.

The chapter earned more than $70,000 in grants over the past year, which helped equip the room. The classroom’s set of iPads was purchased primarily through grants for GIS-GPS projects and agricultural literacy. The students use the tablets in a variety of ways, including classroom research, promoting agricultural literacy by reading with elementary school children, and mapping key electrical and water fixtures on farms for emergency first responders.

After being exposed to technology in so many other ways, chapter officers recently turned to online resources to solve an issue they faced with bringing members together for meetings.

“Its hard to schedule chapter meetings around winter sports, which many of us participate in,” said Andrew Scharf, student advisor. Smith and chapter reporter Bailey Wagner added sickness and bad weather as more obstacles the chapter faced when scheduling their two winter meetings.

Members searched for a suitable service to conduct their meetings over the Internet and settled on Edmodo, an educational website with an interface similar to Facebook. Jolliff and other teachers were already using Edmodo to post grades and course assignments, so students were familiar with the website, Wagner said. In January, the chapter held its first online meeting.

Officers thought the online format was a great success, as it allowed increased flexibility and ensured that all members could have their voices heard.

“Last year, our January meeting was cancelled twice because of bad weather, and then we couldn’t reschedule it because basketball games were going on some nights, and we had different activities going on for school events other nights. It’s just easier to have it posted up on Edmodo so people can look at it whenever they have free time,” Smith said.

Edmodo also offers a smartphone application, which Wagner and other students used to cast their votes. “Quite a few people have smartphones that they can easily get on Edmodo and talk. I don’t have Internet access at home, but I had my phone to participate in the meeting on,” Wagner said.

In addition to moving some of its meetings online, the chapter also has shifted to an entirely virtual newsletter and expanded its social media presence to reach members, parents and members of the community.

“Who isn’t on Facebook nowadays?” Smith asked. “Everybody that we want to reach out to has a Facebook page, so they can easily see what different activities we’re doing.”

As much as the students enjoy taking advantage of their high-tech classroom, they believe in-person contact is still very important to their success as individuals and as a chapter. They plan to follow a blended meeting schedule, holding their fall meetings in a traditional gathering to allow members to meet and connect, and then moving online for the busy and unpredictable winter months.

“With new kids coming in, it’s nice to have face-to-face meetings because it’s more hands-on, and they get more involved in the meeting,” Scharf said.

Wagner also credits traditional FFA meetings with building her public speaking skills. “Before my involvement in FFA, I wasn’t able to speak in front of others,” she said.

To follow the Ridgemont FFA Chapter’s activities, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ridgemontffa.

Programs will be held on Feb. 15 at the UFCW Hall in Cincinnati, Feb. 23 at the Center for Innovative Food Technology in Toledo, and Feb. 28 at the Mustard Seed Market and Cafà in Akron. Each program will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $75 per person and $25 for each additional person from the same business. Registration should be completed one week prior to the workshop. For details or to register, contact Julie Moose at 740-289-2071, ext. 223, or email moose.14@osu.edu.

The MarketReady program was initially developed by the University of Kentucky and was piloted in cooperation with OSU Extension and the Ohio Direct Marketing Team.

“MarketReady workshops and resources guide producers through the decisions needed for entering various direct marketing channels,” said Julie Fox, direct marketing specialist with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. “Participants leave knowing what is required for packaging, pricing, delivering, regulations, insurance and marketing of their products for each type of buyer.”

Young men and women will be selected to participate in the event, which is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Producers Council, the Pork Check-off, and the Ohio Soybean Council. Last year, six individuals participated in the event. As an alumnus of the institute, participants will have the opportunity to be youth ambassadors for Ohio’s pork industry.

One goal of the institute is to introduce young people to the many facets of the pork industry; including packing, retail, food service, research and communications. In addition, the institute will teach leadership and communication skills that will assist participants in their future careers.

At last year’s event, the participants benefited from such unique experiences as touring a packing plant, learning about commercial hog farms, taste testing in Bob Evans test kitchen, and meeting with a legislative aide. The goal of the program is to offer a well-rounded curriculum that will allow young people to appreciate the broad scope of the pork industry.

The Youth Pork Leadership Institute is open to any Ohio youth between the ages of 16 and 21 who has an interest in the pork industry. It will be held June 17-19 in Columbus and all expenses will be covered by the Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Pork Schop, Ohio Pork Producers Council and the pork check-off. Applications will be accepted until April 23, 2012. To apply, an application must be completed along with a resume. Applications can be retrieved by visiting www.OhioPork.org. For additional information or applications contact the Ohio Pork Producers Council at 5930 Sharon Woods Blvd., Suite 101, Columbus, OH 43229 or call 800-320-7991.

Jim Hoorman Full Wrap

As if feeding the World wasn’t enough to keep you busy, Ohio Agriculture, wait until you see everything else you need to concern yourself with in 2012.

This realization came to me last week as I travelled to a couple of speaking engagements centered around crop insurance. I was very fortunate to have a minute or two to talk to the audience about The Ohio Ag Net and how we are a resource to not only keep farmers informed on the latest developments that effect their livelihoods, but to also work as a bridge to consumers to help them better understand agriculture.

Here is a laundry list of topics I highly recommend you stay on top of. To help, I have put some links within this blog to help you find more information on the various subjects.

The 2012 (maybe) Farm Bill – I have been told recently that there is a 50/50 chance that the farm bill will be written this year. Understand that we were a smidge short of reaching a farm bill in 2011 until the so-called Super Committee failed to do anything even mediocre. Be involved. Ag has had a string of a few good years and no one will feel sorry for making cuts that are far beyond necessary to our sector of the economy. It is my belief that getting it done this year is more beneficial as 2013 will bring a lot of new and uneducated lawmakers to Washington. Ag has many advocates in D.C. now that know what is best, under these economic circumstances, for American agriculture.

Nutrient Management and Water Quality – Holy smokes will this be a hot topic this year. So much so that we have categories on our website specifically for it. Stay on top of this one as it may change the way you farm in just the next year or two. Not familiar with the 4Rs? You will be.

Crop Insurance – Some of the changes in crop insurance, like lower premiums for Ohio, are very welcome news. However, did you know that your bill will be due a bit earlier starting this year? Plus, if you plan on tearing up your wheat your agent needs needs to know (and not as your doing it).

CAUV’s – Your land value is increasing, but that is not the surprise. Sticker shock and ticker shock may abound when you get your tax bill. Do you still like Ohio’s CAUV program? Believe it or not, it is one of the best programs in the Country. Uncle Sam will always get his cut, again no surprise, but it could be worse.

Weed Resistance – This may be the most important year to discuss, and do something about. Next year may be too late. The Ohio AgriBusiness Association and Ohio Soybean Association are holding meeting to talk about preparing, defending and defeating weeds. Get the details about these meetings and make a point to be there.

HSUS – Yep, they’re at it again. This week The Humane Society of The United States released more videos from two Oklahoma pig breeding facilities. Keep the barn doors open as this usually has consumers asking questions about the way you operate. Show them, explain to them and educate them on why you do what you do and how your wouldn’t have an operation if you didn’t do it right.

Did I mention weather, corn and soybean demand, child labor laws, and CRP? The list truly does go on and on, but that is where we at The Ohio Ag Net come in. We are in front of all of these issues, allowing you to continue on with making sure people around the World are fed. Just be sure to check in from time to time for update at OhioAgNet.com and be sure to sign up for Digital Dale as well.

See you down the road!