The nomination period for local Farm Service Agency county committees will begin Friday (June 15). Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is urging all farmers and ranchers to participate in this year’s county committee elections by nominating candidates by the August 1st deadline. Vilsack says county committees are a vital link between the farm community and USDA. He says they provide a voice to landowners, farmers and ranchers so they have an opportunity for their opinions and ideas to be heard. The FSA county committees don’t approve or deny farm operating loans – but they do make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other agricultural issues.

Those who participate or cooperate in an FSA-administered program and are eligible to vote in a county committee election are eligible to serve on an FSA county committee. They must also reside in the local administrative area in which they are a candidate. Organizations that represent minorities and women can nominate candidates. Farmers and ranchers may nominate themselves or others. An eligible individual must sign the nomination form to become a candidate. The forms for the 2012 election must be postmarked or received by the close of business on August 1st. The FSA-669A form and other information is available online at www dot fsa dot usda dot gov slash elections (www.fsa.usda.gov/elections).

The elections will take place in the fall – with ballots mailed to eligible voters beginning November 5th. Voted ballots will be due back to the local county office by December 3rd. Newly elected committee members and alternates take office on January 1st and will serve three-year terms. Each committee consists of three to 11 members. Currently about 77-hundred farmers and ranchers serve on FSA county committees nationwide.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa should see an increase in its pheasant population this year, thanks to the mild winter and warm spring.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says its nesting forecast predicts the population will increase by more than 40 percent.

Wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz says it would be the first statewide increase in more than six years.

He says the pheasants will be able to expand and reoccupy grassland habitats where they’ve been depleted by five severe winters.

Bogenschutz says a roadside survey in August is the best gauge of the pheasant population. He says during the past 50 years there have been weather conditions similar to this year about six times, and the average increase in pheasant populations during those years was 42 percent.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA is offering grants to help organizations start cooperatives, expand existing ones or help develop business opportunities in rural areas. He says cooperative enterprises often lead economic growth and job creation in rural areas. Rural Cooperative Development Grants are being offered to non-profit corporations and institutions of higher education. The one-year grants of up to 175-thousand dollars can be used for feasibility studies, creation and implementation of business plans and to help businesses develop new markets for their products and services.

USDA is now accepting applications for these grants. The deadline for applications is August 6th and the grant period should begin no earlier than October 1st of this year and no later than January 1st of 2013. USDA may award up to 5.8-million dollars in grants. USDA is also offering nearly 2.37-million dollars in grants though the Rural Business Opportunity Grant. This program promotes sustainable economic development in rural communities and regions with exceptional needs. Applications for these grants are also due August 6th. Those interested in either grant can contact a USDA Rural Development State Office for more information.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service says the state’s winter wheat harvest has passed the halfway mark.

The agency reports 53 percent of the crop had been cut by Sunday. That’s more than two weeks ahead of normal. Typically, only about 2 percent of the wheat has been harvested at this point in the season.

Farmers in southern parts of the state are the furthest along. The harvest is 84 percent complete in southeastern Kansas, and 82 percent complete in south-central portions.

Things are moving more slowly in northwestern Kansas. The agency says only 2 percent of the crop had been harvested by Sunday, even though more than half the wheat has matured.

SIKESTON, Mo. (AP) – College students in southeast Missouri are learning that there’s nothing like hands-on experience.

The Sikeston Standard-Democrat (http://bit.ly/KocVr0 ) reports that 15 students at Southeast Missouri State University’s Sikeston campus planted 25 acres of soybeans on May 1. They will be adding varying levels of nutrients to the crops in an experiment to determine the value of the nutrients. They’re also learning how to manage for weeds, insects and disease.

The small-scale farm operation is part of a four-year agricultural program offered at the Sikeston campus.
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Information from: Standard Democrat, http://www.standard-democrat.com

President Obama says rural America is helping to lead the charge as the nation continues to fight back from the deepest economic crisis in generations and build an economy that lasts. On farms and ranches and in towns and communities across the country – the President says rural Americans know that we are stronger as a people when everybody gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules. He says those are the values we need to return to – and his Administration will continue to give rural communities the support and investment they need to show us the way. On Monday – President Obama announced that more than 400-million dollars has been invested in rural businesses this year through the Small Business Investment Company program. He says nearly two-billion dollars in additional funding will be invested by the end of fiscal year 2016.

Also on Monday – the Council of Economic Advisers, the White House Rural Council and USDA released a joint report on the progress that has been made in the agricultural economy. It details steps the Obama Administration has taken to help strengthen the farm economy and support jobs and growth in rural America. The report highlights the areas of innovation, exports, clean energy, new industries and community investment.

The report – Strengthening Rural Communities: Lessons from a Growing Farm Economy – shows that innovation has kept America’s farms among the most productive in the world. It also highlights the trade surplus enjoyed by American agriculture. When it comes to clean energy – the report states that the pursuit of an all-of-the-above strategy saved Americans a projected 6.5-billion kilowatt hours. That’s enough energy to power over 590-thousand homes for a year. Also – the amount of installed wind energy generation has nearly doubled in the U.S. over the past three years to 47-thousand megawatts in 2011.