Attendees of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 93rd Annual Meeting picked up advice from Christopher Hesse on how to protect their estates. Hesse is a CPA with Larson Allen Firm-Wide Tax Resource Group and a partner in a family farm. According to Hesse, proper planning is critical. The current death tax exemption for 2012 is 5-million dollars. While Congress is expected to extend the current exemption to 2013, Hesse warns that if this is not the case, it will be reduced to 1-million. Any amount over the death tax exemption is subject to a taxable amount of 55 percent of the asset’s present value.
Hesse says one option is to start reducing total net assets through annual gifting. The government currently allows gifts up to 13-thousand dollars to be given to one individual without being taxed. But Hesse cautions, – one of the things people sometimes don’t realize is that if you just change your will, if you have an estate trust, the changes you make in the will do not effectively change the estate trust
According to North Carolina State University Extension specialist Nicholas Piggot, solid risk management – has never been more important – for producers of the nation’s major commodities. The economist told attendees of the AFBF Convention, that he anticipates – another fierce acreage-bidding war – this season. Concerning producer reaction to strong market signals, he said – this is fantastic for you farmers
Piggott added – acreage is not limited, – and tight corn stocks and continued high prices should translate to a significant boost in nationwide corn acreage, likely at the expense of cotton and possibly soybean production. Piggott noted 2011 was a “great year” for corn, cotton, and wheat but only a “moderate year” for soybeans, and this season’s U.S. bean market outcome may depend largely on South American weather and its impact on foreign supply.
Reed Rubinstein, senior counsel for the U.S. chamber of Commerce says farmers need to commit their time, energy, money and best thinking if they want to stop the proliferation of federal regulations that threaten their businesses. Addressing the 93rd American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Hawaii, Rubinstein said – this isn’t academic folks. When the federal government exercises its authority, it can send you to jail. We are all one regulation away from being out of business.
He said, – most of the “hyper regulation” currently affecting farmers stems from expansion of environmental law. But new health care regulations and financial reform will add to their regulatory burden in the next five to 10 years. He also noted that EPA is having internal discussions about moving away from place-based regulations supported by science to a holistic approach, which includes concern for social issues in writing regulations.
According to Rubinstein, farmers need to get engaged in these issues and comment on proposed regulations at every level of government. He emphasized that hyper regulation is also a state and local issue. Farmers need to be willing to serve on federal and local advisory panels that draft and review regulations, and file lawsuits if necessary.
Beth Phillips, US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri
Six members of a St Joseph family are among 14 suspects named charged with conspiring to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent identity documents to illegal immigrants across the country.
US Attorney for Western Missouri Beth Phillips said the defendants recruited illegal immigrants to pick up bogus drivers licenses at the License Office in St Joseph in a five million dollar conspiracy.
“St. Joseph was the hub of a criminal conspiracy for thousands of illegal aliens who traveled to Missouri from across the country,” Phillips said.
“Conspirators operated a vast black market where identities were bought and sold.”
In an interview, Phillips said approximately 3,500 drivers licenses and non-driver state IDs were issued to illegal immigrants across the country. If those individuals are located, Phillips says they face arrest and possible deportation.
Phillips says there is no evidence of wrongdoing at the license office. “We did not include charges or any allegations against anyone in the license office,” she said.
“The indictment does not contain any information to suggest that the license office was aware of the conspiracy or participated in the conspiracy in any way.”
The operator of the St Joseph office is attorney James Montee, the former husband of Missouri Democratic Party Chair and former State Auditor Susan Montee.
In addition to the conspiracy, the federal indictment charges various defendants in five counts of transporting illegal aliens, eight counts of unlawfully producing identification documents, nine counts of unlawfully transferring another person’s identification, eight counts of Social Security fraud and nine counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $5,250,000.
“The individuals involved in this conspiracy orchestrated an extensive identity fraud scheme on a grand scale,” said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago.
“Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and investigators from the Missouri Department of Revenue were part of this state-federal-local investigation of conspirators who allegedly assisted illegal immigrants attempting to obtain identity documents fraudulently,” Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Lee said. “Today, that law enforcement partnership resulted in arrests in Missouri and Texas.”
Deborah J. Flores, 46, her sister, Sherri E. Gutierrez, 45, and Flores’s children, Stephen Eugene Vanvacter, 24, Sara M. Gonzalez, 20, Christina Michelle Gonzalez, 23, and Jessica Mercedes Gonzalez, 21, all of St. Joseph; Elder Enrique Ordonez-Chanas, also known as “Flaco,” 30, Nelson Dariseo Bautista-Orozco, 26, and Ranfe Adaias Hernandez-Flores, also known as “Miguel,” 22, all citizens of Guatemala residing in Carthage; Brenda De La Cruz, 32, of San Antonio, Texas; Martin Alejandro Llanas-Rodriguez, 29, and Julio Cesar Llanas-Rodrigues, both citizens of Mexico residing in San Antonio; Martin Lara-Rodriguez, 31, a citizen of Mexico residing in Chicago, Ill.; and Luis Adalberto Felipe-Lopez (identified in the indictment as “Joel LNU”), age unknown, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Mt. Olive, N. Carolina, were charged in a 40-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. The indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.
The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants have participated in a conspiracy since November 2009 to transport illegal aliens, to unlawfully produce identification documents, to unlawfully transfer another person’s identification and to commit Social Security fraud.
In order to obtain a Missouri driver’s or non-driver’s license, applicants are required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, which may be shown by a certified birth certificate. Applicants must also provide proof of their Social Security number and proof of a Missouri residential address. Conspirators allegedly provided illegal aliens with birth certificates and Social Security cards in the names of others and provided them with Missouri residential addresses.
The indictment alleges that illegal aliens would travel to St. Joseph from across the United States to obtain either a Missouri driver’s license or non-driver’s license by using the unlawfully obtained birth certificate and Social Security cards. The state licenses could then be used by the illegal aliens to remain unlawfully in the United States, to unlawfully obtain employment and for other unlawful purposes.
It is estimated that more than 3,500 licenses were issued to illegal aliens by the Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph, according to the indictment. Illegal aliens each paid $1,500 to $1,600 to obtain documents and a license, the indictment says, totaling more than $5,250,000 in gross proceeds paid by illegal aliens to members of the conspiracy.
According to the indictment, some of the conspirators recruited illegal aliens as customers for fraudulent identification documents and then directed the illegal aliens to travel to St. Joseph to receive them. Sometimes conspirators provided transportation to St. Joseph, the indictment says.
Phillips says the scheme begins in Texas, where suspects allegedly bought birth certificates and Social Security cards, typically from residents willing to sell them. The indictment says the documents were then mailed to St Joseph or Carthage, and then given to the illegal immigrants when they arrived. The St Joseph defendants allegedly collected payment from the illegal aliens.
The St. Joseph defendants then allegedly accompanied illegal aliens into the local license office under the guise of being translators in order to assist them with obtaining a state license that was in the name of another person. The St. Joseph defendants instructed and assisted the illegal aliens to practice memorizing the information on the birth certificates and Social Security cards, the indictment says, and to practice signing the name so that the signatures would be similar. They also helped the illegal aliens prepare for potential questions from the license office employees, according to the indictment.
Flores and Vanvacter are the owners of A to Z Auto Credit LLC, a used car dealership in St. Joseph. According to the indictment, they used the business bank account to transfer funds among conspirators and as a mailing address to receive some of the mailed documents.
According to court documents, Martin and Julio Llanas-Rodriguez, Ordonez-Chanas, Bautista-Orozco, Hernandez-Flores, Lara-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez are unlawfully present in the United States. Martin Llanas-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez have both previously been deported.
Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
“Heartland Health presents the KJO 105.5 Pound Plunge” held its kickoff and initial weigh-in Tuesday, drawing about two thousand people to the East Hills Mall. Organizers say a total of just over ten thousand people have lost an estimated total of 65,000 pounds in past years of the health promotion.
Teams of four, and individuals, compete to lose the greatest percentage of their body weight. A total of 325 teams had signed up by Tuesday. Thirty-two companies are represented in the Corporate Team category, a new addition this year.
Participants will return to the scales each week up until the final weigh-in April 3rd.
In the meantime, co-sponsors will offer some help shedding those pounds. The East Hills Shopping Center, St Joseph YMCA and Performance Plus Rehabilitation will host free wellness events each week. Heartland’s Wellness Connections will offer healthy cooking demonstrations at East Hills during February.
Five members of Occupy Saint Joseph interrupted Congressman Sam Graves at a Chamber of Commerce address this morning. Graves had just started talking to the Saint Joe Rising audience at the downtown Holiday Inn when two protesters dashed in and began yelling at him. In the audience was Police Chief Chris Connally, who escorted them out of the room.
Record yields for staple crops in the United States and globally in recent years seem to contradict fears that agriculture will be negatively affected by increasing climate temperatures. So says James Taylor, senior fellow for the Heartland Institute and managing editor of Environment and Climate News. Taylor spoke during an issues conference at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting.
According to Taylor, – since 2007 we’ve seen record yields in production per acre in edible beans, cotton, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, canola, corn, hops, rice, wheat and more. This is a long-term trend, and it applies globally, too, as global grain harvests have nearly tripled since 1961. Taylor added – climate is not the only factor, but even if we accept global warming as a problem, it’s clearly not inhibiting crop production.
Dr. James Mintert, professor of Ag Economics and assistant director of Extension at Purdue University, said consumers should expect little relief in the price of a T-bone steak. That’s because cattle producers continue to decrease their herds because of soaring feed prices and a weak economy. He blames high demand for ethanol that has forced the price of corn to nearly double in the past few years, driving livestock production costs up and putting cattle producers in the red.
A saving grace for the beef industry is the export market, which has rebounded from the lows in 2004 when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in a U.S. cow. The United States is now a net beef exporter. Mintert said, – that has really helped hold down the number of pounds we put in front of consumers.
The pork industry, on the other hand, is much healthier, as production has increased 30 percent during the last 20 years in the United States and Canada. Pork producers face the same challenges as beef concerning feed costs, and like beef producers, are putting fewer pounds of pork on consumer plates. The difference is pork exports. Today, almost one pound of pork in four goes to the export market.
The superintendent says it wasn’t very hard to take a few more days to think about asking voters to approve revenue bonds for new schools in Saint Joseph. Melody Smith says it amounts to waiting nine days to decide whether to go to the voters in April, or about 200 days later in November, which isn’t much when we’ve waited 14,800 days since building our last school.
Smith says if the school board decides not to put the issue on the April ballot, the new school board elected in April will pick the ballot date. The $87.9-million revenue bond issue could be pared to a smaller amount by delaying some of the projects to the second phase of the improvement plan. The board will meet in special session January 18th to decide whether to go in April, and if so, what the ballot language will be.
A clearer picture of corn’s biochemical responses to insect and fungal attacks is emerging, thanks to studies at USDA research facilities in Gainesville, Florida. Taken together, these discoveries add significantly to the existing body of knowledge on corn’s stress-coping mechanisms, and set the stage for novel approaches to improving the grain crop’s insect and disease resistance.
In experiments, physiologically relevant amounts of the newly discovered kauralexin class of phytoalexins inhibited the growth of anthracnose stalk rot by 90 percent. Similarly, zealexins inhibited the growth of the aflatoxin-producing fungus Aspergillus flavus by 80 percent. These maize pathogens cause significant yield loss and fungal-derived toxin contamination issues for U.S. farmers.
