Center for Latino Farmers “Farmworkers to Farm Owners”
2017 Inside This Issue Soil is Heartbeat
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Purdue New USDA
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NAFTA Renegotiated 1 New Generation 1 USDA Drops Plan
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Trump Cuts Ag
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Hop Growers
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Hilary Leadership
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Census Countdown
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Carbon Monoxide
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MX Court Upholds
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Worried Growers
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Robot Pickers
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Stemilt Healthy Cam- 3 WSDA Director
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Garcia Apple Citizen
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FSA Rates
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Monthly Radio
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Academia America
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Soil is Heartbeat of Earth
Sonny Purdue New USDA Sec
In the State of WA, agronomist Javier Lopez explains how bacteria in the soil builds structure during the dairy manure nutrient management workshop. More than 20 dairy farmers, crop growers & government officials attended a workshop about how manure nutrients improves soil health. Presenters described how proper application of manure nutrients remain in the root zone to increase crop production, while maintaining groundwater quality. Participants heard presentations about fertilizer technology, cropping strategies & how to manage manure nutrients in a way that doesn’t leach into the water profile. “One aspect of the workshop’s foundational approach to soil health focused on nurturing living beneficial micro-organisms the heartbeat of the soil that improves soil health throughout the year, said Javier Lopez agronomist of GS Long Company. “We achieved our goal of having a two-way conversation with participants who braved terrible weather to attend, with plans to continue the dialogue going forward.” GS Long took the initiative in concert with the South Yakima Conservation District to organize the workshop. (Daily Sun News 1/24/17)
Sonny Purdue won confirmation on a strong bipartisan vote of 87-11, as several Democrats backed a Trump nominee after razor-thin outcomes for his choices earlier this year. He was sworn in shortly thereafter. The son of a farmer in Bonaire, Georgia, Sonny Purdue is the first Southerner in the post in more than two decades. USDA is in charge of around 1,000 employees and the nation’s food & farm programs, including subsidies, conservation efforts, rural development programs, food safety and nutrition programs such as food stamps and federally subsidized school meal. Sen Pat Roberts, the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee said, “Perdue will help facilitate recovery in small American towns. I know he will put the needs of the famers, rancher and others in rural America first.” He will find himself in an uncomfortable position of defending ag and administrations that has given limited attention, despite Trump’s strong support in rural areas. Trump has proposed a 21% cut in USDA programs and has harshly criticized some international trade deals, saying they have killed American jobs. (A ss Press 4/24/17)
Breaking News: NAFTA to be Renegotiated Ag Sec Perdue issued the following statement today after US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer notified Congress that Pres Trump intend to renegotiate the NAFTA: “While NAFTA has been an overall positive for American Ag, any trade deal can always be improved. As Pres Trump moves forward with renegotiating with Canada and MX, I am confident this will result in a better deal for our farmers, foresters and producers. When the rules are fair and the playing field is level, US Ag will succeed and lead the world. It’s why we recently announced the creation of an Undersecretary for Trade at USDA, because as world markets expand, we will be an unapologetic advocate for American Ag. As I have often said, if our people continue to grow it, USDA will be there to sell it.” (USDA Communications 05/18/17 Release No. 0043.17)
Dorantes New Generation Farmer Last year, 17 year old Anel Dorantes was planning her high school graduation & planned to go on to college. Then the loss of her father, a Latino farmer, in a freak automobile accident was faced by helping her mother take charge of the farm business or leaving to college. “As the oldest of my family, I had to stay strong and focus on graduation.” The farming operation consisted of 89 acres of a variety of apples. After many sleepless nights and mixed emotions, the family decided to keep the farm, so Anel would have to take the lead in managing the farm operation. After she made the decision, she knew she had to learn about farm financial management. With the assistance of the Center, she decided to attend the Farm Financial Mgt Series to get the knowledge and support she needed. “I learned the importance of finances, how read a credit report, financial statements, equity assessments, profit & loss statements; but more important, how to set up a computerized accounting system for the farm operation. She applied and was approved for a USDA-FSA production loan. “I’m currently enrolled at the local college, taking business classes, and also obtaining my pesticide license. I was very pleased with the decision I made to keep the farm in operation and in doing so, honoring my late father’s passion for farming.”
USDA Drops Plan -Test Weed Killer in Food
Trump Cuts $$ USDA Discretionary Funds
USDA has quietly dropped a plan to start testing food for residues of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used weed killer and the key ingredient in Monsanto’s branded Roundup herbicides. The agency spent last year coordinating with the EPA & the FDA in preparation to start testing samples of corn syrup for glyphosate residues according to internal agency documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. Documents show that at least since Jan 2016 into this, the glyphosate testing plan was moving forward. But when asked about the plan, a USDA spokesman said no glyphosate residue testing would be done at all by USDA this year. The USDA’s plan called for the collection and testing of 315 samples of corn syrup from around the US from April thru August, according to the documents. Researchers were also supposed to test for the AMPA metabolite. Aminomethylphosphonic acid AMPA is created as glyphosate breaks down. Measuring residues that include those from AMPA is important because AMPA is not a benign byproduct but carries its own set of safety concerns, scientists believe. (The Huntington post 3/20/17)
The Trump administration is seeking to cut $4.7 B from the USDA discretionary spending budget, according to a budget outline obtained by the WA Post, but the administration so far has provided little information about how it will carry out the cuts. The White House 2018 OMB & the Budget spending blueprint requests $17.9 Billion in funding for USDA, down $4.7 B from its 2017 funding a reduction of about 21%. The programs facing cuts fall under “discretionary” spending, which includes food safety, rural development & conservation funding, research grants & international food aid. The cuts will not affect mandatory spending programs such as the SNAP Program, also known as food stamps, & crop subsidies for farmers. The administration plans to eliminate its water and wastedisposal loan and grant program, which helps with rural water & waste infrastructure, for a savings of nearly $500 million. It also will seek to eliminate aspects of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which supports business development & job opportunities, because the administration called it duplicative. That cut would save $95 M. Rural communities can be served by private sector financing or other federal investments in rural water infrastructure, such as the EPA’s State Revolving Funds. (W A Post 3/16/17)
Hop Growers Have Spring in their Step Recent wet weather did not stop preparations for hop season in the Yakima Valley. Crews were out taking root cuttings to start new plants while discarded trellis poles were being ground into wood chips. Hop growers are getting in gear for another season of producing a high-demand product. In 2016, there were 37,444 acres of hops harvested in the Yakima Valley, almost 30% increase from 2014, according to the USDA. Yakima Valley is the nation's largest hop producer, with three-quarters of all hops grown in America coming from its fields. Hops are used mostly by the beer industry as a flavoring agent, depending on their variety, give beer either a bitter or citrus flavor. Y akima Herald 3/25/17
Hilary Aten- Ag Forestry Leadership
Hilary Aten, Director of PCC Farmland Trust, is soon to be graduate of the WA Ag Forestry Leadership Program. The program dedicated to advancing the natural resource industry. It’s geared toward folks in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, all the way to government agencies, tribes & individual producers. Hilary’s father in law was a hop grower in the Yakima Valley for many years. He was the President of the Am Hop Growers Asso & went through the program in 1987. She was familiar with it 2017 Census of Agriculture Countdown and had an interest in the program for quite some time. So Begins You need to be counted!!. when longtime Puyallup valley farmer & friend of the Trust nominated her for the fellowship in 2014, she jumped at the opportunity to enhance the natural resource industry. (PCC The National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) part of Farmland Trust news blog 3/6/17) USDA, conducts the Census of Ag every five years, and it’s that time again. The census is the only complete count of US Carbon Monoxide Safety farms and ranches and farm operators. It includes even the smallest plots of land – rural or urban – growing fruits, vegetables & raising food animals. USDA states, if $1,000 or Carbon monoxide is impossible to see, taste or smell, so it more of such products were raised & sold, or normally would can kill before you even know it’s there. According the EPA, have been sold, you are considered a carbon monoxide can originate from farmer. unvented kerosene, gas space heaters. Producers who did not receive a Cenleaking chimneys, a furnace, gas water sus form in the mail, still have time to heater and gas gages. Many deaths sign up to receive report form by visiting can be prevented by installing carbon www.agcensus.usda.gov monoxide detectors in your home and work area. (Y akima Herald 2/17)
MX Court Upholds Ban-Transgenic Corn
Worried WA Growers
The MX Supreme Court refused to review or analyze an amparo promoted by the company Monsanto, with which the multinational intended that maximum court of the country pronounce on the final status of the issuance of commercial permits for the sowing of transgenic maize. The decision to resolve this trial involving the companies of Monsanto, Dow, Pioneer and DuPont, as well as the secretariats of the Environment and Ag, and on the other side, the civil and academic organizations that are opposed to the marketing of transgenic maize, will have to be resolved by the first collegiate court in civil matters. The suspension of planting transgenic maize has been in force throughout the county by a court decision 3 ½ years ago, after a group of organizations, academic and citizens presented a collective action against planting of transgenic maize in MX. In that year (2013) the federal government was about to give commercial permits for the cultivation of these products, but Court 12 determined that the government should set a precautionary measure , the suspension of the issuance of planting permits to companies, until the courts could consider the scientific & economic metrics. The original measure was decided based on considering the risk of environmental damage with the cultivation of transgenic maize. The companies had submitted applications for commercial planting permits determined to challenge the resolution. Since then, both the Environmental & Ag secretariats and the companies have filed about 100 challenges, including 26 amparo trials, 16 review appeals, 15 complaints, seven revocations and sever challenges to the admission of complaint, according to the organization Seed of Life. After surpassing all those challenges, the trail of the lawsuit began in May 2016, with the judicial determination to maintain the suspension of the cultivation of the transgenic maize. (Newspaper La Jornada 5/12/17)
In WA State the number of foreign agricultural workers has more than quadrupled in the past half-decade to more than 13,000 annually as growers seek to ease a labor crunch that has left some unable to get their fruit harvested on time. These foreign workers under the H2A ag-visa program that allows foreign workers to come work in region for approximately 8 months to prune, thin & pick the bounty for a farmers. Now growers want the Trump administration to make it even easier to hire more foreign workers, while hoping he won’t aggravate the labor shortage by sending back to Mexico more farmworkers who came here illegally. Two years ago, farmers lost 10 of our 30 acres of Gala apples because they couldn’t get them picked in time. It was a huge hit for a Benton City. That experience prompted to turn to Mexican guest workers for part of labor force. A sso Press 3/17
Robot Apple Pickers During the 60th Annual Conf of the International Fruit Tree Association in Wenatchee, the labor shortage tissue took a different turn. Two companies, Abundant Robotics Inc of CA and Israel-based FF Robotics, two engineering firms have plans to manufacture & market commercial robotic harvesters sometime in the next 18 to 24 months, representatives told a global audience of fruit growers. The two reps gave presentations to hundreds of orchardists, packers & shippers from 13 countries gathered at the conf. The machines could be adapted to pick apples, oranges, peaches & maybe even cherries. Advantages of automation include no pickers, no bags, no ladders and no hauling to distance bins, so less bruising. The cost of the machine harvesting is equal to or less then human crews. (W enatchee W orld 3/17)
Stemilt Model Healthy Eating Campaign For the 9th consecutive year, Stemilt Growers has been named a Role Model for the Produce for Better Health Foundation’s (PBH) Fruits and Veggies. Stemilt was the first industry/non-retail business to be named a role model back in 2007. To be a role model, a company must work to increase familiarity with the More Matters campaign, particularly with moms and children. Com Mgr Brianna Shales said, “we are proud to be a part of this effort noting, Advocating for a cause that encourages individuals to make healthier decisions and choose fresh fruits & vegetables is one thing we strive for as a company.” (WA Farm Bureau 3/7/17)
WSDA Director-Trump Policies Concern While WA's farm economy is doing well, the WSDA director Derek Sandison says that Trump administration's trade policies are a concern. He stated that Pres Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal may hurt the farmers in WA State. Mr. Sandison said the withdrawal opened the door for China to step into the Pacific Rim trading arena, potentially squeezing the US out. The Yak Herald reported that Sandison also hopes the federal government can work out an immigration policy to keep foreign farm workers coming to the state's farms, orchards and fields. Sandison said the current system for bringing in foreign workers can be cumbersome, as employers have to demonstrate that there are no American workers who can take the jobs. (A sso Press 3/1/17)
Garcia Named Apple Citizen of the Year Leo Garcia has been hooked on WA apples since he was 15, while living in Mexico. Little did he know then he would be instrumental in helping the Wenatchee Valley build a workforce for immigrant farmworkers that has helped keep the industry at the top of its game. He helped start the Wenatchee Valley College Hispanic Orchard Employees Education Program in the early 1990s and since then has helped hundreds of orchard managers and supervisors. (W enatchee World 3/27/17)
Center for Latino Farmers P.O. Box 9492 Yakima, WA 98909 509-453-3157 www.centerforlatinofarmers.com
FSA Loan Rate - Effective May 1 Interest Rate
Program Farm Operating-Direct
3.000%
Farm Ownership-Direct
4.000%
Farm Ownership-Direct, Joint Financing
2.500%
Farm Ownership-Down Payment
1.500%
Emergency Loan-Amount of Actual Loss
3.750%
Monthly Radio Program Month
Day
Time
May
Thurs 18
4 - 5 p.m.
June
Thurs 15
July
Thurs 20
~Social & Civic Integration for Immigrants~ Academia America (AA), a division of RCDR, is recognized by the Dept of Justice to provide legal immigration services for low income families. Citizenship classes for Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) are available to prepare them for the citizenship exam. Referrals to immigration attorneys are also made. New class starts June 13th. To register or for more information, call 509-453-5133.
