American Agri-Women

Coming Up on the Agri-Women TV Show

Farm women are making a difference from coast to coast. RFD-TV began airing their weekly tv show for farm women on Tuesday, August 31, at 9:30 p.m. EST. The show will repeat each week on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.

The American Agri-Women Show is a series by, for and about farm and ranch women. In this half-hour series, AAW brings a weekly topic of concern to farm, ranch and agribusiness women and shares information about how to manage risk in agricultural operations. Each show features expert advice on that week's topic and includes a visit with a farm woman who is addressing that issue in her farming operation. Farm women from Oregon to North Carolina are featured on the show. Tune in at 6 and 9 pm EST on Channel 230 on DISH and Channel 344 on DIRECTV.

To view the AAW TV shows online, follow this link to our Vimeo.com Channel. 

Upcoming shows include:

 August 31 - Farm Women - Managing Risk, Marketing Commodities - Betty Corbin/Susan Dodsworth - AEM Ag Connect Expo

September 7 - Agritourism - Jane Eckert/Nancy Patterson/Brenda Renyer - Nutrients for Life Foundation

September 14 - Consumer awareness - Charlie Arnot/Heather Hampton+Knodle

September 21 - Managing risk through crop insurance - Art Barnaby/Penny Lauritzen/Shirley Bartelt

September 28 - Informing policy makers - Sandy Greiner/IAW, CWA/Jay Vroom, CLA

October 5 - Promoting your products - Vicki Coughlin/Ardath DeWall

October 12 - Educating future consumers - Cathy Musick

October 19 - Accessing farm credit - Doug Hoffbauer and Janet McPherson/ Vickie & Marie Bowers

October 26 - Organizational resources for individual development - Chris Wilson/IA Women in Agriculture

November 2 - Business planning - Doris Mold/Sharon Rogers/Alicia Morris

November 9 - Entrepreneurship - Donita Whitney Bammerlin/Brenda Renyer /Nancy Patterson

November 16 - Ag labor needs - Kathy Reavis/Arlene Frelk

November 23 - Leadership for agriculture - Marcie Williams & Neil Strong/Syngenta participants and 2010 Syngenta leadership participants

In Country Television is a full spectrum network with programming directed towards the outdoors enthusiast. Current programming focuses on agriculture, hunting, fishing, motorsports, equine and other outdoor recreational activities.

In Country Television is fully owned and operated by Rob Sigg of Performance One Media. The network is currently available to over 33 million Dish Network (Channel 230) and DirecTV (Channel 344) subscribers. Millions more have access to its content via live streaming on www.incountrytelevision.com.

The American Agri-Women Show is made possible through a grant from USDA’s Risk Management Agency. For more information, visit the AAW website: http://americanagriwomen.org.

 A RESPONSE TO FOOD INC

What is agriculture really like? Not what you saw portrayed in Food Inc.  Food production in the U.S. today is still happening on our farms and ranches. Here's a document with facts about American agriculture and the truth about food production.

Five Finalists Selected for America’s Farmers Mom of the Year
Online voting open through May 3; winner to be announced May 4

From the nationwide call for entries, five outstanding women have been selected as regional winners of Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year 2010. The public will determine the national winner by casting votes online at www.AmericasFarmers.com. Online voting is open through May 3, 2010, and the national winner will be announced May 4, 2010, just before Mother’s Day.
Each regional winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and advance for the chance to be honored as the first national winner of America’s Farmers Mom of the Year and receive an additional $2,500. The nominees are:

- Northeast Region: Sue Roohr, Cookstown, N.J.
- Southeast Region: Erika Forsbach, Savannah, Tenn.
- Midwest Region: Cheryl Day, Cerro Gordo, Ill.
- Southwest Region: Carol Cowan, Watonga, Okla.
- West Region: Caroline Luiz, Yreka, Calif.

A profile of each nominee, along with the official online voting form, is posted at www.AmericasFarmers.com. Regional winners were selected from submissions describing how each nominee embodied the values and hard work that make up the family farm way of life. Nominees were evaluated on the contributions they have made to their family, farm and community. The American Agri-Women, a national coalition of women’s farm, ranch and agribusiness organizations, partnered with Monsanto to select the regional winners.

“The list of nominations was very diverse, which is a testament to the numerous ways women make their mark in agriculture,” says Chris Wilson, President, American-Agri-Women. “There were so many compelling and heartwarming entries that it was difficult to pick just one winner from each region; however, these five women are truly outstanding. Each of these farm moms is truly deserving, and we are honored to play a part in recognizing their notable commitments to agriculture and the farm family way of life.”

Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year is part of the company’s America’s Farmers campaign, which celebrates the contributions of America’s farmers who help provide food, energy and clothing for our growing planet.

“This is the first year of America’s Farmers Mom of the Year, and we are impressed by the outstanding nominations we received,” says Tami Craig Schilling, Monsanto community relations spokesperson and southern Illinois farm mom. “This contest really illustrates how farm moms and wives are a vital part of the American agriculture success story.”

Visit www.AmericasFarmers.com to view the list of nominees and to vote for America’s Farmer Mom of the Year. Voting closes May 3, 2010. The winner will be announced May 4, 2010.
 

AAW Advocating for Agriculture Video Contest 
 

Congratulations to Janelle and John Swiercinsky of Mokena, IL, winners of AAW's 1st Advocating for Agriculture Video Contest, with their video "Grace and Clover."

AAW is looking for great videos that tell the true story of agriculture!  There's a lot of information being circuluated to the public that doesn't accurately portray our industry.  What's happening on your farm or ranch?  Send us links to your videos - We'll link to them as favorites at our You Tube site:  http://youtube.com/americanagriwomen.  Send video links to:  aawvideocontest@americanagriwomen.org.

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT RULING THREATENS FOOD PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA
 

Judging from the varied reactions of viewers watching last Sunday's 60 Minutes TV segment, "California: Running Dry", the state's three-year-drought is more complicated than simply the weather, according to the president of a national coalition of farm and ranch women. "If you look at comments on the CBS website, you can see how emotional people are," said Chris Wilson, president of American Agri-Women. "But if people studied the facts of this case, they would see the devastating effects of the Endangered Species Act on not only rural people but Americans everywhere, not just California, because these farmers feed the world."

In a 2006 lawsuit environmental groups demanded that the pumps in the Delta be shut off to protect a small minnow-smelt. Protectors of the smelt claim it can be sucked into the pumps that distribute water to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In August 2007, U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger ordered curtailing of the pumping of water that supplies the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta until a new biological opinion could be written, which it was in December 2008, resulting in more pumping restrictions. San Joaquin Valley water agencies challenged the ruling. As a result, in May 2009, Judge Wanger agreed the original restrictions on pumping needed to be revisited with the water agencies' compelling argument that people are being harmed by unreasonable concern over the welfare of a tiny fish.

According to one Californian, the drought was just as severe last year and farmers cut back on planting, but received from 10-30% of their water allocation through the Delta, depending on where their land was located. This year, because of the Delta smelt ruling, the allocation is 0% (zero percent). Hundreds of thousands of acres have been fallowed, almond trees pulled, and more than 60,000 jobs were lost.

The Obama administration has addressed the California water crisis by releasing a coordinated interim action plan of six federal agencies with their list of actions to be coordinated with the state. But some say it is too little, too late.

Carol Chandler, past president of California Women for Agriculture, stated, "There is a lot of rhetoric about conservation and restoration without addressing the need for water storage and temporary suspension of the Endangered Species Act. To improve our situation, growers in California need more water storage, conveyance capabilities around the fragile Delta so water can travel south, repair of the Delta levees to prevent salt water intrusion and flooding (salt water intrusion comes into the Delta during drought when the water seeps in from the Pacific Ocean), and suspension of the Endangered Species Act during severe drought conditions." Chandler added that many people would like to see a review of the biological opinions declaring that the pumps were the reason the smelt were dying.

AAW president Wilson stated, "A fish has been put above the needs of human beings who rely on the fresh products that come out of one of the most bountiful breadbaskets of America. We depend on California production of over 300 crops. Just one example is that 90% of almonds come from California. Without an adequate water supply, we risk shortages of our food supply here at home. United States farmers produce the most plentiful and safest food supply in the world so why risk growing it elsewhere? We all believe in conservation of the species but your families must come first."

House Passed Estate Tax Bill Could Be Devastating for Family Farms

On December 3, by a vote of 225-200, the House of Representatives passed HR 4154 sponsored by Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), which makes permanent the 2009 estate tax rates and exemption threshold.

The bill sets a 45 percent maximum tax rate on estates valued over $3.5 million for individuals and $7 million for married couples. The estate tax is currently set to be repealed for one year in 2010, returning in 2011 with a tax rate of 55 percent and an exemption lowered to $1 million. Pomeroy claims that 99.75 percent of individual families will be exempt from any estate tax under his bill.

Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), who introduced an agriculture-specific estate tax bill in July, HR 3524, which would exclude from gross estate value property that is used by a decedent for farming purposes, supported the Pomeroy bill. Thompson’s support of HR 4154 is likely a realization by the Congressman that HR 3524 will not be considered for a vote by the entire House.

HR 4154 has been received by the Senate where it awaits possible action.

AAW President Chris Wilson said, "This bill would permanently extend the excessively high tax rate of 45 percent with an un-indexed exemption amount of $3.5 million currently in effect for 2009. At the 45 percent rate, nearly half of the value of farms, ranches and small businesses would be taxed by the federal government."

The estate tax punishes individuals at their death and, in effect, is a double tax on assets which were already taxed when earned. It disproportionally affects the assets of family-owned small businesses and ag producers which are transferred at the time of death.

This bill does not set a reasonable rate, does not provide an appropriate exemption amount, and is not indexed for inflation. More and more agriculture producers are going to face this tax in the future. In lieu of total elimination, AAW supports an individual exemption of $5 million to $10 million, indexed for inflation.
 

American Agri-Women partners with Broadband for America

Over the past three months, the Broadband for America (BfA) coalition has grown to nearly 100 members ranging from independent consumer advocacy groups, to content and application providers, to the companies which build and maintain the internet. Together these organizations represent the hundreds of millions of Americans who are literally connected through broadband.

American Agri-Women is proud to be part of this growing network of advocacy groups determined to give broadband availability to all Americans regardless of geographic location, economic position, or social level. It’s encouraging to see the names of Time Warner and Verizon along with other communication networks as members.

Broadband for America’s network website is www.broadbandforamerica.com. Please visit the site and sign up as a follower to receive communications.