Agriculture & Natural Resources State Issues/Goals

2015 Ag Program Advisory Council

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Natural Resources

New Issues

  • Mineral Rights
  • Changing public perception of natural resources.

High Priority Issues

  • Water Quality plans; Educate producers to practice better water management practices.
  • Partner with conservation district to become proactive.
  • Animal mortality- work with counties to find a location to compost dead animals.
  • Cover Crops- more research and data from the university
  • Wildlife policies should be revisited to help with the destruction of farm property.
  • Keep up team efforts with other agencies on communication as well as make farm owners aware of funding programs.

Low Priority Issues

  • Increase awareness of new government regulations and compliance policy.
  • Make people aware of programs that are available to new farm owners.
  • Education on composting (i.e. Value of compost-market potential or compost)

Ag Economics

New Issues

  • Tax Codes- what’s deductible and what’s not?
  • Estate Planning- Help farmers understand the importance.
  • Enterprise Budgets- Make producers aware and educate how to utilize these budgets.
  • Info on yield potentials for different types of soils.
  • Farmers need a way to become visible players in the green revolution -- carbon sequestration, etc. Convince the public that we're not the bad guys.

High Priority Issues

  • Beginning and Young Farmers - crucial information for you ng farmers -- everything from equipment to financing/budgeting and marketing; how to help you ng people get back into agriculture; KY Farm Start.
  • Mentorship
  • Recruitment programs for ag
  • Differentiate beginning and young farmer
  • How to get young farmers involved
  • Transfer of land is a high priority; we have lots of budgeting resources, but how do we educate you ng farmers in effective budgeting?
  • Sustainable Ag profitability - Someone needs to define "sustainable." Is it profitable, or does it refer to sustaining a garden?
  • Define what it means when we say Sustainable.
  • Beginning Farmers - Estate planning -- Young farmer with no background in ag is going to be able to start farming. How to deal with this process?
  • Separate out Estate planning.
  • Marketing - Identifying the markets; Need more focused market price information; Regional price
  • Farm financing and business management - A lot of folks don't know about new tax forms. Law may not be the issue with contract labor, etc., but interpretation of the law.
  • Marketing (Tools to id markets; Lobby to change restrictions; Marketing for locally grown products; partnership with Schools/ prisons)

Low Priority Issues

  • Alternative ownership arrangements - Data base needed to link retiring farmers with potential farmers for a leasing type situation; Training on how a retiring farmer can lease a farm; are we pricing ourselves too cheaply, and does this lead to an under-appreciation by the public?
  • Cash Rent- Need a more efficient way to connect landowners with ones who want to rent; cover topics on liability and responsibility
  • Database for commodities; Find link between end consumers and farmers -- find direct marketing links; need tools/technology for new marketing strategies; expand Market Maker into other product areas.
  • Grain Input Costs - Land suitability; Educate on using ground for the best crops and the ramifications of using land for inappropriate use
  • Farm Business Management - Proper tax form preparation; proper tax forms for H 2A workers.

Ag Policy

New Issues

  • Mineral Right
  • Educate on The Farm Bill.
  • Pubic needs to know where the majority of the farm bills funds really get spent.
  • Crop Insurance – allow for opportunity and for large growth.
  • Conservation Practices getting land back into productivity.
  • Joint Programming with FSA.
  • Due to cut backs agencies need to work together as a team approach to help farmers understand ag policy.
  • Future needs of programming / policy getting land back into cattle production from row crop.
  • CRP land payments 200+ per acre over 25,000in Hart Co., Ag Policy guides/directs how land is used in production.
  • More education on Ag policy and regulations with the public.

High Priority Issues

  • Labor Shortage - Extension can work on awareness of Issues and Regulations and share information on proposed regulations/legislation; Discussion on proposed legislation dealing with youth labor on the farm; The H 2A Program needs consistency, not changed through administration; We have illegal immigrants working in agriculture, we need a process to keep them working in agriculture
  • Growing Population – How to feed? Where will they live? Limited resources in the future.
  • Farm/Food Safety – GAP, BQA, PQA Training; Emphasizing safety to producers and consumers
  • More emphasis on safety trainings.
  • Public Education on Food Production - Agents need to have a broad base of understanding for agriculture related issues; Youth education on agriculture issues; Farm to Table program; basic media training for farmers
  • Urban Rural Interface - 4-H activities - Ag day, farm trips to expose kids to agriculture; Give consideration to location, don't put it in the public eye; Extension can be a liaison between rural and urban interface; Educating consumers on how to prepare raw products.
  • Work on preparing for homesteaders, more education toward meat preparation.

Low Priority Issues

  • Energy Costs - Engineering work on solar energy systems for use on the farm; Energy Storage is an issue for solar; Using manure for energy Using waste products (methane) as an energy source; How could alternative energies (Solar, wind, thermal) be cost effective on the farm?
  • Waste Management Disposal