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| Directions l American Farm Bureau l Farm Bureau Bank l Privacy Policy l Contact Us l Help l Site Map |
The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture
Welcome to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation
| Directions l American Farm Bureau l Farm Bureau Bank l Privacy Policy l Contact Us l Help l Site Map |
Welcome to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation
Welcome to the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation
The Voice of Louisiana Agriculture
Food Prices, High Energy Costs
Top Farm Bureau Convention Issues
By MICHAEL DANNA
FB NEWS STAFF WRITER
BATON ROUGE-- Farmers and ranchers attending the upcoming Louisiana Farm Bureau
convention will hear updates on the status of rising food costs, agriculture’s role in the
renewable fuels debate and what the newly enacted 2008 farm bill will mean to their
finances.
Members of the state’s largest general farm organization
will gather at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel June 26-29
for the 86th annual convention. More than 1,000 farmers
and their families are expected to attend the event.
“Like everybody else right now, farmers want to know about
high fuel prices and high retail food prices,” said Farm
Bureau President Ronnie Anderson. “Farmers are consumers
too and despite what you might be hearing out there, farmers
are not getting rich off higher food prices.”
Anderson said farmers don’t control the prices of the
commodities they produce. “The commodity markets and the
Chicago Board of Trade tell us what price we’ll receive,” he said.
During the four-day convention farmers will hear about how
agriculture can play a role in the country’s increasing demand for
alternative fuels. In 2007 more than six billion gallons of ethanol
was produced in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Louisiana currently
has plants in Southwest Louisiana producing ethanol from ag products like bagasse from
sugarcane.
Dr. Barbara Fecso, with the USDA’s sugar and sweetener analysis division in
Washington, D.C., will update producers on the sugar portion of the new farm bill.
Louisiana is the nation’s No. 1 sugarcane producing state, surpassing Florida in 2005.
Willie Cooper, Louisiana state director of the Farm Service Agency, will address the new
farm bill approved by Congress earlier this month. The bill will now regulate federal farm
programs for the next five years.
The meteoric rise in grain price has Louisiana cotton acreage at an all-time low. Craig
Brown, executive vice president for producer affairs for the National Cotton Council, will
address the future of the U.S. cotton industry, while providing an outlook for U.S. cotton
exports for 2008-2009.
“Louisiana once led the nation in cotton production,” said Brian Breaux, a cotton specialist
with the Farm Bureau. “But there are still a lot of cotton producers out there who want to
know how the new farm bill will impact them. We hope Mr. Brown will give us some good
news for exports for the remainder of the marketing year.”
Also speaking to the Cotton Conference of the convention will be Mike Stevens, a cotton
analyst with SFS Futures/Swiss Financial Services. The conference will be held Saturday,
June 28 at 10 a.m.
Securing farm labor has become more difficult in a post-9-11 world. Since most farm
workers come from Mexico, and with border security tightening, farmers have had difficulty
finding enough workers to plant and harvest their crops. Dan Bremer, a farm labor
specialist with AgWorks, Inc, of Lake Park, Ga., will update producers on the status of farm
labor and the congressional battles likely to be waged as the issue is taken up by lawmakers
this fall.
During the convention the Farm Bureau will name its top young farmer and outstanding
young farm woman. During the four-day convention more than 225 voting delegates from
local parish Farm Bureaus will work to set policy for the organization. The Louisiana Farm
Bureau Federation is a private, non-profit organization representing the state’s farmers,
ranchers and rural residents. It was established in 1922 to give a voice to those who make
agriculture their livelihoods.
Top Farm Bureau Convention Issues
By MICHAEL DANNA
FB NEWS STAFF WRITER
BATON ROUGE-- Farmers and ranchers attending the upcoming Louisiana Farm Bureau
convention will hear updates on the status of rising food costs, agriculture’s role in the
renewable fuels debate and what the newly enacted 2008 farm bill will mean to their
finances.
Members of the state’s largest general farm organization
will gather at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel June 26-29
for the 86th annual convention. More than 1,000 farmers
and their families are expected to attend the event.
“Like everybody else right now, farmers want to know about
high fuel prices and high retail food prices,” said Farm
Bureau President Ronnie Anderson. “Farmers are consumers
too and despite what you might be hearing out there, farmers
are not getting rich off higher food prices.”
Anderson said farmers don’t control the prices of the
commodities they produce. “The commodity markets and the
Chicago Board of Trade tell us what price we’ll receive,” he said.
During the four-day convention farmers will hear about how
agriculture can play a role in the country’s increasing demand for
alternative fuels. In 2007 more than six billion gallons of ethanol
was produced in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Louisiana currently
has plants in Southwest Louisiana producing ethanol from ag products like bagasse from
sugarcane.
Dr. Barbara Fecso, with the USDA’s sugar and sweetener analysis division in
Washington, D.C., will update producers on the sugar portion of the new farm bill.
Louisiana is the nation’s No. 1 sugarcane producing state, surpassing Florida in 2005.
Willie Cooper, Louisiana state director of the Farm Service Agency, will address the new
farm bill approved by Congress earlier this month. The bill will now regulate federal farm
programs for the next five years.
The meteoric rise in grain price has Louisiana cotton acreage at an all-time low. Craig
Brown, executive vice president for producer affairs for the National Cotton Council, will
address the future of the U.S. cotton industry, while providing an outlook for U.S. cotton
exports for 2008-2009.
“Louisiana once led the nation in cotton production,” said Brian Breaux, a cotton specialist
with the Farm Bureau. “But there are still a lot of cotton producers out there who want to
know how the new farm bill will impact them. We hope Mr. Brown will give us some good
news for exports for the remainder of the marketing year.”
Also speaking to the Cotton Conference of the convention will be Mike Stevens, a cotton
analyst with SFS Futures/Swiss Financial Services. The conference will be held Saturday,
June 28 at 10 a.m.
Securing farm labor has become more difficult in a post-9-11 world. Since most farm
workers come from Mexico, and with border security tightening, farmers have had difficulty
finding enough workers to plant and harvest their crops. Dan Bremer, a farm labor
specialist with AgWorks, Inc, of Lake Park, Ga., will update producers on the status of farm
labor and the congressional battles likely to be waged as the issue is taken up by lawmakers
this fall.
During the convention the Farm Bureau will name its top young farmer and outstanding
young farm woman. During the four-day convention more than 225 voting delegates from
local parish Farm Bureaus will work to set policy for the organization. The Louisiana Farm
Bureau Federation is a private, non-profit organization representing the state’s farmers,
ranchers and rural residents. It was established in 1922 to give a voice to those who make
agriculture their livelihoods.
| FB NEWS Photo by Melissa Fennell . |
LFBF President Ronnie Anderson listens to program updates
at the 2008 Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention.
at the 2008 Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention.
