Nine New Farm Bill Workshops Scheduled For Farmers

By Mary Hightower

Fast Facts

• More dates added to Farm Bill workshop schedule
• Learn to use web-based decision tools
• Includes discussion of Yield Update, Base Reallocation, ARC, PLC, and SCO

Nine new Farm Bill workshop sessions have been added to the more than one dozen already scheduled across Arkansas, including four sessions devoted to the computer-based Farm Bill decision aid, Robert Coats, professor-economics for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Thursday.

Five workshops have been added: at Augusta in Woodruff County, Portland in Ashley County, Keiser and Manila in Mississippi County and McGehee in Chicot County. There are four decision aid sessions, with two each in Jonesboro and West Memphis.

The following workshops are being conducted by Tony Franco, FSA’s chief of Farm Programs, Anita Wilson, Agricultural Program specialist with FSA, Coats and other FSA and Division of Agriculture specialists.

The program includes FSA information requirements and the following topics will be covered include:

• Required information
• Retain or Update Yields
• Retain or Reallocate Base
• Compare Agricultural Risk Coverage, or ARC, and Price Loss Coverage, or PLC
• Consider Agricultural Risk Coverage – individual coverage
• Supplemental Coverage Option, or SCO, and STAX offered under the federal crop insurance program
• Election and annual enrollment
• Web-based decision aid demonstration with examples

 Here is the schedule and local contacts for registration for each Farm Bill workshop event:

• Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. - noon – Lonoke, Arkansas Rural Water Association, Contacts:Jeff Welch, jwelch@uaex.edu,  (501) 676-3124; Sherry.West@ar.usda.gov
• Nov. 5, 9 a.m. - noon - Newport, ASU-Newport.  Contacts: Jim Barnes, (870) 523-8986 x105; Sarah Metzger smetzger@uaex.edu  (870) 523-7450.
• Nov. 6, 9 a.m.- noon – Pocahontas, Black River Technical College, Development Center Auditorium. Contact: Mike Andrews, mandrews@uaex.edu  (870) 892-4504.
• Nov. 7, 9 a.m.- noon – Paragould, Paragould Community Center. Contacts: Allen Davis, ardavis@uaex.edu, (870) 236-6921; Dave Freeze, dfreeze@uaex.edu  (870) 236-6921.   
• Nov. 10, 6 p.m. – West Memphis, Mid-South Community College. Contact: Russell Parker, rparker@uaex.edu,  (870) 739-3239.
• Nov. 12, 9 a.m.-noon, Augusta, Contact Eugene Terhune, eterhune@uaex.edu, (870) 347-2556.
• Nov. 13, 9 a.m.-noon, Portland, Portland Baptist Church. Contact Kevin Norton, knorton@uaex.edu, (870-853-2080.
• Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-noon, Keiser, Northeast Research and Extension Center. Contacts: Ray Benson, rbenson@uaex.edu, (870) 762-2075; Keith Morris, FSA, keith.morris@ar.usda.gov.
• Nov. 17, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Manila. Airport Center. Contacts: Ray Benson, rbenson@uaex.edu, (870) 762-2075; Keith Morris, FSA, keith.morris@ar.usda.gov.
• Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-noon – Marianna, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station. Contacts: Shawn Payne, spayne@uaex.edu  (870) 338-8027; Robert Goodson, rgoodson@uaex.edu, (870) 338-8027; Stan Baker, swbaker@uaex.edu, (870) 295-7720; Van Banks, vbanks@uaex.edu, (870) 747-3397.
• Nov. 19, 8:30 a.m. - noon – Stuttgart, Rice Research and Extension Center. Contacts: Chuck Capps, ccapps@uaex.edu, (870) 946-3231; Grant Beckwith, gbeckwith@uaex.edu, (870) 673-2661.   
• Nov. 20, 9 a.m.- noon – Morrilton, Conway County Fair Grounds Multi-Purpose Building. Contact: Kevin VanPelt, kvanpelt@uaex.edu, (501) 354-9618.
• Dec. 17, 9 a.m.-noon - McGehee - McGehee Men’s Club, #1 Airport Road South. Contact: Wes Kirkpatrick, wkirkpatrick@uaex.edu, 870-222-3972 and Gus Wilson, gwilson@uaex.edu, (870) 265-8055.

The other workshops provide hands-on training on the farm bill decision aid developed by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University and the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. These sessions will be conducted by Scott Stiles, an extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Brad Watkins, a Division of Agriculture economist based at the Rice Research and Extension Center, will be available at the two Jonesboro meetings to discuss long grain and medium grain rice considerations.  

The Farm Bill web-based decision aid session schedule:

• Nov. 4, 6 p.m. West Memphis - Mid-South Community College, Reynolds Building, Room 113. This session is limited to 20 participants each and pre-event registration is required. Contact Russ Parker at (870) 739.3239 or Scott Stiles at (870) 972.2481 to register.
• Nov. 6, p.m., Jonesboro - Arkansas State University College of Agriculture, Ag 242. This session is limited to 25 participants and pre-event registration is required. Contact Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481.
• Nov. 18, 6 p.m. West Memphis - Mid-South Community College, Reynolds Building, Room 113. This session is limited to 20 participants each and attendees must register before the event. Contact Russ Parker at (870) 739-3239 or Scott Stiles at (870) 972-2481 to register.
• Nov. 20, p.m., Jonesboro - Arkansas State University College of Agriculture, Ag 242. This session is limited to 25 participants and pre-event registration is required. Contact Scott Stiles at (870) 972-248.

The workshops are being offered jointly by the Farm Service Agency and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. There is no cost to attend and the daytime meetings include lunch.

The workshops are being supported by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, the Agricultural Council of Arkansas and the Arkansas Rice Federation.

Producers with questions about the 2014 Farm Bill can also contact:

• Bobby Coats, 501-671-2195.
• Brad Watkins, professor-agricultural economics, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, 870-673-2661.
• Archie Flanders, assistant professor agricultural economics, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Keiser, 870-526-2199, x108.
• Scott Stiles, instructor-agricultural economics, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Jonesboro, 870-972-2481.

Source:uaex.edu