A bill being debated in the Washington State assembly that would restrict the usage of pesticides near residential areas is picking up steam, according to sources in the Washington Statehouse.

Sponsors of the bill say that it is necessary to protect farm workers and local residents from the negative health effects of pesticide use. Farmers, on the other hand, argue that the bill would hamper agricultural production and is unnecessary given current federal pesticide regulations.

The bill in question would create buffer zones preventing farms from spraying pesticides within a half-mile of schools, day cares, and residential homes. The bill is based on current regulations that prevent pesticide spraying within a half mile of commercial greenhouses.

Current federal regulations impose no distance requirements, choosing instead to require farmers to read and obey warning labels on pesticide containers.

Representatives of the Columbia Legal Service, a non-profit organization that supports the proposed bill, argue that humans deserve the same protection as grapes (which are currently protected with pesticide buffer zones).

Farmers, on the other hand, argue that the bill is not necessary. According to the head of the Yakima Valley Growers and Shippers Association, “Humans are protected more than a grape. It’s just done in federal regulation rather than in state law.”

In addition, state agencies are unsure about the efficacy of the bill. According to the departments of Health, Agriculture, and Labor, the state government does not have the manpower or the resource to efficiently enforce the new legislation.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

In his annual letter as the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates stressed the importance of agricultural research in combating global poverty, hunger, and climate change.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private charity in the world, with an endowment of roughly $37.1 billion. It’s primary goals include expanding access to healthcare, fighting extreme poverty, and expanding access to education and information technology.

In his 2012 letter, Gates linked his foundation’s commitment to ending poverty with technological advances in agricultural production. Citing the Green Revolution in the 1960s and 70s, Gates credited scientific advances in farming with helping to reduce significantly poverty and hunger, increasing food production 50 percent in some places and helping to lower global extreme poverty from 40 percent in the 1950s to roughly 15 percent today.

These agricultural advances, however, are threatened by the current political and economic climate. In the United States, the recent austerity measures embraced by Congress have led to massive reductions in agricultural funding. These budget cuts have led to the closures of many agricultural research centers across the country.

Reducing this funding, Gates argues could lead to increased poverty and hunger across the globe. “The world faces a clear choice,” Gates said, “If we invest relatively modest amounts, many more poor farmers will be able to feed their families. If we don’t, one in seven people will continue living needlessly on the edge of starvation.”

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already committed about $2 billion to helping poor farmers boost their productivity.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

Earlier this week, several house Representatives introduced legislation that would standardize animal treatment requirements regarding hens on egg farms across the country.

The proposed legislation would expand and standardize the amount of space required for egg-laying hens. Current standards vary from state to state, but are at least 67 square inches for most egg producers in the United States.

The proposed bill would nearly double that space, requiring egg producers to provide at least 124 square inches for white egg producing hens, the majority of birds in the U.S., and at least 144 square inches for brown egg producing hens. In addition, the bill would require separate areas for nesting, perching, and dust bathing. Most egg producers would have 18 years to implement these new changes.

The bill is part of a compromise reached last spring between United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States, whose alliance shocked many agricultural groups across the country. While the bill does not go as far as many animal rights groups had hoped, the HSUS originally wanted at least 214 square inches per bird, it is a major step forward for animal rights activists.

Leaders of the HSUS and several egg producers around the country are praising the bill. Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the HSUS, recently stated, “Passing this bill would be a historic improvement for hundreds of millions of animals per year,” and representatives from J.S. West & Co., a major California egg producer, stated, “A national standard reflecting the public’s desire for a standard of care for egg-producing hens is very important.”

Some agricultural groups have criticized the bill. The National Pork Producers Council, for example, has condemned the legislation as an unwarranted federal takeover of local agricultural issues.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

In a statement earlier this week, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the settlement ceiling for Hispanic and women farmers involved in a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been raised to $250,000 (an increase from the previous amount of $50,000).

The lawsuits, which have been tied up in legal decisions for over a year, stem from the 1980s. Plaintiffs claimed that the USDA issued farm loans discriminatorily, denying loans to Hispanic farmers as well as female farmers.

The USDA has already settled a similar lawsuit filed by African American farmers who claimed that they faced the same discriminatory treatment by USDA loan officers.

The settlement program was announced in February 2011. Up to $1.33 billion is available to eligible Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who agree to settle voluntarily their claims. Participation is not compulsory and farmers are still able to pursue their claims through the court system.

In his statement announcing the increased ceiling, Vilsack reiterated his commitment to diversity in the USDA. “The Obama Administration has made it a priority to resolve all claims of past discrimination at USDA, and we are committed to closing this sad chapter in USDA’s history,” he said. “Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who allege past discrimination are encouraged to participate in an improved claims process.”

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, changing current agricultural practices is the key to addressing and solving global climate change.

As world leaders prepare for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and colloquially known as the Rio+20), much of the world’s focus is on reforms to current agricultural practices. Specifically, transnational activist groups, the United Nations, and supranational organizations like the European Union have all addressed the need to create a sustainable agricultural system in order to prevent massive ecological devastation and global food shortages.

Climate change is quickly emerging as a major threat to agricultural production, both globally as well as in the United States. Last summer’s drought in Texas, which some experts believe will continue until next summer, has already devastated farms across the state. Similar droughts have struck across the South and Southwest, worrying many farmers who fear that this may be the new climatological norm.

Farmers can ameliorate some of the dangers posed by climate change, UN officials believe. According to Jose Graziano da Silva, the new head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, “Agriculture contributes 30 percent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming and we must raise the awareness of our farmers.”

“Agriculture is not just part of the problem,” he also stated, “it is also part of the solution to the environment issue. It can contribute a lot to the planet’s sustainable development, by finding techniques less harmful to the environment, by helping with clean energy and with a better redistribution of production.”

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

In a gathering of agricultural ministers and food policy experts in Berlin, farm leaders decried food waste and pointed out the nearly 1 billion people worldwide who experience chronic food shortages.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, food security and hunger are some of the most important issues facing the global community. UN officials and policy makers across the globe all point to looming famine as a potential cause of future instability. The Egyptian Revolution, some policy experts say, was initially sparked by food shortages in Cairo. Continuing hunger worldwide could lead to further political and economic turmoil.

Complicating the situation is the increasing rise of food prices. With ethanol demand skyrocketing, more and more corn is being converted into fuel, lowering food supplies and driving up prices.

In the midst of these global food shortages, developed nations have an obligation to combat food waste, UN officials have stated. According to the head of the UNFAO, consumers in rich, Western countries waste 220 million metric tons of food every year, an amount equal to the entire food output of sub-Saharan Africa.

According to German Agricultural Minister Ilse Aigner, “We must change our way of thinking, we must have more education, we must have discussion about best-before dates. Every food item thrown away is wasted.”

In order to create a sustainable agricultural future, UN officials say, the Western world needs to change consumption patterns as well as production patterns.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

In an announcement earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that they were expanding eligibility for loans for beginning and disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Over the past several years, the average age of American farmers has been increasing, leading to a graying of the profession. In addition, while agriculture remains a major part of the American economy, the number of Americans engaged in farming has decreased, with more and more agricultural production being consolidated in the hands of large-scale agribusinesses.

According to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, one of the biggest complaints he has heard as he tours the country is the difficulty in acquiring enough capital for new farmers to open up an agricultural business.

The new rules being considered would provide flexibility for Farm Service Agency officers to consider prior farm training (including formal and informal education) when making loans. In addition, the rules would encourage farmers and ranchers to sell their property to a new generation of farmers by offering landowners a 90 percent guarantee against losses to the seller.

Vilsack and the USDA hope that these new rules will help bring young farmers into the agricultural profession.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

With the debate over the 2012 Farm Bill about to heat up, farmers are renewing the fight over direct farm payments and insurance programs.

With the recent austerity hysteria, Senators and Representatives have appeared more willing to end direct farm payments then they ever have before. Over the past few years, Congress has slashed funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture budgets, conservation programs, nutritional programs, and various farm subsidy programs.

With farm profits up over the last few years, many farmers are less willing to defend direct farm payments in the face of upcoming budget cuts. Instead, many American farmers are willing to trade away direct payments in order to protect safety net programs like crop insurance.

According to a spokesman for Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Agricultural Committee, “When asked to prioritize farm safety-net priorities, Colorado farmers have repeatedly told [Bennet] that direct payments take second place to strong crop insurance and disaster programs.”

Major farm advocacy groups share Bennet’s views. According to representatives from the Farm Bureau, “The Farm Bureau has moved toward endorsing more of a risk-management type policy and away from direct payments. We’re definitely willing to do our part, but we don’t want to be cut disproportional to other programs in the federal budget.”

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

In a sign of major erosion of public support, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture recently came out against new wind farm projects, citing health concerns and questions about efficiency.

While the OFA says that it remains committed to green energy programs, the groups says that wind farms are dividing rural communities and seriously effecting the quality of life throughout rural Ontario.

Of particular concern to OFA is guaranteeing that the interests of farm families are adequately protected.

Energy officials are concerned about the OFA’s stance, claiming that farm organizations have worked with the Canadian government in creating green energy projects. According to Energy Minister Chris Bentley, “We’ve worked very closely with farmers, with the OFA, with rural Ontario in developing and strengthening the renewable energy approvals process.”

The difficulty in forging a green energy program in Canada may have repercussions in the United States. Communities throughout the U.S. have struggled against many renewable energy programs. On the eastern seaboard, for example, the building of wind farms has been resisted as many rural communities view them as eyesores.

Given the skepticism that many farm organizations harbor towards environmental conservation programs, such as the Chesapeake Bay restoration project, data questioning the efficiency of wind farms are likely to be seized by farm organization in the States.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer

Earlier this week, businesswoman and television personality Martha Stewart released an internet video decrying animal cruelty and the treatment of factory farm livestock.

In her video, Stewart condemned the cramped, dirty conditions frequently found in many factory farms across the country. In addition, she criticized the treatment of many animals in factory farms, decrying the practice of debeaking and detoeing chickens, for example.

Interspersed within the dialogue were video clips of livestock in factory farms.

While Stewart’s video may seem strange given the typical content of her television show (which frequently deals with cooking, often using animal products), her advocacy is not entirely out of left field. Stewart recently filmed a vegan show where she and a guest made meat-free dishes. In addition, Stewart herself is a longtime advocate of humane treatment of livestock.

In a statement on her blog, Stewart wrote, “As you may know, I have a penchant for backyard animal husbandry, the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.  Since I have a farm, I believe in raising one’s food and being as humane as possible in the treatment of that food.  I also have a great appreciation of good food and prefer eating better tasting and better for you heritage breeds of livestock.”

Animal rights groups have seized Stewart’s video as evidence of the poor treatment experienced by animals in factory farms. Given the tension between farm advocates and animal rights activists in recent months (flare ups include Florida and Iowa’s attempts to ban undercover farm videos and Nebraska’s push to block animal rights legislation), it’s likely that the public will see more of these videos over the course of the new year.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmplusfinancial.com.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer