July 2015

Agriculture & LivestockJournal

Volume 67, Number 7 July 2015Nevada Farm Bureau®

Summary of Nevada’s 78th Legislative SessionOur Honest Drought Discussion • Fulstone Scholarship Announced • Science is on Our Side

July 11 Churchill County Farm Bureau Annual Picnic, 4 p.m. 3975 Reno Highway, Fallon, NV 89406RSVP: Contact Dan or Julie Wolf by phone at 775-423-6056 or send an email to [email protected]

July 13Douglas County Farm Bureau Board Meeting, 6 p.m.Farmer’s Bank Office, 1597 Esmeralda Ave, MindenDetails: Woody Worthington, [email protected]

Aug. 25Nevada Farm Bureau Board of Directors Meeting, via video-conferenceDetails: Clay McCauley, 775-674-4000

Dec. 6-9. 2015Nevada and California Farm Bureau Joint Annual Meeting, Peppermill Resort Hotel

If you would like to include a meeting or event on the calendar, please contact Jessica at [email protected].

July 2015 | Page 2 | www.nvfb.org

“The Agriculture & Livestock Journal” (ISSN 0899-8434) (USPS 377-280)

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Phone: (775) 674-4000Fax: (775) 674-4004

Publisher:Nevada Farm Bureau Federation

Editor: Jessica Fagundes

The Nevada Farm Bureau Agriculture & Livestock Journal is published monthly by the Nevada Farm Bureau Federation.

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Farm Bureau Agriculture & Livestock Journal, 2165 Green Vista Drive, Suite 205, Sparks, NV 89431

Meeting & Event Calendar

OfficersPresidentJames “Hank” Combs, [email protected] PresidentBevan Lister, [email protected]’s Leadership ChairCindy Hardy, [email protected] 1 DirectorJamie Perkins, [email protected] 2 DirectorCraig Shier, [email protected] 3 DirectorCarla Pomeroy, [email protected] Vice PresidentClay McCauley, [email protected]

Board of DirectorsCentral County Carl Newberry, [email protected] CountyJulie Wolf, [email protected] CountyJim Hardy, [email protected] CountyWoody Worthington, [email protected] County Jonathan Dahl, [email protected] County Martin Muratore, [email protected] County Paul Young, [email protected] County Paul Mathews, [email protected] CountyDarrell Pursel, [email protected] CountyLouis Damonte Jr., [email protected] PineTom Baker, [email protected]&R ChairAnna-Lisa Laca, [email protected]

Connect with Nevada Farm Bureau Federation

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Nevada Farm Bureau Agriculture and Livestock JournalJuly 2015

3 Farm Bureau Perspectives - James “Hank” Combs Our Honest Drought Discussion4 Nevada Farm Bureau Update5 American Farm Bureau News5 Nevada Agriculture News6 County Corner7 2015 Photo Contest8 Summary of Nevada’s 78th Legislative Session10 Member Spotlight Kristina Moore12 Science is on Our Side13 Contact Your Local COUNTRY Financial Agency 14 The Ag Agenda - Bob Stallman EPA’s New Water Rule Is Even Worse than Farmers Feared15 Classified Ads

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Farm Bureau PerspectivesOur Honest Drought DiscussionBy James “Hank” CombsPresident, Nevada Farm Bureau

Scrutiny over how water is used and wasted continues to intensify

as Nevada, California and other states face another year of drought. In a recent column, California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger shared the struggles of his state’s farmers and ranchers who work with little water to feed a growing public and now face another inhibiting factor, the news media.

In California, some news outlets throw around a percentage to describe current agricultural water use. They claim that the agriculture industry consumes 80 percent of the total water supply in the state even in years of drought.

Now there are two major issues with this percentage. First, the 80 percent figure only applies to water used for human consumption. Of the total water in the state, about 50 percent goes to environmental uses, 40 percent goes to agriculture and 10 percent goes to urban use.

The second issue is that 40 percent of total water only goes to agriculture in a 100 percent water year. Farmers take water cuts sooner and at much higher percentages than other users even when drought isn’t severe.

This same 80 percent figure is often referenced in Nevada. A local water expert shared that 80 percent of Nevada surface water goes to agriculture, 10 to 15 percent to urban users and the remainder to mining, industry and domestic uses.

Our farmers and ranchers are aware of the drought and are working diligently to grow crops and raise animals more efficiently because water, and this

year’s lack thereof, directly affects their livelihoods. And yet, agriculture still becomes the scapegoat across the western United States in years of drought. Articles with titles like “Our Water-Guzzling Food Factory” attack farmers’ practices in California. Although Nevada media reporting has not yet reached this extreme, our state’s journalists have begun to pick apart the food system finding ways to reduce agriculture’s “80 percent.”

We can all hope any upcoming articles in our state will showcase the massive cuts already made by the farmers and ranchers and applauded our agriculturists’ efforts to continue to grow food with such little water. But, more than likely, journalists will examine so-called water-thirsty crops, flood irrigation and other practices used by farmers that they believe could be eliminated to save the precious resource.

Comments have been made about the water usage for crops like alfalfa with a suggestion that farmers should switch to more drought-tolerant crops like grapes. Grape growers are an important part of the Nevada agriculture community just like our livestock producers, dairy farmers and vegetable growers. And while those growers are vital, grapes won’t feed cattle, sheep or goats. Without alfalfa and other hay crops, farmers and ranchers will be unable to raise those animals for meat and milk in turn affecting the local and state supply of beef, lamb, milk, cheese and other products.

Flood irrigation is also a hot topic among those not connected to the agriculture community. Farmers in

Nevada use sprinkler, drip and flood irrigation to grow quality crops for consumers.

Yet, a push for drip irrigation has been made because of its water efficiency. And while drip irrigation is more water efficient, it also poses several problems in parts of Nevada. Flood irrigation pushes the natural salts down into the soil, but drip irrigation can cause the salt content of the soil to increase above the driplines because there isn’t sufficient natural precipitation to move the salts down. In addition, drip irrigation does not recharge the aquifers like flood irrigation does. Recharging the aquifers is an important part of ensuring that wells and other pumps relying on groundwater sources can function properly in coming years.

As members of Nevada Farm Bureau and advocates for the industry, we have to proactively educate the general public. We have to break down the misinterpreted percentages for journalists and explain the numerous ways farmers and ranchers work to feed our communities with 50, 20 or even 10 percent of the water they would normally receive. Because despite the constant examination of their practices and a drastic cutback in the amount of surface water they can use, Nevada farmers will continue to grow food as efficiently as they can, adapting to the current struggles and planning for future challenges as well.


Nevada Farm Bureau UpdateNevada Farm Bureau wins AFBF Communications award

Dave Fulstone II Scholarship Winner AnnouncedNorthern

Nevada high school graduate Josy Wortman was selected for the 2015 Dave Fulstone II Scholarship Award. The Dave Fulstone II Scholarship is awarded each year in honor of Dave Fulstone II through funds collected by the Nevada Heritage Foundation.

Fulstone was a past president of the Nevada Farm Bureau. He dedicated his life to the well-being of Nevada agriculture and was passionate in his support of a sustainable agriculture industry in Nevada. He never feared tackling the tough issues or facing strong opponents in defense of the agriculture industry and producers.

The scholarship committee provided financial assistance to Wortman because she exemplified those characteristics that Fulstone possessed.

Wortman is a recent graduate of Smith Valley High School. During high school, she was an active member of the FFA, student council, rodeo team and basketball, volleyball and softball teams. She also helps with canned food and clothing drives as well as the Senior Citizens’ Luncheon in her community.

Wortman plans to obtain her associate’s degree

at Lassen Community College in agriculture education and then to transfer to the University of Nevada, Reno to obtain her bachelor’s degree in agriculture education. She wants to work as an agriculture teacher after graduation to help influence the younger generations as they learn about agricultural matters.

The Dave Fulstone II Scholarship is awarded to students graduating from accredited high schools in Nevada who plan to further their education in a course of study pertaining to agriculture. Successful applicants are students who best portray the ability to be successful in their post secondary education and exhibit the potential to give back to the agriculture industry and benefit agricultural producers by completing their course of study. The scholarship is paid for by generous donations from individuals.

Nevada Farm Bureau received the award for Best News Story for a state with less than 80,000

members during the 2015 American Farm Bureau SPARC Conference, Jun. 16 through the 18, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The organization’s winning piece, titled “Water Curtailment limits farmers in Mason and Smith Valley,” followed the February 2015 decision to curtail supplemental water rights in Lyon County. The piece

featured perspectives from two Farm Bureau members who farmed in the area. The news story was written by Jessica Fagundes.

The 2015 American Farm Bureau Communications Awards highlighted top communications specialists from the fifty state Farm Bureaus with awards for writing; publications, photography and design; audio; video; internet and social media; and advertising, public relations and media relations.


American Farm Bureau NewsRepeal country of origin labeling for beef, chicken and pork

Farmers and ranchers are backing congressional legislation to repeal a law that forces food distributors

to label beef, chicken and pork products as to their country of origin. The effort comes on the heels of a World Trade Organization ruling that grants Canada and Mexico the right to retaliate against the United States if it fails to stop the program by mid-November.

“While we were hopeful that the WTO would have found COOL to be legal, it is now clear that we are far better off with no mandatory labeling for beef, pork and chicken, which should end threats of retaliation by our two closest trading partners,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman.

The House Agriculture Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas), last week passed a bill to remove the language from current law. A vote by the full House could happen within days.

“We are pleased the House Agriculture Committee has moved to repeal country of origin labeling for beef, pork and chicken, and we ask the full House to do likewise,” Stallman said. “Whatever benefits labeling brought farmers and ranchers, the WTO ruled that the process of separating the herds was too cumbersome to permit free trade. Canada and Mexico could retaliate with $2 billion in tariffs against U.S. food if we don’t stop the labeling program.”

Nevada Agriculture NewsNevada Cattlemen’s Association hires new executive director

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Association (NCA) has hired Kaley Sproul as their new executive director. Sproul recently graduated from Great Basin College with an Associate of Arts degree in agriculture and is in the process of finishing her Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education for agriculture.

She has been involved in the promotion and sustainability of the livestock industry throughout her life. Sproul most recently worked at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension in the Mineral County office, coordinating with the statewide “Herds and Harvest” and “Beginning Farmers and Ranchers” programs.

“NCA extends a warm welcome to Kaley as we look forward to having her as our new NCA executive director,” states Ron Torell, President of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association.

Kaley will begin her work assignment with NCA on July 20, 2015.


County Corner is a section of the Agriculture & Livestock Journal that gives counties an opportunity

to share their activities. Please email us your stories at [email protected] or call Jessica at 775-674-4000.

CHURCHILL COUNTYMy Plate Contest

Churchill County Farm Bureau held their annual My Plate Contest in the end of May. The contest was open to students in culinary courses at Churchill County High School. Students prepared a poster with a full menu for a meal, determining nutritional content and local availability of the food. Sierra Collins, Faith Dummar and Kamryn Riley won first place, Taylor Hood and Katy Vick won second place and Alma Castro and Sierra Knigge won third place. The winning teams received money and cooking utensils as awards donated by Churchill County Farm Bureau. What a great project Churchill County!

DOUGLAS COUNTYSupporting 4-H Shooting Sports

Douglas County Farm Bureau donated $200 to Rosealle Rieman, a member of the Douglas County 4-H Shooting Club. Rieman qualified for the 4-H National Invitational Shooting Competition in June in Nebraska.

Her shooting disciplines are air rifle and 45 yard silhouette. Way to go Douglas County for supporting local agriculture students!

ELKO COUNTYParticipate in the 7th Annual Photo Contest

Elko County Farm Bureau is hosting their seventh Annual Photo Contest. Photographers best depicting Elko County ranch and farm families and friends at work will receive cash prizes for first through third place, $100, $75 and $50, in three age divisions. To request an entry form or to enter, please send an email with 2015 FB PHOTO CONTEST in the subject line to: [email protected]. Entries must be received by Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. via email or postmarked by Aug. 19. Call 775-753-6993 for more information.

County CornerCheck out what’s happening around the state!

Rosealle Rieman is a presented a check by DC President Woody Worthington.

First place winners (L-R) Sierra Collins, Faith Dummar and Kamryn Riley.


August 24, 2015 is the third deadline for photos in the 2015 Photo Contest. This year’s contest will consist of four categories: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. The photo contest is open to all Nevada Farm Bureau members and

their families. It includes two divisions: Youth and Adult (18+).

All photos will be judged after the final deadline and prizes will be awarded for each division. This year’s prizes are $100, $75 and $50 for first, second and third place photographs. In addition to overall winners, the top photo from each season category will receive a $10 cash prize. Winning photos will be printed as postcards available for sale to all Farm Bureau members.

Deadline to Submit PhotographsSummer pictures: August 24, 2015

Fall pictures: October 26, 2015

General Rules: • Photographs need to represent Nevada agriculture, rural life or Nevada scenery. • Title your photo and indicate adult or youth entry.• Submit as many pictures as desired; however, only one cash prize will be awarded per person. (Photos that win their

category will be reentered for the grand prize.)• Submit photos to [email protected].

2015 Photo ContestSponsored by Women’s Leadership Committee

WHAT: Churchill County Farm Bureau Annual Summer BarbecueWHEN: July 11, 2015 at 4 p.m.WHERE: 3975 Reno Highway, Fallon, NV 89406PLEASE BRING: A side dish, salad or dessert. Meat, drinks and tableware will be provided. OTHER DETAILS: This social event gives Farm Bureau members and officials a chance to meet face to face. We have invited legislators, local officials and government agencies.RSVP: Contact Dan or Julie Wolf by phone at 775-423-6056 or send an email to [email protected]. Please include your name, contact information and number of attendees so that plans can be made accurately.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

2015 Annual Summer BBQ!

SAVEthe

Peppermill Resort HotelReno, Nevada

Nevada Farm Bureau California Farm Bureau

Joint Annual MeetingDecember 6-9

DATE


Summary of Nevada’s 78th Legislative SessionThe 78th session of the Nevada Legislature ended

on June 1, 2015. During the session, Nevada Farm Bureau tracked more than 80 bills that would have affected agriculture. Below is a summary of some of the bills of interest signed by the governor and bills that failed during this session

Assembly Bill 34 (SIGNED)AB34 repealed provisions governing certain fire protection districts; reenacted certain of those provisions relating to fire safety; revised the circumstances under which a person, firm, association or agency that caused a fire or other emergency that threatens human life would be charged for the expenses incurred to extinguish the fire or meet the emergency; authorized a municipal agency to collect those expenses; and provided for the issuance of an annual permit to engage in certain activities.

Assembly Bill 77 (SIGNED)AB77 revised certain provisions governing district boards of agriculture, agricultural associations and the operation of a state fair or regional fair in this State; made various changes to provisions governing noxious weeds; revised certain provisions governing public sales of livestock and licenses for the operation of public livestock auctions; authorized the issuance of a free-sale certificate for an agricultural product; and required a person to register as a produce vendor.

Assembly Bill 78 (SIGNED) AB78 revised the process by which the Board of Wildlife Commissioners establishes certain policies and adopts certain regulations; and revised provisions governing programs for the management and control of predatory wildlife, certain provisions governing county advisory boards to manage wildlife and the membership of the State Predatory Animal and Rodent Committee.

Assembly Bill 79 (SIGNED)AB79 deleted obsolete provisions governing the initial membership of each state grazing board; revised provisions which require the State Department of Agriculture to compensate the owners of any animals that are destroyed because of infection; and revised the definition of “food establishment” to exclude certain establishments where animals are slaughtered and certain facilities that produce eggs.

Assembly Bill 82 (SIGNED)AB82 changed the name of the Wildlife Fund Account in the State General Fund to the Wildlife Account and amended the permissible uses of money in the Account; changed the name of the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account

to the Wildlife Heritage Account; and revised provisions relating to the administration of the trout stamp and duck stamp programs in this State.

Assembly Bill 119 (FAILED)AB119 authorized a veterinarian or veterinary technician who is licensed in another state to provide professional services in this State during a critical incident under certain circumstances and authorized a qualified organization to establish a temporary veterinary facility to provide shelter, food, water and veterinary care to certain animals.

Assembly Bill 136 (SIGNED)AB136 required the Board of Wildlife Commissioners to adopt regulations prescribing the circumstances under which a person may assist a licensed hunter with certain disabilities in the killing and retrieval of a big game mammal.

Assembly Bill 148 (FAILED)AB148 authorized the possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle that is on the property of certain educational entities or child care facilities in certain circumstances; authorized a person who holds a permit to carry a concealed firearm to do so on certain property of a public airport and on the property of the Nevada System of Higher Education and in a public building.

Assembly Bill 163 (SIGNED)AB163 provided for the creation of rangeland fire protection associations. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this legislation.

Assembly Bill 186 (FAILED)AB186 increased the quantity of spirits a craft distillery may export to another state; allowed a craft distillery to serve samples of and sell its spirits at one other location in addition to the craft distillery; increased the quantity of spirits that a craft distillery may sell at retail for consumption off the premises; and allowed a craft distillery to donate and transport spirits for charitable or nonprofit purposes under certain circumstances.

Assembly Bill 198 (SIGNED)AB198 required the Legislative Committee on Public Lands to conduct a study concerning water conservation and alternative sources of water for Nevada communities.

Assembly Bill 338 (FAILED)AB338 revised provisions relating to the registration and marking of traps, snares and similar devices used in the taking of wild mammals and revised provisions relating to the frequency of visits required for a trap, snare or device.


Assembly Bill 415 (SIGNED)AB41 revises provisions relating to the use of water on certain lands in a federal reclamation project.

Assembly 455 (FAILED)AB455 directed the Legislative Commission to appoint a committee to conduct an interim study regarding the present and future supplies of water and allocation levels in this State.

Assembly Joint Resolution 2 (SIGNED)AJR2 urged the United States Congress and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to take certain actions to reduce the impact of common ravens on the greater sage grouse and desert tortoise populations in this State. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this legislation.

Senate Bill 4 (SIGNED)SB4 authorized certain traps, snares or similar devices used in the trapping of wild mammals to be registered with the Department of Wildlife and limited the requirement to obtain a permit to take or kill fur-bearing mammals injuring property. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this legislation.

Senate Bill 65 (FAILED)SB65 revised provisions relating to: the adjudication of vested water rights; applications, permits and certificates for the appropriation of public waters; underground water and wells; and planning and development of water resources.

Senate Bill 81 (FAILED)SB81 revised provisions relating to the designation and regulation of groundwater basins by the State Engineer and appropriation of water for beneficial use.

Senate Bill 102 (FAILED)SB102 provided for the creation of rangeland fire protection associations.

Senate Bill 155 (SIGNED)SB155 provided for the refund of certain taxes paid by a farmer or rancher on bulk purchases of special fuels; revised the definition of “implement of husbandry”; and revised certain provisions relating to farm vehicles and implements of husbandry and operation, towing or transportation of implements of husbandry on the highways of this State.

Senate Bill 305 (SIGNED)SB305 authorized industrial hemp farming in this State under certain circumstances.

Senate Bill 417 (SIGNED)SB417 prohibited the use of telemetry data to harass or take game mammals, game birds or other wildlife.

Senate Bill 423 (FAILED)SB423 made an appropriation to the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the awarding of grants to support certain cloud seeding operations. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this legislation.

Senate Bill 483 (SIGNED)SB483 created a commerce tax on gross revenue for certain businesses; decreased the threshold and increased the rate on the payroll tax; increased the business license fee; and other provisions.

Senate Bill 485 (FAILED)SB485 revised provisions relating to the adjudication of vested water rights.

Senate Bill 488 (SIGNED)SB488 authorized the State Department of Agriculture to establish by regulation requirements for the registration of certain animal remedies, veterinary biologics and pharmaceuticals for veterinary purposes with the State Department of Agriculture; required the licensing of manufacturers, distributors and guarantors of commercial feed by the Department; required a licensee to submit certain fees and reports to the Department on an annual basis; established labeling requirements for commercial feed manufactured, distributed or guaranteed in this State; and prohibited the misbranding, adulteration or reuse of packaging of commercial feed.

Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SIGNED)SJR1 urged Congress to enact legislation, transferring title to certain public lands to the State of Nevada in accordance with the report prepared by the Nevada Land Management Task Force. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this resolution.

Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SIGNED)SJR2 urged Congress to require the sharing of federal receipts from commercial activity on certain public lands with the State of Nevada and its counties. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this resolution.

Senate Joint Resolution 5 (SIGNED)SJR5 expressed support for the 2014 Nevada Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan developed by the Sagebrush Ecosystem Council and urged the United States Fish and Wildlife Service not to list the greater sage-grouse as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Nevada Farm Bureau supported this resolution.

Senate Joint Resolution 11 (SIGNED)SJR11 proposed to amend the Nevada Constitution to preserve the right to hunt, trap and fish in this State.


From left to right, Richard Ferguson, Josey Moore, Kristina Moore, Cheyenne Moore, Janie Ferguson and Darin Ferguson.

Member SpotlightKristina MooreBy Austin Wright, Nevada Farm Bureau InternBackground

Kristina Moore is a lot of things to a lot of people. She is a parent, high school teacher,

FFA coach, president elect of the Nevada Agriculture Teachers Association and a Nevada Farm Bureau member. But throughout all of her different projects, there seems to be two commonalities, agriculture and teaching.

Kristina attributes her interest in agriculture to her upbringing. Raised on a dairy farm in southern Utah, she spent most of her time around livestock and gained an appreciation for the industry that provides the world with its food.

“We’re literally feeding the world,” Kristina says. “It seems like an overstatement, but it’s the reality of it. There are so few people in the agriculture industry, and they do such a huge service to society in general. The impactful nature of the industry itself is what keeps me involved and keeps me passionate about it.”

Kristina received her bachelor’s in secondary education from the University of Nevada, Reno and her master’s in agriculture education from California Polytechnic State University. After college, she started her career as a teacher. She’s taught for 18 years in both Douglas County and Churchill County. For the last eight years, Kristina has been teaching at Churchill County High School.

More Than Inside the ClassroomKristina is an FFA advisor, and that role takes up a large part of her day. She started as an FFA advisor in Gardnerville, but her actual origins with the program began when she was a member in high school. Her own experiences as a participant in FFA inspired her to give her students the same opportunities.

“I just love helping the kids follow their passion, find what they’re good at, do what they enjoy and helping them find a pathway to stay involved and be involved in agriculture,” Kristina says.

Advising in FFA is much more than just a job for Kristina, and she stays active well passed the normal nine to five business day.

“I live it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Kristina says. “My

students call me in the middle of the night if their goat is having babies, and my vacations usually involve taking students some place. It’s a lifestyle — not a job — it’s what you do, and it’s who you are.”

FFA has provided Kristina with a deeper way to connect with her students, which she says isn’t possible inside of a classroom.

“You get to know them, their families, what their passions are and what their weaknesses are. The goal of most agriculture teachers is to figure out what makes their students tick, what makes them successful, and then you have to help direct them into those pathways.”

Connecting Students With StudentsKristina started coordinating Ag In the Classroom programs in Gardnerville. Her initial experience mostly involved bringing professionals from the agriculture industry into the classroom to teach kids. Her current involvement is more hands on. Instead of relying solely on professionals in the agriculture industry to teach her students, she now uses her students to educate children in hopes that agricultural information will be absorbed in the earlier grades.

“My frustration in the classroom is with students that don’t know where their food comes from and frustration with society overall taking the industry for granted. There is


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food at the grocery store, and people don’t know why it’s there; they just know it’s there. And they don’t question the source of their food.”

Running the program in a way that allows her students to become teachers themselves is rewarding for Kristina and one of her most memorable experiences with the program.

“They love interacting with those younger children, and they like the idea of sharing this information with them,” Kristina says. “It gives them such a sense of pride and enjoyment out of teaching something essential and getting a genuine response from those younger kids.”

Involvement as a Farm Bureau MemberKristina became a Churchill County Farm Bureau member in 2013, but she has been associated with the Farm Bureau through FFA and Ag In the Classroom for much longer than that. Ultimately, Kristina found that being more involved with Farm Bureau was essential to increasing her involvement with agricultural programs.

“They’ve always been supporters of my program,” Kristina says. “And realizing what an important part of having a successful FFA chapter and agriculture education department had to do with an involved community, I decided I needed to get more involved with the groups in my community that were agriculture related.”

Since joining Farm Bureau, Kristina has received additional support for her projects.

“They help me to get the funding that we need to provide books to the elementary school classrooms,” Kristina says. “And they help us by giving us ideas, direction and by becoming more involved in Ag In the Classroom themselves. By coordinating our efforts, Ag In the Classroom can become a bigger and better activity.”

Future PlansKristina wants to increase her involvement in promoting agriculture wherever possible. She plans to stay an FFA advisor for as long as she can and hopes to expand agricultural literacy while also simplifying agricultural programs so that anybody can use them.

For Kristina, agriculture and the education system still have a long way to go, and she intends to do all she can to further a more beneficial relationship between them in the future.

“I think we should integrate agriculture lessons K through 12,” says Kristina. “I think it should be required that we teach all of our children where our food comes from. I think it’s silly we don’t do that, and I think it’s unfortunate for our society that we don’t teach our kids where food comes from.”


Believing what is on the internet may seem harmless when it comes to a YouTube video of a talking cat, but it has a detrimental effect on the livelihoods of our farmers and ranchers.

Yvette d’Entremont, also known as SciBabe, the scientist who confronted Food Babe about her false information surrounding food, examined this dilemma and how to address it during the 2015 American Farm Bureau SPARC conference in North Carolina this past June.

d’Entremont, who was originally against genetic modification, shared her conversion story to pro-GMO. The reason for her conversion was science.

Malnutrition has caused 3,100,000 deaths and GMOs have caused zero. Numbers like these should have everyone convinced, but d’Entremont explained that people don’t know the difference between science and pseudo science especially when it comes to food and genetically modified organisms.

“Google GMOs, and out of the first six stories, five are negative.”

So how can agriculturists keep the general public from trusting the inaccurate results on their search engine? d’Entremont offers several suggestions.

1. Train people into skepticism: Chat with friends, neighbors, people you meet at a fair, and encourage them to seek out sound scientific studies and facts as their information source.

2. Use humor: Making people laugh is a great way to encourage them to let down their guard and take in new information.

3. Write for your friends not your boss: Sometimes scientists and agriculturists get bogged down by the details, offering more explanation than necessary on certain subjects. Keeping information about GMOs factual but casual is key to reaching the public that may not understand the subject yet.

Science is on Our SideEducating a skeptical public about GMOs.By Jessica Fagundes, Nevada Farm Bureau Director of Communications


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The Ag AgendaEPA’s New Water Rule Is Even Worse than Farmers FearedBy Bob StallmanPresident, American Farm Bureau Federation

The Environmental Protection Agency finally released its new “clean water” rule and actually

managed to make it worse than we expected. Despite an unprecedented marketing campaign by EPA, the proposed rule was fiercely opposed by the vast majority of state and local governments, businesses and groups representing almost every part of the American economy—including farmers and ranchers. We called on EPA to ditch the rule, go back to the drawing board and craft a rule that won’t cripple farming and ranching.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that EPA failed to listen. This rule was never really about protecting water sources: It’s about giving EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the power to regulate any activity on the land that they choose to regulate. And that’s what the rule does.

What is a “water of the U.S.”? Only the agencies can say, and their word is final. Under the new rule, just about any patch of land might be found to be “waters of the U.S.” You don’t have to see water flowing there, or even spot signs of flow. The rule gives EPA and the Corps the trump card: the power to use remote “desktop tools” to identify and regulate a so-called “tributary” on your land—or even just places where a “tributary” used to be—whether or not you can see anything that looks like a water feature. What’s more, the rule automatically regulates other waters within certain distances of any such invisible or historical “tributary.” So much for clarity.

The rule does provide several exclusions from regulation. But most of the exclusions, including the one for farm ponds, apply only to features “created in dry land.” Was your farm pond “created in dry land”? Who knows! EPA’s hundreds of pages of regulatory “clarity” don’t help you distinguish between “waters” and “dry land.” Only the agencies can say for sure.

Identifying bodies of water, and especially bodies of water regulated by the federal government, shouldn’t be rocket science. But EPA has made it impossible for farmers and ranchers to look at their own land and know what falls under federal jurisdiction and what doesn’t. But if the government does later find that your land is “waters of the U.S.,” you will already be in violation of the law for farming there, even though you had no reason to know your land was regulated. This puts landowners at risk of steep fines in “gotcha” enforcement just for using their lands. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

It’s time for Congress to step in and check EPA’s blatant overreach. Farmers and ranchers know the importance of protecting water resources. Federal rules should let them continue taking care of the land while producing our food, fiber and renewable energy.


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Feed

Alfalfa Hay For Sale 3x4 bales. Several grades: nice green-rain damaged feeder, 53-47 TDN & 18-17 Proteins. No weeds. Triticale Grain Hay available. Stacks located 80 miles East of Tonopah. [email protected] 775-863-0321

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For SaleProperty5 acres Agritourism Opportunity - Washoe Valley2047 sq. ft. custom cedar home. USDA certified organic u-pick apple orchard. Water rights, barn, shop, chicken pens, playhouse, greenhouse, garden area, seasonal stream, RV hookup & fully stocked gift shop. $685,000. 775-720-2904

6.4 Acres (Residence, 3 bd. 2 bath) - Diamond Valley1,600 sq. foot w/ hot tub room on 6.4 acres. 532 sq. ft. detached garage, 841 sq. ft. hay shed & 877 sq. ft. 3 bay carport w/ storage room & extensive corrals w/ heated Ritchie waterers. Includes fenced pasture. Call 775-385-3334.

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WantedEquipment3 Point Weed HogPreferably 4 ft.. cutting. 813-512-3225

Used RoterraUsed Lely Roterra that is in working condition, or needs minimal work to be field ready. Cary 775-691-7655. [email protected]

Windmill Working or easy fix windmill, with or without tower. And 20’/30’ non-leaker container. Call 775-557-2804.

PropertyPasture WantedPasture Wanted for 20-40 pair in Northern Nevada. 775-287-6978

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Existing Farm Bureau Bank loans are excluded from this offer. *Rate disclosed as Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and based on exceptional credit. Some restrictions may apply based upon the make and model of equipment offered as collateral. Up to 90% financing for new and 85% for used equipment.Loans subject to credit approval. Rates are accurate as of 04/24/15. Rates and financing are limited to farm equipment model years 2005 or newer and are subject to change without notice. A down payment may be required for new or used equipment purchases. Financial information required for loan requests over $75,000. Commercial vehicles and trailers may be subject to an additional documentation fee. Farm Bureau Bank does not provide equity orequipment purchases. Financial information required for loan requests over $75,000. Commercial vehicles and trailers may be subject to an additional documentation fee. Farm Bureau Bank does not provide equity orcash-out financing on commercial vehicles and equipment. Farm Bureau, FB, and the FB National Logo are registered service marks owned by, and used by Farm Bureau Bank FSB under license from, the American Farm Bureau Federation.

July 2015

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