Agriculture, Forestry, & Economic Development – June 29, 2009
Posted on June 29th, 2009
Date & Time: Monday, June 29, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Location: Room 171, State Capitol
Agenda: http://tr.im/qc5T
Attachments: None
1:39 pm – Staff report complete. Staffer will be hiking naked on the Appalachain Trail…. or in Argentina. Either way, he will not be availiable next week.
1:41 pm – Richard Bell, the Secretary of the Arkansas Agriculture Department, is presenting the update on Arkansas agriculture.
1:43 pm – The Arkansas Agriculture Department is a fairly new department within the state government.
1:44 pm – The dairy situation in Arkansas has now reached an emergency situation. The grant subsidies have been funded for the year for a cost of 9.1 million dollars. The amount is about $5 per hundred weight.
1:45 pm – Mr. Bell is discussing compressed natural gas distribution grants. The goal is to establish two fueling stations along Interstate 40. There are draft changes to account for other alternative fuels. Feed stock grants have been established for a cost of three million dollars.
1:48 pm – Biodiesel is having difficulty being competitive due to high soybean prices even though oil prices are sufficiently high enough for it to be potentially competitive. The biodiesel industry is struggling currently.
1:51 pm – The removal of the sale tax on farmers markets have really helped grow and enlarge the number of farmers markets.
1:53 pm – The Department of Agriculture is promoting the growing of specialty crops and produce such as sweet potatos. Walmart and Delmonte have been very cooperative in use of locally grown produce.
1:55 pm – Patrick Ralston has informed me that he will not be Argentina, however he has yet to confirm or deny that he will be hiking naked on the Appalachian Trail.
1:57 pm – The Agriculture Department is where the state survey plats are managed within the state government. Mr. Bell wondered if that should continue to be a free service.
1:59 pm – I am surprised that almost every department in state government, including the Department of Agricultures, is talking about the “temporary” positions that are being created to provide extra “help” for administering current programs funded by the “Recovery and Reinvestment Act” AKA the Obama Stimulus Plan.
2:02 pm – Arkansas is second in the nation in aquaculture. We are the only state that can ship baitfish anywhere in the US due to our inspection program.
2:04 pm – The crop agriculture in 2008 in Arkansas has done better than ever, but livestock agriculture in Arkansas has suffered. In 2009 crop agriculture may be down due to wet spring and lower planting rates of winter wheat. Feed cost will continue to impact livestock agriculture negatively and the down economy has created a slow buying market. Mr. Bell predicts some reduction in production of boiler chickens and pork.
2:08 pm – Mr Bell reports that there have been great changes in world agriculture since 2005. There are two reasons, 1) biofuels and 2) China purchases of soybeans. 31% of corn are being used for biofuels, that is 26,000,000 acres. To meet the additional demands of Chinese buying will require an additional 50,000,000 acres of soybeans.
2:12 pm – Mr. Bell completed his report, one of the most thorough I have ever heard. Good report. Representative Pennartz is asking questions about the speciality crops. Apparently most of these crops are consumed in Arkansas.
2:13 pm – There is currently about 8,000,000 acres in Arkansas availiable for farming in Arkansas with very little room for expansion. There is only about 33,000,000 acres in the conservation reserve program in the nation. Therefore, to meet current biofuel law requirements the cost of feedstocks are going to continue to rise, potentially drastically.
2:20 pm – Representative Ragland is asking Mr. Bell about the National Animal ID “listening” hearings. Mr. Bell said that he does not believe that mandatory requirements are going to happen. He said that grant programs to promote the voluntary enrollment is down so the enrollment is down. Mr. Bell apparently supports the National Animal ID Program and is disappointed that the grants are not renewed.
2:23 pm – There is an interim study currently going on concerning Apiary bills presented in the last session.
2:27 pm – Chairman Ragland is currently discussion potential meetings for the Agriculture, Forestry, and Economic Development Committee. This committee attempts to move it’s meetings around the state so that people that would not normal get to see a committee in action can participate.
2:30 pm – Rep. Hoyt mentions that the current studies concerning the Levee Districts impact the interests of this committee and that members on this committee should probably participate in those studies currently occuring.
2:31 pm – Committee adjourned.
UPDATE – Bureau of Legislative Research Staffer Patrick Ralston has denied that he would be hiking naked on the Appalacian Trail, he has however confirmed an upcoming vacation.
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