I WYPT Farm Television Series Features Virginia Beef Industry HARRISONBURG, Va. On April 18 at 8 p.m., Reggie Rey nolds, Bill McKinnon, and Joi Saville of Virginia’s beef industry discussed issues of importance to cattle producers during WVPT Virginia’s Public Television’s “Virginia Fanning.” In recognition of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association’s SOth anniversary, the panel, along with host Jeff Ishee, addressed a broad range of topics, ranging from cattle markets to Country of-Origin-Labeling; and from the Virginia Beef Expo to a new book focused on the history of the cat tle industry in Virginia. The management team of WVPT is solidly behind the new television series, the Common wealth’s only locally produced, televised farm show. WVPT President and General Manager Bert Schmidt said, “My priorities for public television are our children and our local com munity. Our expanded children’s line-up and ‘Virginia Tonight’ are just two of the changes we made during my first year here at the station. The idea for ‘Virginia Farm ing’ actually hit me early on after I moved here while I was being taken to our transmitter in Staunton. We drove on, what I would call, the ‘backroads,’ and I was so impressed with the large number of family farms that we passed. I wondered to myself whether we were doing our job, as the local public broadcaster, in serving the farming community. Were we impacting them? 1 came back to the station, and asked these questions. I wanted to create a forum specifically for farmers to address their needs and ‘Virginia Farming’ was the result.” Schmidt continued, “Clearly the agricultural industry is a SPRING AGLIME Top Dressing Hay Fields • If your alfalfa fields need aglime, apply it after first cutting • Martin’s quality aglime will affect your soil pH immediately after application You can get Call for delivery. Martin Limestone, Inc. Blue Ball, PA (800) 233-0205 (717) 354-1370 Martin UMESTON Virginia Beef Industry officials recently appeared on “Virginia Farming,” a new television series on WVPT Virginia’s Public Television. From left, host Jeff Ishee is joined by Beef Industry representatives Joi Saville, Reg gie Reynolds, and Bill McKinnon. major factor ia all of our lives whether or not we are working directly in it. If the farm econo my is down, it will trickle to each of us. If the ‘non-farming’ com munity (in which I count myself) can have a better appreciation for the issues facing this sector of our economy, we can then all work together better to make our com munities a great place to live and work.” Each week on “Virginia Farm ing,” host Jeff Ishee reports on market trends, long-range agri cultural weather forecasts and in dividual farm communities. Guests from across the Common wealth discuss Virginia’s poultry, beef, dairy, crop, wine, seafood, timber, aquaculture, and related industries with Ishee. The series premiered March 28, 2003, with guest Congressman Goodlatte. Jeff Ishee is Farm Director for WSVA radio in Harrisonburg and hosts “On the Farm Radio,” a syndicated radio show for lis teners in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennes see and North Carolina. He has a website www.onthefarmradi o.com. “Virginia Farming” airs Fri days at 8:00 p.m. and repeats Saturdays at noon and Sundays at 6:00 a.m. To submit program topic ideas, contact Jeff Ishee at phone (540) 363-3938, fax (540) 434-7481 or email Jeff@onthefarmradio.com . Visit wvpt.net for the schedule of upcoming guests. “Virginia Farming” is underwritten by the Virginia Farm Bureau Associa tion. USD A Sets CRP Sign-Up For May 5-30 FRENCHTOWN, N.J. Do reen Beruck, acting county exec utive director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency for Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, N.J., re cently announced that the next Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up will take place from May 5 through May 30. Producers can sign up at local county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices throughout the state. “CRP is a cost effective, volun tary program that helps produc ers improve our land, water, and wildlife resources,” Beruck said. “Also, CRP is the first program to benefit from new PC-based common computing environment (CCE) technology that provides efficient, 21st century response to producers’ needs.” CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to improve the nation’s natural resources base. Participants voluntarily remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production by entering into long-term contracts for 10 to 15 years. In exchange, participants receive annual rental payments and a payment of up to 50 percent of the cost of estab lishing conservation practices. The program allows producers to lock in multi-year payments based on local rental rates. By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP also protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. Acreage en rolled in the CRP is planted to resource conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increases in wildlife populations in many parts of the country. The 2002 Farm Bill authorized USDA to maintain CRP enroll ment up to 39.2 million acres. Approximately 34 million acres were enrolled in CRP contracts as of March 1 approximately 1516.1 acres in Hunterdon and 128.1 acres in Somerset About 1.5 million acres subject to CRP contracts are scheduled to expire on September 30, including 62.2 acres in Hunterdon. Participants with contracts expiring next fall can make new contract offers. The contracts awarded under this sign-up will become effective on October 1, 2003 or October 1, 2004. The sign-up marks the 26th CRP sign-up. Another general sign-up will be offered through 2007. FSA will also use CCE tech nology to evaluate and rank eligi ble CRP offers using an Environ mental Benefits Index (EBI) for environmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends and after analyzing the EBI numbers of all the offers. Those who would have met previous sign-up EBI thresholds are not guaranteed a contract under this sign-up. CRP is a highly competitive program, and landowners are en couraged to find out about the EBI before the May 30 deadline. Producers should also consult with local USOA experts on steps producers can take to maximize EBI points and increase the like lihood that their offer will be ac cepted. Producers can avoid the highly competitive EBI process under the general sign-up by enrolling the most environmentally desira ble land under CRP’s continuous sign-up program. Under the con tinuous sign-up, relatively small amounts of land serving much larger areas, such as filter strips, riparian buffers and grass water ways, can be enrolled at any time. Wetland restoration has been added as a continuous sign-up practice. Wetlands filter out pol lution and sedimentation, as well as improve water qual ity and serve as an im portant flood control mechanism by slowing the flow of water. More than four million acres have been reserved for continuous sign-up practices. Normal eli gibility requirements apply, but the compet itive nature of the EBI is waived because of the environmentally desirable nature of the practices available. Aside from the gen eral sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program will be ongo ing. USD A has reserv ed two million acres for the continuous sign-up program, which represents the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. USDA is making a special effort to help enhance wildlife habi tats and air quality by setting aside 500,000 acres for bottomland hardwood tree plant ing. Continuous sign up for hardwood planting will start after the general sign-up. For qualification re quirements and other CRP information, visit FSA’s Website at http:// www.fsa.usda.gov/ BUY, SELL, TRADE OR RENT THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED ADS IN Lancaster Farming PHONE: 717-626-1164 OR 717-394-3047 FAX: 717-733-6058 Mon., Ides., Wed., Fri. 8 AM to 5 PM Thure. 7 AM to 5 PM
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