Farm Bill Meeting-Floyd & Crosby Counties

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offices in Floyd and Crosby counties will conduct the 2014 Farm Bill Meeting from 8-11 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Floyd County Friends Unity Center, 990 Farm-to-Market Road 786 in Lockney.

Cristen Brooks, AgriLife Extension agent in Floyd County, said the meeting’s keynote speaker is Dr. Joe Outlaw, AgriLife Extension economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University.

“Dr. Outlaw frequently interacts with members of Congress and key agricultural committee staff to provide feedback on the likely consequences of agricultural policy changes,” Brooks said. “He will be a very valuable resource for the producers of Floyd, Crosby and other surrounding counties.”

Caitlin Jackson, AgriLife Extension agent in Floyd County, said, “Joe Outlaw will have valuable information about the latest farm bill. Having him as a resource for this meeting is a huge opportunity for our producers in terms of furthering our understanding of the farm bill and subsequent farm legislation.”

Jackson said the meeting was initially set as two meetings, one per county, but the two counties decided to combine their efforts to better utilize Outlaw’s expertise.

Other agencies involved in the free public farm bill decision-aid meeting include the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and various commodity groups.

Brooks said the program is among several being held across the region designed to help producers through the new farm bill’s decision-making process.

“This farm bill sign-up requires producers to make several major decisions that will affect them at least through 2018,” Brooks said. “This training is meant to help producers through the sign-up process and teach them to use the online decision-aid tool that’s available for them. This tool will help them with the decisions they’ll need to make related to base reallocation and yield data, and whether to select Price Loss Coverage, or PLC, or Agricultural Risk Coverage, or ARC, for covered commodities.”

The agents said an RSVP would be helpful but is not required. To RSVP, call the AgriLife Extension office in Floyd County at 806-983-4912 or Crosby County at 806-675-2347. Brooks said snacks and refreshments will be served.