2 news bites


—comPiled By Kathleen m. dutro PuBlic relations team INdIaNa coNgressmaN


receIves ag commIttee assIgNmeNts—Members of the House Agriculture Committee have formally organized for the 112th Congress.


As part of that organiza- tion, the committee also ratified the members and leadership of all six subcom- mittees.


Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a farmer from Howe who was elected to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Mark Souder, is the only member of Indiana’s delega- tion who is on the Ag Com- mittee. Stutzman has been assigned to: The Subcommittee on


Conservation, Energy, and Forestry, which has jurisdic- tion over soil, water, and resource conservation; small watershed program; energy and biobased energy pro- duction; rural electrification; forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public do- main. The Subcommittee on Ru-


ral Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture, which has juris- diction over rural develop- ment, farm security and fam- ily farming matters, research, education and extension, biotechnology, foreign agri- culture assistance, and trade promotion programs in gen- eral. (House Ag Committee 1/25/11)


to 2010 Form 1040 schedule F—The Internal Revenue Service announced in a Web posting that the 2010 Form 1040 instruc- tions for Schedule F, Profit or Loss From Farming, have been corrected. IRS is telling taxpayers to replace “line 3” with “line 31” on page F-12, line 3 of Excess Farm Loss Worksheet 4. The change affects taxpayers who down- loaded the form before Jan. 5. For more information, go to the IRS website’s section on forms and publications,


ADMINISTRATIVE/FINANCE TEAM President ....................................Don Villwock Vice President ...............................Randy Kron Second Vice President ................Isabella Chism Chief Operating Officer/Treasurer ..Mark Sigler Executive Secretary ....................Beverly Torpe Administrative Assistant .................. Jill Shanley Receptionist .....................................Kim Duke Office Manager & Meeting Planner ..Kay Keown Controller ..................................... Elaine Rueff General Fund Accountant .............Tiffanie Ellis Outreach Projects Coordinator .... Courtney Rude


DISTRICT DIRECTORS Larry Jernas (1) Kerry Goshert (2) Kendell Culp (3) Steve Maple (4) Dave Wyeth (5)


Scott Trennepohl (6) Jeff Gormong (7) Mark Bacon (8)


Philip Springstun (9) Robert Schickel (10)


February 14, 2011 Irs makes chaNge


www.irs.gov/formspubs/ index.html, and click on “Changes to Current Tax Products.” (IRS 1/31/11)


tural INjurIes declIN- INg—A scientific survey conducted by the Agricul- ture Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health shows the rate of childhood injury on farms and ranches has declined by nearly 60 percent since 1998, thanks to effective re- search and public awareness efforts. The marked decline is attributed to injuries and deaths affecting children on farms no longer being viewed as unavoidable acci- dents, but rather as predict- able and preventable events. The rate of injuries fell 59 percent, from 16.6 to 6.8 per 1,000 farms (includes all children who live on, visit or are hired to work on farms), during the period of 1998- 2009. Injury rates calculated for just youth who live on farms also showed a signifi- cant decline, from 18.8 to 9.9 per 1,000 farms, or 47.3 percent, according to the survey.


Agricultural Safety Aware-


ness Week 2011, a program of the Farm Bureau Safety and Health Network, is March 6-12. (AFBF 2/3/11)


eggs Now lower IN cholesterol—Accord- ing to new nutrition data from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, eggs are


chIldhood agrIcul-


lower in cholesterol than previously thought. USDA- ARS recently reviewed the nutrient composition of stan- dard large eggs and results show the average amount of cholesterol in one large egg is 185 mg, 14 percent lower than previously recorded. The analysis also revealed that large eggs now contain 41 international units of vi- tamin D, an increase of 64 percent. “We collected a random sample of regular large shell eggs from 12 locations across the country to ana- lyze the nutrient content of eggs,” said Jacob Exler, nu- tritionist with ARS’s Nutrient Data Laboratory. “This test- ing procedure was last com- pleted with eggs in 2002, and while most nutrients re- mained similar to those val- ues, cholesterol decreased by 14 percent and vitamin D increased by 64 percent from 2002 values.” Over the years, Americans


have unnecessarily shied away from eggs – despite their taste, value, conve- nience and nutrition – for fear of dietary cholesterol. However, more than 40 years of research have dem- onstrated that healthy adults can enjoy eggs without sig- nificantly affecting their risk of heart disease. (AFBF 2/8/11)


study explores how much dINers wIll pay For


‘local’—A recent real- world study of restaurant buying behavior points to the willingness of diners to pay more for local foods, up to a certain point, according to an article in the Febru- ary issue of Foodie News, AFBF’s publication on food trends and fads.


Amit Sharma, assistant professor at Penn State Uni- versity’s School of Hospital- ity Management and one of three researchers on the project, found that increas- ing the price of restaurant entrees made with local foods by up to 18 percent resulted in more people buy- ing those items compared


LEGAL AFFAIRS TEAM Director & General Counsel ..Mark Tornburg Administrative Assistant ...........Maria Spellman Staff Attorney ....................... Sara MacLaughlin Staff Attorney .......................... Justin Schneider


PUBLIC POLICY TEAM Director .........................................Kent Yeager Administrative Assistant ...................B.J. Fields Administrative Assistant ...........Wanda Hunter State Government Relations ..............Bob Kraft Strategic Issues Coordinator ............Mike Baise Livestock Development Specialist ....Greg Slipher Government Finance & Tax Specialist .....Katrina Hall Industry Relations ..........................Bob Cherry Political Education Specialist ......Pete Hanebutt Policy Specialist .......................Tiffany Obrecht


PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM Director & Editor .....................Andy Dietrick Administrative Assistant .................Charla Buis Publications Managing Editor ....Kathleen Dutro Multi-Media Specialist ..............Mike Anthony Marketing & PR Specialist .............Mindy Reef


ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM Director ............................................. Kim Vail Program Assistant .....................Kathryn Rogers Program Assistant ..........................Tina Nunez Administrative Assistant ..........Bridget Johnson Women’s Program Coordinator ... Joni Wallman Member Services Coordinator .........Anna Todd Leadership Development Coordinator .....Chris Fenner Training & Dev. Specialist .......Julie Volbers-Klarich


to the same dishes prepared with non-local foods. “Our research showed consumers perceive local food to be fresh,” said Shar- ma. “They are willing to pay a somewhat higher price be- cause they view the food as higher-quality, as indicated by freshness.” (AFBF 2/1/11)


purdue exteNsIoN


workshops tackle wheat productIoN Issues—As farmers wait for their winter wheat crops to awaken from a seasonal slumber, Purdue Extension is equipping them with knowledge to meet potential management chal- lenges.


disease and tools producers can use to predict if a fungi- cide application is needed.” The 2011 winter wheat


crop was planted in less- than-ideal conditions, which could hurt crop develop- ment, Wise said. “Where I’ve been most concerned is that a lot of wheat went into the ground in very dry soil,” she said. “We saw some poor stands this fall.” Lunch is provided, and those attending the work- shops are eligible for Pesti- cide Applicator Recertifica- tion Program credit. Registration is required.


The workshops are free but producers seeking PARP credit will be charged $10. To register for the Vincennes event, contact Stacye Johnson, educator, Purdue Extension Knox County, 812-882-3509, johns227@ purdue.edu. To register for the Bluffton workshop, contact Bill Horan, educa- tor, Purdue Extension Wells County, 260-824-6412 or horanw@purdue.edu. (Purdue 1/25/11)


Two workshops will ad- dress pest, fertility and general crop development issues. The 2011 Purdue Wheat Production Day takes place Feb. 28 at Southwest- Purdue Agricultural Center near Vincennes and March 1 at the Wells County Com- munity Center at Bluffton. Both workshops run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. Indiana’s estimated 430,000 acres of soft red winter wheat will remain dormant until spring. Once the crop begins growing again farmers will have deci- sions to make, said Kiersten Wise, Purdue Extension plant pathologist and work- shop coordinator. “A lot of wheat produc- ers in Indiana have been dealing with fusarium head blight, or scab, the last couple of years,” Wise said. “During the workshops we’ll talk about managing that


REGIONAL MANAGERS Wayne Belden (1 & 3) Greg Bohlander (6) Jennifer Chandler Gish (9) Andrew Cleveland (4 & 6) Janice Deno (3) David Gottbrath (10) Amy Hutson (5) Susan Lawrence (2) John Newsom (1 & 2) Steve Palmer (4) Kermit Paris (8) Keegan Poe (5 & 8) Brad Ponsler (10) E.B. Rawles (7) Bryan Whistler (7 & 9)


wINNINg recIpes—The 29th National Beef Cook- Off, sponsored in part by the Beef Checkoff, is seek- ing America’s winning reci- pes from home cooks and entertaining enthusiasts. The 2011 event is a national search for extraordinary recipes that demonstrate the benefits and versatility of cooking with beef via four uniquely themed contest categories. Learn more about the


new contest themes (the 5:30 p.m. dinner crunch, retro recipes, fuel up with beef and stir-crazy solu- tions) at www.beefcheckoff. org. The deadline to enter your recipe is April 30 for a chance to win up to $25,000 in cash, plus a trip to the Metropolitan Cook- ing & Entertaining Show in Washington, D.C. (National Beef Checkoff 2/8/11)


BeeF cook-oFF seeks


neWs In brIeF


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©iStockphoto.com/Typogigo


USDA/ARS photo by Jacolyn Morrison


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