HPWD Public Hearings – The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District (HPWD) held its first public hearing in Levelland yesterday since announcing their proposed rules to their management plan. There were approximately 100 attendees present at the hearing and individuals were allowed to comment on the proposed rules to the HPWD Board of Directors. “During the rule revision process, HPWD’s Board of Directors and staff, have met with numerous industries and residents seeking input throughout the District,” said Kody Bessent, who handles legislative affairs to HPWD. “Public hearings are a vital part of the rule-making process because they allow additional opportunity for residents to provide final comments prior to adoption.” The final public hearing will be held on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 in Canyon at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. If you are unable to attend the hearing in Canyon, you may submit your written comments to rulecomments@hpwd.com no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 5th. To view the proposed rules, visit www.hpwd.com.
FSA County Committee Nomination Deadline – August 1, 2014 is the postmark deadline for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee nominations. County committees are an important link between the farm community and the USDA. The committees work closely with county executive directors and make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loans programs and other ag issues. Members serve three-year terms and consist of 11 members that are elected by eligible producers. Please visit www.fsa.usda.gov/elections to view more details.
Base Acre Reallocation Decisions – The Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State University and the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois shared an article that examines the decisions landlords will have to make regarding the opportunity to reallocate FSA base acres. There will be many decisions growers and landlords will have to make pertaining to the 2014 Farm Bill and the articles mentions that this decision is important because of the emerging low prices, because Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) pay on base acres, and because the change in base acres can be substantive. To view the article, click here.
