USDA Report Sending Ripple Effects to Grain Markets

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - May 29, 2013 - Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) economist, Dave Miller, says Iowa farmers are now well behind the five-year average in terms of planting progress, increasing concern among farmers about what to plant.

"We are approaching the deadline set by the USDA risk management agency for prevented planting; that means the last date that you can plant a corn crop and still receive full insurance coverage if you decide to plant.  In Iowa, that's May 31," Miller says.  "Insurance coverage for corn planted after that date is reduced by 1 percent daily.  Farmers can still choose to plant beans with full insurance coverage through June 15."

Nationally, 2013 is seeing the slowest planting progress for both corn and soybeans in at least two decades.  "It is even slower than in 1993 when rain-soaked Iowa fields were covered with so much water that Iowa appeared in satellite photos as the '6^th Great Lake'," says Miller.

The nation's farmers, biofuels makers and grain exporters will all be affected if another crop falls short of expectations, and there is a lot of pressure on farmers to produce this year.  "When we talk about the numbers, the reality is we've got a lot of soybeans yet to be planted.  Regionally in Iowa, soybean fields still unplanted range from 80 percent in north central Iowa to 44 percent in east central Iowa with 60 percent of soybeans  yet to be planted statewide.  It's likely that by the time it dries up enough for farmers to get into the fields to plant, they'll be subject to yield reductions due to late plantings, because more of the crop will be forced to pollinate in summer heat...and will have shortened growing seasons and other factors that research has shown contributes to lower yields," says Miller, who also is a longtime grain farmer.  "Lower

crop yields affect the whole food chain from farmers to consumers, because higher feed costs translate to higher meat production costs and reductions in cattle and hog herds.  Smaller herds lead to reduced meat supplies, which always drives prices up.  Another option in times of weather-delayed planting or field flooding is to accept the prevented planting indemnity provisions and then plant a cover crop whenever the fields dry out. Farmers have until June 15 before the prevented planting provisions for soybeans kick in, which means we have about a two-week window for that."

Helping Iowa farmers manage market risks like these and discussing farm policy challenges is the focus of the 2013 IFBF Economic Summit, "Grain, Gridlock and Globalization: Meeting the Economic Challenges in Today's Agriculture," which will be held July 22 and 23 in Ames.  The two-day summit brings nationally-known experts on crop and livestock market trends, exports and commodity price experts to the Iowa State Center Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus.  Experts ranging from economists Allen Featherstone of Kansas State University, Michael Boehlje from Purdue, export and policy analyst Ross Korves and Ag Meteorologist Elwynn Taylor are among many nationally-recognized monetary, policy, trade and economic experts tapped for the July IFBF Economic Summit.

For a complete listing of the panelists and schedule, click here: www.iowafarmbureau.com.

The price of the two-day summit is $50 for Iowa Farm Bureau members and $150 for non-members.  Information about the summit, lodging and online registration forms can be found at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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Will Continue Fight to Ensure Wrestling is Reinstated When Final Decision is Rendered in September

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Tim Walz (MN-01) commended the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board's decision to keep wrestling in the running for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The IOC Executive Board is meeting this week (May 29-31) in St. Petersburg, Russia and selected three sports to short-list for the 2020 Olympic Games to recommend to the 125^th IOC Session.  The Executive Board has short-listed wrestling, baseball/softball, and squash.  The full IOC will meet to vote on the final sport September 7-10 in Buenos Aires.

"The sport of wrestling is a true embodiment of the Olympic spirit and has been embraced by millions around the world.  We are pleased that the IOC Executive Board has recognized this and moved the sport into the next round of consideration," said Loebsack, Jordan and Walz.  "We will continue to fight to ensure wrestling remains an Olympic sport when the final decision is made this fall."

Earlier, the three wrote to IOC President Jacques Rogge urging him to reconsider the decision to remove wrestling from the Summer Olympic program.

"The sport of wrestling and the athletes that represent it are a true testament to the Olympic spirit," wrote the Representatives.  "A decision to eliminate it from the Summer Games would be a loss for the American people, the Olympic family and the entire world community.  We strongly urge you to reconsider your earlier decision and honor the values and traditions of the Olympic Games by recommending wrestling for inclusion in Summer Olympic programs."

The three have also introduced a Resolution (H.Res. 71) expressing opposition to the IOC decision to eliminate wrestling as a core sport.  The bill currently has 46 bipartisan cosponsors and strong support from the wrestling community.

To view a copy of the letter, please click here.

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We're fast approaching 2014, the year federal law calls for all students to be 100 percent proficient in reading and math.

Are we there yet?

"No, but to be fair, that goal was unattainable," says Dr. Mariam Azin, president of Mazin Education, (www.mazineducation.com), which develops software solutions to help schools better assess, identify and serve at-risk students.

"What concerns me more is that the No Child Left Behind Act is also intended to dramatically reduce dropout rates. That's very attainable, and yet we still have one in five students failing to graduate from high school!"

A core tenet of the 2001 federal law is 100 percent student proficiency in reading and math by next year. It also requires all secondary schools to show yearly progress on the number of freshmen who graduate with diplomas after four years.

However, two years ago, states were offered waivers on meeting some of the law's requirements if they implemented certain policies, such as linking teacher evaluations to students' test scores. As of April, 34 states and the District of Columbia had been granted waivers and 10 more applications were pending.

"Most of the states with waivers are now circumventing the accountability rules intended to increase the graduation rate, which is now 78 percent nationally," says Azin, citing an Alliance for Excellent Education report released in February. "That sounds good until you realize 22 out of every 100 students - the dropouts - are more likely to earn less money, be less healthy, and spend time in jail. Five states have dropout rates of more than 40 percent!"

Azin, who holds a doctorate in applied social psychology and has more than 20 years' experience in educational research and evaluation, says there are clear indicators that a student is at risk for dropping out.

"By monitoring each student's risk factors and intervening early, we can keep more kids in school," she says. "And that doesn't have to be a labor-intensive exercise - we have computers!"

Some risk factors can be monitored just by collating the student information already recorded, she notes.

While research has identified many potential predictors, these have proven consistently reliable, Azin says.

• Attendance: Being absent 10 percent of school days (first 30 days per grading period annually).

• Behavior: One or more major behavior incidents per grading period1.

• Course performance: An inability to read at grade level by the end of third grade; failure In courses (e.g., including core subject areas such as English or math) in sixth through 12th grades; a GPA of less than 2.0; and failure to earn enough credits for promotion to the next grade.

"Once a student has been identified, it is critical that he or she be connected with someone who's able to further evaluate him or provide services," Azin says. "Unfortunately, research shows that this often fails to happen."

That's why it's essential to have a system in place that monitors when and how students connect with services, and the progress they're making, Azin says.

"Again, this can be automated, with alerts going to the appropriate interventionist when necessary," she says.

Boosting high school graduation rates to near 100 percent is both essential and attainable with the information now available, Azin says.

"No child should be left behind, and it's within our means to identify students at risk of dropping out and take steps to prevent that."

About Dr. Mariam Azin

Dr. Mariam Azin is president and CEO of Mazin Education, an educational company focused on software solutions that help schools to better assess, identify and serve at-risk students. Dr. Azin holds a doctorate in applied social psychology and has more than 20 years' experience in educational research and evaluation. She has been the principal investigator on numerous large-scale evaluation efforts related to students, currently serving as joint principal investigator on three federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students evaluations.

Families can register children impacted by a parent's cancer

Camp Kesem is a free, week-long overnight summer camp for children who have or had a parent with cancer. Camp this summer is July 21-27, and 9 free spots are available.

Camper applications and more information on Camp Kesem at Augustana College can be found at www.campkesem.org/augustana

In this region, Camp Kesem is held at the YMCA camp near Boone, Iowa, and it is organized by Augustana College student volunteers under the guidance of local professionals and in cooperation with Camp Kesem's national headquarters.

Augustana College students serve as counselors and work all year to fundraise and plan for the camp. Plus student-counselors receive over forty hours of training prior to camp.

The Camp Kesem program model was founded in 2000 at Stanford University. Since then, it has grown and included 37 camps in summer 2012. Projections for this coming summer show four new camps will be added.

Campers participate in fun activities including sports, drama, arts and crafts, team-building events, scavenger hunts and talent shows. In addition, each night before bed, the campers participate in "cabin chat," a time to talk and open up to their peers and counselors.

Children who have a parent who has or had cancer often lack sufficient external support. The complexity of emotions they experience can easily go without attention. It is often challenging for these children to find peers with whom they can relate, resulting isolation and fear.

Camp Kesem advisor, Dr. Michael Amylon, pediatric oncologist at Stanford Hospital emphasizes the importance of an experience like Camp Kesem. "These kids have their world knocked right out from under them, and often they have no where to turn to get help and support. Camp Kesem provides a magical place of respite and play, and a group of other kids in the same situation who understand what it's all about and can offer unique and important peer understanding and friendship."

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