Farm bureau federation honors work for NH agriculture

By DAN SEUFERT

The New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation has announced honors for several state residents for excellence in agriculture work.

John Porter of Boscawen was awarded the federation's 71st Profile Award for outstanding service to New Hampshire agriculture and rural life. The award was presented at the organization's annual meeting banquet Nov. 2 at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel. 

According to the federation, Porter is a sixth-generation New Hampshire farmer "with a vast and extraordinary background in agriculture and community activities." 

He grew up on a dairy farm in Lebanon. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in animal science. Porter later earned a master's degree in animal nutrition and a minor in Farm Management at Cornell University and a master's degree in education administration from Bob Jones University. 

Porter and his wife, Martha, raised goats and sold milk from the house from their local home in 1977. He currently grows 500 pepper plants and sells peppers to restaurants as Porter's Perfect Peppers. He also sells potatoes and runs a pick-your-own blueberry business, according to the federation. 

Porter is known for his work with UNH's Cooperative Extension as an area dairy agent and a state dairy specialist. Since retiring in 2006, he has been working part-time for UNH, and he is the sole proprietor of Farm Planning Services, a consulting business throughout the Northeast. He also serves the farming community and his local community on boards and committees. 

"John has had a major impact to New Hampshire agriculture. The Profile Award is farm bureau's way of acknowledging and honoring his contributions," the federation said in a press release. 

Meanwhile, Christopher and Danielle LaValley of Allenstown have been awarded the 2012 New Hampshire Young Farmer Achievement Award. The award is designed to recognize the efforts of young farmers in production agriculture and leadership roles. 

The LaValleys purchased their farm stand on Route 3 in Hooksett in 2006 when they were both age 20. They have celebrated six successful seasons at the location. They grow a variety of produce and hire local workers. 

Christopher LaValley is the co-founder and vice president of the New Hampshire Growers' Co-op, he is a board member on the Merrimack County Extension Advisory Council, a board member of the Hooksett Farmers' Market Committee, and mentor of the Pembroke Bridge Program. 

The federation also announced that Valerie Drown of Webster won the Excellence in Agriculture Award, given to farmers ages 18 to 35 who do not derive the majority of their income from farming, but actively contribute to agriculture and to their community. 

Drown grew up on a farm in Epping and currently works at Bohanan Dairy in Contoocook as a herder.

dseufert@newstote.com

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Agriculture exports surge to $11b in first five months

HA NOI — Agricultural export value surged more than 10 per cent to US$10.9 billion in the first five months of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Among the total, agricultural products contributed the most with $6.1 billion, up 2 per cent over the same period last year. The figures for seafood and forestry products were $2.3 billion and $1.9 billion, up 9.8 per cent and 19.6 per cent, respectively.

Director of the ministry's Information and Statistics Centre Nguyen Viet Chien said that export of most of agricultural products bounced back after last month's decline.

The country shipped 860,000 tonnes of coffee, worth nearly $1.8 billion, in the first five months, a year-on-year increase of 7.8 per cent in volume and 3 per cent in value. The country's biggest coffee importers were Germany and the US. Coffee exports to Indonesia also enjoyed a sudden jump of nearly eight times as much when compared to the same period last year.

During the January-May period, the country also earned over $69 million from exporting 49,000 tonnes of tea, up 17.2 per cent in volume and 14.8 per cent in value. Apart from Russia and Germany, tea exports to other major markets significantly rose, with Pakistan remaining Viet Nam's largest consumer.

Though seeing a decline of 9.5 per cent in volume to 3 million tonnes, rice export value in the first five months still surged 14.2 per cent to $1.4 billion thanks to a price hike in the global market.

China has become the largest importer of Vietnamese rice while Malaysia overtook Indonesia to rank second with a year-on-year rise of 30 per cent.

Several African countries such as the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal also consumed a large volume of Vietnamese rice during this time.

Vietnamese rice exporters are making all-out efforts to seek new markets for their products in order to meet the target of exporting 3.5 million tonnes of rice in the first half of the year.

In contrast to rice, the country earned $952 million from exporting 317,000 tonnes of rubber in the period, up 35.2 per cent in volume but down 7.2 per cent in value.

General secretary of the Viet Nam Rubber Association Tran Thi Thuy Hoa attributed the value decline of rubber exports to a drop of the product's price in the global market, which currently stands at only $3,000 per tonne on average, roughly $1,365 lower than the same period last year. Hoa said that the rubber export volume rose sharply in major markets including mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan and India.

As for the export of forestry products, the shipment of woodwork products contributed $1.8 billion, up 20.5 per cent over the same period last year, thanks to a surge in major markets such as the US (up 31 per cent) and Japan (up 29 per cent).

Despite a rise of 9.8 per cent, seafood industry insiders admitted that they were facing difficulties in the European market, explaining that it was not only because of the bloc's public debt crisis but also its non-tariff barriers on imported products. Vietnamese seafood exports to the bloc sharply dropped in the first five months, of this Germany saw a reduction of 26.4 per cent, Holland 10.9 per cent and Italy 16.3 per cent. — VNS

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New Holland Agriculture launches pioneering weather app

NEW Holland’s commitment to making farming easier for enhanced productivity is once again confirmed by the launch of the free ‘Farming weather forecast and services by New Holland Agriculture’ app which forms a key element of the overarching digital strategy.

New Holland is the first in the agricultural sector to develop and launch such an application, which is distinct from the purely product based apps already on the market, and offers the increasing number of farmers and agribusinesses that use smart phone technology a comprehensive service.

The ‘Farming weather forecast and services by New Holland Agriculture’ app was initially launched in Brazil, in Portuguese, and will be subsequently rolled out in Europe at the Cereals event, which takes place on 13th and 14th June at Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire UK, as well as in North America.

The ‘NH weather’ app, which has been optimised for iPhones, and that can be downloaded from the Apple Store (http://itunes.apple.com/it/app/nh-weather/id520142846?mt=8), is set to become as important for farmers as traditional sources of information.

Each morning, before starting their day, farmers and contractors will consult their personalised application to confirm or modify their day’s plans.

A whole host of information is available at their fingertips, from 24 hour to long range forecasting, the latest industry news and even a service which enables them to easily contact their local dealer for further information.

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