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Show Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder Thursday, October 29, 2009 • Issue # 240 CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM PAYMENTS USDA’s FSA Announces New $1.1 Million Maximum Guaranteed Loan Amount Arthur Douglas, State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Utah today announced the loan limit for its Guaranteed Loan Program has been increased to $1,112,000, effective Oct. 1. The limit is adjusted annually based on the “Prices Paid to Farmers Index,” compiled by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “The increased limit will enhance the agency’s ability to meet the credit needs of farmers and ranchers throughout the country,” said Douglas. The Guaranteed Loan Program allows commercial and farm credit lenders to extend credit to qualified applicants, who otherwise would not meet their standard lending criteria. Participating lenders can use the Guaranteed Loan Program to strengthen a loan’s viability through a guarantee of up to 95 percent of the loan amount. Farmers interested in guaranteed loans should apply through a conventional lender. FSA also offers the Direct Loan Program as an alternative for those unable to obtain financing from commercial credit sources. Direct farm loans are government-funded, and made by FSA. The loan limit for loans under the Direct Program is $300,000 (except for Emergency Loans). Farmers interested in applying for a direct loan should contact their local FSA office. To find an FSA office, visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app . weather thursday PARTLy CLOUDY high: 40 low: 22 friday PARTLy CLOUDY high: 53 low: 29 saturday Sunny high: 58 low: 31 sunday Sunny high: 61 low: 32 monday Sunny high: 62 low: 33 tuesday Sunny Sunny high: 61 low: 30 wednesday Sunny high: 59 low: 32 Arthur Douglas, State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Utah today announced that starting today USDA will begin issuing $5,816,570 in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to eligible producers in Utah. More than $1.7 billion in CRP payments are being made on 31 million acres across the country. “The Conservation Reserve Program works cooperatively with America’s farmers and ranchers to conserve and preserve the soil and water that we, and numerous wildlife species, depend on for survival,” said Douglas. “These payments represent an investment in the nation’s land that will pay dividends in the form of a cleaner environment today and for our grandchildren.” The payments announced today are annual rental payments earned on the 190,978 acres enrolled in the CRP, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and Continuous Sign-Up Program fiscal year 2009. Producer’s holding 1,001 contracts on 595 farms will receive an average of $9,775 per farm or $30.46 per acre. The number of contracts is higher than the number of farms because producers may have multiple contracts on a single farm. This voluntary program helps agricultural producers safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enroll in CRP and plant long-term, resourceconserving covers to improve water quality, control soil erosion and enhance habitats for waterfowl and wildlife. In return, USDA provides producers with rental payments. CRP contract duration is from 10 to 15 years. Land to be enrolled must be either highly erodible, contribute to a serious water quality problem, provide important wildlife habitat or provide substantial environmental benefits if devoted to certain specific conservation uses. For more information on CRP, producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office or visit FSA’s Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov. Garfield Educators Take Significant Cuts to Benefits and Salary Debra Pollock, Panguitch High School, English Department The Educators in Gar- they are teaching, the Dis- two being non-contact days field County have been hit trict gets a $4,000 fine per with students, but the Board with major salary and ben- class taught, so educators turned those down and have efits cuts this school year. must stay current and certi- now passed the motion to Due to the downturn in the fied. The idea of educators take five furlough days with economy, questionable fis- receiving a raise, as was no pay and all schools comcal decisions by the past written by Board member pletely shut down on those administration, and a drop Bremner in this newspaper days. No teacher wants to in enrollment, the educa- two weeks ago, is ludicrous miss a day with students tors have been negatively and untrue. especially under the highimpacted. Educators have These cuts will negative- stakes testing constraints taken a drastic drop in in- ly impact teachers and stu- we are now under. surance benefits, a major dents in other ways. In the Please understand that decrease in salary from the Escalante Board meeting educators are dedicated to five day furlough, and the last week, the Board voted our students. Our District loss of all Professional de- to RIF (Reduction in Force) was the only one in the velopment budgets. The several employees, some State that had a 100% passinsurance drop saved the as of January 15 and oth- ing rate of the UBSQT test District $239,000; the Five ers will be receiving notices which is the test students day furlough saved the Dis- this week concerning their must pass in order to retrict $159,000; the Profes- non-employment for next ceive a diploma. The GEA sional Development budget year. The information given is proud of the educators dropped by the legislature to GEA (Garfield Education in this district and is very was a million dollar budget Association) was that every distressed with the cuts and which funded remediation school would be impacted impacts made on students and collaboration time. with employee RIFs this and teachers alike. We want These cuts equate to coming school year. Your to thank Supt. Janice Hatch the average educator los- children will have larger for working so hard to get ing between $3,000 and class sizes, fewer resources our District back on track $6,000 dollars. This does for help, no new text books, and the Board for their spirnot include the added out- and other cuts the GEA is it of cooperation in the last of-pocket expenses which unsure of at this time. Board meeting. Without will now be incurred. Yes Educators do not want cooperation and collaboraeducators did get steps and to take a five day furlough, tion, these cuts will be even lanes, but these are not giv- but this is a legislative pro- more devastating. Please en to every educator and gram offered by the State understand the significant the cost of increasing a lane Legislature that allows Dis- cuts educators are now beis usually a $7,000 out-of- tricts a way to balance their ing forced to take. Thanks pocket expense to the edu- budgets. Teachers offered to taxpayers for the support cator. If educators are not three furlough days in July you give our schools, teachfully certified in the classes in the Boulder meeting with ers, and students. First Step to a Costly Government Takeover of our Health Care System Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), member of the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees, today made the following statement regarding a government run healthcare plan: “I am disappointed that the Democratic Leadership continues to push forward with a big government, more spending and higher taxes approach as their solution for reforming our health care system. Simply putting new window dressing on the failed idea of a government plan is absolutely the wrong way to address a critical national issue that affects every American life and every American business. “At a time when major government programs like Medicare and Medicaid are already on a path to financial collapse, creating a brand new government program will not only worsen our long term financial outlook but also negatively impact American families who enjoy the private coverage of their choice. A recent study estimated the cost-shifting from government-run programs like Medicare already costs families with private insurance nearly $1800 more per year. Creating another government plan will only exaggerate this problem and take away private insurance choices from families – something even President Obama pledged to protect. “Washington-run programs undermine market-based competition through their ability to impose price controls and shift costs to other purchasers. Forcing free market plans to compete with these government-run programs would create an unlevel playing field and inevitably doom true competition. In his March, 2009 testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Doug Elmendorf, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, testified that it would be ‘extremely difficult’ to create ‘a system where a public plan could compete on a level playing field’ against private coverage. The end result would be a federal government takeover of our healthcare system, taking decisions out of the hands of doctors and patients and placing them in the hands of a Washington bureaucracy. “Today’s decision by the Democratic Leadership will create one of the largest new government entitlement programs in a generation. Make no mistake about it, once this entitlement has been implemented it will be impossible to dismantle. Even the President recognized, in his address to a joint session of Congress, that my home state of Utah has gotten it right when it comes to health care. Companies working to use market-based principles to reform health care and lower premiums and costs for families such as IHC and HCA will be thwarted in their efforts to help consumers by the creation of this government plan which would not compete on a level playing field. “It is time for us to listen to the voice of the American people. In a recent Gallup poll almost 58 percent of Americans support a gradual approach to health care reform. Our nation is facing a national deficit of $1.4 trillion, the highest since World War II, let us commit to a fresh start and write a truly bipartisan and fiscally responsible solution that we can all be proud of.” Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 435-836-2700 PO BOX 472, Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot@scinternet.net Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists. John Kenneth Galbraith THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and is distributed weekly to all of Garfield County. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper. Thank you for your support. 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