Final Notice Churchill County Farm Bureau Invites To Their Annual Summer Picnic 

Churchill County Farm Bureau would like to invite all Nevada Farm Bureau members to the Churchill County Farm Bureau’s summer picnic, September 1st at 4 pm at Rambling River Ranches, home of Norm and Sue Frey, 3975 Reno Hwy, in Fallon. Churchill County Farm Bureau members are asked to please bring a friend and a salad, side dish or a dessert. 

We extend this invitation to statewide candidates, local officials, government agencies, and Western Nevada Farm Bureau families. This picnic gives Farm Bureau members a chance to meet the people that they deal with every day in their businesses and put faces with names. Last year, we were proud that the event was a huge success even with a heavy downpour. It was attended by about 100 people from several counties and approximately 30% of our invited dignitaries. We have many generous sponsors and after all of our expenses are covered, we plan to help with improvements to the Nevada Ag Wagon. Nevada Farm Bureaus Ag Wagon will continue to be seen around the State at schools, festivals, fairs and other ag education events. 

Please RSVP to Norm & Sue Frey by phone at 775-427-1055 or send an email to normfrey@phonewave.net. Please include number of attendees.

At this point there are three county Farm Bureaus who have announced their 2024 annual meeting dates.  They are:

• Churchill County Farm Bureau – October 9 at the Golf Course in Fallon
• Lyon County Farm Bureau – October 16 at the Lions Club House in Yerington
• Clark County Farm Bureau – October 29

The Nevada Board of Agriculture will be meeting in Elko, at the Nevada Dept. of Agriculture’s Elko Office, on Wednesday, September 4^th.  The meeting begins at 9 a.m..  Their agenda provides the Zoom link for you to use, if you’d like to participate without traveling to Elko.

Public comment may be presented to the Board in-person, through the Zoom link, by phone or through written comments.  There is a form that needs to be completed and submitted prior to the public comment periods that are available during the meeting.  Please download that form here.

The Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on Public Lands completed their 2024 interim session by adopting these recommendations for actions and drafting bill drafts for consideration in the 2025 Nevada Legislature.

The list of pending legislation (14 bills) fits into several categories:

• Public Lands
• Water
• Agriculture
• Outdoor Recreation
• Wildfire
• Wildlife

There are also six additional items that include committee letters to various recipients seeking support for desired outcomes that the committee would like to see happen.

Based on the schedule that the Senate website has provided, the U.S. Senate will return to Washington, D.C. on September 9^th and will then finish this portion of their in-session work on September 30^th – not a lot of time to do what is needed for producing a new Farm Bill.  The Senate Agriculture Committee has not produced anything by way of a draft Farm Bill.  There are two different outlines of what the Chair, Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and ranking member Senator John Boozman of Arkansas have put out, but nothing in any form for committee action.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) have made it clear that getting a new Farm Bill this year is a critical matter.  Because of the dramatic changes in the world in general and specifically the national economy, updating the farm safety net to help farmers manage risk is necessary.

Because of this urgency, Farm Bureau is seeking to rally Farm Bureau members to contact their U.S. Senators and help them to understand the importance of the U.S. Senate moving forward with a new Farm Bill.  The link that is provided above will take you to AFBF’s Legislative Action page where you can complete the form and send your email message to Nevada’s U.S. Senators.

Meanwhile in the U.S. House of Representatives, the House Agriculture Committee has passed a bi-partisan bill from Committee, and this is waiting for floor action, hopefully passing. Farm Bureau is in support of the bill that awaits full floor action.

The Nevada Farm Bureau Board of Directors, following presentations by both the supporters of passage of Ballot Question 3 and those who are opposed to passage, made the decision to support a vote against passage of this proposed change to Nevada’s Constitution.  

Ballot Question 3, if adopted would amend the Nevada Constitution to establish a system of “Ranked-choice voting.”  Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is an alternative voting method where voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-preference votes, they win. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voters' next preferences. This process continues until a candidate secures a majority of the votes. 

As the team working to persuade Nevada voters to vote “NO” on Ballot Question 3 have shared, this proposal would be bad for Nevada:

1. Complex and Confusing: RCV can be confusing for voters. The process of ranking candidates and understanding how votes are redistributed can lead to mistakes and spoiled ballots, disenfranchising voters. 

2. Longer and Costlier Elections: Counting RCV ballots is more complicated and time-consuming, leading to longer waits for election results. This complexity also increases the cost of administering elections. 

3. Reduced Voter Turnout:*Studies have shown that voter turnout can decrease under RCV due to its complexity. When people don't understand the system, they are less likely to participate. 

4. Potential for Unfair Outcomes: In some cases, RCV can result in the election of a candidate who did not receive the most first-preference votes, which can feel unfair to voters. 

Please visit this website to learn more details and consider adding your name with those who are voting “NO” on Nevada Ballot Question 3.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) is requesting applications for their Foundation Seed Program. The purpose of this program is to assist growers who are interested in producing native plant species with the intent to sell seed that can be used in Nevada for restoration needs. The NDA will provide seed, expert advice, and technical resources for those selected growers. Requests for applications are sent out twice a year, once in the Fall and again in the Spring.  The deadline for this application period is September 12, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. The species offered may vary, depending on availability. For more information, or if you have any questions, or if you would like to submit an application for seed, please contact Stephen Kielius at seed@agri.nv.gov

There is also a tour being planned to take a look at the restoration that is taking place in Lander County, connected with the native seed program.  The Nevada Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to provide a tour of a few of their wildfire restoration sites. 

The tour group will be meeting at the Lander County Courthouse (50 NV-305, Battle Mountain, NV 89820) at 9:00 am on Saturday, September 14. 

To participate, you’ll need to bring your own vehicle or plan to carpool with other tour attendees before arriving. Transportation to and from the restoration sites will not be provided (4X4 vehicles are not required, but a vehicle with good ground clearance is recommended).  From the gathering site at the Lander County Courthouse in Battle Mountain, the tour will travel north from Battle Mountain for about 45 minutes to visit several sites at the Hot Pot & Rooster’s Comb fires that showcase NDOW’s efforts in restoring the landscape to pre-wildfire conditions. The tour is expected to last roughly four hours (drive time included), so be sure to pack plenty of water and a lunch.