Alfa Begins Construction at New Home Office | | |
Alfa Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federation recently announced the launch of renovations at its new corporate headquarters in the former Capitol Commerce Center building off I-85 in Montgomery.
Alfa and Federation President Jimmy Parnell joined representatives from the city, county, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and construction partners to officially kick off the project.
“We are excited to begin renovations at our new building,” said Parnell. “We are proud of our Alabama roots. Alfa was created by farmers and has been headquartered in Montgomery since the beginning. It’s only fitting our employees will begin moving into this building as Alfa celebrates its 80th anniversary late next year.”
| | FSA Offices Open, ELRP Application Deadline Extended | | |
Despite the current government shutdown, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) core operations reopened Oct. 23 at limited capacity.
FSA offices are resuming marketing assistance loans and commodity safety net programs, said Alabama Extension's Adam Rabinowitz.
“The marketing assistance loan is an opportunity for the farmer to borrow from the USDA to sell their harvested, covered commodities over a nine-month period,” Rabinowitz said. “This allows farmers to cover their cash flow needs and not just take the price available at harvest. For safety net programs, October is when payments are first issued for the Price Loss Coverage and Agricultural Risk Coverage for the previous crop year.”
An estimated $3 billion is available to U.S. farmers through these programs, all of which come from previous appropriations. Rabinowitz said Price Loss Coverage payments are especially important for Alabama farmers who have peanut or cotton base acres.
“The timing of these payments and marketing loans are very important as row crop producers harvest their 2025 crops and look to repay current operating loans to best plan for next year,” Rabinowitz said. “For Price Loss Coverage, peanut base has a $13-per-ton-per-acre payment rate, while seed cotton is projected to have a 2.69-cent-per-pound-per-acre payment rate. Agricultural Risk Coverage payments are county specific. There are some crops and counties in Alabama that are expected to trigger Agricultural Risk Coverage payments.”
Additionally, USDA announced the application deadline for the Emergency Livestock Relief Program has been extended to Nov. 21.
Contact a local FSA office for more information.
| | Landowners Go Coastal: Conference Highlights Multiple-Use Forest Management | | |
Glinting Gulf waters and white, sandy beaches supplied the backdrop for a successful Alabama Landowners Conference — an annual event where top-tier landowners and industry experts fellowship, focus on multiple-use forest management and recognize remarkable leaders.
Coordinated by the Alabama TREASURE Forest Association (ATFA) and Alabama Forestry Foundation, the conference was Oct. 22-24 at The Lodge at Gulf State Park.
"We're grateful for all the landowners who took time to attend our conference and enjoy a few days of learning in Gulf Shores," said ATFA Executive Director William Green. "We know we're living through a difficult timber economy and that little changes to management can make a big difference for our folks' bottom line. Landowners who manage timber in seven states attended this year, and I'm hopeful they left rested and reinvigorated to better steward their properties."
A strong slate of speakers presented on diverse topics and fielded a flurry of questions from attendees. Workshops ranged from white oak management and marketing to wildlife health and enhancements.
Additionally, industry leaders and landowners were honored. Charles Holmes of Perry County received the Bill Moody Award, while Brian Coaker of Washington County was presented the Gary Fortenberry Partnership Award.
| | Ag Credit Awards $50,000 to Beginning Farmers | | |
Alabama Ag Credit recently awarded $50,000 to beginning farmers through its JumpStart Grant Program. Five farm families in its 40-county territory who have been farming for less than two years or plan to start farming within the next year received $10,000 each to develop their operations.
Applicants were judged on business plans, financial understanding and proposed use of funds. More than 100 farmers applied.
Recipients include:
- Aisling Walding, Dale County
- Justin Lowlavar, Geneva County
- Yanna Johnson, Marengo County
- Caitlin Reeves, Monroe County
- David Turner, Montgomery County
| |
Cotton
-
The end of the 2025 cotton season has been challenging due to the invasive two-spot cotton leafhopper — commonly called the cotton jassid. This insect has been observed in nearly every cotton-producing county in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The cotton jassid was also detected in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. Click here for an overview from Alabama Extension.
| | |
Dairy
- U.S. milk production has increased, with cow numbers reaching its highest level since 1993 and yield per cow setting a record for August. The resulting oversupply has pushed prices for cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk to the lowest levels of 2025. As profits tighten, dairy producers are culling more cows, adding to the beef supply. Unless production slows, analysts expect the market to rebalance through herd reductions rather than government intervention. Read more.
| | |
Peanuts
-
The Alabama Peanut Producers Association is taking orders for its Christmas peanut boxes. Orders are due Nov. 12. Boxes will be available for pickup Dec. 5 in Dothan. Learn more.
| | |
Pork
-
Hog prices are following its usual decline this fall, dropping about $13 per hundredweight from August averages. Iowa State University estimated September profits at $49.85 per head, with production costs near $81.99 per hundredweight on a carcass basis. Prices are being affected by increased slaughter numbers and heavier weights. Futures indicate 2026 hog prices will remain similar to 2025 levels, with slightly higher feed costs expected. Learn more.
| | |
Row Crops
-
Alabama Extension is hosting its Row Crops Short Course Jan. 20-21 in Prattville. The annual statewide conference allows farmers to hear the latest information from researchers, industry representatives and Extension professionals about row crop management and production in Alabama. Read more.
| | | Federation Creates Farmland Preservation Committee | | |
The Alabama Farmers Federation established a committee of farmers from across the state to study strategies for combatting the loss of active agricultural land. Its first meeting was Oct. 21.
Farmland Preservation Committee members include:
- Mark Byrd, chair – Morgan County
- Joel Sirmon – Baldwin County
- Daniel Trantham – Calhoun County
- Tim Little – Chilton County
- Steve Lake – Cullman County
- Thomas Adams – Henry County
- Ben Looney – Limestone and Lowndes counties
- Darren Hammonds – Lowndes County
- Dillon Turk – Mobile County
| | Stock the Alfa Cares Closet at Children's Hospital | | |
Alfa® is proud to introduce a special service project with its Youth Leadership Conference in support of patients and families at Children’s Hospital of Alabama.
Each year, Children’s Hospital in Birmingham has more than 16,000 admissions. Many families arrive unexpectedly or remain for extended periods of time. The goal is to provide 15,000 hygiene kits for patients and families so they have one less worry during their stay.
The Alabama Farmers Federation is asking each county Young Farmers Committee, Women’s Leadership Committee, Federation board and Alfa employees to help collect hygiene items, which will then be packaged at the Youth Leadership Conference Nov. 10-11. Representatives from Children’s Hospital will meet with young leaders at the 4-H Center in Columbiana to accept the assembled kits.
An Amazon wish list has been created with items organized by Area (1-10). Items on the list show the area number, quantity of each product needed and number already purchased. Items are set to automatically ship to the Alfa home office and must arrive no later than Monday, Nov. 3.
Please note: Amazon has been chosen because items come individually wrapped within the bulk package for sanitary purposes as requested by Children’s Hospital.
| | Ivey Launches Department of Workforce | | |
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the launch of the Alabama Department of Workforce, marking the most comprehensive workforce transformation in state history.
The new department was officially unveiled during a kickoff on the Alabama State Capitol steps Oct. 16, bringing together industry leaders, education partners, government officials and community representatives from all 67 counties.
“Alabama’s workforce is our greatest competitive advantage,” Ivey said. “This unified approach connects individual career advancement to statewide prosperity, ensuring that our human capital drives continued economic growth across all communities.”
| | Register Now for Annual Meeting | | |
The Alabama Farmers Federation is hosting its 104th annual meeting Dec. 7-9 in Montgomery.
The deadline for hotel reservations is Oct. 31, while Nov. 30 is the last day to register for the conference and meals.
| | | Jr. Livestock Expo Registration Opens Nov. 3 | | The Jr. Livestock Expo is March 15-18 in Montgomery. Registration for all species opens Nov. 3 at JrLivestockExpo.com. | | Coming Up on Simply Southern TV | | |
Enjoy more episodes of Simply Southern TV during the show's 11th season.
Nov. 2 & Nov. 4: A look into why the number of farmers is declining, Scrap Iron Quilts, What’s in Season with Sweet Grown Alabama, and Stacey Little’s Macaroni and Tomatoes.
Nov. 9 & Nov. 11: FigBrew coffee alternative, Castles in Fairhope, Jason Powell from Petals from the Past and Stacey Little’s Creamy One Pot Jambalaya Pasta.
Follow Simply Southern on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest news about the show.
| | | | |
