Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA today announced that nearly 2,500 applicants will receive disaster assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses suffered from Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2013. The program, re-authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides disaster relief to livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible losses may include excessive heat or winds, flooding, blizzards, hail, wildfires, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and diseases, or in the case of honeybees, losses due to colony collapse disorder. Beekeepers, most of whom suffered honeybee colony losses, represent more than half of ELAP recipients.
In other USDA news, The Margin Protection Program for dairy, which replaces the Milk Income Loss Contract program, was created by the Farm Bill to shield against when the margin — the difference between the price of milk and feed costs — falls below the levels of coverage selected by participating dairy producers. Visit your Farm Service Agency office to enroll before Dec. 5 to lock in these protections through 2018. If you enroll this year, you will even receive a slight increase in production protection that won’t be available in the future. It’s a small step to take to ensure your business is covered
Nominations for the Sun Valley Do-It-Best Lighted Home Decoration Contest will begin on Wednesday, November 26, ending on Wednesday, December 10. The contest will be open to any residence located within Grant County. This includes Hurley, North Hurley, Bayard, Santa Clara, Silver City, Tyrone, Cliff and Gila. The information needed for a nomination is: the name of the homeowner/renter; the complete street address (address number and street, and the town); and the homeowner/renter’s telephone number. The chamber of commerce staff will verify if the owner of the home wishes to be included in the contest, and is willing to allow the chamber of commerce to share the home’s address with the news media so other citizens of Grant County can drive by to enjoy the Christmas decorations. This project is hosted by the Sun Valley Do-It-Best Center in Silver City, and administered by the Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce. There is no official nomination form, simply follow the instructions listed above to nominate a home.
Deming Public Schools Superintendent Dan Lere recently addressed residents and board members on the possibility of issuing each high school student an electronic device to use throughout the school year. He proposed all high school students be issued an electronic device at the beginning of the school year, as they would a textbook. The proposed program would cast $250,000 a year for four years. Using the devices will also allow staff to purchase E-books for the students in place of some textbooks, which could save the district money in the long run.
