Census Bureau Director To Georgia: There Are Only Three Days Left to Mail Back Your Census Form

/PRNewswire/ -- With three days left to mail back 2010 Census forms, U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves today sent an urgent message to the people of Georgia:

"The census form on your kitchen table is a vital investment in your community. It's time for all of us to do our part. Fill it out and mail it back today. Get it in the mail by Friday and you can avoid a visit from a census worker in May.

"Remember that the U.S. Constitution requires that we count everyone. That means we must visit every household that doesn't mail back a form. It's much easier for all of us - and much less expensive for taxpayers - if we get your census responses by mail. After Friday we have only two weeks to determine which of more than 134 million addresses we must visit in person starting May 1. Join your neighbors who have already performed this important civic duty and take the 10 minutes or less that are required to fill out the census."

As of Tuesday, April 13, 65 percent of households in Georgia have mailed back their form. Nationally, 67 percent have. In the 2000 Census, 72 percent of the public mailed back their forms.

Households that normally pick up their mail from a post office box are already slated for follow-up in May from census workers. But if you are concerned that your household is not in the census address list and that you won't be counted, you can submit your census responses in one of the following ways. Note, however, that there is still a strong likelihood that you will be visited by a census worker in May because of the time it takes to process and verify addresses from these sources:

(1) Call the 2010 Census toll-free Telephone Questionnaire Assistance number, where operators who are sworn to protect the confidentiality of your answers can take your responses over the phone.

-- English: 1-866-872-6868
-- Chinese: 1-866-935-2010
-- Korean: 1-866-955-2010
-- Russian: 1-866-965-2010
-- Spanish: 1-866-928-2010
-- Vietnamese: 1-866-945-2010
-- TDD (Telephone Display Device for the hearing impaired):
1-866-783-2010
-- Puerto Rico (in English): 1-866-939-2010
-- Puerto Rico (in Spanish): 1-866-929-2010


(2) Pick up a form at a Questionnaire Assistance Center or Be Counted site in community locations nationwide and mail it back by Friday. The pick-up locations can be found at: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/.

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Zoo Atlanta Launches Campaign to Keep Giant Pandas in Atlanta

Zoo officials announced the launch of Give So They Stay, a major fundraising effort to keep giant pandas in Atlanta. President & CEO Dennis Kelly made the announcement this morning from inside an empty giant panda habitat in the Zoo’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center.

“Giant pandas have been an important part of Zoo Atlanta’s collection and a source of Atlanta pride for 10 years, and we are a national leader in the care and study of this species,” said Kelly. “Without significant support from our community, our giant panda family will have to return to China in the near future.”

Zoo Atlanta is one of only four zoos in the U.S. currently housing the critically endangered species, of which fewer than 1,600 are believed to remain in the wild. The Zoo’s adult giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, arrived from China in November 1999 on a 10-year loan, achieving instant celebrity as two of Atlanta’s most recognized animal stars. The pair’s offspring, Mei Lan, 2, and Xi Lan, 9 months, were the only giant panda cubs born in the U.S. in 2006 and 2008.

The Give So They Stay campaign is focused on ensuring that Lun Lun, Yang Yang and Xi Lan continue to have a home in Atlanta, where they have become beloved by thousands of friends and fans around the world. Mei Lan, who turns 3 on September 6, has already been recommended to return China, where she will be a new and important contributor to the global captive population of giant pandas.

Friends of Zoo Atlanta’s giant pandas are encouraged to visit a new campaign website, www.givesotheystay.org, for program information, support vehicles and answers to frequently asked questions. The Give So They Stay effort will continue through December 31, 2009.

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Information update as of 14:00 ADT from Kent Woodside, Vice President and General Manager, CanJet Airlines

/PRNewswire/ -- CanJet Airlines has released more information about the return of passengers and crew who were on board Flight 918.

A CanJet aircraft is currently en route to Montego Bay from Toronto. It's anticipated that passengers will be carried from Montego Bay to Santa Clara, Cuba, this evening. From Santa Clara, the flight will return to Halifax overnight with passengers destined for Canada.

Precise times of departure and arrival will be made available as they are confirmed as will the exact number of passengers returning. This is due to the indeterminate nature of processing passengers locally and on-the-ground logistics.

It is also anticipated that the crew will be returning separately overnight to Halifax.

We understand all of the crew and passengers are comfortable and their immediate needs are being met.

While CanJet continues to assist the authorities in the on-going investigation, our priority remains the well-being of the passengers and crew.

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Cost to Grow Georgia Crops Most in History

Row-crop harvest is winding down in Georgia. Farmers don’t know yet exactly how much corn, cotton, peanuts and soybean they’ve grown. But one thing is almost certain: This year’s row crops were the most expensive in history to produce.

“Georgia farmers, like many, have enjoyed good yields and prices for a few years now. But they’ve had to deal with rising costs, too,” said Don Shurley, an economist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. “The bigger problem is (crop) prices are falling now.”

Last year, Georgia farmers spent $478, on average, to grow an acre of cotton on irrigated land, Shurley said. This year, they spent an estimated $573 per acre, the most ever, according to UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences data.

The per-acre figure includes a farmer’s variable costs, which are things like fuel, seed, fertilizers, chemicals, labor, monitoring, harvesting and utilities. It doesn’t include what are called fixed costs, or things like equipment depreciation and payments, insurance or land rent that can also be associated with growing crops. It doesn’t include the salary the farmer pays himself, either.

In 2007, Georgia cotton farmers picked an average of 801 pounds of cotton per acre. After subtracting the variable costs, they made $63 per acre. In 2008, they averaged 843 pounds per acre. After subtracting their variable costs this year, they made only $19 per acre.

“These are all average numbers. Some farmers did better. Some did worse,” Shurley said. “But this just goes to show that even with good yields it hasn’t been enough to keep up with cost.”

The situation is the same for corn, peanuts and soybean, said Nathan Smith, a UGA Extension economist.

An acre of irrigated peanuts cost a farmer $529 in 2007. It cost $685 this year, a 30 percent increase. An acre of irrigated soybean cost $225 in 2007. It cost $314 this year, a 40 percent increase. An acre of irrigated corn this year cost $648, almost 50 percent more than last year. All are record-setting numbers, he said.

The rising prices are cutting farmers’ returns on their investments.

The average return on an acre of peanuts last year, after subtracting the variable costs, was $233. It will be $178 this year. The average return on an acre of soybean last year was $105 after variable costs. It will be $24 this year. The average return on an acre of corn last year was $148. It will be $98 this year. Again, these numbers don’t include costs for equipment depreciation or payments, insurance, land rent or the farmer’s salary.

“What these numbers do show is that farming has always been volatile in that the farmer has little control over input prices or the prices he receives,” Smith said. “That volatility is even more so now.”

The prices for fuel and fertilizer have stabilized, or decreased, in recent weeks, Shurley said. “But to me, ‘09 will be tighter than ‘08. Farmers will have some tough decisions to make for next year’s crops.”

By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

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