The Softwood Forest Products Buyer - May/June 2022

ARCHITECT: MARTIN FENLON | PHOTO: ZACH LIPP
SFPA Received
USDA Funding
For 2022 Unified
Export Strategy
The Southern Forest
Products Association
(SFPA) recently received notice from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture
Service (FAS) for its 2022 Unified Export Strategy
(UES), noting several key strengths of the program,
which are:
• Collaboration with the other Softwood cooperators
to conduct innovative marketing seminars and
activities.
A family-run operation.
An international reputation.
Highest quality, select knotty, fascia & trim,
siding and specialty products.
Washington Scene
• Execution of activities without disruption.
• Executive Director Eric Gee’s direction has allowed
SFPA program activities to be more policy
oriented.
• Ongoing communication and collaboration with
FAS Washington.
•Incorporation of alternative funding sources like
the Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to expand
technical training and market research for new core
markets.
FAS has recommended some improvements for the
2022 program, including:
• Plan and execute activities to effectively use
remaining ATP funding, which expires on September
30, 2024.
• Increase efforts to achieve climate change and
Wide range of superior, clear, vertical grain
decking, siding and specialty products.
Paneling | Siding | Fascia & Trim | Dimension | Engineered
pwww.ca | 604.946.2910 | Delta, BC, Canada
sustainability goals by expanding Softwood cooperators
activities in Europe.
• Work more closely with FAS to collaborate and
participate in more marketing activities and seminars.
The SFPA will continue to maintain good communication
with FAS, and remain flexible in program
planning in the year to come.
Learn more at www.sfpa.org
DHS To Issue 35,000 Additional
H-2B Visas
The National Association of Home Builders reported
that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
has announced the publication of a joint temporary
final rule making available an additional 35,000 H-2B
temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the second
half of fiscal year 2022. These
additional visas will be set aside for
U.S. employers seeking to employ
additional workers on or after April
1 through Sept. 30, 2022.
H-2B visas allow employers to
hire foreign workers who come
temporarily to the United States
and perform temporary nonagricultural
services or labor —
including construction work — on
a one-time, seasonal, peak-load or
intermittent basis.
The supplemental H-2B visa
allocation consists of 13,500 visas
available only to returning workers
who received an H-2B visa,
or were otherwise granted H-2B
status, during one of the last three
fiscal years.
The remaining 11,500 visas,
which are exempt from the returning
worker requirement, are
reserved for nationals of Honduras,
Guatemala, and El Salvador
(collectively called the Northern
Triangle), as well as nationals from
Haiti.
How to File
Once the temporary final rule has
been published, eligible employers
seeking cap-subject H-2B workers
can file Form I-129, Petition for a
Nonimmigrant Worker, seeking additional
H-2B workers. They must
submit a confirmation with their
petition to demonstrate their business
is suffering irreparable harm
or will suffer impending irreparable
harm without a supplemental
workforce.
More information
Additional details on eligibility
and filing requirements will be
available in the temporary final
rule and the Cap Count for H-2B
Nonimmigrants webpage. •
Forest, MS
• Fence MFG
600 MMBF
Capacity
350 MMBF
Capacity
Winona, MS
• Sawmill
Newton, MS
• Sawmill
THE ONLY CHOICE FOR QUALITY LUMBER.
Athens, NY
• Treatment Facility
Northern (Dricon) Facilities
Biewer has four northern sawmills right in the heart of
pine country— two in Michigan and two in Wisconsin.
These sawmills are fully automated, modern, high-tech
facilities that are vertically integrated to produce the
highest-quality building products. These four mills
produce more than 350 MMBF of dimensional lumber,
pickets, and timber annually.
Southern Facilities
Biewer’s southern production includes one facility in
Newton, MS, and a new mill located in Winona, MS,
which opened in early 2022. Together, these two
impressive sawmills will produce over 600 MMBF
annually. Biewer also added a third picket mill in MS,
bringing the company's total picket production to an
average of 40 million.
Dimension • Decking
Timbers • Railing • Fencing
biewerlumber.com
800.663.5862
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