International trade, cattle payment efficiency and herd health were among the key policy issues members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association approved as resolutions during the Cattle Industry Convention last week in Nashville.
Regarding international trade, a resolution was passed that codified NCBA support of a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that removes tariff and non-tariff trade barriers for U.S. beef to participating countries, which include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Another resolution that was passed encourages a more efficient payment system for fed cattle in light of the recent announcement by the U.S. Postal Service that first class mail delivery will slow in the future which could cause problems for the efficient delivery of payment for cattle.
Regarding herd health, the current management of bison on federal lands by the Department of Interior has raised concerns among cattle producers so NCBA members passed a resolution opposing the relocation of any bison outside the current Greater Yellowstone Area management area, the expansion of that area and any increase in the currently authorized bison population.
I have a concern about this announcement from the FFA.
With more than 100,000 new farmers needed over the next few years, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued the young leaders of the National FFA Organization a challenge in 2011. “I would like you to with your fellow students and the adult leadership of the organization to develop a series of recommendations around the upcoming Farm Bill that will encourage more young people to pursue careers in farming,” Vilsack said.
It was a challenge that the national FFA officer team for 2010-11 took seriously. The students immediately began work- framing key questions, consulting FFA members, engaging leaders in agriculture, compiling input and formulating recommendations.
Okay. On the surface it looks and sounds nice that the government wants to do something to encourage youth in agriculture. We certainly do! But . . . Here’s more from FFA. I’ve highlighted section that immediately drew my attention and comment below.
“Never before had we been invited to submit direct input to the Secretary of Agriculture that could enhance the ability of agricultural education and FFA to help students succeed and strengthen American agriculture,” said Riley Pagett, national FFA President, 2010-11. “We were honored to be invited to be a part of this process.”
In December 2011, the 2010-11 national officer team met with Sec. Vilsack to share their recommendations which fell under four main categories. Those are: Getting started in production agriculture; creating vibrant rural communities; who should care about agriculture and why; planning for the future.
Items that were recommended were as follows: USDA and other agencies should encourage and assist beginning farmers to start or continue in production agriculture; USDA should help transition farms from older related and non-related farmers to younger of beginner farmers who may not come from a farm; USDA should help keep young people in rural communities and make rural communities an even more important part of our nation’s economy and society; USDA should support efforts to increase the public’s knowledge of agricultural literacy; USDA should strengthen the capacity of agricultural education o produce more students that pursue production agriculture and other agriculturally related careers and the USDA should provide authority, responsibility and support for school-based agricultural education and FFA.
So, FFA student leaders, everything you mention here is all asking USDA to do something for you. As in “USDA should . . . ” Where’s the money for that going to come from? Are you sure you want more involvement fromt he government in your business or potential business? I think it’s great that the Secretary invited you in but I’d urge caution before you ask for too much, if anything. I think you’d be better off talking with agribusiness leadership about stand alone private practice programs to help you get established in farming or make transitions on your farm. These things are being done. I think most agribusiness companies would be quite willing to talk with you about that. Then maybe we wouldn’t need the government to “take care of us.” What do you think?
Things are looking bleak for the proposed LightSquared LTE network according to a story in PC World.
A key federal agency involved in testing the proposed LightSquared LTE network has concluded that there is no practical way to solve interference between that network and GPS, possibly dealing a crippling blow to the startup carrier’s hopes for a terrestrial mobile network.
Earlier this week we published results of our ZimmPoll that showed a majority think the LightSquared proposal would be good for ag/rural America. However, most of those positive responses all came at nearly the same time.
American Farm Bureau Federation Congressional Relations Director Mary Kay Thatcher gives 50-50 odds on getting a new farm bill done in 2012.
“It’s going to be a real uphill battle to get it done,” Thatcher said during a farm bill session at the AFBF annual meeting on Sunday. “It’s a goal that’s certainly worth working towards because there’s going to be less money in 2013 than we have this year so the longer we wait, the more difficult it’s going to be.”
Thatcher says the AFBF board came up with a proposal for farm policy that is a totally new approach to a farm safety net, called the Systemic Risk Reduction Program or SRRP. “Instead of offering some kind of a shallow loss program where you have farmers suffer a little bit of a loss and government steps in at 13% to 25%, we believe the government should be there for the really deep catastrophic revenue losses.”
The concept would be the opposite of the shallow loss mentality of having crop insurance at the bottom and federal government at the top. “We would have the federal government at the bottom and crop insurance top that off,” Thatcher says.
The SRRP idea is going by an acronym pronounced “syrup” and with AFBF voting delegates to consider it during the policy setting part of the annual meeting on Tuesday, it remains to be seen whether they will think it’s sweet or just a bit too sticky for them.
The USDA Economic Research Service has a Farm Program Atlas online for your searching pleasure.
The Farm Program Atlas is a web-based interactive mapping tool that displays payment and participation data on major farm programs and covered commodities at the county level — to visualize how these Federal farm programs vary across the United States. Users can select maps displaying county-level data for nearly 100 variables. Each map may be viewed for the entire country or users can use a zoom tool to focus on a single region, State, or county. When viewing a program map, users may also click on a single county to view a table of data on all the variables associated with the program for that particular county.
With these tools, users can:
View maps showing levels of participation and benefits from key farm programs
View maps comparing participation and benefits from selected programs
View all data for any county on a selected farm program
Print a version of the map or save the image in a graphics-file format for use in other documents or presentations
Download a spreadsheet containing all the data for a selected county or for all U.S. counties included in the Atlas
2012 is likely to be a very interesting year for agricultural policy as we face the writing of a new Farm Bill during a presidential election year with a huge federal deficit.
Since the GROWMARK cooperative system represents the interests of farmers on the federal level, I talked with GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer to get his perspective on what might happen in 2012 as it relates to farm policy, after the “super committee” failed to reach an agreement which would have created an new farm bill. “The super committee did find that the agriculture community stepped up to the plate and were in agreement to a $23 billion reduction over a ten year period in farm program spending,” he said. “The discussion now is ‘where do you begin?’ Do you start over? Do you begin where everybody agreed and then move forward?”
Chuck believes the groundwork has been laid and he expects the agriculture committees in Congress to use that as a framework for discussion. “It’s important to note that while the farm bill will expire in 2012, it either needs to be extended or they’ll need to come to agreement and pass a new one or the 1949 Farm Bill goes into play which is dealing with parity prices, and that would certainly be a budget buster,” Chuck noted.
Chuck also pointed out what most of us in the agriculture business already know – that of the 15 titles in the farm bill, the commodity title is what gets most of the attention, even though it only makes up 2/10ths of a percent of the federal budget. “It’s provided as a safety net, a way to manage risk,” Chuck said. “You’ll notice that 90% of the groups offering proposals to the super committee asked for a revenue-based, risk management-based safety net.”
Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are facing potentially onerous regulations that could ground them if they are allowed to continue.
The biggest issue they are dealing with right now is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, which National Agricultural Aviation Association executive director Andrew Moore told me just went into effect on Halloween. “It’s kind of a scary regulation,” said Andrew of the regulation which impacts pesticide application near water. “The problem is that it’s duplicative of everything that already exists to protect the environment in regard to pesticide regulation.”
Andrew says the NPDES would require a great deal of paper work on the part of applicators. “FIFRA already regulates the safety of pesticides to water, so this is a completely unnecessary burdensome rule.” In addition, Andrew says they are very considered about lawsuits under the new regulation.
So, NPDES was a big topic at the NAAA convention in Las Vegas this week, where workshops were held and applicators were educated about the current status of the federal rule and where it stands at the state level. Andrew says they are also urging aerial applicators – and really anyone in the agriculture industry – to contact their senators about the issue. “Because we’ve been successful in passing legislation that would exempt pesticide applications over water for FIFRA approved pesticides,” said Andrew. The measure has been passed by the House and has gone through the Senate Agriculture Committee. “We believe we have the votes in the Senate but it’s not being brought to the floor for a vote,” he said.
I’m sure this is applicable to agriculture somehow. I just think it’s pretty cool and wanted to share it. With all the talk about geo-located services and precision agriculture it’s neat to think that you can track Santa’s progress as he does his thing at Christmas time. Get the official NORAD Tracks Santa app for your iPhone or Android phone.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command is getting ready to track Santa’s yuletide journey! The NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org, went live today featuring a Countdown Calendar, a Kid’s Countdown Village complete with holiday games and activities that change daily, and video messages from students and troops from around the world. With the addition of Brazilian Portuguese, the website is now available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Chinese.
This year, using free apps in the Apple iTunes Store and in the Android Market, parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s take off on their smart phones! Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and Twitter. Santa followers just need to type “@noradsanta” into each search engine to get started. (more…)
The Iowa Corn Caucus released its report card for presidential candidates today, giving grades for different policy areas related to agriculture with an overall grade for each candidate.
The highest overall grade went to Newt Gingrich, who scored straight As on every single policy issue. Second in the class was Rick Santorum, who had mostly A’s but faltered under farm programs in the areas of crop insurance and conservation. President Obama received a grade of B, as did Mitt Romney, but the rest of the four major Republican candidates got no more than a C minus. Rick Perry received that grade, while Michelle Bachmann was close behind with a D+ and both Herman Cain and Ron Paul got Ds. Cain in particular failed miserably in the energy policy category and farm programs – getting straight Fs in all those areas.
“Our purpose wasn’t to endorse any candidate, but instead to give farmers a tool that they could take with them to the caucuses in January,” said Iowa Corn Growers senior policy advisor Amanda Taylor. The survey for candidates was developed in conjunction with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to include ten questions directly related to agricultural issues.
ICGA president Kevin Ross noted that only half of candidates responded to the survey, so the Corn Caucus used other methods to determine the grades. “We tracked interviews, speeches, media quotes and all things related to agriculture, including voting records of candidates who held office,” he said. The candidates who did return the survey were Obama, Cain, Gingrich and Santorum.
Fresh from Florida seafood keeps you at the top of your game. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services just announced that it is teaming up with the Florida Gators (my team) and the Florida State Seminoles to “harness the home team passion associated with the athletics rivalry and direct it towards supporting Florida products. The partnership leverages every game, match and competition between the two teams in 18 sports to promote Fresh From Florida.” Now that’s a major sponsorship! It all kicks off this week with the Saturday football game which is now being called the Sunshine Showdown.
The tradition-rich Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles football game will serve as the signature event of this partnership to communicate the importance of all that’s Fresh From Florida to an audience that is uniquely Florida: Gator and Seminole Fans. This year’s matchup of the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles football teams will be titled the “Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown,” scheduled for November 26 in Gainesville. The Fresh from Florida Sunshine Showdown will highlight the importance of supporting Florida farmers and fisherman and communicate the impact of buying home grown and harvested products from Florida.
“The Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown brings two of Florida’s great teams head to head,” said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. “As each side cheers for their home team, we’re hopeful they’ll support Florida’s ultimate home team, Florida’s farmers and fishermen.”
Here’s one of the tv ads for the campaign featuring Florida Coach Will Muschamp.
Implementation of USDA’s proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard’s Administration (GIPSA) rule is being restricted under legislation passed yesterday by Congress.
Congress passed a $19.8 billion 2012 agricultural spending bill Thursday that includes language blocking USDA from implementing the controversial reforms to livestock and poultry marketing proposed last year and opposed by major livestock organizations, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says this means USDA is barred from conducting any further work this year on sections of the rule not yet finalized. “The other four provisions in the farm bill will be going final, and those focus more on poultry than on the cattle industry,” he says. “All of the other outstanding issues that had to do with the cattle industry have either been taken off the table or with this language have been defunded. So it really protects the cattle industry and makes sure that we can continue to develop new marketing alternatives without the government getting involved.”
Woodall stresses that this is not the end of the battle because the defunding language runs only through the end of the fiscal year, which is September 30, 2012. “At that point in time, USDA could revisit the rule, especially in regards to competitive injury and undue preferences,” he said. “So, we need to make sure that we maintain the pressure on Congress to try to find a permanent fix to keep the government out of cattle marketing for as long as possible.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack chose the John Deere Des Moines Works facility to talk about his priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill, which he says is really a misnomer.
“After all, for decades this bill has been about a whole lot more than just farming. It’s been about energy, it’s been about nutrition, it’s been about jobs. Now, some may keep calling it the Farm Bill out of convenience, or maybe even out of tradition; but I think we’re doing it a disservice,” Vilsack said.
The secretary acknowledged that fiscal and political realities will have an impact on the outcome for any legislation in the coming year. “So our priorities must be clear. We simply need to do more with less,” he said.
Once again this year, the GROWMARK cooperative system is among the nation’s top ten co-ops.
The GROWMARK System of cooperatives, headquartered in Bloomington, Ill., was ranked seventh on the NCB Co-op 100 listing of the nation’s 100 highest revenue-earning cooperative businesses. GROWMARK was ranked sixth on the 2010 list.
“The boom of cooperative organizations and the key role they play in both our national and global economy, is clearly evidenced in the growth and expansion highlighted in this year’s report,” said Charles E. Snyder, President and CEO of NCB. “As a cooperative business ourselves, we are proud to support these efforts and participate in the United Nations General Assembly declaration of 2012 as the International Year of the Cooperative, to educate the public on the benefits of cooperatives. Our report is just one of the many ways we work to inform the public on the advantages of cooperatives in all fields of enterprise.”
The NCB Co-op 100 debuted in 1991 and is the only yearly report of its kind to track cooperative revenues in the United States. Cooperatives in this year’s top 100 account for a combined revenue of more than $193 billion in 2010.
It would be nice to see all government agencies take a look at some programs that might be able to be cut to save tax dollars, like USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has done.
In light of funding reductions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and the likelihood of additional reductions in FY 2012, NASS conducted deliberate reviews of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that key timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture. As a result, the agency is discontinuing or reducing a wide range of agricultural survey programs. The decision to eliminate or reduce these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless necessary, given the funding situation. Because of the timing of the agency’s survey work during the coming year, these decisions are necessary now.
Reports which will be eliminated include Annual Reports on Farm Numbers, Land in Farms and Livestock Operations; Catfish and Trout Reports; Annual Floriculture Report; January Sheep and Goat Report; July Cattle Report; Annual Bee and Honey Report; Annual Hops Production report; Annual Mink report (didn’t even know we had one!); Nursery report; June and September Rice stocks report. Other reports – including chemical use, monthly potato stocks and fruit and vegetable forecasts – will be reduced in frequency. The Distiller Co-Products for Feed Survey would be canceled.
NASS plans to make similar data included in these reports either less frequently or within the every 5-year Census of Agriculture. The next census will be conducted beginning January 2013 to reflect activities in the 2012 calendar year. A Federal Register notice announcing the program changes will be forthcoming.
Some people will no doubt be unhappy with the proposed changes, but it certainly seems like most of these reports can easily be eliminated or reduced without too much angst. I bet with a little effort, even more could be cut.
Agricultural interests have been trying for nearly five years to get Washington to act on three free trade agreements and finally in just over a week they have been sent to Congress and passed by significant majorities.
The trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia were each voted on separately and passed in rapid succession Wednesday, first by the House and then by the Senate. The votes in the House were 278-151 for South Korea, 300-129 for Panama and 262-167 for Colombia. In the Senate, it was 83-15 for South Korea, 77-22 for Panama and 66-33 for Colombia. The president is expected to sign them.
Farm groups were quick to praise the long-awaited action that is expected to mean increased exports for a variety of agricultural commodities.
“The three free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama provide great opportunities for America’s farmers,” said National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois, adding that U.S. farmers have been standing by watching other nations receive increased access to these markets as the FTAs waited in limbo.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Bill Donald of Montana was pleased to see Congress put differences aside to pass the trade deals. “For too long, the trade agreements have been collecting dust,” he said, noting that cattlemen have a lot to gain when the agreements are fully implemented by reducing and eliminating import tariffs on U.S. beef imposed by Colombia (80 percent), Panama (30 percent) and South Korea (40 percent).
Pork producers also have much to gain under the agreements, according to National Pork Producers Council president Doug Wolf of Wisconsin who called passage of the FTAs “one of the greatest victories ever for the U.S. pork industry” since it is expected to add more than $11 to the price producers receive for each hog marketed.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says passage of the agreements means over $2.3 billion in additional exports for American agriculture as a whole. “Immediately upon implementation of these agreements, the majority of American products exported to Korea, Colombia and Panama will become duty-free,” said Vilsack. “With record agricultural exports supporting more than a million jobs here at home, passage of these deals will contribute to a positive U.S. trade balance, create jobs, and provide new income opportunities for our nation’s agricultural producers, small businesses, and rural communities.”
Corn growers and cattle producers are at odds over new legislation introduced in the House that would change the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2).
The bill, sponsored by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Costa (D-CA), would allow Congress to reduce the RFS requirement for ethanol whenever corn stocks are tight.
Speaking on behalf of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) during a press conference announcing the legislation, California beef cattle producer Kevin Kester said it would provide relief from tight corn supplies.
“Cattlemen are not opposed to ethanol and we’re not looking for cheap corn. We simply want the federal government to get out of the marketplace and allow the market to work,” Kester said.
Officials with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) say the measure would significantly weaken the RFS. “The U.S. ethanol industry is an integral part of job creation and economic opportunity throughout rural America,” said NCGA President Garry Niemeyer of Illinois. “This legislation would put progress made by the ethanol industry in jeopardy.”
The RFS came into effect in 2005 and was reauthorized and expanded in 2007 to require the use of 12.6 billion gallons of corn ethanol this year and 13.2 billion gallons in 2012, topping out at 15 billion gallons in 2015.
The Goodlatte-Costa bill would require a reduction in the RFS when the stocks-to-use ratio drops below 10 percent, up to a 50 percent reduction if the ratio falls below 5 percent. Under the current corn supply, the reduction would be 15-25 percent.
You can always count on Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) to liven up any gathering and leave them laughing.
At the John Deere Olathe opening last Friday, Sen. Roberts did just that. “Anyone know a good copyright lawyer?” the senator asked as he took the podium after speeches by Deere’s John Lagemann and Dave Everitt and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. “I’ve been giving the speech that Dave, and John and Sam just gave for the last six months.”
True to form, Roberts mixed his droll brand of humor in with serious comments about feeding the world, praise for John Deere, and political jabs against the current administration. “I don’t know why anybody would propose a budget that would interfere with what we have to do in terms of feeding this country and a troubled and hungry world,” Roberts said. “And I sure as heck don’t know why we are pouring out regulations left and right from every agency especially EPA, that would hinder the production of a wonderful company like this.”
I took the opportunity to interview Roberts, who is ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, about what’s going on in Washington DC.
Roberts agrees that agriculture must do its part for deficit reduction but opposes the administration proposal to cut crop insurance. “That’s not going to fly, that’s dead on arrival.” He’s working with other agriculture committee leaders in both the Senate and the House to develop a proposal for the Super Committee. “If we do that, it is conceivable that we can do a farm bill at the same time.”
Regarding over-regulation, Roberts says he has proposed regulatory reform legislation for all major government agencies, including EPA or what he calls the “End of Production Agriculture” agency, and he is continuing to fight USDA’s controversial Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard’s Administration (GIPSA) proposal. “Some of these agencies are out of control,” Roberts said. “This would be terribly counter productive to the livestock industry.”
The U.S. Army pointed me to this great story about our soldiers in Afghanistan doing agribusiness duty. The photo comes from Staff Sgt. James McDonnough. In it Sgt. 1st Class Randy Wright, a pest management specialist with the Illinois Army National Guard’s 1-14th Agribusiness Development Team, takes the reigns on a team of draft horses during a visit to an Amish farm Sept. 13, 2011. The 1-14th ADT visited multiple farms in the Amish community to assess agricultural practices and technologies, which could be implemented during their upcoming deployment to Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
Approximately 60 Soldiers from across Illinois, as well as two Soldiers from Michigan and South Dakota respectivley, have been deployed to Kunar province since June with the Illinois Army National Guard’s 1-14th Agribusiness Development Team.
The 1-14th Agribusiness Development Team, or ADT, which consists of a headquarters element, a security force platoon and a platoon of 12 agriculture experts, have been assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, or GIRoA, in revitalizing and establishing a strong, growing and sustainable agriculture industry.
The Illinois team’s mission is part of a broad effort that involves multiple National Guard ADTs from several states, each operating within its own province. The teams typically come from mid-western states, such as Missouri, Nebraska, Indiana and Iowa, which are known for agriculture production.
Col. Fred Allen, commander of the 1-14th ADT, said it makes sense for Illinois to field such a specialized team.
“Illinois was a great choice for a few reasons,” said Allen. “We are one of the largest agriculture states in the U.S., both by population and production. This is also represented within our National Guard formations and the many citizen Soldiers who work full time in the agriculture industry. Illinois also has some of the top agriculture colleges in the nation, at both community college and university levels. It was amazing how many Soldiers we found in our ranks that had, or were working toward, agriculture degrees.”
The Illinois Soldiers have educations and backgrounds in agronomy, plant and soil science, forestry, engineering, pest management, zoology and hydrology.
After more than four years in limbo, trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama have finally been sent to Congress by the White House and could be voted on by next week.
“The series of trade agreements I am submitting to Congress today will make it easier for American companies to sell their products in South Korea, Colombia, and Panama and provide a major boost to our exports,” President Obama said in a statement.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said completing the agreements “will level the playing field and secure markets for America’s farmers, ranchers, growers and producers ahead of competitors in the global marketplace.”
Once the agreements were turned loose by the president, agricultural organizations immediately began calling on Congress to end the wait and pass them. “America’s farmers and ranchers have much at stake and the fact these three agreements are moving forward is very good news for our economy,” said American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman. “Combined, the three FTAs represent nearly $2.5 billion in new agriculture exports and would create the economic growth that could generate support for up to 22,500 U.S. jobs. These gains will only be realized if the three agreements are passed by Congress and implemented.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Bill Donald welcomed the news but cautioned that the agreements are far from implemented.
“Today marks the biggest leap forward we have seen in nearly five years when the trade pact with Colombia was signed,” said Donald. “Our entire country, especially rural America, is nearing a historic moment.”
Donald said cattlemen “will not rest easy until the agreements are fully implemented.”
“I’m excited for this opportunity and appreciate the support of NASDA members,” Northey said. “As negotiations pick up on the next farm bill and discussions continue on a variety of other important public policy areas, I am committed to providing a unified voice for the organization and working with NASDA members to highlight the important role of state departments of agriculture.”
The last Iowan to serve as NASDA President was Secretary Robert Lounsberry in 1981-82.
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
Chuck and Mike often wind up at the same events all over the country so it seemed like a good idea to do a little AgriTalking about the changes they've seen in the ag media landscape.
Regarding international trade, a resolution was passed that codified NCBA support of a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that removes tariff and non-tariff trade barriers for U.S. beef to participating countries, which include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. 
I have a concern about this 
Since the 
Like all of agriculture, aerial applicators are facing potentially onerous regulations that could ground them if they are allowed to continue. 
Andrew says the NPDES would require a great deal of paper work on the part of applicators. “FIFRA already regulates the safety of pesticides to water, so this is a completely unnecessary burdensome rule.” In addition, Andrew says they are very considered about lawsuits under the new regulation. 
The 
Congress passed a $19.8 billion 2012 agricultural spending bill Thursday that includes language blocking USDA from implementing the controversial reforms to livestock and poultry marketing proposed last year and opposed by major livestock organizations, including the 
NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says this means USDA is barred from conducting any further work this year on sections of the rule not yet finalized. “The other four provisions in the farm bill will be going final, and those focus more on poultry than on the cattle industry,” he says. “All of the other outstanding issues that had to do with the cattle industry have either been taken off the table or with this language have been defunded. So it really protects the cattle industry and makes sure that we can continue to develop new marketing alternatives without the government getting involved.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack chose the John Deere Des Moines Works facility to 
In light of funding reductions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and the likelihood of additional reductions in FY 2012, NASS conducted deliberate reviews of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that key timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture. As a result, the agency is discontinuing or reducing a wide range of agricultural survey programs. The decision to eliminate or reduce these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless necessary, given the funding situation. Because of the timing of the agency’s survey work during the coming year, these decisions are necessary now. 
The trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia were each voted on separately and passed in rapid succession Wednesday, first by the House and then by the Senate. The votes in the House were 278-151 for South Korea, 300-129 for Panama and 262-167 for Colombia. In the Senate, it was 83-15 for South Korea, 77-22 for Panama and 66-33 for Colombia. The president is expected to sign them.
Speaking on behalf of the 
Officials with the 
You can always count on Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) to liven up any gathering and leave them laughing.
I took the opportunity to interview Roberts, who is ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, about what’s going on in Washington DC.
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
