Democratic Senator John Kerry and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman introduced a compromise climate change proposal in senate that has yet to get any attention from the Senate Floor. Due to the lack of attention and the fact it has not been formally introduced, experts believe the legislation is in limbo.
The plan would reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions that feed into global warming. The legislation would lower the United States’ dependency on fossil fuels to more earth-friendly options like wind, solar and biomass.
The Senate Majority Leader disagrees that it is in limbo and instead wants to get all 57 Senate Democrats and two independents to talk about nothing but energy. When this meeting occurs the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Information Administration should be done analyzing the proposed legislation.
Kerry and Lieberman agree that this bill will help boost the economy and there are many incentives for businesses to make the switch.
Many senators believe that it will be next year before a climate change bill will hit the Senate Floor.
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The House Ways and Means Committee members Dave Camp (R-Mich), Frank Lucas (R-Okl.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas) have issued statements regarding the third anniversary of a bipartisan compromise designed to move American trade ahead. Although the compromise was issued three years ago, little has been done with the trade policy to help trade move ahead.
The stalling has not improved conditions but instead hurt the American agriculture industry by failing to move ahead on pending trade agreements.
Lucas pointed out that exports are “critical to the vitality of rural America. They add much needed capital in rural communities for reinvestment and economic development.â€
Camp added that the trade agenda has collapsed at this point because of the current administration. “American workers are worse off and falling further behind our competitors as shown by the study we released today.†Camp feels that 15 million Americans are unemployed and instead of talking about creating jobs, the industry needs to focus on export and actually make jobs.
“American farmers and ranchers lose economic opportunities every day that Congress fails to pass the Colombian free trade agreement,†Lucas said.
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A Colorado dairy herd tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB) after a lesion was found on a cow in a slaughterhouse.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture started an ongoing investigation in March following the discovery in Southern Colorado. The two departments traced the meat back to a farm and continued testing all cows on the farm and in the area.
Infected animals can have internal lesions from bovine tuberculosis. The disease is spread by respiratory aerosols that are exhaled by the infected animals. The airborne illness can be caught by other animals or humans and cause breathing problems on top of other health issues.
Although the meat was discovered at a slaughterhouse, no infected meat made it to circulation or into the food chain. Milk from these animals is also not an issue because milk is pasteurized and all harmful bacteria is killed during the process.
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Across California planting and harvesting is occurring throughout the state.
Orange producers are reporting that production is almost the best they have ever seen. A cool spring has allowed for the fruits to grow without becoming overripe. The quality is great and the crop numbers are large. The Mandarin harvest is complete, and Valencia harvest is going on now. Farmers plan to be picking the fruit through the end of June. Most of the fruit will be used for domestic sales opposed to exports.
Although oranges are having a great season, the cool weather is attributed to not-great conditions with other crops.
Tomatoes are reported to be about two weeks behind due to wet and cool conditions that are inappropriate for tomato seed planting. According to the weekly report from the USDA, tomato acreage is down across California as well. California is the country’s leading tomato producing state, but only 12 million acres are planted this year. This is down 6 percent from 2009.
Olive producers are also having problems due to the cold weather. The California Farm Bureau reports that olive trees are more than two weeks behind schedule because the weather is too cool for the crop to mature. The crop is so far behind that farmers cannot estimate how large the crop will be.
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final draft of the new crop insurance plan. The plan that has been drafted three times will save the government $6 billion over the next ten years.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at a press conference that the new plan will put $4 billion toward the deficit reduction and $2 billion for farm risk management programs and the Conservation Reserve Program.
“There is a growing consensus in the country and certainly in rural areas that we need to be paying attention to the deficit, and this is our effort at agriculture and USDA to do our part in deficit reduction,†Vilsack said.
The plan will eliminate government payments that cause commodity programs to spike. This will be done by capping the amount of administrative and overhead expenses that crop insurance companies can collect from the government. Vilsack said agents can expect a $1,140 profit per policy.
Vilsack added that crop insurance companies were making too much profit off each claim. In 2009 the return equity was 26.4 percent. The industry claims this is necessary to have large reserves in case of emergencies in the agriculture industry.
Companies will still make profit off of policies, but the plan expects that the industry will report return equity around 14.5 percent.
According to Vilsack farmers will not pay higher premiums, some may see lower rates as a result of the new plan.
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The 2008 Farm Bill is full of subsidies designed by congressional Democrats to help farmers through the hard economic times. Although the subsidies have good intentions, experts believe that these subsidies are in fact doing the opposite.
According to information obtained by the Environmental Working Group, California growers who specialized in rice and cotton, or other select crops, were the only producers to benefit from the program.
Experts point out that cotton subsidies have caused a number of farmers to plant cotton even when the demand and prices are low. “The government has decided in their wisdom to encourage production of crops the market doesn’t want,†San Francisco farmers Philip Bowles told the SF Gate. “It must make political sense because it certainly doesn’t make economic sense.â€
Economists believe that such actions encourage economic hardships with smaller farms allowing for larger, corporate farms to buy them out.
Most California farmers that grow fruits and vegetables did not receives direct subsidies and those who did received only 48 percent from the government. Subsidies are mainly aimed at grains, cotton, dairy and some specialty crops.
This problem is just one of the many reasons why the House Agriculture Committee is meeting with farmers to plan changes on the current Farm Bill. The committee wants farmers to shape the 2012 Farm Bill to fit the needs of small farms.
“If we can somehow write an intelligent farm bill that’s attuned to the goals of public health and environmental responsibility, we can certainly create a set of incentives that steer agriculture in a more responsible direction,†Professor James McWilliams of Texas State University said.
Hearings are going on around the country before a draft of the bill is prepared.
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The United States Department of Agriculture is looking for microentrepreneurs and microenterprises that need funding.
Under the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Mircroentrepreneur Assistance Program, the USDA is offering low-rate loans for start up businesses. The money stems from the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (which is part of the Farm Bill).
“The Obama Administration and USDA understand that helping small, start-up businesses is fundamental in building a sustainable rural community,†Vilsack said via media release. “This new program will help provide access to capital, business-based training and technical assistance to the smallest of small businesses. We need to embrace new strategies to help create a thriving rural economy.â€
The money can be used for business-based training and technical assistance. Applications are accepted quarterly throughout the year and those for the 2010 fiscal year must be received by July 16, 2010./ $45.1 million is available for 2010, and of this money $36.2 million is available for loans.
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Honey bees numbers have been declining in recent years and the United States Department of Agriculture is taking a closer look to see why.
The United States Department of Agriculture is beginning an in-depth survey that will be conducted in 13 states to see why there is a decrease in honey bees.
Although many people see these insects as pests, honey bees are necessary for pollination of some of the most popular fruits and vegetables in the country.
One problem the United States Department of Agriculture is looking into is Colony Collapse Disorder. Other expected causes include mites and disease.
Robyn Rose of the USDA told the Washington Farm Bureau that the survey will just be the beginning of extensive research across the United States.
Rose said, “Most surveys have either focused on pesticides or on specific pests or diseases. This really is getting a much more nationwide picture and a comprehensive look at the pests and diseases.”
The survey will be based off half-cups of live bees that will be put in alcohol or a freezer and then sent to the lab for inspection.
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The United States Department of Agriculture is working to fight the destructive European Grapevine Moth that is causing problems in vineyards across California.
In May six moths were found in different vineyards across the Valley. The United States Department of Agriculture is giving growers a million-dollar boost to fight the pest.
7,000 traps are set in Fresno County and new pests have not been found. The money is used for pesticides to fight the pest that is no bigger than the size of a dime. Although it is tiny, the pest causes dramatic problems.
NRCA State Conservationalist Ed Burton said, “We estimate the cost to this about 208-dollars an acre to interrupt these next two flights, depending on what they’re using so we’re offering 104-dollars an acre if they put a conservation plan together.”
93-square miles sit under quarantine to contain the invasive pest from spreading to other areas of California.
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Pork has been the “other white meat†since 1987, but big changes are being made in the agriculture marketing industry.
Consumers wanted an alternative to high fat meat, and pork was just this. Ceci Snyder, vice president-marketing for the Pork Board said the organization has found the slogan does not move pork off grocers’ shelves. Throughout the past 20 years pork sales have stayed level.
The well-known slogan may not have moved product, but it quickly made its way into American pop culture through bulletin boards, popular commercials and magazine advertisements.
The Pork Board is starting a new advertising campaign in winter or next spring, but no details are available. Snyder said the campaign aims to “break through the clutter of messages that consumers receive.â€
Pork exports are increasing. The USDA reported that April had 7 percent increase in pork exports than April 2009, and the export level is at its highest since November 2008. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation April pork/pork variety totaled 344.4 million pounds (worth $400.95 million).
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