Week of June 11 -15 Archive
11 13 15
June 15
SENATE TURNING BACK TO IMMIGRATION REFORM---Senate leaders have announced the chamber will reconsider immigration reform as early as next week, after completing work on energy legislation. Leaders reached agreement late Thursday on the type of amendments that may be brought up for consideration during debate on the immigration reform bill, paving the way for the contentious legislation’s return to the Senate floor.
AFBF is urging the Senate to expedite consideration of the comprehensive immigration reform measure.
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HOUSE AG SUBCOMMITTEE TO CONSIDER COMMODITY TITLE---The House Agriculture Committee has released a preliminary discussion draft for the commodity title of the farm bill. The subcommittee with oversight of the commodity title will discuss the draft on Tuesday, June 19.
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POMEROY INTRODUCES IRS TAX REFORM MEASURE---Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) introduced legislation Thursday that would prevent the Internal Revenue Service from assessing self-employment taxes on rental payments from land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
The IRS in December issued a rule change requiring farmers to pay self-employment taxes of 15.3 percent on CRP payments. Up to that point, the IRS considered CRP payments as rental income not subject to self-employment taxes.
AFBF supports the bill introduced by Pomeroy, the Conservation Reserve Program Tax Fairness Act of 2007 (H.R. 2659), as well as companion legislation in the Senate (S. 1155).
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---FSA COUNTY COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS START TODAY---Farmer and rancher candidate nominations open today for local Farm Service Agency county committees. The nomination period continues through Aug. 1, 2007. Elections take place this fall, with newly elected committee members taking office Jan. 1, 2008.
FSA county committee members make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs and other important agricultural issues. Members serve three-year terms. Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to five members who are elected by eligible local producers.
Nomination requirements and forms are available online.
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KELLOGG’S IMPLEMENTING NEW AD AND NUTRITIONAL STANDARDS---Under mounting pressure from parents and heath groups concerning child obesity, the Kellogg Co. has announced a change to its advertising plan, starting immediately. The company will no longer advertise any food with more than 200 calories, two grams of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of sugar or any trans fat per single serving to children under 12. As part of the new campaign, nutritional information will be prominently displayed on the front of boxes.
The company has unveiled plans to set new nutritional standards and reformulate many products, including popular brands such as Pop Tarts, Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks.
About 50 percent of Kellogg’s brands do not meet the new health standards and will be reformulated. Kellogg is implementing the nutritional standards globally and expects to roll out changes by 2008.
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NEW EPA WEB SITE LISTS REGULATIONS AFFECTING AGRICULTURE---The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new Web site featuring a “look-up tool” listing federal environmental regulations that could potentially apply to agriculture. According to information on the site, it provides a “succinct, general description of EPA’s requirements for both regulatory and voluntary programs.”
New EPA Web site
June 13
AFBF ENDORSES ENHANCED RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD---The American Farm Bureau Federation supports H.R. 6, legislation that establishes escalating requirements to reduce America’s use of petroleum-based fuel. Through these requirements, the U.S. can “decrease its dependency on foreign oil and contribute to our national energy security,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman.
The bill would raise the renewable fuel standard in the year 2008 from the current level of 7.5 billion gallons to 8.5 billion gallons. It would also extend the RFS into the year 2022, when the total requirement would equal 36 billion gallons. Mandates concerning cellulosic ethanol will be discussed at the beginning of next year.
AFBF also supports mandates for cellulosic-derived ethanol beginning in the year 2016 with a requirement of 3 billion gallons per year, which would increase to 21 billion gallons per year in 2022.
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---HOUSE AG SUBCOMMITTEE TO CONSIDER NUTRITION AND FORESTRY---The House Agriculture Committee has released its preliminary discussion drafts for the nutrition and forestry sections of the farm bill. The Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry subcommittee will meet this week to review the drafts.
House Agriculture Committee farm bill Web site
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.S. BIODIESEL CAPACITY PREDICTED AT OVER 3 BILLION GALLONS---According to the National Biodiesel Board, if all currently announced plants and expansions are completed, U.S. annual biodiesel production capacity will reach 3.28 billion gallons in the next 18 months. Annual production today is 1.39 billion gallons at 148 biodiesel plants.
National Biodiesel Board
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June 11
GROUND BEEF RECALL EXPANDED---United Food Group, a Vernon, Calif.-based meat company, is expanding the voluntary recall it initiated last week. In all, the recall now applies to about 5.7 million pounds of frozen and fresh ground beef and products. In addition, Tyson Fresh Meats of Sherman, Texas, is recalling more than 40,000 pounds of ground beef. Both recalls are related to E. coli O147:H7 contamination concerns.
The United Food recall is being expanded out of an abundance of caution following a positive test of fresh ground beef subject to this recall provided by a patient in Arizona. This tested product was sold under a major grocery store label, as opposed to a pre-packaged chub shipped from the recalling firm.
An investigation by the California Department of Health Services and the Colorado Department of Health, in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preceded the recall of June 3. Illnesses occurred in Arizona (6), California (3), Colorado (2), Idaho (1), Utah (1) and Wyoming (1). Illness onset dates ranged between April 25 and May 18. All patients have recovered.
Recall Information
Food Safety Question? Ask Karen.
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SENATE COULD TAKE UP ENERGY BILL THIS WEEK---A bill that would boost the use of renewable fuels will likely be taken up in the Senate this week. The energy legislation, which passed through the Senate Energy Committee last month, would increase the use of renewables from the current 7.5 billion gallons in 2012 to 36 billion gallons in 2022. Twenty-one billion gallons would come from cellulosic ethanol, such as switch grass, while the remainder would be corn-based ethanol.
The current ethanol requirement has spurred corn demand and prices, according to the Omaha World Herald, which compares 2006 corn prices that averaged $2 per bushel against today’s selling price of $3.56 per bushel.
The American Farm Bureau Federation supports the increased requirement for ethanol to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
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FARM BILL ADDRESSES DIRECT PAYMENTS---Grain, cotton and soybean farmers may see a cut in direct payment eligibility in this year’s farm bill, said the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Collin Peterson last week. An Agriculture subcommittee voted to decrease eligible acreage from 85 percent to 74 percent.
The farm bill will also address public nutrition programs. Subcommittees will meet this week to draft language for such programs as food stamps and school lunch spending.
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---USDA MISSES NON-ORGANIC DEADLINE---The Agriculture Department Friday missed a deadline to name non-organic ingredients that it will permit in organic foods. As of Monday morning, the agency had not released its final list.
USDA is considering a controversial list of 38 non-organic ingredients, which, according to organic advocates, will affect almost all organic-labeled foods. For a food to be labeled as organic, it cannot have been grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones. But, under the new USDA proposal, as much as 5 percent of a food could be made with non-organic ingredients.
On the USDA list for approval are hops, food colorings, starches, sausage and hot dog casings, gelatin, chili pepper and fish oil.
LA Times Article
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