Week of Nov. 19 Archive
19
November 19
SENATE IN TWO-WEEK RECESS---Senate consideration of the farm bill will not occur until December at the earliest after a bid to invoke cloture failed last Friday by a margin of 55 to 42; 60 votes were needed to invoke cloture and force the scheduling of debate on a limited number of amendments. Both the Senate and House are in recess through early December.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) reiterated his belief that talk of an extension of the current farm bill is premature, saying that extending the current law will result in a loss of momentum to forge consensus until after next year’s elections.
A key Agriculture Department official echoed Peterson’s comments. Bruce Knight, USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, told the South Dakota Farm Bureau there is time for Congress to pass a new farm bill this year, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.
Expansion of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, possibly at the expense of the Conservation Security Program, is one source of contention that farm bill negotiators will have to work through eventually, according to an article in The Des Moines Register.
- AgBite video (AFBF President Stallman, speaking on importance of farm bill)
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---PHILIPPINES ACCEPTS U.S. BEEF---The Philippines will allow complete market access for U.S. beef and beef products from cattle of all ages, as a result of recent negotiations between agriculture officials from the U.S. and the Philippines. Previously, imports of U.S. beef and beef products were restricted to meat from cattle less than 30 months of age. The U.S. exported $4.9 million in beef and related products to the Philippines in 2003, prior to the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a U.S. cow imported from Canada. Under the new agreement, USDA estimates that U.S. beef exports to the Philippines could total around $12 million in 2008.
Meanwhile, Canadian cattle over 30 months of age will be allowed into the U.S. starting today. R-CALF USA filed an emergency request Friday for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court in South Dakota to block the rule from taking effect.
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HAY SHORTAGE CONTINUES IN SOUTHEAST---The months-long drought and resulting hay shortage in the Carolinas have prompted some horse owners to give away their animals or sell them for less than they are worth to ease concerns about providing proper nutrition this winter. A square bale of hay used to sell for a few dollars, but now some bales are selling for $7.50 or more. Larger, round bales that sold for $20 to $30 in the past now go for twice that amount, in addition to shipping fees. Some farms began using hay as early as last July, according to an article in today’s edition of The Charlotte Observer. Horses and the hay shortage are also the subject of a photo-essay on the Web site of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rain also would be welcome elsewhere in the South where the planting of onions, leeks, turnips, carrots, radishes, wheat and rye is nearing, according to The Natchez Democrat.
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COAST-TO-COAST ETHANOL PIPELINE?---Some pipeline companies are paying for a study to determine whether a coast-to-coast pipeline dedicated to the transport of ethanol should be constructed. The Renewable Fuels Association’s Bob Dineen said that while a pipeline is an option, it is not the only one available to the ethanol industry. He also said a dedicated pipeline may be less secure than rail cars, barges and trucks.
Pipeline companies also are studying whether existing pipelines could be used to move ethanol safely. Pipeline experts say a dedicated pipeline for ethanol would cost about $1 million per mile to build, with the total cost around $2 billion. That would result in a cost of 3 cents to 6 cents a gallon.
In other news related to the renewable fuels industry, Tom Dorr, USDA under secretary for rural development, recently said gasoline refiners must blend ethanol at a rate greater than 10 percent if the ethanol industry is to succeed. Dorr also said the challenges facing the biodiesel industry are not insignificant, and it may be time to consider using feedstocks other than soybeans to make biodiesel.
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