Week of Nov. 2-9 Archive
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November 9
STATE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS POSTED ON SILO---State Farm Bureau 2008 policy recommendations are posted on SILO (http://silo.fb.org), Farm Bureau’s Intranet site, to assist in the AFBF policy development process.
On the SILO site, you may view and print the submitted policy recommendations by the individual state Farm Bureau, by the policy number/title listed in the AFBF policy book or by the subcommittee to which the policies have been assigned.
In addition, policy recommendations from the Policy Review Committee are listed.
The policy recommendations are posted under the “Policy” icon button on the left side of the SILO home page (http://silo.fb.org). If you do not have access to SILO, you may register for it by going to the home page and pressing the “Register for Silo Access” link.
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---SENATE OVERRIDES BUSH VETO OF WRDA---The Senate on Thursday voted to override President Bush’s veto of the $23 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), an AFBF priority, making it the first time in Bush’s presidency that both the Senate and House successfully turned back his veto.
The Senate approved the override by a margin of 79-14, with 34 Republicans voting with the majority. The House rejected the veto, 361-54, earlier this week. Both tallies far surpassed the two-thirds majorities needed to overcome the veto.
AFBF had long supported passage of WRDA, legislation that authorizes projects of the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and navigation. Expansion and modernization of a series of locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers is of particular importance.
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---HOUSE APPROVES PERU TRADE AGREEMENT---Another AFBF legislative priority moved forward on Capitol Hill on Thursday. The House approved the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, 285-132, with 109 Democrats voting in the affirmative.
The agreement will result in an estimated increase in U.S. agricultural trade of $705 million per year after full implementation. U.S. agricultural exports to Peru confront an average tariff of 18 percent, while 99 percent of Peruvian agricultural products enter the U.S. facing no tariffs. As a result of this carefully negotiated agreement, all U.S. agricultural exports – meat, fiber, grains, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables – will enter Peru duty-free after full implementation of this agreement.
The Peru TPA will now move to the Senate. Because the agreement has already been approved by the Senate Finance Committee, it will move directly to the floor for a vote, possibly within the next week.
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---SENATE FARM BILL STALLED---The full Senate’s consideration of the farm bill stalled on Thursday as negotiations continue about the number of amendments Republicans will offer on the floor when debate resumes.
AFBF lobbyists believe Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will seek agreement on the number and scope of amendments. If a deal is struck soon, the Senate could take up the farm bill as soon as Nov. 13.
If Senate leaders fail to reach a deal, Reid could file a cloture motion to limit debate on the farm bill, likely on the amendment offered by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to further reduce payment limits. If the cloture vote succeeds, debate would then be limited to 30 hours, which could be further reduced by unanimous consent.
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---HOUSE AG COMMITTEE REVIEWS MEAT RECALLS---A subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday reviewed the federal government’s handling of recent meat recalls.
“We’ve seen close to 20 recalls related to E. coli and beef in 2007, with seven recalls in the last 30 days alone,” Committee Chairman Colin Peterson (D-Minn.) said. “To put that in perspective, there were eight recalls for all of 2006.”
Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond explained how USDA is addressing recent food safety issues, saying expanded testing and a more rapid recall system will be in place soon.
November 8
SENATE FARM BILL DEBATE MAY START MOVING AGAIN---AFBF lobbyists expect Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to file cloture on the farm bill today. This will allow a vote on the cloture motion on the amendment by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to further reduce payment limits sometime next Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Depending on the outcome of that vote, the Senate may move forward with debate on the rest of the bill.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is also expected to offer an amendment reducing adjusted gross income caps.
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---SENATE DISCUSSES OVERRIDING BUSH’S WRDA VETO---Senators are also discussing whether to proceed with a vote to override President Bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act, an AFBF priority issue. It is expected the Senate will vote to override the veto. The House approved its override by a margin of 361-54 earlier this week.
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---HOUSE VOTE ON PERU TRADE EXPECTED TODAY---The House is expected to vote on the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement today.
Farm Bureau has consistently supported congressional approval of the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement because it will result in an estimated increase in U.S. agricultural trade of $705 million per year after full implementation.
The Peru Trade Promotion Agreement will resolve current trade imbalances and break through barriers that have made it extremely difficult for U.S. agricultural products to compete in that country. U.S. agricultural exports to Peru confront an average tariff of 18 percent, while 99 percent of Peruvian agricultural products enter the U.S. facing no tariffs. As a result of this carefully negotiated agreement, all U.S. agricultural exports—meat, fiber, grains, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables—will enter Peru duty-free after full implementation of this agreement.
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---NBC REPORT LOOKED AT SWITCHGRASS AS ENERGY SOURCE---NBC’s Lee Cowan reported on the potential of switchgrass and other cellulosic technologies to transform our dependence on oil in a segment that aired on the “NBC Nightly News” Wednesday. The report contained portions of interviews with two Tennessee farmers growing switchgrass for scientific experiments.
To view the NBC segment, click here.
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---USDA TOUTS MARKETING OF U.S. FARM PRODUCTS OVERSEAS---The Agriculture Department on Wednesday announced that more than $234 million was spent marketing U.S. farm products overseas in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
After final export numbers are tallied, U.S. agricultural exports for fiscal year 2007 are expected to reach $79 billion, making 2007 the fourth year of back-to-back records, according to USDA. Fiscal year 2008 exports are forecast to reach $83.5 billion.
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AFBF THANKSGIVING DINNER SURVEY RESULTS SLATED FOR NOV. 15---Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers around the country are currently checking prices and reporting on the cost of ingredients to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people. AFBF’s news release on the average cost of the dinner for 2007 will be distributed on Thursday, Nov. 15. An AgBites segment (video) and a Newsline radio story also will be produced.
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November 7
FARM BILL SLOWDOWN IN SENATE---Senate consideration of the farm bill slowed to a crawl on Tuesday when Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced his plan to allow discussion of only relevant amendments. Reid reportedly said he wants to avoid “mischievous amendments that have nothing to do with the farm bill.” He pinpointed amendments on Iraq, labor and estate taxes as among those he doesn’t want to see brought up for consideration.
A vote to end debate on the $288 billion bill could take place later this week or next week, according to press reports. It’s also possible that debate on the measure could be pushed into 2008.
In related news, the White House on Tuesday released its Statement of Administration Policy on the Senate version of the farm bill. As previewed by Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner on Monday, the document included a blistering assessment of the Senate’s version of the bill, charging that it does not constitute real reform, uses budget “gimmicks” and makes a mockery of the budget process. The document clearly indicates if the president is presented with the Senate bill in its current form, his senior advisers will recommend a veto.
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---HOUSE OVERRIDES WATERWAY BILL VETO---The House on Tuesday voted 361-54 to override President Bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act, a bill that includes provisions to expand and modernize locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Next, the Senate will vote on an override of the veto; success is predicted.
Farm Bureau supports the bill, as it would increase the size and capacity of locks and dams on rivers essential to the transportation of many American farm products.
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IMPORT, FOOD SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS RELEASED---The Bush administration on Tuesday announced 14 recommendations and 50 so-called “action steps” developed to increase the safety of imported products and food. The recommendations include giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to issue recalls of unsafe food products.
Other changes include setting up new incentives for importers who follow strong safety practices, steeper penalties for importers who violate standards, more training of inspectors and higher standards for some high-risk foods.
The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety developed the recommendations and action steps. The 50 action items included in the plan improve agency oversight of high-risk areas of food and product safety. Some changes will be made immediately, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.
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---U.S. MOVES AHEAD WITH TESTING OF CANADIAN MEAT, POULTRY---U.S. officials are moving forward with a plan to do more pathogen testing of imports of meat and poultry from Canada. The initiative was announced over the weekend and is drawing the ire of Canadian officials who contend that their meat exports are safe and the country’s food safety system is effective.
The Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service initiated the plan to step up pathogen testing on products from Canada when an Alberta-based company was discovered to be the source of meat that was the subject of a recent Topps Company food safety recall.
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November 6
VETO THREAT LOOMS FOR SENATE FARM BILL---The Bush administration on Monday issued a strongly worded veto threat against the Senate version of the farm bill. Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner conveyed the administration’s intentions at a news conference that got under way as the full Senate began debate of the bill.
Conner said “tax increases and budget gimmicks” have been used to inflate the five-year bill. “It will need significant changes … we have a long way to go,” he said. The administration is apparently not pleased that funding for the bill relies on $15 billion in new taxes. The administration “doesn’t believe other sectors should pay” so farm subsidies can be sent to “millionaires living on Park Avenue,” according to Conner.
The bill does not go far enough to reform subsidies for farmers, Conner explained. Stricter limits on payments to “rich farmers” also need to be implemented, he said.
The Senate’s debate of the farm bill continues today.
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---USDA SHOULD HANDLE AGRICULTURE INSPECTIONS---Preventing plant and animal diseases from entering the country is a big job and one that many believe should be handled by the Agriculture Department. When the Department of Homeland Security was created, agricultural import and entry inspection services were moved out of USDA’s control and over to the customs and border patrol section of DHS, a situation that concerns the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Agricultural inspections are unique and require special expertise, according to Caroline Rydell, AFBF farm policy expert. Yet, according to a General Accounting Office report issued last year, inspection rates at several key American points of entry have significantly decreased.
AFBF and more than 85 other organizations are supporting legislation that would transfer agricultural inspections back to USDA; the legislation is likely to be proposed as an amendment to the farm bill.
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NEW BIOFUEL TECHNOLOGY UNVEILED---Researchers at Rice University in Houston have discovered a way to convert glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production, into ethanol. Making ethanol this way costs less than using corn as a feedstock, according to the researchers. The primary reason the cost is lower is because the glycerin is preprocessed.
According to the researchers, the process is so promising it may be commercialized before cellulosic ethanol. A pilot plant that can ferment approximately 10,000 liters of ethanol from glycerin is slated to go online in early 2008. Glycos Biotechnologies will build the pilot plant and seek to partner with other companies in the biodiesel, glycerin and ethanol industries to market the end product.
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November 2
---DAIRY PROCESSORS NOTIFIED ABOUT MISLEADING LABELING---The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has notified 16 dairies that sell milk in the state to change false and misleading product labels by Jan. 1, 2008. The processors are located in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“The secretary’s initiative addresses longstanding concerns Farm Bureau has had about labeling that misrepresents food products. The best example is that of milk where the label ‘rBST-free’ gives consumers the false impression that it has been found to be harmful, when in fact it is a natural part of all milk produced,” said Carl Shaffer, president of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
In addition to milk labeled “rBST-free,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said claims such as “antibiotic-free” and “pesticide-free” are misleading because all processed milk sold in the state is tested a minimum of 10 times to guarantee it is free of such substances, which are illegal for milk to contain.
- · Pa. Dept. of Agriculture Food Labeling
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PERU TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT MOVES OUT OF COMMITTEE---The House Ways and Means Committee has approved a U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. Less than 2 percent of U.S. agricultural exports move to Peruvian markets duty-free, while more than 99 percent of Peru’s agricultural exports enter the U.S. duty-free.
Under the terms of the agreement, 90 percent of U.S. farm exports to Peru will become duty-free immediately. Remaining tariffs will be phased out over 15 years.
AFBF is urging Congress to pass the Peru, Colombia and Panama Trade Promotion Agreements, which together would increase U.S. agricultural trade by almost $1.5 billion once fully implemented.
The full House is expected to vote on the Peru agreement next week.
- · AFBF Newsline radio story
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---$5 MILLION FOR DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS---USDA is awarding more than $5 million to institutions and organizations to conduct training and technical assistance that will increase opportunities for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
“Producers who participate in these projects tend to increase their farm or ranch income, continue farming or ranching longer, navigate through the loan process more rapidly, and they are less likely to go out of business,” said Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner. The grants are administered by USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) as part of the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) program, also referred to as the 2501 program. A socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice without regard to their individual qualities.
OASDFR is an annual competitive grants program, and eligible recipients include institutions of higher education and community-based non-profit organizations that provide capacity-building training and assistance to local farmers and ranchers. A list of award recipients is available online.
- · Grant recipients
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---IFIC LAUNCHES WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? VIDEO PROJECT---A new video project introduced by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) was designed to share a balanced message on food production methods and biotechnology through social networking avenues including the media-sharing site YouTube.
The “What’s for Lunch?” video features “on the street” consumer interviews, as well as interviews with an academic, a dietitian, a farmer and a school principal. A narrator from the “Second City” comedy troupe uses humor to help highlight misunderstandings and inconsistencies in food choice decisions in an engaging, fun manner. The video is currently available on the IFIC website as well as YouTube and will have its own MySpace and Facebook pages shortly to encourage a viral spread.
- · “What’s for Lunch?” video
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