Week of Sept. 10-14 Archive
10 12 13 14
September 14
MORE CATTLE TEST POSITIVE FOR FMD IN UK---An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in southern England continues, with a second herd of cattle testing positive for the disease. The infected cattle have been culled. The farm is adjacent to the site where another herd of cattle was discovered with the disease earlier this week.
UK officials have established a “protection zone” around the infected premises and are working to contain the disease.
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NEW AUDIO CD SERIES EDUCATES CHILDREN ABOUT FARM SAFETY---A new audio CD series produced by Farm Safety USA uses the “voices” of farm animals to teach children and teens about on-farm dangers, specifically what they can do to avoid injury or death during harvest season and throughout the year. The series of four CDs includes 25 adventure stories with an interactive quiz at the end of each show.
Nationwide, more than 300 children die on farms every year, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. According to researchers, children between the ages of 9 and 15 are most at risk. The good news is most injuries are preventable.
National Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 16-22.
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U.S. AG MACHINERY EXPORTS ON THE RISE---U.S. exports of agricultural-related machinery increased 9 percent during the first half of 2007 compared to one year ago, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Overall sales totaled $4.5 billion, with sales to South America showing the most growth, up 36 percent. South American sales totaled $297 million; Central American sales totaled $367 million; and Asian sales totaled $375 million.
Farm machinery exports to Europe rose 25 percent for a total of almost $2 billion, while Canada took delivery of $1.15 billion in farm machinery, a 3-percent decrease.
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FRIDAY’S FARM FACT---
Today, each U.S. farmer produces food and fiber for 143 people in the United States and abroad. In 1990, each U.S. farmer fed 129 people; in 1940 the total was 19. Order your copy of the updated Farm Facts book at http://farmfacts.org or http://www.ageducate.org. State and county Farm Bureaus may be invoiced for orders.
September 13
LARGE CORN CROP ON TRACK, PRESSURE BUILDING ELSEWHERE---The latest yield projections by the Agriculture Department show U.S. farmers remain on target to harvest a large corn crop in spite of drought in some portions of the Corn Belt, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on Wednesday raised its estimated national average corn yield by three bushels per acre to 155.8 bushels per acre, which is on the high side of analysts’ pre-report estimates. The corn prediction of 13.3 billion total bushels is 254 million bushels more than last month’s forecast due to the higher yield projection.
“The corn crop was further along and better able to withstand the hot and dry weather in August in the southern half of the Corn Belt and the Southeast than soybeans,” said Terry Francl, AFBF senior economist. “Consequently, farmers are now embarking on the challenge of harvesting and storing a record-breaking corn crop.”
Francl and Jim Sartwelle, AFBF livestock economist, examined the numbers and explain what they may mean for other commodities and the livestock sector in this AFBF news release.
News articles take a look at what the USDA information and weather conditions mean for farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota and Kansas.
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---BRITAIN CONFIRMS ANOTHER FOOT-AND-MOUTH CASE---British authorities on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a farm in Surrey, southwest of London. Initial tests show the case is from the same strain of the virus that caused an outbreak about 10 miles away in August. The government is awaiting full test results.
The government imposed restrictions on the movement of cattle, sheep and pigs. The same restrictions were ordered following last month’s FMD outbreak and had been completely lifted by Sept. 8. Authorities are defending their decision to lift those restrictions.
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CALIF. GROWERS CONSIDER FENCES TO PREVENT E. COLI---Some Salinas Valley vegetable growers are considering erecting tall fences to keep animals, deer especially, away from their fields. While scientists say there is no evidence to suggest that deer spread the E. coli pathogen that hurt the spinach industry last year, some farmers are considering spending tens of thousands of dollars to build fences anyway.
“I think a lot of farmers feel like they are caught between a rock and a hard space,” one farm representative said. “If they don't do the fencing, they'll have a hard time selling their crop. But if they do do the fencing, it's expensive and then you have some of the conservation groups and Fish and Game departments that aren't very happy about it.”
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RAIDS PROMPT MEAT PLANT WORKERS TO SUE---Swift & Co. employees in the Texas Panhandle are among plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that alleges federal agents unlawfully detained them for hours and violated their constitutional rights during immigration raids in 2006. The eight plaintiffs are legal U.S. residents and five of them are U.S. citizens.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union organized the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in a federal court in Amarillo. The plaintiffs allege that up to 12,000 workers were detained without access to legal counsel, telephones and bathrooms for up to 12 hours during the raids. Union officials say some workers were held even after authorities determined they were in the U.S. legally.
September 12
BAUCUS, HARKIN TRADE FARM BILL IDEAS---Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Tuesday unveiled a package of agricultural-related tax proposals to pay for two major elements in the new U.S. farm law—disaster relief and land preservation, which together cost as much as $10 billion.
Meanwhile, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said he lacked the money to write a vote-getting farm bill. He has said he may need as much as $20 billion more than now allotted for agriculture.
Regarding timing, Harkin said that if the Finance Committee does not act soon, then the Agriculture Committee will meet in late September to write a farm bill with no new money. Even so, he said, “a few billion” dollars could be added to nutrition, stewardship, biofuels and rural economic development.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he supports Baucus’s proposal over Harkin’s plan.
AFBF is analyzing the new farm bill-related proposals.
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---BAUCUS PLEDGES TO MOVE PERU TRADE DEAL---Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Tuesday he would move quickly to win congressional approval of a stalled free trade agreement with Peru.
South Carolina Farm Bureau President David Winkles testified on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation in support of the Peru deal before Baucus’ panel. Winkles also urged the panel and the full Senate to approve similar deals with Panama and Colombia.
The House Ways and Means Committee has not set a date for similar hearings.
In related news, the Agriculture, Commerce, State and Treasury Departments, along with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, have launched a joint Web site to promote the benefits of trade. The site, www.TradeAgreements.gov, provides facts, speeches, news releases and more about pending trade deals.
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USDA UNVEILS BEE-RELATED FUNDING---The Agriculture Department announced that $4 million will be available in fiscal year 2008 for a four-year Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) to research ways to improve the health and protection of honeybees. Bees are facing serious threats that have the potential to negatively affect the nation’s food supply.
The research USDA is seeking to fund is expected to address genomics, breeding, pathology, immunology and applied ecology that explain the cause behind dwindling bee populations. Unique to this CAP program is that the researchers will work closely with the Extension community and stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies for Colony Collapse Disorder and other significant problems that threaten the bee industry and U.S. agriculture.
More information about the bee research funding opportunity may be found at www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/nri.html.
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---25X‘25 ENERGY COALITION EMBRACES DOE REPORT---A report released by the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration projecting the economic effects of a 25-percent renewable energy future underscores the fact that “increased reliance on renewable energy will provide important benefits to the nation at low cost to consumers,” Ernie Shea, project coordinator for the National 25x'25 Initiative, said.
The report says moving to the 25 percent renewable energy level would cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 by 14 percent over 2005 levels, including a 22-percent drop in emissions from the electricity sector and a 14-percent decrease in the transportation sector.
September 10
CAUSE OF FMD OUTBREAK IDENTIFIED IN UK---An outbreak of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease in Great Britain in August was caused by a drain leak at a laboratory where viruses used to manufacture vaccines are stored. A government report identified faulty drainage pipes, heavy rains and construction vehicles moving on and off the laboratory site as contributing factors in the outbreak.
According to Britain’s chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds, the disease outbreak is now over. A surveillance zone in Surrey, which encompassed the areas where the outbreaks occurred, is no longer in place and restrictions on animal movements have been lifted. The United Kingdom is expected to regain its international foot-and-mouth free status in early November.
Nearly 600 cattle were culled due to the outbreak. The overall cost to the industry was pegged at around $20 million per week until the European Union lifted a ban on UK meat exports on Aug. 25.
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LA NIÑA WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE WAY---A La Niña weather pattern will continue to develop over the next three months, according to scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). La Niña refers to the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific that occurs every three to five years.
According to NOAA forecasters, La Niña will result in wetter-than-normal conditions in the Pacific Northwest and drier-than-normal conditions in the southwestern U.S. this fall. These conditions reinforce NOAA’s earlier forecast of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, according to Gerry Bell, the agency’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster.
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CANINE RABIES ELIMINATED IN THE U.S.---The type of rabies previously found in dogs has been eliminated in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Vaccination and licensing, in combination with stray dog control, is responsible for this important public health milestone, according to CDC officials.
Despite the elimination of dog-to-dog transmission of rabies, vaccination of pets must continue due to the continued presence of the disease in wildlife, officials cautioned.
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