Bill In Calif. Would Help Farmworkers Form Unions
Between 307000 and 450000 people work on California farms, depending on the season, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. SB1474, would not change that. However, it stipulates that in cases of proven employer misconduct, the authorization cards would be considered evidence of workers' desire to organize, and a union would be authorized.
NPR

Wisconsin awards $300000 in agriculture grants
The state of Wisconsin is awarding $300000 in grants to support innovation in the state's agriculture economy.
Bizjournals.com

OH:Group urges final action on Ohio farm animal deal
The Humane Society is threatening to revive a planned Ohio ballot issue against animal cruelty if a deal with farmers fails to win final state approval. HSUS chief Wayne Pacelle urged the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt the agreement on farm animal protections. Ohio Agriculture Director Robert Boggs tells The Columbus Dispatch that the board will consider other proposals, too. Pacelle told the panel the deal is both good politics and good policy.
Capitol Press

Iowa Poultry Producers try to get the facts out there
During the 89 day recall notice (Julian dates 136-225) approximately 17 billion eggs were produced by farms around the country.  With the recall of one-half billion eggs, this represents 2.9% of the total quantity of eggs produced during that 3 month period, however, the risk associated with finding even one contaminated egg is 1 in 20,000 eggs according to the Salmonella Risk Assessment.
Iowapoultry.com

MO:The Alliance for Truth
A campaign to defeat Proposition B by exposing the lies of HSUS has begun in Missouri.They seek to expose HSUS ultimate goals for the pet and animal ag industry.
TheAllianceforTruth.com

Shaping up your carbon footprint
Louisiana farmer Jay Hardwick has been looking closely at another important element of the farm canvas, its sustainability. Hardwick is participating in a project called Field to Market, the Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. The project has gathered representatives from throughout the food and fiber chain, including grower organizations, agribusinesses, food companies, conservation organizations and land grant universities. The Field to Market tour is a Web-based, field print calculator. The calculator can generate a footprint measuring the environmental impact of various crop inputs and practices. Data is generated for five areas: soil loss, irrigation water use efficiency, climate impact (greenhouse gas emissions), land use and energy use. Producers can create “what if” scenarios with the field print calculator, which is available online at http://www.fieldtomarket.org.. For example, the user can calculate the impact of terraces, grass filter strips, etc., on the soil loss component.
Delta Farm Press

Georgia farmland values fall
Farm real estate values in Georgia fell by nearly 5 percent from 2009 to 2010 while farm land average rent per acre rose by 5 percent.
Southeast Farm Press

Ohio is on to something
I spent yesterday in Ohio where I had the opportunity to sit in on a subcommittee meeting concerning euthanasia of poultry for the Livestock Care Standards Board.  In this case the subcommittee had a variety of people including industry personnel as well as academic and regulatory experts.  I left with the impression that all states with significant agriculture should visit Ohio.
Meatingplace.com

Environmentalist turns to e-bullying
Tyrone Hayes, a research scientist at the University of California  at Berkeley, has for many years been a leading voice in the anti-pesticide movement. His studies on atrazine have been a mainstay in the efforts of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Pesticide Action Network North America and others to ban pesticides. His influence is such that the EPA stories based in part on Mr. Hayes' work when instituting its ee-review of atrazine. After many years of trying to resolve the issue privately, Syngenta recently released the text of some of the e-mails it has been receiving from Mr. Hayes, The e-mails are obscene, threatening and sexually explicit. Mr. Hayes consistently speaks not of his research, but of his personal power and prowess.
Washington Times

Ohio compromise may have claimed its first victim
The animal care compromise between agriculture interests in Ohio and HSUS apparently has claimed its first victim: a planned egg farm in western Ohio that would have been a conventional cage housing system. Hi-Q Egg Products is not "a currently permitted facility" and that if and when it becomes fully permitted, the agreement's rules will be in place that ban building new conventional cage housing.The company, therefore, would not qualify to be grandfathered in under the agreement's terms. Hi-Q is planned as a 15-barn, 6 million-hen complex on a 437-acre site near West Mansfield, Ohio, in Union County that would be the largest egg farm in the state. However, its permitting has been stalled by county commissioners who have not signed off on a permit for the company to build a road connecting a highway to the farm.
Feedstuffs

I believe: 'Small farms are the Vermont way'
So began a new part of our odyssey: a nano-scale, on-farm, USDA/state-inspected, state-of-the-art slaughterhouse, butcher shop and smokehouse here at Sugar Mountain Farm. Now, after two years of work on this project, we have all our permits. We have our super-insulated foundation poured, insulated walls about halfway up, and form work ready for the next concrete pour. Our goal is to close in before winter.Due to regulatory, insurance and other issues this will just be for our own farm. We will not be big. We’ll be one small, sustainable piece in the puzzle.
Burlington Free Press

Contrary to some claims-
Cage-housing not tied to Salmonella levels
As the egg recall related to salmonella-contaminated eggs from two farms spread over the Aug. 21-22 weekend, so did allegations that eggs from big, cage-housing operations are prone to the bacteria.  Nothing is further from the truth, Salmonella can contaminate any animal- or plant-based food from any kind of farm operation or any size, and the last major incident in which eggs and salmonella were linked was two years ago in eggs from a cage-free, organic production system.The Humane Society of the Unites States seized on the recall news to condemn cage housing as a food safety threat and urged U.S. egg producers to cease the housing practice and transition to cage-free operations….Any party that maintains that there is a higher prevalence of salmonella in eggs produced in cage housing is in "absolute disagreement with leading scientific experts.”
Feedstuffs

ND:Goehring, Boucher vie for ag post
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and House Minority Leader Merle Boucher, D-Rolette, are both vying to be the state's chief voice for the agriculture.
Bismarck Tribune

Is This Orderly Marketing of Milk???  
The June Daily Dairy Report stated that over the last eight weeks, an average of 235 loads (11.2 million lbs.) of milk per week has been shipped out of the Southeast region for processing in the Midwest, Northwest and Southwest. This figure is up 23 percent from a year ago. Spot shipments out of the Southeast will continue until August.”The statements do not make sense to those familiar with the SE milk market. Why would milk from a deficit market be shipped to the Midwest, Northwest and Southwest to be processed into manufactured products?  Aren’t these the same areas that supply the milk deficit SE? To add to the confusion, on May 12, the Southern Marketing Agency was granted an extension of Transportation Credits to be paid in the month of June to help pay for hauling supplemental milk into the market.
Kydairy.org

HSUS Agenda Remains The Same
While HSUS President Wayne Pacelle may have struck a more conciliatory tone in his remarks to the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, Dr. Jerry Lahmers thinks the end goal of HSUS remains the same. And he says the board will not be swayed by that agenda.
Cattle Network

Sustaining Animal Ag Symposium proceedings available
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology and USDA sponsored a symposium on "Sustaining Animal Agriculture: Balancing Bioethical, Economic, and Social Issues."
Cast-science.org

Sugar beet growers worried there might not be 2011 crop
It all started in 2008, when a number of groups filed a lawsuit challenging the USDA’s oversight of genetically engineered beets
KTVB

Second Iowa Producer Recalls 170 Million Eggs
Hillandale Farms issued a recall of eggs it sent to 14 states that were linked to a recent salmonella outbreak.
NYTimes.com

U.S. Forgoes Salmonella Vaccine for Egg Safety
British farmers virtually wiped out salmonella in eggs by vaccinating hens, but American regulators decided not to mandate the precaution.
NYTimes.com

Kentucky prepares quarantine facility for imported horses
The Kentucky Agriculture Department will set up at the state's international airport a quarantine space for checking the health of about 500 foreign horses headed to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in September.
Lexington Herald-Leader

Ontario:No verdict yet for farmer charged with obstruction
A farmer is expected to learn Oct. 1 if he'll be found guilty for clashing with an Ontario livestock inspector. Frank Deboer was charged for obstructing the inspector after Deboer blocked the euthanization of a dairy cow.  The farmer and livestock trucker was delivering cattle to the Auction when a livestock inspector noticed that one of the cows had a noticeable limp. The inspector’s diagnosis: the cow was diseased and needed to be destroyed immediately. Frank and the 16 other farmers who were present questioned her decision, since the cow was so mobile that she couldn’t even catch it in order to shoot it. The cow was spared and had the overgrown hoof clipped. It was sold for slaughter 10 days later. The case has attracted support from Niagara farmers who say it highlights their rights to protect their property from unwanted seizure and destruction, and could ultimately have an impact on your right to protect your property from unwarranted seizure and destruction.
The Spec (Ontario)

Highest butter prices since May, 2004
Butter continues to push higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closing at $2.11 on Monday, the highest price since May of 2004.
Brownfield

Cutting back on antibiotics use poses hurdles for hog farmers
Raising hogs with fewer antibiotics has its challenges, the brothers say. One big one: Some of the black Berkshire hogs grunting and rooting around the Hillemans' barns are likely to get sick and die before they're ready for market. That's because it's sometimes impractical to treat them. Farmers who supply Eden Farms cannot use antibiotics for growth promotion or if the hogs are within 100 days of slaughter. Newly weaned pigs arrive at the Hillemans' farm when they're about 3 weeks old, an age when they are particularly susceptible to disease. They are given medicated feed that contains a pair of antibiotics to control intestinal disorders and pneumonia, while in the nursery and again for their first two weeks or so in the open-ended hoop barns where they spend most of their seven-month-long lives. "Typically, we don't do anything [to treat for disease] and hope they recover," Randy Hilleman said. "It's not necessarily worth it" to separate ill hogs and treat them, said Jim Thompson. Other farms may isolate treated pigs or mark them, he said. "It depends on the farmer and the type of facilities that they have," he said.
Des Moines Register

A Battle Between Economic Mainstays in Brittany
An unwelcome visitor — sea algae that feed on the runoff of hog farms — has created a health problem and conflicts between farmers, environmentalists and the government.
NYTimes.com

Accelerated Productivity Growth Offsets Decline in Resource Expansion in Global Agriculture.
Rapid increases in agricultural commodity prices during 2006-08 raised concerns that agricultural productivity growth may not be keeping up with increasing demand for agricultural commodities. ERS has developed a new index of total factor productivity to provide a more comprehensive understanding of longrun sources of agricultural output growth. ERS research shows that the average rate of growth in global agricultural TFP has accelerated in recent decades and accounts for an increasing share of growth in agricultural production. Faster TFP growth has offset declining growth in agricultural land, labor, and other resources, although TFP growth across countries and global regions remains unevenly distributed.
USDA

U.S. Farms Structure: Declining, But Persistant-Small Commerical Farms
The continuing shift in production away from small commercial farms to larger farms is driven by financial pressures and aging operators. Some small commercial farms are profitable, while others stay in business by accepting low returns for their labor. Small commercial farms produced 22 percent of farm output in2007.
USDA

China’s AgFeed raises offer for U.S. pork producer
AgFeed Industries Inc. said it will pay $10 million more for U.S. hog production company M2P2 as the two ironed out details of a previously announced acquisition deal. One of the largest hog production and animal nutrient companies in China, AgFeed said it now expects to pay $26 million for M2P2, of which 49 percent will be paid in cash, approximately 12% in AgFeed common stock and the balance in the form of a 10-year seller note.
meatingplace.com

Mid-year FAPRI baseline shows brighter farm economy unfolding
A drought in Russia and reduced global wheat production along with shifts in U.S. crop production affect the entire U.S. agricultural outlook. A mid-year update of the 2010 U.S. agricultural baseline shows increased wheat exports, moderate rises in grain prices and modest recovery in meat and dairy prices paid to farmers.MU FAPRI projects an average wheat price of $5.10 per bushel for the current market year. Total wheat use, including exports, could top 2.4 billion bushels by the 2011-2012 crop year. Corn exports also increase in response to strong demand in global grain markets. Higher grain prices could result in increased U.S. acreage for both corn and wheat in 2011.Corn prices are projected to average $3.68 per bushel for the crop harvested this fall. FAPRI projects a soybean price average of $9.35 per bushel for the 2010 crop. For both corn and soybeans, prices over the next five years remain below the 2008 peak, but well above price levels prior to 2007.Lower feed prices have had a positive impact for livestock producers.
agebb.Missouri.edu

Biotech Crops Increasing Without Slowdown
Biotechnology crops planted from 1996 through 2009 had an 80 times increase. In 2009, 14 million farmers in 25 countries planted 330 million acres of biotech crops, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.Of all the soybeans grown in the world as of 2009, three-quarters were biotech; half of the cotton was biotech; one-quarter of the corn was biotech, and one-fifth of the canola was biotech.
Cattle Trader Center

Ag in step with sustainability
U.S. soybean producers have launched a new web site, www.usbthinkingahead.com, that defines the concept of sustainability and points to how agriculture represents "the original sustainability success story.” Many people define and measure sustainability differently, and discussions about its meaning often "can generate more heat than light," said David Wilson, a soybean farmer from Lincoln, Ala., and chair of the USB Sustainability Initiative.
Feedstuffs

Pork Producers' Intent Under Question
The director of the Factory Farming Campaign for the HSUS is questioning why the pork industry in Missouri is challenging the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act being considered in that state. Paul Shapiro believes members of the agricultural community should ask what type of leadership they have in their industry that would choose to expend their resources and their reputation on such a battle. Shapiro says - it’s a real shame the opposition to a measure intended to protect puppies and dogs is being led by the pork producers in the state. He says - agribusiness interests seem intent on opposing any animal welfare initiative regardless of how unrelated to agriculture it is.
Hoosier ag Today

Ohio livestock growers caged by farm groups
How did the free-range chicken folks get the upper beak on the Ohio Farm Bureau and its friends in the state’s pork, cattle, dairy, poultry, corn and soybean groups? Two big lessons emerge from this scrap. First, farmers need to be careful when picking fights over animal agriculture. The animal rights folks ain’t chickens; they fight. And, second, maybe farmers need to be even more careful in picking their friends.
Farm and Dairy

More Americans familiar with term “factory farming”: study
Fifteen percent more Americans are familiar with the term “factory farming” than in 2008, according to a study funded by the beef checkoff. That number now stands at 64 percent.The study, which aims to figure out if use of the term is leading to consumer concerns about beef, showed different results for beef and poultry. The number of respondents who associated factory farming with chicken has gone up significantly since 2008, while figures for beef have remained stable. Among cattle, beef cattle are more associated with factory farming than dairy cattle.Of those who were familiar with factory farming, 58 percent think the beef at their local supermarket comes from factory farm cattle, and 56 percent of that 58 percent are concerned about the safety of their beef.  Neither of those findings has changed significantly since 2008.
meatingplace.com

Lay's Chips and Traveling Farm Exhibit: Well, They Make Me Happy
The six-city Lay’s Mobile Farm tour came to an end in Dallas. The nationwide tour, which kicked off on July 26th  in New York, included a mobile greenhouse designed to introduce a rural farm experience to urban dwellers. Many Lay’s potato farmers were on hand and after visiting the greenhouse, families were able to take home educational pieces intended to inspire at-home gardening. Visitors also received their own individual basil plants and at the end of each stop the contents of the greenhouse were given to local community gardens to stimulate urban growing. Thereafter, curious fans of Lay’s chips could use the Chip Tracker on the corporate website to find out exactly where their chips were grown.
Triple Pundit.

Groundwater private property right
Texas landowner groups have joined forces in an effort to ensure that groundwater continues to be recognized as a vested, real private property right. The groups will host educational forums throughout the state to help the public understand current groundwater ownership issues.
Southwest Farm Press

Tracing Salmonella: Find Out Who Eats What, Where
Investigators from the FDA think the salmonella-tainted eggs that sickened thousands of people this summer came from the feed mills for two producers in Iowa.But tracking the outbreak and identifying the source is a tricky task.
NPR

Maine Wants Med Students Who Study There To Stick Around
Like a lot of rural states, Maine has real trouble attracting and keeping doctors, particularly those who practice primary care.Maine is trying a new tack, though, to boost the ranks of primary care doctors in the state.Earlier this month, the second-ever class of medical students began studies in a program run jointly by Boston's Tufts Medical School and the Maine Medical Center, the state's largest teaching hospital, based in Portland.
National Public Radio

Alternative Co-ops Are Taking Root
Rural co-ops aren't just for electricity anymore. Now small towns, hospitals, schools -- and rural residents, too -- are joining forces to save on everything from paper to funeral services.
Daily Yonder

Before salmonella outbreak, egg firm had long record of violations
Federal and state officials are still trying to pinpoint the cause of the outbreaks, which have not involved any reported deaths. But some indicators point to DeCoster Farms,  as family legend has it, the company got its start in Turner, Maine, when "Jack" DeCoster was 15: His father died, leaving him responsible for his siblings and the family's 125 chickens. As the family's holdings have expanded, so has the list of allegations against it, but the company gets warm reviews from local officials in the towns where it operates. In Turner, town manager Eva Leavitt said the company is "very easy to work with," despite the problems that arose there. "The facility is neat and clean and has a pleasant view," she said.
Washington Post

Salmonella scare helps local egg farms
The farm has about 10000 laying hens. Since an egg recall centered in Iowa began, the farm's owner says customers have called to ask about how she tends her chickens.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Developing Rural Opportunities
North Dakota has turned the corner when it comes to stopping population loss. That's how one economic development director in the region describes what's happening in the state.He made the comments at the Governor's Rural Community Summit in Minot. We'll learn now what the summit could mean to the future of rural North Dakota.
KXMC-TV, Minot,

Animal Welfare Activists to Protest Bullfighting in Spain
About 150 semi-naked animal welfare activists plan to stage a protest on Saturday at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao to demand an end to bullfighting.
NYTimes.com

Rural Schools Lose Race To The Top
The $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition was established in 2009 as part of ARRA (the economic stimulus bill).  The money was set aside to make competitive awards to states willing to implement a series of reforms deemed innovative by the U.S. Department of Education.This was a unique program. Never has a Secretary of Education had so much money to award at his discretion. And never has an education funding competition played such a large role in driving state level education reform.
The Daily Yonder

A little perspective on eggs
For the larger context in which all of this is happening, here are a few other Salmonella recalls that have been issued just in the past week:A recall of pistachio products,Another recall of pistachio products, A recall of mamey pulp, A recall of alfalfa sprouts. Salmonella is just one of many foodborne illnesses (remember E. coli in spinach?), and it can pop up in plenty of non-egg foods.And how does today’s food system compare to the past? Consider this: In 1967, The New York Times reported that there had been 17,000 reported U.S. cases of Salmonella illness during the previous year. In one 1965 case alone, a tainted well made 18,000 people sick.In contrast, the CDC shows only about 3,500 reported cases of Salmonella (of all kinds) in 2007, the most recent year data for which is available. (This number includes simply “suspected” cases, too.) And reports of Salmonella incidence were down 10 percent in 2009 compared to the 1996-1998 period.
Consumer Freedom

MN:Farmer wants judge to lift embargo on dairy sales
A Minnesota dairy farmer who sold unpasteurized milk linked to an E. coli outbreak is asking a judge to lift a state embargo that prevents him from selling cheese, meat and other products. Michael Hartmann wants to sell meat and dairy products he has in storage which he estimates are worth up to $10,000.The state argues the food was produced in unsanitary conditions and should not be sold to the public. State inspectors investigating an E. coli outbreak searched Hartmann's farm in May and June and imposed an embargo on sales.
Dairyherd.com

Officials search for ‘middle ground’ on water regs
Leaders of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and officials of the federal EPA and state Department of Natural Resources, are still trying to find “the middle ground” on EPA’s enforcement of Clean Water Act regulations.The big issue is how far state and federal officials can or should go in forcing medium-sized cattle feeders—those with less than one-thousand head—to comply with the regulations.
Brownfield Network

Horses Are Victims of Economic Turmoil Nationally
A double whammy of economic turmoil and a ban on horse slaughter has resulted in a steadily growing number of unwanted horses.
Kansas City infoZine

Health Checkup: Who Needs Organic Food?
Your body wants meat; your body wants fat; your body wants salt and sugar. Your body will put up with fruits and vegetables if it must, but only after all the meat, fat, salt and sugar are gone. And as for the question of where your food comes from — whether it's locally grown, sustainably raised, grass-fed, free range or pesticide-free? Your body doesn't give a hoot. But you and your body aren't the only ones with a stake in this game. Your doctor has opinions about what you should eat. So does your family. And so too do the food purists who lately seem to be everywhere, insisting that everything that crosses your lips be raised and harvested and brought to market in just the right way. If you find this tiresome — even intrusive — you're not alone. "It's food, man. It's identity," says James McWilliams, a professor of environmental history at Texas State University. "We encourage people to eat sensibly and virtuously, and then we set this incredibly high bar for how they do it."
TIME

Taxing Caloric Sweetened Beverages to Curb Obesity
Increased obesity among the U.S. population has prompted public health advocates to call for a tax on sweetened beverages Faced with such a tax, consumers are likely to substitute untaxed beverages, such as bottled water, juice, and milk. A tax that increases the price of caloric sweetened beverages by 20 percent could cause an average reduction of 3.8 pounds of body weight over a year for adults and 4.5 pounds for children
USDA

Initiative offers aid to struggling horse owners in New Mexico
Families in New Mexico that were hard-hit by the recession are getting help with feeding their horses through a program launched in May by the Equine Protection Fund. Called Emergency Feed Assistance, the program provides eligible families in the state with feed and hay for a maximum of four horses for two months.
KOAT-TV (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Proposed equine-zoning ordinance is pulled in Virginia county
A proposed ordinance in Isle of Wight County, Va., that called for stronger zoning and environmental restrictions for area horse owners was dropped. The measure would have required new horse owners to register waste-management plans with the state as well as install 35-foot buffers around their barns and pastures.
Daily Press (Newport News/Hampton, Va.)
No Safety Advantage for Grass-fed Beef
Or at least that is the conclusion reached by researchers who conducted a study of retail beef products comparing the levels of bacterial contamination in grass-fed and conventionally raised beef. The researchers had their study reported in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. The report says the researchers found no significant differences in total coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli or Enterococcus species in grass-fed vs. conventionally raised beef products. Two-thirds of the samples were from solid cuts of beef, such as intact steaks, and only one-third were from ground beef and that there was no difference in coliform levels between the two products.For E coli, the contamination rates were 44% for both sample sets. Outlets where the samples were obtained included retail stores, farm stores and farmers’ markets. Samples were washed according to standard protocols, and the rinsate was then tested for pathogens. My conclusion is that grass-fed, and sold in the local farmers’ markets, does not infer that I do not need to safely handle and appropriately cook my beef.
Meatingplace.com

Retail Meat Prices Rise For Seventh Consecutive Month, New Record For Bacon
U.S. retail prices for meat and eggs rose for the seventh consecutive month in July, with bacon notching a record, as the impact of shrinking cattle and hog herds trickles down to the nation’s supermarkets.
Cattlenetwork

Animal cloning continues to show promise in drug development
Biotech animals might prove vital in drug discovery and development because they have the ability to produce life-saving treatments, scientists said. However, some people are wary of possibly harmful effects of bioengineered animals on the environment and public health. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nutrition-related health effects of organic foods: a systematic review
From a systematic review of the currently available published literature, evidence is lacking for nutrition-related health effects that result from the consumption of organically produced foodstuffs.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

What's the Beef? Food-Inflation Fears
Cattle prices are soaring toward records, pushing up the cost of beef in grocery stores and adding to the risk of a broader wave of food inflation.The gains are being fueled by rising appetites globally and a dwindling U.S. herd. Purchases of U.S. beef around the world have surged as emerging economies become more prosperous. At the same time, ranchers hit in recent years by drought and the financial crisis have cut the number of cattle to the lowest level in decades.
Wall Street Journal

Community Developers, the Hour's Late
With rampant rural outmigration and globalism, community development is more urgent than ever. UK practitioners sound the alarm.
Daily Yonder

The Rural Grocery Crisis
Rural groceries are in trouble, pressured by high utility costs, competition from big box chains and customers who drive off to find bargains instead of buying at home.
Daily Yonder

Can We Talk?" Encourages Youth to Communicate with Shared Values
More than 2,700 high school students from across the country learned the importance of using values-based communication to advocate for agriculture during "Can We Talk?" training workshops in Washington, D.C. Developed by the Center for Food Integrity for a young audience, "Can We Talk?" is an interactive shared-values curriculum that was part of the FFA Washington Leadership Conference.
Foodintegrity.org

NY:Farm preservation funds dry up
At stake is saving productive farmland that could otherwise be swallowed by sprawl; ensuring local food supplies can be grown for the expanding market for locally raised food; and keeping the beauty of the landscape draws tourists to upstate New York.
Times Union

US:Michigan hails judge's ruling in Asian carp fight against Chicago
The five Midwestern states suing to keep Asian carp – the behemoths that gorge on plankton and leap 10 feet in the air – out of the Great Lakes claimed to score a legal victory.
The Christian Science Monitor

NY:Much Fire Over Smoke: Comment on Outdoor Wood-burner Rules Slows Decision
A state Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman said reviews of about 2,000 comments on proposed rules governing outdoor wood-burning boilers could mean the issue remains unsettled through April 2011. Another round of public hearings could be set if significant changes are made in the proposed rules. New York Farm Bureau officials in June were among several groups waging a campaign against the proposed regulations on stack heights, setback limits, and months of use for outdoor wood-burning boilers.
Daily Freeman

State Leadership Critical to Pursuit of Clean Energy Future
A critical element in the nation's pursuit of a clean energy future is the innovation and activism demonstrated at the state level. From California's green energy mandates to Wisconsin's community-driven, statewide 25x'25 goal, states have been at the forefront of developing sustainable energy sources that can ease our reliance on fossil fuels, boost our economy and improve our environment. One of the more significant efforts among the states is Florida's Farm to Fuel Initiative, which was created in 2006 to enhance the market for and promote the production and distribution of renewable energy from Florida-grown crops, agricultural wastes and residues, and other biomass, and to enhance the value of agricultural products and expand agribusiness in the state.
25 X 25

USDA Reports Show U.S. Ag Can Meet Demand for Food, Feed and Fuel
News recently coming out of USDA is more evidence of the ability of U.S. agriculture to produce crops large enough to satisfy the demand for food, feed AND fuel. According to reports released by USDA, America's farmers are on course toward a record corn crop and record yield per acre this year, passing the records set only a year ago. USDA crop reports show that U.S. producers are expected to harvest a crop of 13.37 billion bushels, about two percent larger than last year's mark, and a yield of 165 bushels per acre, a little more than last year's record of 164.7 bushels per acre. 
25 X 25

Alternative Energy: Will U.S. Lead or Follow?
For all the talk about the energy of tomorrow, America is still powered by the energy of yesterday. Ninety-five percent of our electricity comes from an aging network of coal (47 %), natural gas (21 %), nuclear (20 %), and hydroelectric plants (7 %).Despite decades of promises, less than five percent of our electricity currently comes from all other forms of alternative energy, combined.
25 X 25

Smart Energy Policy Would Benefit Midwest Farmers
Is there enough water? Will water availability, usage concerns halt the scaling of biofuels?
25 X 25

Water: Is there enough for biofuels at scale?
Water withdrawals are ubiquitous in most energy production technologies…several assessments suggest that up to two-thirds of the global population could experience water scarcity by 2050, human demand for water will greatly outstrip any climate-induced quantity gains in freshwater availability…and [freshwater availability] will be driven by the agricultural demand for water which is currently responsible for 90% of global freshwater consumption.The researchers found that fossil-based fuels have “one to two orders of magnitude” less water intensity than “the most water-efficient biomass technologies,” and suggest that water security may well be a limiting factor in the production of biofuels.
Biofuels Digest

NY:Fracking' fractures N.Y. county
Soon, Graby hopes, six gas wells will sprout in his fields, tapping the shale gas, feeding directly into the pipeline and enriching him by thousands of dollars an acre plus royalties.Shale gas drilling already is happening on the other side of the river in Pennsylvania, where the state Department of Environmental Protection says nearly 1,800 wells have been drilled since 2008.A few miles up the road, Pete and Alice Diehl are equally determined that gas drilling comes nowhere near their dairy farm. They believe drilling for shale gas poses too much risk to their well water, the nearby trout stream and the area water supply that gives New York City, such pure water it is one of the few city systems that does not have to be filtered."If you don't have your water, you don't have anything," Pete Diehl says.
USA Today

New technique improves biofuel efficiency
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a more efficient technique for producing biofuels from woody plants that significantly reduces the waste that results from conventional biofuel production techniques.The technique is a significant step toward creating a commercially viable new source of biofuels. Traditionally, to make ethanol, butanol or other biofuels, producers have used corn, beets or other plant matter that is high in starches or simple sugars. However, since those crops are also significant staple foods, biofuels are competing with people for those crops.
Southeast Farm Press

Horses are sent to slaughter when rescues are full
The slaughter of horses for food is against the law in the U.S., but it's not illegal to transport the animals to other countries where eating horse meat is common. Sending unwanted horses to slaughterhouses is a last resort, many say, when rescue organizations and sanctuaries are full.
WBKO-TV (Bowling Green, Ky.)

Electrifying findings: New ways of boosting healthful antioxidant levels in potatoes
Scientists in Japan are busy zapping potatoes and, as a result, the fifth most popular food consumed around the world may one day become an even more healthful vegetable.
Science Daily

Federal Agencies are accepting comments on several issues that you might be interested in;

National Organic Program; Amendment to the National List of Allowed Substances-Synthetic Methionine
This interim rule amends the USDA National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to extend the use of synthetic methionine in organic poultry production.This interim rule becomes effective October 1, 2010. All comments received by October 25, 2010 will be considered prior to the issuance of a final rule. The agency will publish the final rule no later than March 2011.
USDA, Ag Marketing Service

EPA Official Denies Ag is Being Targeted
The EPA continues to clamp down on small-to medium-sized cattle feeding operations for violations of the Clean Water Act.  The agency's latest move involved eight northwest Iowa feedlots that have been ordered to apply for federal regulatory permits and cease discharges into streams.  Region 7 EPA Administrator Karl Brooks believes most changes can be made without significant financial burden on farmers."Every operation is different, every operator has a different set of factors he is working with -topography or the way he feeds," Brooks said. "In some cases the changes may be ones that you can make without a huge financial investment, in fact I think in most cases it's not a huge financial investment."
The Farmer Stockman

The Safe Food Transportation Act
Comments due August 30^th on Safe Food Transportation Act. The FDA has published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking asking for comments on the Safe Food Transportation Act of 2005. The scope of the SFTA-this will be partly determined by the outcome of the rulemaking. That's where your comments can be helpful.When an agency writes an ANPR, they are indeed asking for information.Their concerns center on food used for human or animal consumption that can become unfit during transportation, due to the method of transportation, a practice used in transport, a lack of information or standards, cross-contamination due to the unit used for dual purposes, packing problems, etc.To submit comments, refer to Docket No. FDA-2010- N-0013 at http://www.regulations.gov
FDA

Some say this is the real goal of the egg recall…
Egg Recall Exposes Flaws in Nation’s Food Safety System
“I think what this will do, its immediate impact, will be to dislodge the food safety legislation out of the Senate,” said Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, Democrat from Connecticut. “This outbreak can propel that forward.” The new food safety bill would give the F.D.A. more authority and resources…“‘The pending legislation is absolutely critical,’ Jeff Farrar, associate FDA commissioner for food protection, said in a conference call with reporters. ‘There are just numerous important measures in that bill that will give us new authorities and resources to do our jobs.’”
NYTimes.com

Food safety enforcement too limited, FDA chief says
Farms like the two involved in a massive recall of more than a half-billion eggs are rarely inspected by the federal government, officials say, as the Food and Drug Administration has traditionally reacted to outbreaks instead of working to prevent them.Food and Drug Administration chief Margaret Hamburg said her agency hasn't had enough authority to help prevent outbreaks like the more than 1,000 cases of salmonella poisoning linked to the eggs from two Iowa farms.Giving a series of network interviews, Hamburg said the FDA is taking the issue "very, very seriously." At the same time, she said Congress should pass legislation stalled in the Senate that would increase the frequency of inspections and give the agency authority to order a recall. Companies now have to issue such recalls voluntarily.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Salmonella linked to feed given to hens
Feed given to hens -- used at both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms -- is the likely source of contamination that led to a nationwide salmonella outbreak, federal officials said.The feed and some feed ingredients are believed to have been contaminated and are the source of the salmonella. It's possible the feed became contaminated after it went through heat treatment that was sufficient to kill salmonella, officials said.An official for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said the reported cases of salmonella enteriditis stood at 2,430 between May 1 and Aug. 25. That number is expected to rise.
CNN

USDA extends methionine use in organic poultry
USDA published for comment an interim rule that amends the agency's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances to extend the use of synthetic methionine in organic poultry production.
Meatingplace.com

Vilsack takes the blame, offered White House his resignation
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reportedly said that he offered to resign over the department's handling of former employee Shirley Sherrod
FOXNews (blog)

Speak Your Piece: The Road to Fort Collins
Thousands of ranchers, farmers and feedlot owners will be in Fort Collins on Friday for "the most important day in the history of the U.S. cattle industry and in rural America."
Daily Yonder

New GIPSA rules will not stop industry evolution
The parade of cowboys from both sides to Fort Collins is wasted effort and wasted resources. Drovers.com

Lawmakers Investigate Egg Recall as Illnesses Rise
The CDC, which received 1,953 reports of salmonella-related illnesses from May 1 to July 31, learned of 40 additional cases in the past few days, said Christopher Braden, acting director of the CDC’s division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases. Illnesses in at least 15 states are being investigated for potential links to the contaminated eggs, state and federal health officials have said. While it’s unclear how many of those cases are linked to the recalled eggs, the agency would have expected just 700 cases to have occurred during that time period, based on data from the previous five years, Braden said on the conference call.
Bloomberg.com

Food price inflation lowest since 1992: USDA
US food prices are forecast to rise at their lowest rate since 1992.
Reuters

Cattle, Hog Prices Drop as Retail Demand May Slow as US Economy Weakens
Cattle and hog futures fell for a second straight day on speculation that U.S. grocers are finished stocking up on meat before the Labor Day holiday.
Bloomberg

Egg prices jump on recall
Get ready to pay more for eggs as a result of the massive recall linked to Iowa’s DeCoster farms. The wholesale price of Grade A eggs has jumped by 38 percent to $1.35
Desmoinesregister.com

If you don’t think that the next farm bill will be under pressure;
Stop the Madness
With the huge increases in spending enacted in the last two years, it will be difficult to find a congressional consensus on spending reductions. If we cannot all agree, for example, that it's time to end federal subsidies for ethanol ($6 billion per year) and all manner of farm crop subsidies ($15 billion per year), we won't make any progress.
Wall Street Journal

The Teamster Tariffs
An 18-month trade war between the U.S. and its third largest trading partner took a turn for the worse when Mexico announced new tariffs on 26 previously tariff-free items that it imports from America. Washington state apples and California oranges and pistachios, among other things, will now cost 20% more in Mexico than they did last week. Cheeses from California and Wisconsin now face a 25% tariff. Though Mexico removed 16 items from the tariff list, the additions mean a net increase of 10 new U.S. exports facing Mexican duties and raise the value of the exports hit to $2.6 billion from $2.4 billion.
Wall Street Journal

USDA: corn crop looks to be biggest ever
The USDA says the current U.S. corn crop will be the biggest ever, 1.9% larger than last year's record harvest.According to predictions, growers will harvest 13.365 billion bushels of corn, up from last year's 13.110 billion bushels and more than the 13.245 billion bushels forecast last month.
Watt Feed News

What is missing in the balance of power discussions in the livestock industry?
“Balance of power issues in the poultry and livestock industries have been getting a lot attention lately…. The issues under debate have tended to center on relationships between livestock and poultry producers and the packers/integrators who process their animals. But some would argue that the more important but unacknowledged “elephant” in the livestock pen is the retail sector.
Ag Policy

Justice Department to challenge decision on embryonic stem cell studies
The Justice Department will file an appeal against Judge Royce Lamberth's decision imposing a preliminary injunction on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Lamberth ruled that allotting government money for such research breached the Dickey-Wicker law, which forbids the use of federal funds for studies involving the destruction of embryos. Meanwhile, some researchers are urging Democrats to introduce a bill seeking to overturn the judge's decision.
The Wall Street Journal

Opinion:Federal program hurting farms
Unintended results of the CRP program includes weeds and high land rents. Perhaps the most dramatic evidence of the weed problem afflicting the fertile farmland of Orange County's Black Dirt Region came last month, when countless, feathery white seeds from Canadian thistle took flight in the summer breeze.And suddenly, in the blistering heat of July, fields of growing onions and soybeans appeared to be caught in snow flurries. Under the federal Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, farmers in targeted areas are paid a premium rate to grow grass instead of food on their land for up to 15 years.
Recordonline.com

Celebrated Russian seed bank fights for its land
The world's first seed bank survived World War II thanks to 12 Russian scientists who chose to starve to death rather than eat the grain they were saving for future generations.Now the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry's seed bank is in danger again, because of court-approved plans to rip up its vast fields of genetically diverse plants and build fancy homes on the prime real estate they occupy near St. Petersburg.International organizations dedicated to agricultural diversity have appealed directly to President Dmitry Medvedev to save the Pavlovsk Agricultural Station, which they say could be crucial for sustaining fruit crops around the world as climate change and other threats weaken existing varieties.
The Associated Press

Sanderson Farms Says Russia Buying Chicken Again After Ban Ends
Sanderson Farms, Inc., said Russia resumed imports of the company’s poultry products after the country’s six-month ban on U.S. chicken led to swelling supplies and weaker prices.
Cattle Network

Russia may block US poultry on salmonella concerns
Russia may take action against imports of U.S. poultry unless it receives more assurance that the birds are not contaminated with salmonella.
Forexyard.com

Draft Clean Water Strategy released
The Coming Together for Clean Water event and online discussion gave us a lot to think about regarding how EPA can most effectively pursue our nation’s clean water goals. After a lot of consideration, we’ve developed this draft strategy to outline how we hope to accomplish those goals.We’re pleased to share this draft with you and welcome your comments. If you’re commenting about something specific, please include the section title, page and paragraph number to which you’re referring. Also, please indicate whether you’re commenting as a private citizen or on behalf of an organization (and if it’s the latter, please include the name of the organization as well).The draft strategy will be available for comment until September 17.
EPA

USDA Announces Funding to Expand School Community Gardens and Garden-Based Learning Opportunities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA will establish a People's Garden School Pilot Program to develop and run community gardens at eligible high-poverty schools; teach students involved in the gardens about agriculture production practices, diet, and nutrition; and evaluate the learning outcomes. A cooperative agreement will be awarded to implement a program in up to five States.
USDA

Regulators target residues in dairy cows
The Center for Veterinary Medicine wants to survey dairy cattle veterinarians.
Dairy Herd

In Italy, a Battle Over Genetically Modified Corn
An agronomist, defying the government, has planted genetically modified corn.Environmentalists and globalization opponents also have taken matters into their own hands.
NYTimes.com

Canada’s hog herd shrinks even more
Canada’s hog inventories continue to decline, the latest data show, suggesting North American supplies have yet to find a bottom.USDA’s quarterly U.S. and Canadian Hogs and Pigs report, which contained new data for the Canadian herd, showed the second-fewest number of hogs kept for breeding in Canada in at least a decade.
Meatingplace.com

Brazil Limits Foreign Land Purchases
Brazil's President Lula has signed a bill that will restrict foreign ownership of the country's bountiful farm land.
DTN

House Dems Announce Hearing on Egg Recall
The Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have scheduled a hearing to examine the government's response to the recall of hundreds of millions of eggs potentially contaminated with salmonella. Reps. Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak have already requested documents surrounding the episode from the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department and the two Iowa-based companies that have recalled more than 500 million eggs in recent weeks. But they also want to have a public airing when Congress returns. A hearing of the oversight panel is set for Tuesday, Sept. 14. A list of witnesses has not yet been made public.
The Hill

New analysis weighs lost trade, costs to control invasive species against economic damages
Bugs, plants, animals and viruses travel the globe, invading new territory and wreaking havoc as they upset the balance of nature, destroy agriculture and damage human health. Biological alien invaders are often introduced via international trade, forcing policymakers to regulate the movement of goods to stop them. Economists now examine which trade measures make good economic sense -- from restrictions to full protection.
Science Daily

Plague is detected in wild animals in North America
The Examiner

Shirley Sherrod Rejects Offer to Return to Agriculture Dept.
Shirley Sherrod declined to accept another Agriculture Department job after being wrongly fired earlier this summer, but left the door open for a change of mind.
NYTimes.com

Locavore Movement: New England Farmers and Bakers Unite
The Kneading Conference helps turn a scattered movement into the next new thing.
NYTimes.com

‘The Coming Famine’ by Julian Cribb    
Julian Cribb warns of worldwide famines in the near future, and offers sensible ways to help alleviate the “global feeding frenzy.”
NYTimes.com

Egg Recall Has Some Changing Buying, Eating Habits
As the probe into what caused the outbreak continues, restaurants and grocery stores are trying to put customers at ease by advertising that their eggs weren't recalled, home cooks and diners are overcooking eggs to eliminate runny yolks and slimy whites and a cottage industry has emerged offering eggs raised on smaller, family farms instead of by large corporations.
NPR

USDA pledge: commitment to production agriculture
USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Ag Services Jim Miller said the USDA is focused on building a new framework for rural America and enhancing opportunities for U.S. farms and ranches. He said achieving that goal depends on five key factors, including: commitment to new ways to strengthen farm income with agricultural research, expansion and diversification in rural communities to create opportunities for small businesses, even those not directly involved in agriculture,create jobs, many of which will be green jobs that are not easily exported, biofuel production will play a larger role in rural America, develop and retain markets abroad, and recognize that agriculture always faces unique situations with volatile markets and Mother Nature and consequently needs a safety net.
Southwest Farm Press

Lowering Daisy's emissions: Battle against agricultural climate offenders
Drought drives decade-long decline in plant growth
Parasite carried in dog feces threatens child's eyesight
Veterinarian urges anthrax vaccinations for livestock animals
Study: Human drugs are the most toxic substances for pets
Cargill reports more than double net earnings from last year
Eating berries may activate the brain's natural housekeeper for healthy aging
Watermelon King's weighty entry wins big at the Kentucky State Fair
Georgia gets cut of stimulus funds for broadband
Dairy farm calls N.C. State grad home
Agricenter shows off progress in developing renewable energy sources
New TV show to feature women in agriculture
The graying of Oregon agriculture
Challenges of biofuels infrastructure
Rural areas fear loss of sugar beet crop
More farmers are tweeting to respond to activists