Tuesday's Headlines

“Obama Lifts Food Safety Profile”

Saturday, during his weekly radio address, President Obama boosted the profile of the food safety issue by saying he would appoint a new working group to produce legislative recommendations for overhauling food safety laws - as soon as possible. Congressional food safety advocates say they are optimistic that President Obama’s endorsement of their cause will breathe life into efforts that have remained stalled.

There are several food safety proposals now being discussed in Congress that share several components. They would: 1/ require food manufacturers to design a safety plan outlining preventive controls; 2/ empower the FDA to order recalls when food companies do not voluntarily withdraw tainted products; and 3/ work to establish methods for tracking products back to their sources in the event of an outbreak of food-borne illnesses.

Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. He says - it’s no longer a matter of if the Food and Drug Administration will be reformed, but rather a matter of when and how.
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“Interior Dept. to Let 40 Major Energy Leases”

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says his department will hold more than 40 major lease sales for oil and natural gas development on public lands this year. Those sales are expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for American taxpayers as well as billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas to help meet the nation’s energy needs. Salazar is also establishing the development of renewable and alternative energy sources on U.S. public lands as a Departmental priority.

While making the announcement, Salazar said - oil, natural gas, and coal will play an important role in meeting our nation’s energy needs for many years to come. But, he added, our long-term economic, environmental, and national security depends on our ability to lead the clean energy revolution. Salazar emphasized, - our traditional energy resources are a bridge to our clean-energy economy of the future.

Salazar will lay out his plan before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday morning. Then on Thursday he will meet with the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute, including the CEO’s of America’s largest oil companies. He says - my message to them will be simple: they are, and will remain, an important part of our energy future. We need to work together on common sense solutions to the energy challenges we face.
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“Senators Warn EPA About Making Assumptions”

A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. Senators wants the Environmental Protection Agency not to propose regulations that assume greater U.S. biofuels use would increase carbon dioxide emissions. In a letter sent to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the Senators recommend that EPA refrain from including calculations of the effects of indirect land use changes in their rulemaking at this time. They say - such calculations could make it harder for ethanol and biodiesel to meet requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 for reduced carbon emissions.

The law requires biofuels to meet certain life-cycle greenhouse gas emission caps in order to qualify for the RFS. And, it specifies that those life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are to include the effects of indirect land use changes. The Senators say - the ability to calculate future indirect land use changes resulting from production of biofuels is very limited by the lack of both proven and accepted land use models and sufficient information about input data.

One of the Senators, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, says - it defies common sense that EPA would publish a proposed rulemaking with harmful conclusions for biofuels based on incomplete science and inaccurate assumptions. Tom Harkin of Iowa also signed the letter. He says - the Renewable Fuel Standard is essential to breaking our over-dependence on oil. To do that, we need new domestic fuels as well as new vehicle technologies.
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“Gensler Nomination Headed to Full Senate After Ag Vote”

The Senate Ag Committee voted Monday on the nomination of Gary Gensler as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The committee approved the nomination by a roll-call vote - clearing the way for a full Senate vote. Gensler is a former Goldman Sachs executive. Chairman Tom Harkin said after the vote that the nation’s financial system needs a stronger and more effective regulatory scheme. He said the current economic crisis makes that painfully clear. And he said an effective leader is needed at the CFTC. According to Harkin - Gensler responded to all questions at his confirmation hearing carefully and knowledgeably. Harkin said he’s hopeful Gensler will lead effectively in reforming and restoring regulation of trading in futures and other derivatives contracts.
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“NCBA Steps Away From Coalition”

The Food Before Fuel Coalition has one less member. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has withdrawn its membership in the Coalition. NCBA wants to concentrate its efforts on eliminating government intervention in the renewable energy market. NCBA President Gary Voogt says the Coalition has helped to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of the government's excessive subsidization of the ethanol industry. But, - as the Coalition's work broadens, we remain focused on a single goal: ensuring a level playing field for our cattle producers.

There are three government programs NCBA wants to change: the renewable fuels mandate, the blender's tax credit and the import tariff. The organization continues to support the development of renewable energy sources as long as they don't rely on feed for livestock.

Since January of 2008, cattle feeders have lost four-billion dollars due to high feed costs. Soaring feed costs and government payments to the ethanol industry are hurting small businesses and family ranches, and according to Voogt - cattle producers don't ask for subsidies, just equal footing.
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“Coalition to USTR: Defend COOL”

As the mandatory country-of-origin labeling law went into effect Monday, a dozen agriculture organizations announced they have joined forces to request the U.S. Trade Representative to urgently defend the mandatory COOL law. In December 2008, both Mexico and Canada filed complaints against the U.S. COOL law, claiming it violates World Trade Organization obligations. R-CALF USD CEO Bill Bullard says - we expect USTR to protect U.S. consumers by successfully defending COOL against any and all challenges.

Bullard said – it is unbelievably arrogant that Canada and Mexico believe they should be allowed to override the will of U.S. consumers – consumers who deserve the right to know where the food comes from that they feed their families. He added - this challenge, by two of our closest trading partners, undermines key trade policy objectives of the Obama Administration. Bullard adds - defending these rules would reaffirm the President’s long-standing commitment to COOL.

The organizations making up this COOL coalition are : R-CALF USA; the Coalition for a Prosperous America; the Consumer Federation of America; Food & Water Watch; the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement; the Missouri Rural Crisis Center; the National Family Farm Coalition; the National Farmers Union; the Organization for Competitive Markets; Public Citizen; Rural Advancement Foundation International—USA; and, the Western Organization of Resource Councils.
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“Beef Exports Strong”

While the success of exporting U.S. pork has been well documented, beef exports have also been strong. Beef export numbers from January reveal beef muscle cut exports jumped 13 percent in volume and 15 percent in value – about 186.5-million dollars, compared to a year earlier. With beef variety meat exports down in both volume and value, total beef plus beef variety meat exports were up 4 percent in value to 233-million dollars.

USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng says this is – very gratifying, especially in the face of so much economic uncertainty. Seng adds - even with overseas consumers constricting their spending in many areas, they recognize the quality, consistency and affordable value delivered by U.S. beef.

Despite a decline in exports to both countries, Mexico and Canada remained the top two destinations for U.S. beef in January, combining to account for 56 percent of the value and 54 percent of the volume worldwide. South Korea emerged as the third-largest market in January with imports valued at 27.6 million, about 20 percent higher than the previous month.
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“Stop a Water Leak Week”

As winter turns into spring, water supplies on the farm spring leaks. Or at least the leaks are more obvious. And as nasty as the job can get they must be repaired. To that end the Environmental Protection Agency has declared this “Fix a Leak Week” to encourage water efficiency.

The EPA says minor water leaks account for more than one-trillion gallons of water wasted each year, just in U.S. homes. Not to mention the losses in feeding lots.
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