“Mexico Activates U.S. Pork Tariffs”
The U.S. Meat Export Federation says Mexico has published its list of U.S. pork products on which it will impose retaliatory tariffs, amid a cross-border trucking dispute. The tariffs apply to hams, shoulders, cuts thereof, bone-in, fresh/chilled and frozen pork product, as well as cooked pork skin in pieces. The tariff rate on ham and shoulder cuts is 5 percent and the tariff on cooked skin pellets is 20 percent. All tariffs were implemented yesterday (Thursday).
Mexico’s new pork tariffs are not expected to stop imports of the meat, which will remain cheaper than pork from other sources in a country that has developed a strong appetite for pork. In three of the past five years, at least 20 percent of U.S. pork exports have gone to Mexico. It is believed that Mexico will be hard-pressed to replace it from other sources at competitive shipping rates. As a result, analysts expect a quick resolution of the trade dispute.
U.S. Meat Export federation President and CEO Phil Seng says – consumers in Mexico and pork producers in the United States are both going to pay a price for a dispute that is certainly not of their making. He called the tariffs – an unnecessary barrier that interferes with free trade and offers no benefit to anyone. Industry and government officials are working to resolve the issue.
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“Mexico Targets More Than Pork”
While pork is the main focus of new Mexican tariffs, the updated retaliation list includes tariffs on certain types of U.S. cheese, pistachios, a wide range of U.S. fruits and vegetables and other farm and non-farm goods. The American Farm Bureau Federation blames the U.S. government for not meeting obligations to allow Mexican trucks to operate in the United States. Farm Bureau says America’s farmers and ranchers are paying a steep price and the federation is calling for immediate action to correct the matter.
Mexico has taken action because under NAFTA, Mexican motor carriers are allowed to transport international cargo within the United States. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a demonstration project to begin implementation of the negotiated cross-border trucking provisions. In March 2009, Congress failed to renew the program to allow a limited number of trucks from Mexico to haul loads into the United States beyond a 25-mile zone.
AFBF President Bob Stallman says, – Mexico is one of our best trading partners and allowing this retaliation to continue for a provision we are obligated to meet is simply unacceptable. Stallman notes – we sell a huge amount of food and farm goods to Mexico, so we have a lot to lose.
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“President Appoints USDA Officer”
President Obama is taking advantage of the Congressional recess to appoint Elisabeth Hagen, to be Under Secretary for Food Safety in the Department of Agriculture. Presently serving as an advisor to USDA mission areas on a wide range of human health issues, Dr. Hagen was previously a senior executive in USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
In making the recess appointment, the President said – at a time when our nation faces so many pressing challenges, I urge members of the Senate to stop playing politics with our highly qualified nominees, and fulfill their responsibilities of advice and consent. Mr. Obama added, – until they do, I reserve the right to act within my authority to do what is best for the American people. Dr. Hagen is one of four nominees who have waited a total of 303 days for Senate Confirmation.
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must normally be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office. However while the U.S. Senate is in recess the President can act alone by making a recess appointment. To remain in effect a recess appointment must be approved by the Senate by the end of the next session of Congress, or the position becomes vacant again.
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“Pilot SNAP Program Started”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says Hampden County, Massachusetts will conduct the first-ever Healthy Incentives Pilot – an incentives-based program to empower low-income Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables. Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, the program will use 20-million dollars to research whether incentives for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will increase their purchase of healthful foods.
The Healthy Incentives Pilot will enroll 7,500 randomly selected SNAP households to receive incentives. For every dollar participants spend on fruits and vegetables using their SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, 30 cents will be added to their benefit balance – thus cutting the cost of fruits and vegetables by almost one-third.
Massachusetts was selected competitively based on its comprehensive pilot proposal that included very thorough and strong design, implementation, staffing and management plans. Hampden County is a mix of 27 urban, rural, and suburban cities with a total of 50-thousand SNAP households. The majority of recipients are concentrated in the areas of Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. Massachusetts will begin operating the pilot in the fall of 2011.
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“Farmer-to-Farmer Program is Working”
By American standards, farming is primitive in Senegal. Much of the fieldwork there is done by hand, or with small implements. Kansas Farmers Union President Donn Teske recently returned from Africa, where he worked with local farmers who are working together to improve their agricultural practices and income. Working through the Farmer-to-Farmer Program, Teske observed tillage and fertilization practices, some of which would not boost production but would lead to erosion.
The goal of this Farmer-to-Farmer project is to help farmers in developing countries in other areas of the world learn to make the most of their resources by tapping the knowledge of American farmers. In Senegal, the farmers group in the village of Keur Ali Gueye are learning to double their production of millet and process it into a food staple known as couscous and sell it in the nearby town of Nioro.
Teske believes the Farmer-to-Farmer program is an excellent way for American farmers to both teach and learn from farmers in other nations. He says – farmers often share much more in common than they realize, once they are able to meet face-to-face. This is true whether they are talking across a fence or in a field half a world away. The Farmer-to-Farmer program is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Cooperative Business Association and National Farmers Union.
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“Make Sure EEE Vaccinations Current”
Vaccinating horses at the proper time of the year for Eastern Equine Encephalitis is critical to ensuring animal health and protection from the mosquito-carried disease. But, timing of those vaccinations is important. According to Michigan State University equine veterinarian Judy Marteniuk, horses vaccinated after late March should be protected, but those vaccinated prior to March should receive an EEE booster.
EEE is a vector disease, which means it cannot be transmitted from horse to horse. In EEE, Mosquitoes are the vectors, or carriers, that transmit the disease to horses, which can result in death. However, there is a caveat. Marteniuk says – early foaling broodmares that were vaccinated early on should get a booster in order to provide protection to their foals. The vaccine should be effective for six to eight months.
Karen Waite, MSU Extension equine specialist, cautions – if you have a horse and are unsure of its vaccination history, you should revaccinate them to be sure they are protected. Marteniuk advises – any horse not vaccinated in the past one to two years should receive a booster two weeks after the initial vaccination, rather than waiting the usual three to four weeks according to routine vaccination protocol.
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“Researchers Controlling Gene Expression in Rice”
Rice is under constant threat from pathogens such as rice blast, a fungus found in fields worldwide, and sheath blight, a continuing threat to U.S. growers. Scientists who develop disease-resistant varieties often find that introducing a gene may prevent disease in one part of the plant, but also may reduce seed quality or produce other “side effects” because the gene is expressed throughout the plant. USDA scientists have developed a new tool for improving the expression of desirable genes in rice in parts of the plant where the results will do the most good.
Roger Thilmony, a geneticist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, has shown that tissue-specific promoters, such as LP2, are segments of genes that can direct the activity of introduced genes only to parts of the plant where the beneficial traits are needed. Thilmony works at the ARS Crop Improvement and Utilization Research Unit in Albany, California.
In experiments, Thilmony and his ARS colleagues fused the LP2 promoter with a “reporter gene” known to produce a specific enzyme, and inserted that fused DNA package into seven lines of rice to see where the enzyme would be produced. They found that the LP2 promoter steered expression of the reporter gene specifically to green tissues where photosynthesis occurs. The reporter gene enzyme activity was highest in the leaves, and nearly undetectable in the roots, seeds and flower parts.
