“President to Consider South Korean Trade Deal Next Year”
President Obama says he will work to win Congressional approval of the South Korean trade deal in 2010. Economically, the trade pact would be the biggest free trade deal Congress has seen since the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. Moving the deal next year would put the legislation right in the middle of an election year.
Mr. Obama was expected to discuss the situation with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak while visiting that nation.
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“Brazil Wins Cotton Export Credit Guarantee Decision”
The World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body has officially recognized the August 2009 Arbitration Panel finding. Under the ruling, Brazil can impose up to 147-million dollars annually in countermeasures related to the U.S. cotton program. The amount will vary from year to year based on a formula established by the Panel. Brazil has previously implied that it will be entitled to over 650-million dollars in retaliation, bringing total countermeasures of more than 800-million.
National Cotton Council President Mark Lange says, – although commonly referred to as the cotton case, the U.S. export credit guarantee program accounts for a large amount of the total damage award claimed by Brazil. Still, NCC Chairman Jay Hardwick believes, – it is astonishing to think to that anyone would conclude today that U.S. cotton production is damaging Brazilian cotton interests.
In September, the Council joined 34 other agricultural organizations in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative urging the United States to seek a new WTO compliance panel to update the ruling on the GSM-102 export credit guarantee program. The Council believes the WTO’s decision does not reflect changes made to the program since 2005. Also, the ruling does not appreciate the market and policy changes for U.S. cotton since 2005.
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“Corn Genome Sequencing Complete”
Results of the Maize Genome Sequencing Project…the first comprehensive gene map of North American Corn… will be made available to the public today by the National Corn Growers Association. Publication of these results marks the end of over a decade-long collaboration researching the genomic sequence of U.S. maize. NCGA says, now, both public and private scientists will take this knowledge and develop real world applications and innovative technological advances that will improve plants and expand their uses to meet growing needs for food, feed and fuel.
Information encoded in the corn genome can help scientists improve water and nitrogen use efficiencies, help plants cope with disease, pests and adverse weather, and allow breeders to develop innovative products for specific end users. By decreasing the inputs needed and increasing yields, these traits will also allow corn to become and even more sustainable crop.
Larry Hasheider, NCGA Research and Business Development Chair and Illinois corn farmer, says – this is a milestone for all of our nation’s corn farmers that will open the door for higher yields, and improved grain quality traits for livestock and industry needs. Hasheider proclaims – corn will continue to be the leading feed grain for the world.
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“New Senate Health Care Bill Faces Rocky Future”
Calling it a – tremendous step forward, Nevada Senator Harry Reid unveiled the Senate health care bill that makes health care more affordable while reducing the federal deficit. According to Reid, – this bill will cut the deficit by 130-billion dollars, extend coverage to more than 94 percent of Americans and insure 31 million more of the uninsured. An estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation says Reid’s proposal would trim federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs by 491-billion dollars in 2010-19.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was critical of the proposal, calling it an ill-conceived, back-room deal. The Kentucky Senator points out – the bill increases premiums, raises taxes, and slashes Medicare by half a trillion dollars to create a new government program. He says, – this is not what the American people want.
An advisory e-mail, sent to Democratic staff, states Oklahoma Representative Tom Coburn is prepared to force the Senate clerk to read Reid’s entire proposal word-for-word on the floor. The process is expected to take up to 50 hours and could keep the Senate in session through next Tuesday
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“FB President Speaks Out on Legislation”
The President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bob Stallman, is happy with the decision by Senate leadership to delay consideration of climate change legislation until the spring of 2010. Stallman says, – this move offers a great opportunity for lawmakers to go back to the drawing board and re-assess the need for this legislation and the impact it will have on all Americans. Climate change legislation now being considered would have farmers and ranchers seeing higher fuel, fertilizer and energy costs. And the cap-and-trade provisions would do little more than downsize American agriculture and our ability to produce food in this nation.
Stallman is also speaking out, this time in support of H.R. 3227, which would provide for the extension and expansion of the charitable deduction for donated food. In his message to the House Ways and Means Committee, Stallman pointed out that, – H.R. 3227 makes the enhanced tax incentive permanent and expands the deduction so that farmers and ranchers who use cash basis accounting will also be able to recover some of their harvest and transportation costs. Stallman believes that many more farmers and ranchers would donate food if they were able to bear the costs of harvesting and transporting food from fields to food banks.
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“Second Hearing Scheduled on Financial Regulatory Reform”
Senate Ag Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln has scheduled a second hearing on financial regulatory reform. Titled: OTC Derivatives Reform and Addressing Systemic Risk, this hearing will examine the Administration’s proposed legislation on financial regulatory reform with Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner testifying on behalf of the Administration. The Committee will examine the proposal from various perspectives, and will also address suggested alternatives. The Ag Committee hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am eastern time.
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“Farm Bureau Says Farmers Need Assistance”
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, farmers and ranchers in many areas of the nation have been hit hard by late planting and a protracted, wet harvest season and they would benefit greatly from the Agriculture Department maximizing farm bill emergency assistance programs. AFBF President Bob Stallman wrote Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack to tell him – farmers are experiencing both quality and quantity losses and many still do not have crops out of the fields.
In light of the situation, Stallman urged Vilsack to maximize the use of farm bill programs such as Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments and Emergency Loans to aid farmers and ranchers. Further, Stallman requested that USDA – act as it has in the past and provide farmers and ranchers with estimated fast-tracked partial disaster payments for the 2009 crop year as quickly as possible.
AFBF also urged USDA to consider using its authority under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to maximize Emergency Loans program funds by offering as many farmers as possible guaranteed rather than direct loans. Stallman wrote, – guaranteeing private loans versus providing them directly will help USDA stretch limited funding to assist the largest number of producers possible in a fiscally responsible way.
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“National Corn Yield Contest Deadline Nears”
The entry deadline for the 2009 National Corn Yield Contest is December first. The National Corn Growers Association reminds entrants that the online harvest form can help speed up their reporting of corn harvest information as the deadline approaches. Already, NCGA has processed 6,955 entries – a 3.5 percent increase over 2008 and a 41 percent increase over 2007. The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 45th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members.
Despite the delayed fall harvest the December First deadline will not be extended. Steve Ebke, chairman of the NCGA Production and Stewardship action Team, says- while we understand that growers are busy trying to catch up on harvesting, it is still very important that they make the December 1 postmark deadline
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“Better Peanut Test Available”
Peanut producers and processors now have an instantaneous way to measure both moisture and density of in-shell peanuts by using a microwave meter. The new apparatus, developed by ARS scientists, measures density and moisture independently, eliminating an extra testing step and improving an earlier technology that used radio frequencies to determine moisture content.
In the new process, in-shell peanuts are loaded directly into the sample holder of the microwave meter, an antenna transmits low-intensity microwaves into the peanut pods, and a receiving antenna measures alterations in the energy level and velocity of the microwaves, as they pass through the pods, revealing moisture content in the kernels and bulk density of the peanut pods. The new technique also eliminates the need for multiple calibrations and compensates for density and temperature.
Moisture content is the most important factor in peanut quality. Using the new technology, peanut graders can determine peanut kernel moisture content with only about 0.5 percent standard error. Researchers say the method is rapid, nondestructive and eliminates the need for shelling the peanut pods.
