“Russia and U.S. Debating Chlorine Rinse”
Russian demand for U.S. chicken is expected to remain strong until that country’s cold storage stocks are replenished. Presently only 12 U.S. processing plants are permitted to ship to Russia. The U.S. believes 27 plants should be eligible. Prices are strong. There is debate over an agreement between the two nations.
The Russians want an assurance from the Obama administration or individual U.S. poultry companies that U.S. plants are not rinsing birds in chlorine. American trade officials argue that an assurance or certification of compliance is not necessary because the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service system is set up to ensure compliance.
Meanwhile, the Russian consumer rights watchdog says it may ban U.S. poultry imports after 550-million U.S. eggs were recalled last week amid a salmonella outbreak. Gennady Onishchenko, Chief of the Watchdog agency, says – we are assessing the situation to find out if there is a need to toughen regulations on poultry imports from the United States.
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“Speaker Ready to Address Issues at Workshop”
Iowa Farmers Union President Chris Petersen will represent Iowa Farmers Union and the Center for Rural Affairs Friday when he serves on a panel during the public workshop on competition and antitrust in livestock markets and the meat packing industry. The event is hosted by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Justice at Colorado State University.
Petersen, who farms near Clear Lake, Iowa, says – what is being done to farming and ranching, and really, all of rural America today, is inexcusable and unacceptable. I intend to go to Fort Collins and stand up and fight for family farmers, ranchers and our small cities and towns. I’m going there to share some thoughts with Attorney General Holder and Secretary Vilsack about what they can and should do to breathe some life, some competition, some fairness back into our livestock markets and give some hope to family farm and ranch livestock producers.
John Crabtree of the Center for Rural Affairs, says the Center for Rural Affairs has and will continue to urge USDA to hold their ground and end the volume-based, “sweetheart” deals that packers routinely give to the nation’s largest hog and cattle producers. He adds, – USDA has written a strong rule that will improve enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act and challenge the price discrimination against family farmers and ranchers that has driven tens of thousands of them out of the livestock business.
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“Pork Producers’ Intent Under Question”
The director of the Factory Farming Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States 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.
HSUS is part of a coalition that gathered more than 190-thousand signatures of registered Missouri voters to place an anti-puppy mill measure on the November 2010 statewide ballot that would require anyone who has more than 10 breeding dogs to meet certain standards for housing, food and veterinary care. Owners would be limited to no more than 50 breeding dogs.
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.
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“Pilot People’s Garden School Program Announced”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says 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. This is a one-million dollar pilot program and a cooperative agreement will be awarded to implement a program in up to five States. To be eligible as project sites, schools must have 50 percent or more students qualifying for free or reduced-price school meals.
Part of a broad USDA effort to provide children with access to a nutritious and safe diet, this initiative also aims to influence healthier choices for all American households. Produce raised in the gardens can be used in the schools’ meals and by student households, local food banks, or senior center nutrition programs.
Through this pilot program, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service seeks to identify models of successful school garden initiatives which then can be marketed to the K-12 community for inspiration, ideas, and replication.
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“Imaging Test Help Identify Campylobacter”
High-tech imaging can now be used to distinguish the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter from other microorganisms. A research team led by ARS electronics engineer Seung-Chul Yoon at ARS’s Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit in Athens, Georgia, developed the imaging technique called hyperspectral imaging, to detect Campylobacter colonies on solid media in 24 hours. Normally, isolation and detection for identification of Campylobacter involve time-consuming or complicated laboratory tests that may take several days to a week.
According to the study, microorganisms grown on solid media carry unique spectral fingerprints in the specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Hyperspectral imaging combines digital imaging with spectroscopy to provide hundreds of individual wavelength measurements for each image pixel. The imager identifies these fingerprints by measuring light waves that bounce off or through these objects.
This “sensing” technology, is nearly 100 percent accurate with pure cultures of the microorganisms and can be used for early detection of presumptive Campylobacter colonies in mixed cultures. The researchers are working toward developing a presumptive screening technique to detect Salmonella and Campylobacter in food samples.
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“Big Bud Ready for Show”
The world’s largest farm tractor is “Big Bud”. The Big Bud 747 tractor was built in Havre, Montana by Ron Harmon and the crew of the Northern Manufacturing Company. It can work more than one acre per minute, at speeds up to 8 mph. Except for its new paint job, chrome stacks, and a whopping 900 plus horse power plant – the Big Bud looks like it did when it rolled out of the Northern Manufacturing Company building back in 1977.
So, what does it look like, you ask? “Big Bud” measures 27 feet long, 20 feet wide and 14 feet tall, and weighs in at 100-thousand pounds. The tractor will be featured by Crop Production service, Dyna-Gro seed and Loveland Products at the 2010 Farm Progress Show, August 31 through September 2, in Boone, Iowa.
