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Farmers to have say on animal ID system

With about a third of farms participating nationwide, a federal system that would track livestock from birth to slaughter -- allowing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pinpoint where a diseased animal came from -- has gotten little traction in the five years since it started.
As a result, the federal agency is bringing its nationwide "listening tour" with farmers to Riverside this week to get their suggestions for improving the voluntary National Animal Identification System.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack "wanted to take a fresh look at the program," said Joelle Schelhaus, spokeswoman with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The listening tour ends June 30.
The meeting in Riverside is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday at the Mission Inn Hotel.
Other meetings have sometimes attracted hundreds of farmers, many with concerns, according to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The group has been vocal about what it feels is an ineffective and costly system for family farmers. They fear the USDA program could be made mandatory because so few farms have signed up in five years.
"You can't fix it. It's so far broken," said Brian Cummings, a public relations consultant for the group.
To view the complete story, visit http://www.pe.com/rss/business/stories/PE_Biz_S_usda17.41a27f4.html

Belt Lawmakers Challenge Climate Bill

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said June 16th that Farm Belt lawmakers are in "a big revolt" over the leading congressional proposal to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.

Rep. Collin Peterson (D., Minn.) said he and Farm Belt colleagues want the measure overhauled to soften the impact on areas of the country, such as the Midwest, that rely heavily on cheap, coal-burning power plants. He also challenged the White House's latest climate warnings, saying farmers in his district would welcome warmer temperatures after a recent cold spell.

"It looks to us they made a deal on the two coasts with the big guys and didn't think about us...the farms, the Midwest," Mr. Peterson said, referring to the bill's leading authors, Reps. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and Edward Markey (D., Mass.).

The comments by Mr. Peterson are the latest sign that regional divides within the Democratic caucus are threatening the party leadership's effort to pass climate legislation before the July Fourth recess. At that point, House leaders and President Barack Obama want to shift the House's attention to health-care legislation.

Mr. Peterson's comments also suggest that Democratic leaders are at odds not only over how to curb emissions, but also over the urgency of doing so.

To view the complete story, visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124520189754821613.html#printMode

Bill Boosting FDA Oversight Of Food Wins Panel Approval

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on June 17th approved legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration significantly more funding and power to police food safety.

The bill comes in response to deadly outbreaks of illnesses traced to tainted spinach, peanuts, hot peppers and other foods. It is designed to plug holes in the regulation of most food items other than meat.

The FDA has been under fire for its inability to prevent food-poisoning cases, quickly trace them to their source or find the causes.

The legislation would give the FDA authority to order food recalls, impose new civil penalties and require companies to follow food-safety standards. It also would require the agency to inspect so-called high-risk food facilities at least once a year and make companies keep detailed records to help the FDA more quickly trace the distribution of tainted foods and track the course of the contamination.

To help fund the work, the bill would require some 378,000 food facilities, including 223,000 overseas, to pay an annual registration fee of $500. The legislation exempts farms that raise meat and poultry and other facilities regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The unanimous voice vote for a version of the bill offered by committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) followed more than a week of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.

To view the complete story, visit http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB124526262358724091-lMyQjAxMDI5NDE1ODIxNjgyWj.html#printMode

Dairy Products Prices
As of June 12, 2009

Cheddar Cheese
U.S. 40 pound block $1.14/pound (up $0.01 from June 6, 2009)
U.S. 500 pound barrels $1.11/pound (up $0.01 from June 6, 2009)

Butter
U.S. 68 pound box, USDA Grade AA $1.23/pound (down $0.024 from June 6, 2009)

Nonfat Dry Milk
USDA Extra Grade $0.84/pound (down $0.005 from June 6, 2009)

Dry Whey
USDA Extra Grade $0.26/pound (up $0.019 from June 6, 2009)

Source – USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Dairy Products Prices released June 12, 2009

Milk Production
As of June18, 2009

23 Major States - May 2009
15.5 billion pounds
Nominal increase from May 2008

23 Major States - April 2009Revised
14.9 billion pounds
0.1 percent increase from April 2008
10 million pounds – revised amount increase
0.1 percent – revised amount increase

Source – USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Milk Production released June 18, 2009

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