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Farm Bill Remains Gridlocked in Senate
Published: November 14, 2007
The 2007 farm bill remains gridlocked in the Senate over a procedural dispute on the number and scope of amendments that can be offered (often called "filling the amendment tree"). NASDA and other agricultural organizations have sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to move forward on the farm bill and pass legislation this year.
The "procedural standoff" began November 6 after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made a parliamentary move to limit amendments only to issues that are directly germane to the farm bill legislation. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republican lawmakers objected and said they wanted to offer amendments on estate taxes, renewable fuels, and other issues. Negotiations between the two leaders are continuing. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is working with the leadership to move the farm bill forward. Harkin and other Democrats want a "reasonable" process for amendments and believe any amendments must be relevant to the legislation. Several Republican members have said their amendments on estate taxes, renewable fuels, and other issues are relevant and important to the farm bill debate.
About 100 amendments have been filed and committee staff is working behind the scenes to reach agreement on many of these issues. However, these amendments cannot be finalized until the procedural dispute is resolved. Technically, the Senate will continue "off and on" floor discussion on the farm bill throughout this week, but will not vote on any amendments unless the procedural logjam is resolved.
Harkin's staff held a briefing for agricultural stakeholders on November 13 and emphasized that there is an urgency to move forward on the farm bill. Congress adjourns for a two-week Thanksgiving recess on November 16 and returns to work December 4. (Contact: Charlie Ingram or Jennifer Yezak)
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FY08 Appropriations Bills Remain Deadlocked
Published: November 14, 2007
Lawmakers in the House and Senate remain deadlocked on the FY08 appropriations bills and approved a second continuing budget resolution late November 8 to fund government operations until December 14. Congress has approved only one of the twelve annual spending bills for the FY08 fiscal year which began October 1.
Congressional leaders have been struggling for weeks to resolve disputes over the spending levels for major domestic programs. President Bush has promised to veto several budget bills, while lawmakers are expected to try and override any vetoes. There is much speculation that many of the annual spending bills will eventually be wrapped up in an omnibus appropriations package. The FY08 agriculture appropriations bill was approved by the House last July, but the full Senate has not taken action. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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Applicator Core Competency Products Now Available
Published: November 14, 2007
Using cooperative agreement funding from the U.S. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, the NASDA Research Foundation (NASDARF) has finalized a comprehensive national core competency exam for pesticide applicators, an accompanying core study manual, and an exam administration guide. The applicator exam was generated using a validation process involving workgroup representatives from all aspects of the pesticide application business.
Workgroup members were recruited with an emphasis on professional, geographic, and experiential diversity. Private and commercial agricultural applicators, structural pest control operators, aquatic pest specialists, and others in the profession were represented on the workgroup. Regulatory experts from state departments of agriculture and University cooperative extension pesticide applicator educators played a significant role in the comprehensive three-year core exam and core manual development process. Exam questions underwent extensive field trials to assess their validity in real world applicator examination scenarios.
Last summer, NASDARF released the National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual designed as an educational, training, and outreach publication for applicators preparing to take the core exam. In addition to the exam and core manual, NASDA supported the Certification and Training Assessment Group (CTAG) development of an exam administration guide. The guide was developed as a best practices tool for organizations administering certification exams to pesticide applicators. The national core exam and manual, as well as the exam administration guide, are now available for use by states, tribes, and federal agencies certifying pesticide applicators. NASDARF looks forward to working with pesticide worker safety partners to implement this applicator core competency project nationally. (Contact: Dick Herrett)
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Administration Announces Import Safety Plan
Published: November 14, 2007
The administration's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety released its action plan on November 6 which outlines recommendations to improve the safety of imports entering the United States. President Bush established the panel last July to identify ways to further increase the safety of imports entering the United States.
The working group is chaired by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt and comprises twelve federal departments and agencies. The action plan contains fourteen broad recommendations and fifty action steps to better protect American consumers and enhance the import safety. Some of the recommendations will be implemented through agency rule-making, but others will require Congressional approval. For example, the plan proposes the give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandatory recall authority for food products.
Generally, the plan proposes to replace the current approach to import safety where inspections are made at the border with a risk-based and prevention-focused model. It proposes a stronger certification process by giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) greater authority to require that certain high risk foods from foreign producers meet U.S. standards in order to export to this country. Voluntary certification would be encouraged for foreign manufacturers of other products.
Highlights of the action plan include: (1) adopting best practices to improve import safety and providing incentives to importers to maintain the highest safety practices for products that carry greater risks; (2) exchanging real-time product and compliance data on each import transaction; (3) increasing the U.S. presence overseas and increasing training for foreign inspection agencies; (4) giving new authority to import safety and inspection agencies to strengthen their standards; (5) strengthening penalties for unsafe products.
More information on the Import Safety Working Group and the action plan is available at http://www.importsafety.gov. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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Dunkle Sets Retirement Date
Published: November 14, 2007
After eight years as the deputy administrator of Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ), Ric Dunkle has announced his plans to retire, effective January 3, 2008. He has 28 years of federal service and another seven years of state service at the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
In announcing his retirement, Dunkle listed numerous invasive species that PPQ has had the responsibility to deal with while he's been with the agency; e.g., numerous difficult eradication and suppression campaigns such as citrus canker, Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, fruit flies, and now light brown apple moth and potato cyst nematode, just to name a few. Dunkle noted in his retirement announcement the science-based achievements and dedication of the PPQ staff during his tenure; e.g., risk assessment and pathway analysis, regulatory reform, emergency preparedness and response, strategic and operational planning, workforce and succession planning, training and development, information technology, program management and financial accountability, and overall problem-solving capabilities.
On a personal note, Ric and his wife are building a retirement home near Winchester, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. He plans do a lot of gardening, wine making, fishing, traveling and spending quality time with their four grandchildren. On the professional side, he plans to help address the many and varied issues associated with seed health both domestically and internationally through an affiliation with the American Seed Trade Association.
NASDA has had the good fortune to work closely with Ric over his years at the helm of PPQ, in conjunction with the National Plant Board. (Contact: Bob Ehart)
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FDA Releases Food Protection Plan
Published: November 14, 2007
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a comprehensive Food Protection Plan on November 6 to further strengthen the safety of the U.S. food supply. The plan was released as part of the administration's Import Safety Action Plan (see separate NASDA News story) and was initiated by the agency last May in the wake of several food product recalls.
The Food Protection Plan outlines three basic goals: prevention, intervention, and response. First, the plan would focus on FDA efforts to prevent problems before they start. Second, the plan employs risk-based interventions to ensure preventive approaches are effective. Third, the plan provides for a rapid response when contaminated food or feed are detected, or when there is harm to humans or animals. The overall goal of the plan is to secure the safety of food in U.S. commerce from production through consumption.
In addition to a broad risk-based approach to food protection, FDA's plan calls for increased corporate responsibility, and increased collaboration and communication with stakeholders. The Food Protection Plan also recommends additional regulatory authorities for the FDA that will require rule-making or approval by Congress. It recommends authorizations that would allow FDA to require preventive controls against intentional adulteration by terrorists or criminals at points of high vulnerability in the food chain, issue additional preventive controls for high-risk foods, accredit highly qualified third parties for voluntary food inspections, increase access to food records during emergencies, and to issue a mandatory recall if voluntary recalls are not effective.
Additional information and the Food Protection Plan is available on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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USDA Increases Testing of Canadian Meat and Poultry
Published: November 14, 2007
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has instituted additional import requirements for meat and poultry products from Canada. The action stems from a recent finding by FSIS that a Canadian plant was the likely source of the multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to the Topps Meat Company.
FSIS will increase testing for salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 and will require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens. In addition, Canadian meat and poultry products will receive increased levels of re-inspection by FSIS to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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USDA Leads Efforts to Streamline Procurement of Biobased Products
Published: November 14, 2007
Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner said last week that USDA is updating the federal procurement of biobased products under the BioPreferred Program. The update will clarify the preference process in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), which will in turn make it easier for procurement officials and manufacturers to participate in the program. These regulations are the single most important guidelines to procurement officials and contractors.
The BioPreferred program, managed by USDA, requires federal buyers and their contractors to give preference to qualified biobased products. The program was enacted as part of the 2002 farm bill. Biobased products are made from agricultural, forestry or marine materials. USDA's Assistant Secretary for Administration and the Office of the Chief Economist are jointly responsible for the USDA's procurement activities and BioPreferred implementation.
In September, NASDA was one of 12 organizations and companies that wrote to Conner calling on the USDA to roll out the federal biobased procurement labeling program and issue final rules to designate more biobased items. In the letter the groups said that the immediate implementation of the biobased labeling program is vitally important to the overall BioPreferred Program as well as overall efforts of biobased products. Among the groups signing the letter were the American Soybean Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, and Renewable Fuels Association.
According to USDA research, more than 10,000 biobased products are commercially available for purchase. USDA rulemaking will seek to speed the qualification of as many of these products as possible for federal procurement preference. To review the new BioPreferred program or for more information visit http://www.biopreferred.gov. Note: BioPreferred is service marked (SM). (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)
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USDA Streamlines Forms And Rules For Farm Loans Programs
Published: November 14, 2007
Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner said last week that the forms and rules for USDA's Farm Loan Programs will be modernized by Jan. 1, 2008, to make it easier for America's farmers, ranchers, and producers to apply for loans. This is the largest such initiative in the 60-year history of farm loans. USDA incorporated about 1,500 comments from nearly 600 members of the public in making these changes.
The program rules and forms will officially change on Dec. 31, 2007. This will allow employees of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers the program, time for nationwide training on the new forms and rules. Until then, FSA will follow current procedures.
The rule can be viewed at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont07.html.
More information about FSA can be found online at http://www.fsa.usda.gov; click on "Farm Loan Programs" for more information. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)
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Scientists Link Key Gene to Response to Sunlight Exposure in Corn
Published: November 14, 2007
Plants, like humans, suffer from increased exposure to the sun's rays. Scientists have discovered a unique feature of genes in corn that are affected by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Understanding how UV radiation affects corn at the genetic level will help scientists develop methods and approaches to help plants protect themselves from the harmful effects of UV-B radiation.
As the ozone layer decreases and the amount of UV-B radiation reaching the Earth's surface increases, the ability to breed UV-B tolerant agricultural plants will lessen the harmful impacts on agricultural plant production and sustainability, which is crucial in this crop of agricultural and bioenergy importance. This new knowledge will improve crop growth, production, and yield.
Plants utilize sunlight during photosynthesis and, consequentially, are exposed to UV radiation, the same rays responsible for sunburn in humans. UV radiation varies by altitude and season, and the recent decrease in the ozone layer allows an even greater percentage of the rays (specifically the UV-B rays) to reach the Earth's surface. UV radiation damages plant DNA and reduces physiological processes, such as plant growth, reproduction and photosynthesis. Plants adapt to the presence of UV-B, but very little is known about the mechanisms used to sense and respond to UV-B radiation.
Ann E. Stapleton and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Stanford University exposed growing corn plants to UV-B radiation for different lengths of time over a single day. The time course study allowed the researchers to identify common controls for sets of genes that were affected when corn leaves were exposed to UV-B radiation. The identified genes were also linked to plant behavior and structure. The identified plant genes provide key information on plant control of gene expression responses to UV-B radiation.
The research is presented in the November issue of Plant Biotechnology Journal.
The USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) funded this research project through the National Research Initiative (NRI) Plant Biology program. The NRI is the largest peer reviewed, competitive grants program in CSREES. It supports research, education and extension grants that address key problems of national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of agriculture.
CSREES advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System and other partner organizations. For more information, visit http://www.csrees.usda.gov. (Contact: Bob Ehart)
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