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BLACKHAM BRINGS NASDA VIEWPOINTS TO RANGELAND CONFERENCE
Published: February 04, 2008
Utah Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham addressed the American Forage and Grassland Council (AFGC) and Society of Range Management (SRM) Building Bridges: Grasslands to Rangeland Conference on January 28, 2008, in Louisville, Kentucky. Blackham, who chairs NASDA's Natural Resources and Pesticide Management Committee, represented NASDA at the conference to discuss issues related to grassland and rangeland management.
According to USDA, grasslands, rangelands and pasture lands account for almost half of the United States total land area. Blackham said these land resources are important to society because of the clean air, water, open space, recreation and wildlife habitat they provide. He pointed out that these lands are the base of the U.S. protein food supply and proper grazing of these lands is essential to maintaining a healthy landscape and environment.
NASDA supports efforts to promote and enhance the stewardship of rangelands and grasslands. Blackham said NASDA supports the research by USDA's Agriculture Research Service (ARS) National Program in Rangeland, Pasture and Forages. The research will provide scientific information that is valuable for assessing and managing rangelands and grasslands. Blackham also outlined NASDA's most important natural resource issues for the next decade: landscape health, consistent funding and investment, and the need to balance economic viability with environmental quality policy. A copy of Blackham's talking points and PowerPoint presentation have been posted on the NASDA website in the conservation policy section. (Contact: Charlie Ingram or Carissa Wilhelm
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JOHNSON OUTLINES NEED FOR BETTER BLACKBIRD CONTROL
Published: February 04, 2008
NASDA President and North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson says a comprehensive national management plan is needed to deal with the damage to crops and livestock caused by blackbirds and other wildlife.
"Annual bird damage losses to all crops in this country exceeded $100 million in 2007 and will probably continue to rise," Johnson said January 29 in Nashville. "In the meantime, producers are caught in the middle while agencies disagree over research and management."
Johnson spoke to a conference, "Managing Blackbirds, Starlings, and Corvids," sponsored by the Wildlife Services division of the Animal and Plant Health Protection Service. He told the conference that North Dakota sunflower production is especially hard hit by blackbird depredation.
"Our sunflower damage likely exceeds $10 million annually," Johnson said. "Some fields can be 100 percent destroyed."
Johnson said that in addition to comprehensive planning, more research is needed to develop control methods that are effective and environmentally sound.
"We need to utilize all available damage control methods, including pyrotechnics, repellants and avicides where appropriate," he said. "This will require cooperative regional research and operational funding among state and federal agencies."
Johnson also said that more should be done to educate the public about the need to control wildlife depredation. "Many people, especially those connected with wildlife and conservation groups, are still not convinced of the need to manage bird populations," he said.
The two-day conference included presentations by various agricultural industries affected by blackbird depredation including sunflower, rice and fruit producers, dairies and feedlots, as well as research presentations on blackbirds. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES 2009 BUDGET
Published: February 04, 2008
President Bush on February 4 released the administration's 2009 budget proposal which provides a record $3.1 trillion in spending for the next fiscal year. The budget request generally freezes most federal domestic spending, while boosting dollars for defense.
The FY09 budget would provide USDA with total expenditures of about $95 billion, the same funding level as FY08. Roughly 76 percent of expenditures, or $72 billion in 2009, will be for mandatory programs that provide services required by law, which include many of the nutrition assistance, commodity, export promotion and conservation programs. USDA's discretionary programs account for the remaining 24 percent of expenditures, or $23 billion in 2009. USDA Secretary Ed Schafer released a statement highlighting the agricultural budget which is available at http://www.usda.gov. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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SHAFER CONFIRMED AS USDA SECRETARY
Published: February 04, 2008
The Senate unanimously confirmed former North Dakota Governor Ed Shafer as secretary of agriculture on January 28. He was sworn in by Vice President Dick Cheney shortly after the vote and attended the State of the Union address as a member of President George Bush's cabinet.
Shafer spoke to USDA employees on January 29 to outline his priorities and also met with agricultural reporters during the week. In addition to the 2007 farm bill, Shafer said that he will push to make USDA's rural telecommunications and broadband service programs more effective and accessible. He indicated that he would play an active role in the 2007 farm bill negotiations with House and Senate agricultural leaders.
Schafer served as North Dakota's governor from 1992 to 2000 and made diversifying and expanding North Dakota's economy, reducing the cost of government and advancing agriculture his top priorities in office. Born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota, Schafer graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned an MBA from the University of Denver in 1970. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS MENTIONS FEW FARM ISSUES
Published: February 04, 2008
President George W. Bush delivered his final State of the Union address on January 28 which mentioned several important agricultural issues, but did not specifically discuss the 2007 farm bill.
Most of the president's agriculture-related remarks were focused on tax and trade policy. He stressed the importance of free trade and the need to complete the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations this year. Bush called on Congress to approve free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama, and South Korea. He also urged lawmakers to address immigration reform.
Although Bush did not specifically discuss the 2007 farm bill, he asked Congress to support a specific food assistance program that is contained in the Senate legislation. He said the "innovative proposal would provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from farmers in the developing world so we can build up local agriculture and help break the cycle of famine."
The Senate-passed farm bill includes a $100 million pilot project that would allow cash purchases of local food for foreign assistance programs. Finally, Bush reiterated his support for renewable energy, but did not specifically mention ethanol as he has done in past State of the Union addresses. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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FDA PLANS 50-STATE MEETING ON FOOD SAFETY
Published: February 04, 2008
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach and Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods, announced during a conference call with the commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the state agriculture departments and state health agencies on January 31, that the agency plans to hold a 50-state meeting later this year, probably in August 2008. FDA is in the early planning stages for the meeting and no specifics have been announced at this time.
The meeting will revolve around the administration's Food Protection Plan and representatives from all FDA headquarters/regions/districts and states/locals will be involved. The August 2008 meeting will be similar to the 50 state meeting held in 1998 which had active NASDA participation. FDA hopes that this will be the first in a succession of regular 50-state meetings in the future. NASDA expressed support for the meeting during the initial conference call and offered to help assist as the planning gets underway. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
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AGENCY REPORT LINKS AGRICULTURE AND GOLF HYPOXIA
Published: February 04, 2008
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has published a report stating that agricultural practices in nine states contribute to the majority of excessive nutrients in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Over the past several years, many agencies collected data and began evaluating the conditions of nutrient over enrichment and hypoxia.
The report states that Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi contribute over 70 percent of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Gulf. The USGS report, "Differences in Phosphorus and Nitrogen Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin," says corn and soybean cultivation are the largest contributor of nitrogen to the Gulf. Animal manure on pasture and rangelands and crop cultivation are the largest contributors of phosphorus.
According to the report, "the large nutrient requirements for corn and the potential for nitrogen over application contribute to the leaching of nitrate-nitrogen, which is highly mobile in soils and groundwater . . . Conservation practices are generally effective in increasing water infiltration and removing particulates from runoff, but have little effect on nitrate leaching, with more mixed results on dissolved forms of phosphorus," the report says.
The USGS report says agriculture is the main contributor to the excess nutrients found in the northern Gulf. Non-agriculture sources are contributing about 20% of the phosphorus and 30% of the nitrogen, possibly coming from waste water, septic systems, power plants, and vehicles.
The USGS says the recognition of the effects of agriculture production on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, and efficient reductions will start to decrease the amount of nutrients in the Gulf. NASDA's Natural Resource and Pesticide Management Committee will hear a report on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hypoxia Task Force during it's upcoming meeting on February 10. For more information, or to read the USGS report go to http://www.usgs.gov. (Contact: Charlie Ingram or Carissa Wilhelm)
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USDA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CROP, FEED AND LIVESTOCK LOSSES
Published: February 04, 2008
USDA announced late January that eligible farmers and ranchers who suffered losses of livestock, livestock feed, and crops before Dec. 31, 2007, can apply to receive disaster payments. Agricultural producers who suffered losses for crops planted before Feb. 28, 2007, or eligible livestock or livestock feed losses between Jan. 1, 2005, and Feb. 28, 2007, may apply for disaster payments under the Crop Disaster Program (CDP), Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) based on a disaster assistance law approved earlier in 2007. The latest disaster assistance law, signed by President Bush on Dec. 26, 2007, extends CDP, LCP, and LIP payments to eligible farmers and ranchers who suffered 2007 crop, livestock and livestock feed losses throughout the 2007 crop year before Dec. 31, 2007.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting applications and making payments for quantity losses before Dec. 31, 2007, under CDP. FSA is currently issuing LCP and LIP payments for losses up to Feb. 28, 2007, and will soon issue payments for losses incurred during the remainder of 2007. FSA will conduct sign-ups and begin making payments for quality losses under CDP this spring. More information is available online at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov .
USDA announced last week that it is postponing sign-up for the Dairy Disaster Assistance Program (DDAP-III) until the agency publishes final regulations in the Federal Register. Sign-up for DDAP-III was scheduled to resume this week. Unlike other disaster programs, FSA was forced to delay DDAP-III sign-up because of Paperwork Reduction Act and other regulatory requirements mandating that there had to be the issuance of a proposed rule for public comments on the program. FSA is currently finalizing its review of the numerous comments received from the proposed rule and expects to publish final regulations for DDAP-III within the next few weeks.
Furthermore, FSA's authority is extended to administer the Conservation Reserve Program and marketing loan benefits for wool and mohair through March 15, 2008. Also, the Milk Price Support Program continues operating at current price support levels through March 15, 2008. Under the 2002 farm bill, USDA's authority to administer these three programs expired on Dec. 31, 2007. Additionally, Congress provided $3.3 billion in direct and guaranteed loan funds for FSA's Farm Loan Programs. (Contact: Jennifer Yezak)
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