NASDA News - March 17, 2008

BLACKHAM ATTENDS EPA's FIRST FARM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
Published: March 17, 2008

       Utah Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham participated in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) inaugural session of the new Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC) which was held in Washington, D.C., on March 13 and 14. The committee is an important part of the agency's to strengthen relations with the agriculture community and will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues impacting farms, ranches, and rural communities. 
       During the meeting, EPA Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock expressed hopes that the advisory committee will be able to bridge an understanding between the agriculture sector and the environmental sector on agricultural production issues. EPA Administrator Stephan Johnson has specifically asked the committee to initially focus on three topics: 1) climate change and renewable energy; 2) a comprehensive livestock management strategy; 3) communications strategies between environmental and agricultural interests. 
      Peacock said that EPA envisions agriculture as being a producer of environmental solutions. "This committee is one of the important ways in which we can better connect with your industry and communicate with rural communities," Peacock told committee members.  
       Blackham was recently selected by EPA to represent NASDA and the state agriculture departments on the advisory committee from a pool of more than 200 applicants. The committee's 30 members represent farmers, ranchers, government agencies, rural suppliers, academics, processors and marketing from all over the nation. Blackham is chairman of NASDA's Natural Resources and Pesticide Management Committee. (Contact: Carissa Wilhelm or Charlie Ingram)

CONGRESS PASSES FARM BILL EXTENSION
Published: March 17, 2008

       The House and Senate passed legislation (S. 2745) on March 12 to extend the current 2002 farm bill until April 18. The extension was necessary because the existing farm bill was scheduled to expire on March 15 and the 1949 permanent farm law would have gone into effect. 
       President Bush issued a statement saying that he would sign the legislation to provide more time for Congress to reach an agreement on a new farm bill. Bush also said that if an agreement could not be reached by April 18, then he would call on Congress to extend current farm law for at least one year. 
       House and Senate negotiators are continuing to work on the 2007 farm bill while Congress is taking a two-week spring recess. The discussions are being held behind closed doors because a formal conference committee has not been convened. The Senate appointed farm bill conferees in January, but the House is not expected to name conference members until a funding deal is reached. The negotiators include the House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.). Lawmakers are considering a plan that would provide about $10 billion in additional spending over the budget baseline over 10 years. The challenge is deciding how to pay for the additional spending, what revenue offsets will be used, and how the money will be allocated among farm programs. The administration has repeatedly threatened to veto the legislation if it contains any tax increases. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)

LAWMAKERS CONTINUE REVIEW OF FOOD SAFETY AND BEEF RECALL
Published: March 17, 2008

       The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation held a hearing on March 12 to review food safety concerns and actions on the recent beef recall from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company. 
       Several congressional panels have held hearings related to the beef recall and lawmakers continue to clash with USDA and industry officials over food safety inspections, funding, and recall policy issues. Steve Mendell, president of the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, testified at the March 12 hearing. He acknowledged that company employees had violated humane handling policies for cattle, and those employees had been immediately terminated. Lawmakers showed two videos during the session and repeatedly questioned Mendell about the inspection, slaughter, and food safety procedures. 
       The oversight panel also heard testimony from USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond. He reiterated that USDA is implementing a series of actions to verify and thoroughly analyze humane handling activities in federally inspected meat plants. Dr. Raymond also outlined steps that the agency is taking to prevent foodborne illness and how USDA handled the Westland/Hallmark beef recall. (Contact: Charlie Ingram or Carissa Wilhelm)

NEW ZEALAND LIGHT BROWN APPLE MOTH EXPERT DISTANCES SELF, COLLEAGUES FROM HARDER/ROSENDALE PAPER ON LIGHT BROWN APPLE MOTH
Published: March 17, 2008

       California's Primary State Entomologist, Dr. Kevin Hoffman, has performed a thorough review of the document, "Integrated Pest Management Practices for the Light Brown Apple Moth in New Zealand: Implications for California" (Harder, Rosendale) and has issued the following statement: 
       "This view [the paper] oversimplifies the case, and the authors omit key points regarding the damage from the introduction of nonnative natural enemies. My thorough review of the document and my comments, corrections and observations are listed in detail at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/lbam/lbam_main.html, citing relevant sources where applicable.
       "In addition, Dr. Max Suckling, science leader, biosecurity/programme leader, Insecticide Risk Reduction in New Zealand Horticulture for the federal agency HortResearch, and member of the Technical Working Group advising CDFA and USDA on the ongoing Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) Eradication Program in California, has expressed to me his dissatisfaction with the paper as it relates to comments attributed to his agency's employees:
         " 'The report did not incorporate editorial changes suggested by HortResearch personnel, and chose to instead draw erroneous conclusions that can and should be challenged. In conclusion, my colleagues and I would like to distance HortResearch from this report. The report's authors solicited HortResearch to provide corrections, which were offered in a timely manner but unfortunately were not incorporated.' "
       Suckling has been researching the light brown apple moth for more than 20 years and has authored numerous studies on the pest. 
       The Technical Working Group is also reviewing the Harder/Rosendale report and may offer more in-depth comments in the future. 
       The light brown apple moth is native to Australia and is found in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Hawaii. The range of host plants is broad with more than two-thousand plant species known to be susceptible to attack by this pest and more than 250 crops. It threatens California's environment--including cypress, redwood and oak trees--by destroying, stunting or deforming young seedlings and damaging new growth in the forest canopy. The moth also feeds on host plants favored by a number of endangered species; spoils the appearance of ornamental plants; and injures citrus, grapes, and deciduous fruit tree crops. 
       A cooperative eradication program run jointly by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA is already underway to suppress and eradicate infestations in nine counties along California's Central Coast and Bay Area. Since its detection in February 2007, the light brown apple moth has been found and quarantines have been enacted in the counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Alameda and Solano. A quarantine is pending in Santa Barbara County. 
       Small, isolated infestations detected last year in Los Angeles and Napa counties have already been eradicated. Twist ties that emit moth pheromone were utilized in both counties. In Sonoma County, where a single moth has been detected, intensive trapping is underway to learn if there are more.   For more information on the light brown apple moth, please visit http://www.cdfa.ca.gov. (Contact: Steve Lyle, 916/654-0462)

WOLFF WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURAL LAW CENTER
Published: March 17, 2008

       Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff this week welcomed Ross Pifer, a Punxsutawney native and experienced agricultural attorney, as the new director of the Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center within the Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law.
       Pifer, a former USDA and U.S. Army attorney, assumed his new duties March 3.
       As director, Pifer will draw on his professional experiences in agriculture and law to oversee the center, providing resources and support through outreach, the development of educational materials and programs, and the center's website.
       "The Agricultural Law Center is a unique resource, and Pennsylvania will benefit from Ross's experience and understanding of our state, our agriculture industry and our laws," said Wolff. "Ross brings a wealth of knowledge gained through his lifelong involvement and experience in agriculture, bringing a keen understanding of the issue confronting the industry, like intellectual property, land use and zoning, economic development, environmental issues, and Pennsylvania's Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment (ACRE) regulations."
       The Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center is a collaboration between Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Created in 1997, the Agricultural Law Center is one of only three such entities to be hosted by U.S. law schools.
       Pifer earned a degree in agribusiness from Penn State University in 1990, and was employed as a territory sales manager with Cargill, Inc. Pifer is an alumnus of the Dickinson School of Law, where he earned his juris doctor in 1995. He received additional training through the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General (JAG) program, and at the University of Arkansas where he received a master of laws (LL.M.) in agricultural law.
       Pifer served as a research fellow at the University of Arkansas's National Agricultural Law Center. He returned to Pennsylvania and joined a private practice firm in Gettysburg, where he provided representation to agricultural clients. Since 2005, Pifer served as an attorney-advisor for USDA's Office of General Counsel in Harrisburg.
       For more information on the Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center, visit http://www.dsl.psu.edu/ and click on "Institutes and Centers" and then "Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center." (Contact: Nicole L. Cullison, 717/787-5085)