NASDA News--July 14, 2009

CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION HITS SPEED BUMPS IN SENATE
Published: July 15, 2009

Following House passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) late last month, efforts to pass climate change legislation have shifted to the Senate with Senate leaders indicating legislation could be on the Senate floor by late September or early October. 

Senate leaders initially intended to vote on the legislation prior to the August recess, but healthcare reform and the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, as well as concerns from a number of Senators over specific provisions of the House-passed climate legislation, have slowed the bill in the Senate.  Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) announced last week that she was pushing back consideration of climate change legislation in her committee until after the August recess. 

Provisions in the House-passed legislation to impose tariffs on imports from countries that fail to meet carbon emission targets have attracted attention in the Senate, with a number of Senators expressing concern over trade retaliation.   With China and India still refusing to agree to emission limits, opponents of the bill worry that it would increase costs to such an extent that American businesses will be forced to go to other countries with less environmental regulations to avoid drastic price increases for consumers, resulting in the loss of American jobs.

Supporters of climate change legislation say that it represents an investment for the future and that change must happen now to decrease environmental concern.  Opponents, however, say that the bill is far too costly and resources should be used for alternative energy such as wind, solar, biofuels and nuclear.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that farmers’ participation must be engaged for this to work and that farmers should be rewarded for using less carbon.  (Contact: David Hickey or Kasey Miller)
 

USDA FUNDING BILL ADVANCES IN CONGRESS
Published: July 15, 2009

The House of Representatives passed the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2997) Thursday to fund USDA and FDA for fiscal year 2010.  The legislation would increase federal discretionary funding by 11% for fiscal year 2010 over 2009, bringing total discretionary funding under the legislation to $22.9 billion.
The Senate’s version the agriculture appropriations legislation (S. 1406), which cleared the Senate Appropriations committee July 7, included a number of differences from its House counterpart. 

While the House’s version includes a ban on poultry imports from China, the Senate’s version does not.  Some agricultural producers are concerned that China could retaliate and impose trade restrictions on American agricultural products if the ban stays in effect. 
The National Animal Identification System would see continued funding under the Senate plan.  The legislation that cleared the House prohibited further funding of the program.  Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont) said he may offer an amendment when the bill reaches the Senate floor to freeze funding for the program.

The House and Senate versions both agree on full funding for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development in the amount of $200 million and $34.5 million respectively.  (Contact: Nathan Bowen or Sean McCarver)
 

USDA, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCE BROADBAND FUNDING
Published: July 15, 2009

The first cycle of funding for the broadband portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has been announced.  The first Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) covers $4 billion. The timeline for signups for loans, grants or a combination of both is from July 14 through August 14. The act is intended to provide broadband internet service to rural areas and communities that are currently underserved and un-served.

The funding is from two sources: USDA’s Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and the Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). BIP was established to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas and BTOP was established for deploying broadband infrastructure in un-served and underserved areas and increasing broadband access at public computing centers.

The Department of Commerce and USDA will be holding public workshops on the programs during July in Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Lonoke, Arkansas; Billings, Montana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Los Angeles, California.  More information on the NOFA and the workshops is available at www.broadbandusa.gov. (Contact: Nathan Bowen or Sean McCarver)
 

RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT FUNDING AVAILABLE
Published: July 15, 2009

Farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses can apply for USDA funding for renewable energy or energy efficiency projects until July 31. The government-guaranteed loans can cover 75 percent of a project’s cost, up to $25 million. Funds were authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill’s Rural Energy for America program.

Eligible projects include retrofitting lighting insulation, buying more efficient equipment, or any project producing wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, hydrogen-based energy. Click here for more information on the programs from USDA.  (Contact: David Hickey or Kasey Miller)
 

ENDANGERED SPECIES: POLAR BEARS, KILLER WHALES COULD IMPACT AG
Published: July 15, 2009

The Bureau of Reclamation has accepted recommended changes, suggested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to modify its water pumping operations with in California’s Central Valley in a bid to protect a number of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

NOAA’s final biological opinion claims that water pumping operations in California’s Central Valley jeopardizes the existence of Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, the southern population of North American green sturgeon, and Southern Resident killer whales.

Estimates place the impact of the biological opinion at an estimated five to seven percent of the available annual water on average moved by the federal and state pumps, or about 330,000 acre feet per year. Agricultural water use in California is roughly 30 million acre feet per year.

Many California farmers are concerned these modifications will compound water shortages resulting from a serious drought in the region. 

In other ESA news, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior to force them to consider of the impact that 14 of the most commonly used pesticides have on the polar bear habitat in Alaska. The notice of intent to sue, the first step in a lawsuit process, was sent to the EPA and Interior.
Environmental activists argue that Interior has already listed polar bears as “threatened” due to the effects of climate change, but failed to account for the effects of pesticides approved for use in the lower 48.  The Center for Biological Diversity alleges that the chemicals travel to the arctic via either water or air currents and can negatively impact polar bear health and reproduction.  (Contact: Nathan Bowen or Mark Smith)
 

USDA-NASS RELEASES JULY CROP PRODUCTION REPORT
Published: July 15, 2009

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its Crop Production report on July 10 which provides a good forecast of wheat production, along with certain other commodities such as citrus, non-critrus fruits and tree nuts.

Winter wheat production is forecast at 1.52 billion bushels, up 2 percent from last month but down 18 percent from 2008.  The U.S. yield is forecast at 43.8 bushels per acre, down 3.4 bushels from last year.  The area expected to be harvested for grain totals 34.8 million acres, unchanged from the Acreage report released on June 30, 2009 but down 12 percent from last year.

The U.S. all orange forecast for the 2008-09 season is 9.36 million tons, up 1 percent from the June forecast but 7 percent lower than the 2007-08 final utilization of 10.1 million tons. The July Crop Production report and All NASS reports are available online at:  www.nass.usda.gov.  The August 12  Crop Production report will contain the first 2009 estimates of corn and soybean yield and production. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
 

VILSACK ANNOUNCES MORE SENIOR USDA APPOINTMENTS
Published: July 15, 2009

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on July 9 announced several senior level appointments at USDA. Jonathan Coppess was named Administrator for the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Previously, Coppess worked for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and practiced law in Chicago.

William J. Murphy was named Administrator of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). Murphy most recently served as RMA Acting Administrator during the transition to the Obama Administration. Before that, he served RMA as the Deputy Administrator for Insurance Services; Director of the Regional Office in Davis, Calif., overseeing crop insurance operations in California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.

Jerold R. Mande, M.P.H., was appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety. Most recently, he was Associate Director for Public Policy at the Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, where he developed a national model to increase support for cancer prevention and control, including diet, exercise, and obesity.

Vilsack also announced several staff positions in the Farm & Foreign Agriculture Services, Research, Education & Economics, Rural Development and Office of Communications. More details and staff biographies are posted on the USDA website at: www.usda.gov.  (Contact: Charlie Ingram)
 

GOV. PARKINSON NAMES REP. JOSH SVATY ACTING SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
Published: July 15, 2009

Governor Mark Parkinson has named Representative Josh Svaty (SWAH’-tee) as the Acting Secretary of Agriculture as outgoing Secretary Adrian Polansky takes a new post heading the Kansas Farm Service Agency with the United States Department of Agriculture.
“Farming is in Josh’s blood – he’s the fifth generation to farm in Ellsworth County,” Parkinson said. “He’s demonstrated tremendous leadership in the Kansas House of Representatives and he’s going to do a great job leading the Department of Agriculture. I know that Josh has loved serving the people of the 108th, and is excited about now serving the entire state as a Cabinet Secretary.”
The Svaty Farm is a diversified operation in the heart of the Smoky Hills that includes wheat, milo, soybeans, corn, sunflowers, a cow/calf heard and sheep. 

Josh has served as the State Representative of the 108th District in Kansas since 2003 where he served most recently on the committees for Energy and Utilities; was the ranking member on Agriculture and Natural Resources; and is on the joint committee on Energy and Environmental Policy. Josh has spoken nationally and has testified before the United States Congress on matters of energy, agriculture and water policy. Josh also serves on the national advisory council for his alma mater, Sterling College.
Currently, Josh, his wife Kimberly and their baby son, Jackson, live in rural Ellsworth County.

This nomination is subject to authorization by the Senate Confirmation Oversight Committee to exercise the powers, duties and functions of office during the interim period until the full Senate can consider the nomination. Acting Secretary Svaty will assume all secretarial duties following Secretary Polansky’s last day on July 17th.

 “I’m glad that we’ll be able to continue working with Adrian Polansky over at the Kansas Farm Service Agency,” Parkinson said. “In today’s troubling economy, we rely on our bedrock industries like agriculture more than ever. Adrian will bring a lifetime’s worth of experience back to this post, and I know that he will serve Secretary Vilsack, the President and all of Kansas well.”

Adrian Polansky was appointed secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in February 2003.
Polansky is a lifelong Kansan and owns Polansky Farms and Polansky Seed, both in Belleville. He has received many honors and awards which recognized his efforts to build a more efficient and cost-effective government and for outstanding leadership and management contributions made to the Farm Service Agency. In 1986, he was named wheat man of the year by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers; and received the outstanding service to agriculture award by the Kansas Crops and Soils Industry Council.

Along with his duties as secretary, Polansky served on the Governor's Council on Homeland Security; the Kansas Task Force on Methamphetamine and Illegal Drugs; and as chair of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s biotechnology task force.