|
A publication of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture NASDA SEEKS GUIDANCE ON SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS FARM BILL PASSAGE EXPECTED TODAY CONGRESS & AGENCIES ADDRESSES AG BIOTERRORISM VENEMAN SWEARS IN SUBCABINET MEMBERS USDA-NASS TO HOLD PUBLIC FORUM State News--MISSOURI STATE VETERINARIAN TO LEAVE POST State News--POSITION VACANCY--Director, Soil Conservation Division
Past Issues
September 19, 2001
July 30, 2001
What's New on the NASDA Website
Letter Concerning the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program State Risk Management Deadlines The joint communique from the Eleventh Meeting of the Tri-National Agricultural Accord Revised Draft Biotechnology Document (Members Only) Draft Initial Farm Bill Document (Members Only) North Dakota and South Carolina Environmental Laws Guides available
Chart with Block Grants Totals for Each State Draft Biotechnology Policy (Members Only) Letter Concerning Block Grants CAFO letter & Updated CAFO Survey NASDA 2001 agenda and sponsorship information NASDA's 2002 Farm Policy Briefing Book
|
NASDA SEEKS GUIDANCE ON SPECIALTY CROP GRANTS Billy Ray Smith, NASDA president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, sent a letter to USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman this week requesting further guidance on the state block grants for specialty crops. The letter is a follow up to the discussion about possible uses of the grant funds during NASDA's annual meeting in Burlington, Vermont. Commissioner Smith expressed the strong support of state departments of agriculture to make the block grant process work effectively and efficiently. He acknowledged that USDA's guidance letter that was recently sent to the governors was helpful, but there were still some areas of ambiguity. Commissioner Smith asked for further guidance and clarification on several issues including the timetable for distribution of funds, audits, administrative costs, capital expenses related to educational projects, and whether aquaculture is considered a specialty crop. The letter and guidance questions have been posted on NASDA's website under the "State Specialty Crop Block Grant Information" section. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) NASDA SUPPORTS MOVE ON TPA NASDA's Marketing & International Trade Committee approved language in support of trade promotion authority (TPA) for the president of the United States earlier this year--in accordance with standing NASDA policy. NASDA intends to send a letter to Congress early next week, indicating support for TPA for the president. Furthermore, a letter was circulated at NASDA's annual meeting in Burlington, Vermont, asking individual NASDA members to sign on to a joint letter to Congress in support of TPA. We still need formal approval from commissioners, secretaries, and directors of state departments of agriculture for their signatures to be added to the joint letter. NASDA members who want their signatures on the letter to Congress should contact Patrick Atagi at NASDA, 202/296-9680. The administration began a push for TPA earlier this week, and the House Ways & Means Committee began preliminary moves to address the issue on Tuesday. The committee began official proceedings today. The Ways & Means Committee is moving cautiously and has informally discussed a proposal (H.R. 3005) written by the chairman of the committee, Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), and several Democrats. The proposal met some opposition from some committee Democrats and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.). Gephardt raised concerns that labor and environmental language in the bill was not as clear as he would have hoped. He further commented that he was concerned the administration was pushing for TPA in light of the recent September 11 tragedy in Washington, D.C., New York, and Pennsylvania. Gephardt said if a vote were held today, it would be close and he hoped that Congress would focus on dealing with security issues for the time being. The Ways and Means Committee is expected to vote on the issue next week with full floor consideration shortly thereafter. (Contact: Patrick Atagi) FARM BILL PASSAGE EXPECTED TODAY The House is expected to approve a 10-year, $170 billion farm bill (H.R. 2646) today after defeating major amendments on conservation and dairy compacts. Congressional leaders ignored opposition from the Bush administration and worked late Thursday night to complete work on the bill. The farm policy debate began on an uneasy note when the administration issued a statement of policy opposing the legislation and urging the House to defer action on the bill. The White House statement said the bill would increase federal spending by $70 billion in a time of uncertainty, encourage overproduction while prices are low, jeopardize critical markers abroad, and fail to help farmers most in need. The announcement angered House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-Texas), Ranking Member Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas), and Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) who said the administration had failed to provide any input on the legislation. The first legislative skirmish came when Rep. Don Sherwood (R-Pa.) offered an amendment to revive the Northeast Dairy Compact and to create a new southern compact. The amendment was ruled out of order and non-germane because the House Judiciary Committee claimed jurisdiction on the issue. Compact proponents attacked committee leaders for not allowing a full debate and vote. The other main challenge was a conservation amendment offered by Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), Ron Kind (D-Wis.), and Wayne Gilchrist (R-Md.). The amendment would have shifted $1.9 billion per year from commodity programs to boost spending on a variety of conservation programs. After hours of debate, lawmakers defeated the amendment by a close vote of 226 to 200. Overall, the legislation package crafted by the committee leadership remained basically unchanged. Other amendments considered by the House include the following: * Defeated an amendment offered by Rep. Dan Miller (R-Fla.) that would have reduced loan rates in the sugar program and providing $300 million for restoration of the Everglades by a vote of 239 to 177. * Approved an amendment offered by Rep. Eva Clayton (D-N.C.) to shift $100 million in commodity payment to rural development programs, including $45 million for clean water programs. * Defeated an amendment offered by Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) to create a renewable reserve of agricultural commodities by a vote of 100 to 323. * Defeated an amendment offered by Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) providing payment limitations on marketing assistance loans to cover all producer gains by a vote of 187 to 238. * Approved an amendment offered by Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas) requiring a report on the effect of farm program payments on the economic viability of producers and agricultural infrastructure. * Approved an amendment offered by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) requiring USDA to develop a program to communicate with the public on the use of biotechnology in producing food for human consumption. * Approved an amendment offered by Rep. Doug Bereuter (D-Neb.) to authorize additional staff and funding for the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and provide authority to make business and industry guaranteed loans for farmer-owned projects that add value to or process agricultural products. * Approved an amendment offered by Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) requiring USDA to submit an annual report on the amount of beef and pork that is imported into the U.S. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) CONGRESS & AGENCIES ADDRESSES AG BIOTERRORISM In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., congressional committees are taking a renewed look at the threat of bioterrorism and food security. Numerous hearings have already have been held or scheduled, and various bills have been introduced to detect and respond to attacks. Last week, USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman held a closed-door briefing with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to discuss bioterrorism and food security issues. Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.) introduced legislation to strengthen the ability of federal, state, and local governments to respond to chemical and biological terrorist attacks. The bill includes $450 million to help protect against agricultural terrorism. Part of this money would be used for block grants to the states to diagnose and stop the spread of plant and animal diseases. Meanwhile, several federal agencies 'cleaned up' their websites to remove "right to know" documents related to the handling, storage, and transportation of chemicals. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discontinued its risk management website which contains sensitive chemical data. Also this week, the American Farm Bureau Federation urged President Bush to appoint a specialist within the new Office of Homeland Security to help safeguard agriculture and the nation's food supply from terrorism. Finally, USDA responded to a recent Government Accounting Office (GAO) report on terrorism and said more focus was needed on agriculture infrastructure and food safety. In a letter to GAO, USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley said the department was facing two types of terrorism and was attempting to address each. The first type is an attack aimed at the safety of our food supply and agricultural infrastructure that would cause widespread and long-term damage. The second type is isolated incidents of domestic terrorism aimed at USDA employees, facilities, and programs. The September 20 GAO report, which includes the USDA letter, can be downloaded from the Internet at http://www.gao.gov/. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) VENEMAN SWEARS IN SUBCABINET MEMBERS This week USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman officially swore in four members of her subcabinet, who were recently confirmed by the Senate. The new appointments are Elsa A. Murano, under secretary for food safety; Mark Rey, under secretary for natural resources and environment; Hilda G. Legg, administrator for the Rural Utilities Service; and Edward R. McPherson, chief financial officer. As the under secretary for food safety, Murano is USDA's top food safety official and oversees the policies and programs of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). She has extensive public and private experience in the field of food safety as both a manager and an educator. Mark Rey will oversee the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as under secretary for natural resources and the environment. He previously worked for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Hilda Legg will serve as the administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, overseeing financing for rural electric cooperatives, telecommunications, water programs, and administering the distance learning and telemedicine loan and grant programs. As USDA's chief financial officer, Edward McPherson will oversee all financial management activities relating to the programs and operations of USDA. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) USDA-NASS TO HOLD PUBLIC FORUM USDA is holding a public forum for data users on October 15, 2001, in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of the forum is to provide updates on pending changes in the various statistical and information programs and seek comments and input from data users. The agencies participating in the exchange are the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Marketing Service, Economic Research Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, World Agricultural Outlook Board, Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau, and National Weather Service (U.S. Department of Commerce). For registration details contact Karlyn McCutcheon (NASS) at 202/690-8141or at karlyn_mccutcheon@nass.usda.gov. The public forum precedes an industry outlook meeting that will be held at the same location on October 16, 2001. The outlook meeting brings together analysts from the various commodity sectors to discuss the outlook situation. For more information about the outlook meeting and to register for it contact Terry Fancl at 847/85-8769, e-mail terry@fb.org. NASS' October Survey Calendar is available on NASDA's website under the "What's New" section. (Contact: Curtis Anderson) USDA BEGINS CRP PAYMENTS USDA announced that the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) began issuing payments of more than $1.5 billion to eligible producers under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) this week. The program is paying an average of $4,307 per farm on 355,910 farms. The average payment per acre is slightly over $45 per acre. Under the CRP, producers voluntarily retire environmentally sensitive cropland for 10 to 15 years. In return, the CCC makes annual rental payments to producers and shares the cost of establishing conservation practices. The cropland is planted with grass or trees. To be eligible for enrollment, the cropland must either be highly erodible, contribute to a serious water quality problem, provide important wildlife habitat, or provide substantial environmental benefits. Several years ago, USDA established a "continuous signup" CRP feature offering additional incentives to farmers to establish filter strips, riparian buffers, shelterbelts, and field windbreaks in areas of their fields and farms that yield huge environmental dividends. All fifty states have farmers with land in the CRP. Over 33 million acres, or approximately 8 percent of the cropland in the United States is enrolled in the CRP. The top ten states in order of acres enrolled are Texas, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Washington, and Nebraska. (Contact: Tom Sommer) ENVIRONMENT BRIEFS ~~EPA Schedules TMDL Meetings~~The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct five public listening sessions on the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program and issues related to Clean Water Act permitting. EPA will use the information received at these meetings as it considers modifications to proposed regulations. The Clinton administration originally issued TMDL regulations in July 2000 and were supposed to go into effect this month. The rule has been controversial and generated intense opposition from agricultural groups and others. EPA recently decided to delay action on the proposed TMDL rules for 18 months while it reviews possible modifications. The dates, locations, and themes for the public listening sessions are posted on EPA's TMDL website at http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/meetings/. ~~Aggies Urge More Funding for Water Program~~A group of agricultural organizations have asked congressional appropriators to fully fund the Section 319 grants to states program. The Section 319 grants program provides critical support and funds for work directly with farmers, ranchers, private foresters, and urban and suburban landowners to help them adopt water quality protection practices. In a letter to Congress, the farm groups urged a minimum funding level at the president's budget request of $237.5 million. ~~Committee Approves EPA Science Bill~~The House Science Committee this week approved legislation (H.R. 64) that would create a deputy administrator for science and technology at the Enivironmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new deputy would be responsible for coordinating scientific efforts among EPA's offices and ensure that science plays an enhanced role in agency decision-making. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) PESTICIDE BRIEFS ~~EPA Issues Pesticide Safety Alert~~The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is urging all pesticide industry organizations, facilities and handlers to take precautions and appropriate measures to ensure secure, accident-free operations. The safety alert highlights some general security areas for pesticide establishments and recommendations for evaluating pesticide security. A summary document titled "Chemical Accident Prevention: Site Security" is available from EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/p-small.htm#alerts. ~~Court Rules on FQPA Lawsuit~~A federal district court has approved a consent decree between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) regarding timetables and deadlines for pesticide reassessments under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The American Crop Protection Association (ACPA) said it "profoundly disagrees" with the ruling and intends to file an appeal. The original lawsuit was brought against EPA by NRDC and sought a more rigorous schedule for pesticide reassessments. The two parties agreed on a settlement during the last days of the Clinton administration. ACPA and other farm groups have opposed the consent decree through court filings and comments to EPA. The new pesticide review schedule could mean that the agency would not have time and resources to use sound science and precise methodologies. ~~Registration Extended for Bt Cotton~~After a comprehensive and exhaustive review, the Enivironmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the conditional registration of cotton containing a gene from a common soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The five-year extension requires additional measures to ensure that use of the product does not pose any unreasonable risks to human health or to the environment. One of the requirements calls for some acres to be set aside as a refuge where non-Bt cotton will be grown. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces a protein that is toxic to certain insects, but not to humans or other species. The genetic material from Bt was implanted into the cotton plants, which enables the plants to produce the toxin that controls some insect pests. Environmental and consumer groups had urged EPA not to approve the registration. Detailed information on EPA's decision is available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ . ~~New Websites on Integrated Pest Management~~the Enivironmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) has posted two new websites to inform stakeholders and the public about how the agency is promoting safer pesticide use and the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The websites also instruct pesticide users and organizations with an interest in safer pesticide use on how they can partner with EPA and/or adopt IPM practices. The first site, "Partnerships for Reducing Pesticide Risk," highlights the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), and contains links to partner websites and other valuable sources of information. The second site, "Integrated Pest Management," explains EPA's approach to IPM for both those who are experienced with IPM and those who are not familiar with IPM but want to learn more. The addresses for the web sites are http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/partnerships/ and http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/ipm/ (Contact: Charlie Ingram) FOOD SAFETY BRIEFS ~~FSIS Launches New Notification System~~USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has launched a new notification system that will provide electronic status reports on testing samples taken from meat, poultry, and egg product establishments. The Laboratory Electronic Application for Results Notification (LEARN) system will allow FSIS field personnel, agency staff, establishments, and state officials, to electronically monitor information on species identification, food chemistry, microbiological samples, and completed Salmonella/HACCP sets. The program is now online across the country and replaces the notification system that used a combination of phone calls, fax, and multiple computer applications to inform field personnel and establishments of test results. ~~FDA Addresses Catfish Labeling~~The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) recently issued a memorandum to state regulatory officials to ensure that imported catfish are properly labeled. The agency had received several complaints that certain imported fish, particularly the Pangasius species, have entered the country represented as "catfish" or by other fish names that are not known to exist outside of the United States. Currently, FDA recognizes fish of the genus Ictalurus, as the only fish that can be labeled as "catfish" in the U.S. A copy of the memorandum is on FDA's web site at: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/seaintro.html. ~~USDA Issues Food Safety Recommendations~~USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently issued an advisory providing consumers with guidelines for handling frozen, fully-cooked food products. The advisory was issued after several cases of botulism were reported in August and September. Frozen, cooked products were suspected of causing the illnesses. Additional information can be obtained from USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. (Contact: Charlie Ingram) BIOTECH NEWS ~~Regulation of Biotech Crops Could Increase Pesticide Use~~Filing comments on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reassessment on use of biotech crops, registrants of biotech crops argue that by limiting biotech crops, farmers will have to use more insecticides to control pests. Even though a July assessment found that biotech crops do not pose unreasonable risks to people or the environment, the EPA offered a myriad of possibilities for regulating biotech crops in the future, such as extending labeling requirements. EPA did not make any definitive decisions on the biotech issue and continues to study the issue. ~~Consumer Groups Call for Halt of Biotech Crops~~Organizations such as Consumer Union, Sierra Club, the Center for Food Safety, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth responded negatively to an Environmental Protection Agency assessment that biotech crops do not cause an unreasonable or adverse effects on human health or the environment. The consumer groups are asking that the registration of biotech crops created to reduce pests be either re-evaluated or suspended outright. In response, the American Crop Protection Association responded that EPA should grant unconditional registration to all Bt products because they are safe. Comments to the assessment were due September 21. (Contact: Patrick Atagi) INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEWS ~~Bush Makes Move to Increase Sanctions Power~~The administration asked Congress last week to include a provision in the antiterrorism package to include food and medicine in unilateral trade sanctions. The law, which the president is proposing to change, was written last year when agricultural groups lobbied to limit the use of agricultural products as a sanctions' tool. Opponents of the administration's move to include food and medicine as part of a presidential sanction authority cite that limiting food to offending countries only hurts the innocent citizens. Food and medicine sanctions are poor negotiating tools that rarely work. Opponents also argue that current law is sufficient to allow the president to limit food into Afghanistan because of "harm to armed forces" clause. Congress is still working on the antiterrorism bill. ~~Japan Announces Total Ban on Bone Powder~~The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced this week a total ban on imports, manufacturing, and distribution of cattle bone and meat powder. The ban will take effect on October 4. The ban is in reaction to consumer concerns over confusing disclosure information previously released by the ministry. Consumers lack confidence in the ministries' previous action on bone and meat powder, resulting in the total ban. As an example, it was reported that some farmers were using chicken feed containing bone powder to feed cattle, circumventing the ban on use of cattle feed containing bone powder. Because of the first reported case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan earlier this year, bone and meat powder in cattle feed was banned. (Contact: Patrick Atagi) USDA NEWS ~~USDA Research Center Hit by Tornado~~On September 25, 15 buildings at the USDA Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Center, in Beltsville, Maryland, were damaged by a tornado. Two University of Maryland students were killed in the incident, however, no USDA employees were injured. In a press statement released to the public, USDA announced that over 50 government vehicles were damaged and glass shattered in most of the research greenhouses destroying critical research projects in the process. There may be some disruption in services because of the storm, but they should be minimal. ~~New Tools for Measuring Groundwater Contamination~~A new measuring method adaptable for field use will increase the accuracy of mathematical models that estimate potential groundwater contamination by agrochemicals, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report. Many computer models are available for predicting the fate and transport of agrochemicals applied to soil. However, before they can be accurately applied to specific situations--like more precise modeling of water and chemical movement through soils--the parameters required for input into the model must be measured or estimated for the soil of interest. One group of models that would be useful for estimating rapid movement of water and chemicals through undisturbed, natural soil has been little used outside the laboratory because of difficulty in measuring these necessary model parameters. Now, ARS soil scientist Dan B. Jaynes at the National Soil Tilth Research Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, working with researchers at Iowa State University-Ames and Iwate University, Iwate, Japan, have developed and validated a new method. It is a quick and easy method for measuring water and chemical movement in soil. They use time domain reflectometry (TDR) to characterize solute transport in undisturbed, structured soils with distinctive flow properties. TDR works like radar, measuring the time and distance of reflected electrical signals in metal rods that are inserted into 8-inch-long by 5-inch-diameter columns of undisturbed, structured soil. In their study, the scientists tested a TDR method under controlled laboratory experiments and found that the reflected signals were directly related to important soil properties. The TDR method is simple and minimally disruptive. It provides estimates of field soil properties that enable scientists to predict how water and chemicals will move through the soil. Scientists using the new method will be able to obtain model parameter estimates as reliable as the more traditional but time-consuming measurement methods. ~~Reducing Food-borne Pathogens in Poultry~~USDA scientists have found encouraging results with an experimental way to reduce foodborne pathogens and treat various poultry diseases. Early success in the laboratory with bacteriophages could open the door to another way of preventing and treating animal disease. Escherichia coli bacteria cause respiratory disease in poultry, leading to death or condemnation of the carcasses during processing. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and can kill them. A particular phage can usually infect only one or a few related species of bacteria. Scientists at the ARS Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, Fayetteville, Ark., isolated a number of bacteriophages that would target a particular strain of E. coli that causes disease in poultry, according to William E. Huff, a poultry physiologist at the Fayetteville lab. They used E. coli serotype 02 to cause an air sac infection, called air saculitis, in broiler chickens. When a bacteriophage was mixed with the E. coli strain prior to challenging broiler chickens with the bacteria, the scientists were able to completely protect the animals from respiratory infection. Researchers chose air saculitis because it is very difficult to treat, according to Huff. There may be other bacteriophage strains that are better suited to attack the bacteria they used in their experiments, he added. Bacteriophages were first discovered in 1915, but research on their therapeutic use was largely abandoned outside of Eastern Europe when antibiotic drugs became widely available in the 1940s. The ARS researchers recently began their next step to investigate the effectiveness of the phages to not only prevent but to treat an infection in poultry. This research offers the possibility that bacteriophages could be developed as an alternative to antibiotic use in poultry production, according to Huff. He is also investigating the efficacy of bacteriophages against other foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. He has isolated bacteriophages to Salmonella in cooperation with the University of Arkansas. (Contact: Patrick Atagi) STATE NEWS FISH TO BE RAISED ON CRANBERRY BOGS IN DEMONSTRATION PROJECT DESIGNED TO BOLSTER INDUSTRY A new demonstration project to examine the feasibility of raising fish on non-producing cranberry bogs was announced Friday by state agriculture and aquaculture officials, as part of Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift's regional cabinet day on Cape Cod. If successful, the project will help struggling cranberry growers diversify their operations to weather the current period of low prices due to overproduction. Massachusetts Commissioner of Food and Agriculture Jonathan L. Healy presented a check for $32,000 to Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association Executive Director Jeffrey LaFleur at the Double M Cranberry Company bog in Wareham where the demonstration project will take place. This partial funding for the project is provided by the state Department of Food and Agriculture's Agricultural Business Training Program, the Southeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center, and the Western Massachusetts Center for Sustainable Aquaculture. "We're working with the cranberry growers association to investigate alternative crops that can be produced in the growing environment and conditions that are associated with cranberry bog systems," explained Commissioner Healy. "We believe that aquaculture continues to have great commercial promise in the Commonwealth as it capitalizes on the skill sets and equipment commonly found in agricultural sectors such as the cranberry industry. Diversification of agricultural operations is one way that we keep farmers farming in Massachusetts and maintain the benefits that are associated with agriculture, such as open space preservation and local sources of high quality farm products." The current oversupply of cranberries has caused extreme distress in the local industry. Farmgate value per barrel of cranberries has fallen from a record high of $70 in 1996 to $16 in 1999. Prices rebounded slightly in 2000 to $19.90, but remain at a level that barely covers production expenses. Drastic measures are being recommended to protect existing cranberry farms. "Massachusetts farmers have lead the way in diversifying their operations in order to remain profitable" stated Jeffrey LaFleur Executive Director of Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association "The cranberry industry is no different, we need to investigate viable diversification options for our growers. We see this project as one way for our farmers to use the existing cranberry infrastructure to raise complementary crops." The aquaculture system to be installed on a bog in Wareham -- known as a partitioned aquaculture system (PAS) was developed at Clemson University in South Carolina to increase fish production on catfish farm ponds in the southern U.S. Massachusetts aquaculture researchers are examining an adaptation of the PAS to determine its economic and biological feasibility when applied to flooded cranberry bogs. Several fish species will be evaluated for performance in the pilot project including large mouth bass, yellow perch, brown bullhead, golden shiners, fat head minnows and crayfish. Construction of the fish culture units will be completed by the end of October 2001; stocking and performance analysis of selected fish species will take place in the Spring and Summer of 2002. The fish will be harvested and marketed next Fall. The project is estimated to cost a total of $56,000. The Massachusetts cranberry industry is an important contributor to the local economy. With more than 500 growers producing approximately 30 percent of the nation's cranberry supply, cranberries are the number one food crop in Massachusetts. The cranberry industry provides more than 5,500 jobs and more than $200 million to the Massachusetts economy. The multiplier effect into the economy is estimated to be about $1 billion. In addition to more than 14,000 acres of bog, cranberry farmers own and manage 48,000 acres of upland and wetland support property helping to protect extensive land and water resources in southeastern Massachusetts. (Contact: Diane Baedeker Petit, 617/626-1752) MISSOURI STATE VETERINARIAN TO LEAVE POST Dr. John Hunt, the state veterinarian who heads the Missouri Department of Agriculture's Division of Animal Health, announced this week he was resigning to take a job as the associate director of the Animal Services Division of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Dr. David Hopson, deputy state veterinarian, will serve as acting director of the animal health division when Hunt leaves the department Oct. 15. Hunt has served as the state veterinarian since 1994, overseeing programs to control and eradicate animal disease in Missouri. He was instrumental in implementing the department's food safety and livestock quality assurance programs, as well as the Animal Care Facilities Act program, which licenses and regulates facilities that raise and care for companion animals. Hunt also pushed for a state meat inspection program, which gives smaller-sized processors more options for marketing their meat within the state. In addition, he spearheaded the drive to develop an electronic animal identification system, still in the works. "I am extremely sorry to see Dr. Hunt leave the department, but I wish him well in his new position," said Lowell Mohler, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. "Dr. Hunt has served the department well for more than eight years. He initiated a number of progressive programs and policies, and his leadership and drive will be greatly missed." Mohler said he hopes to name a new state veterinarian by the end of the year. (Contact: Sally Oxenhandler, 573/751-8596) POSITION VACANCY Director, Soil Conservation Division Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Position: Director, Soil Conservation Division Location: Soil Conservation Division, Wallace State Office Building, Des Moines, IA Status: Permanent Full Time - Exempt Application Requirements: Letter of interest, resume and references Application Deadline: 4:30 p.m. CST, November 15, 2001 Description: The position is responsible for the development and management of soil conservation, water quality and mining programs for the State of Iowa, including matters of legislation, budget, administrative rules, employee supervision, interagency coordination and annual reporting. The position reports directly to the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and the Division is administered in accordance with policy established by the State Soil Conservation Committee. Program authorities include (1) field services support to Iowa's 100 soil and water conservation districts, (2) financial incentive support for installation of soil and water conservation practices, (3) surface and groundwater quality protection, and (4) regulatory authority for coal and minerals mining, and the reclamation of abandoned, coal-mined lands. Total program responsibility: 210 staff, $26 million annual budget. Applications and questions should be directed to Elaine Ilvess, Division of Soil Conservation, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Wallace State Office Building, East 9th and Grand, Des Moines, IA 50319. phone: 515-281-0531. Fax: 515-281-6170, e-mail: eilvess@osmre.gov. |