10-06-11 *CFB News* Thousands in Colorado Call for Approval of Keystone XL

DENVER – Today the Colorado Farm Bureau announced, in conjunction with Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), that it has submitted 9,690 public comments from Colorado residents supporting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The comments were submitted to the U.S. Department of State, which must issue the final necessary permit to allow the Keystone XL project to proceed.

Colorado Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Troy Bredenkamp issued the following statement:

“Coloradans are highly supportive of new energy infrastructure and the valuable resources they provide to farmers, ranchers, and millions of consumers throughout the State.  By ensuring a steady supply of North American oil, Keystone XL will help support million of jobs – including thousands of farms and ranches in Colorado – that depend on an affordable supply of oil to fuel their businesses.”

Added CEA Executive Vice President Michael Whatley:

“The Keystone XL pipeline will be the safest pipeline ever built in the United States, and construction will help create more than 20,000 jobs nationwide. The pipeline will also generate more than $20 billion in new economic growth for the struggling U.S. economy. The 700,000 barrels of oil per day that will flow through Keystone XL will help reduce fuel prices for families coast to coast, and dramatically improve our energy security by reducing our reliance on Middle Eastern oil. These comments that we are submitting today from thousands of Coloradans reflect what people across the country are saying: We need jobs, we need a stronger economy, and we need to build the Keystone XL pipeline.”

The 1,700-mile proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver 700,000 barrels of U.S. and Canadian crude oil per day to refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas.  Keystone XL received approval from Canada’s National Energy Board in 2010, but the project also requires a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of State because it crosses an international border. In June, CEA delivered more than 62,000 public comments supporting the project to the State Department, all of which came from people living in the six states through which the proposed pipeline will travel: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

10-06-11 NAWG Newsletter‏

Report from Washington

Oct. 6, 2011 / Volume 51 / Issue 31

Long Time Coming: Obama Sends Three Pending FTAs to Congress

Congress Approves CR to Fund Government Through Nov. 18

Search for a Pesticide Permitting Fix Continues As Deadline Nears

USDA Joins International Wheat Improvement Initiative

ARS Researcher Named Grain Crops National Program Leader

Alliance to Feed the Future Offers Resources for October Food Days

**********************************************************************

USGC Global Update for October 6, 2011‏

Joint SEA Conference Draws “Elite Buyers,” Increased Sales - Page 1
USGC Sorghum Conferences Reach Key Mexican Markets - Page 2
U.S. Trade Potential in China  – Page 2
Council Activity Calendar – Page 2
USDA’s Weekly Export Sales Highlights for September 23-29, 2011 – Page 3
==========================================================

Joint SEA Conference Draws “Elite Buyers,” Increased Sales
The Southeast Asia U.S. Agricultural Cooperators Conference in Indonesia attracted “the elite of the elite buyers of Southeast Asia,” according to Frank Kralicek of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council.

Kralicek, who delivered the U.S. and world corn supply and demand presentation, reported a record turnout of more than 180 people representing major feed milling, integrated feed-meat-food producing and trading companies from the region.

He praised Adel Yusupov, USGC regional director, for the quality of the program and the turnout. “I got a lot of questions even before speaking,” Kralicek reported. “Not just about quality and supply, but even about farm programs, the markets, and whether we have the transportation facilities to supply enough corn to Southeast Asia. They asked questions the whole time I was there.”

The conference, sponsored by the Council and the American Soybean Association, offered ample time and activities for participants to consult privately with speakers and guests and to network among themselves, according to Yusupov. “Southeast Asian grain buyers took advantage of the direct contact with U.S. exporters to purchase corn, corn products and substantial amounts of soybeans and soybean meal,” Yusupov said.

10-06-11 NRC Report on RFS Misses Some Real World Biofuel Industry Developments

As soon as a report assessing the economic and environmental impacts of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) was issued by the National Research Council (NRC) Tuesday, many questions about the validity of the report’s assumptions and the currency of its data began circulating. Everyone from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to biofuel industry leaders to advocacy groups cast doubts on the congressionally-mandated study. Vilsack said the report bases its conclusions “on information that’s not as accurate as it once was.” Even the NRC study co-chairs acknowledge in the preface that, “our clearest conclusion is that there is very high uncertainty in the impacts we were trying to estimate. “

Another figure who brings significant credentials to this debate is Dr. Virginia Dale, the director of the Center for BioEnergy Sustainability at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and one of 16 experts on the NRC committee that crafted the report. Dale acknowledges that, like most NRC reports, the RFS study represented a compromise among the largely academic committee members, including her. But she also says there is a paucity of data on the subject, requiring the committee members to largely base their report on model projections.

10-06-11 *WSGA News* GUEST EDITORIAL – CAN WYOMING COME TOGETHER?

Writtten by: Jim Magagna- Executive Vice President, Wyoming Stock Growers Association

On October 5 the Fish and Wildlife Service released their promised proposed rule delisting the gray wolf in Wyoming.  The rule, base on initial analysis, appears to conform to the terms of the agreement reached in early August between Governor Matt Mead and the Service.  This release initiates a 100-day public comment period together with a single public meeting to be held in Riverton on November 15^th.

For the next 100 days the fate of this plan lies in the hands of the public.  In Wyoming this public includes citizens who support the plan and citizens who advocate for state-wide trophy game status.  It includes those who have argued that wolves should be protected only within Yellowstone National Park and those who believe that all of Teton County should be within the Trophy Game Management Area (TGMA).  It includes those who point to the economic benefits that the presence of the wolf can bring to northwestern Wyoming as well as those who cite the economic destruction caused to livestock and wildlife.  Yes, the Wyoming public even encompasses those who will not rest until all wolves are removed from the state and those who envision thousands of wolves in Wyoming as representing a restoration of ecologic balance.

There is another public out there that does not live or work in our state.  A few have traveled to Wyoming and experienced, positively or negatively, the presence of wolves.  The vast majority have, at most, seen a video, a newspaper photo or a TV news story.  Many thousands have only been subjected to the propaganda of wolf advocacy groups or the rhetoric of vocal wolf opponents.  This public, led by a few organizations with national agendas, will also seek to drive the fate of this delisting plan.

10-06-11 USDA Issues Conservation Reserve Program Rental Payments to Help Safeguard Soil and Water on 417,000 Farms

STATE	NUMBER OF CONTRACTS	NUMBER OF FARMS	ACRES ENROLLED	RENTAL PAYMENTS

COLORADO	12,719	6,194	2,235,943	$73,650,439

David Nomsen, Vice President of Governmental Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever

“CRP delivers habitat to wildlife. Examples range from doubling and tripling local pheasant populations to adding two million ducks annually to fall migrations and preventing species from being listed as threatened and endangered. America needs a strong CRP, along with an entire suite of other voluntary incentive-based conservation programs, as the starting point to sustain continued agricultural production.”

 

John Salazar, Colorado Agriculture Commissioner

“The Conservation Reserve Program has a significant environmental impact, not only across the country, but in Colorado as well. This program encourages sound conservation practices that will have lasting benefits for generations to come.  Agricultural producers have long held the responsibility of protecting our natural resources and the CRP is a vital resource in that effort.”

Oct. 6, 2011—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will distribute Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) rental payments to participants across the country. USDA’s Farm Service Agency administers CRP, while technical support functions are provided by public and private sector partners. CRP is a voluntary program that helps agricultural producers safeguard environmentally sensitive land and provide millions of acres of habitat for game and non-game wildlife species. Participants enroll in CRP contracts for 10 to 15 years. Currently, total CRP enrollment stands at 29.9 million acres.

“CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the America’s natural resources,” said FSA Administrator Bruce Nelson. “By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country.”

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) makes annual rental payments based on the agriculture rental value of the land, and it provides cost-share assistance for up to 50 percent of the participant’s costs in establishing approved conservation practices.

10-06-11 USDA Designates Chase and Keith Counties in Nebraska as Primary Natural Disaster Areas, with Assistance Also to Colorado

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Chase and Keith counties in Nebraska as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by severe storms with excessive rain, hail and high winds that occurred June 16 – June 21, 2011.

“Nebraska producers can continue to count on USDA to provide emergency assistance during difficult times,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “America’s farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation’s economy, producing the food, feed, fiber and fuel that continue to help us grow and out-compete the rest of the world. President Obama and I are committed to using the resources at our disposal to reduce the impact of this disaster on Nebraska producers and help to get those affected back on their feet.”

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Nebraska also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

Arthur                          Dundy                         Hayes                          McPherson

Deuel                           Garden                        Lincoln                        Perkins

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Colorado also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous:

Colorado

Phillips                        Sedgwick                    Yuma

10-06-11 McCook Farm & Ranch Expo set for Nov 16-17th

McCook, Neb.- With record crop yields the last two years in Southwest Nebraska, Northwest Kansas, & Northeast Colorado, the McCook Farm & Ranch Expo is the place to be. The Expo will return to the Red Willow County Fairgrounds on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 16-17, 2011.

The show opens at 9 a.m. both days and closes at 7 p.m. the first day and 4 p.m. the second. Admission and parking are free.

To kick things off, there will be a free producer’s breakfast at 7:30am on Wednesday November 16^th. Come join us for some great food and friendly faces. This event is sponsored by Willow Creek Meats, Archer Petroleum, Hometown Family Radio, Kugler,Pepsi,Nebraska Bull Service, Kleins Motor Electric, Cappel Sales, Eugene Koch Pioneer Seeds, Chief Hotel & Restraunt, Arickaree Ranch Supply, Cowboy Up Tack, Grosch Irrigation & Farmers Magazine.

“It’s a great place to come see the newest and latest in farming and ranching practices and technology,” said Darren Dale, show manager. “We are expecting 350 vendors from 20 states, Canada& Australia.”

Exhibitors include displays for farm and ranch equipment, seed and
chemicals, agricultural services, irrigation manufacturers, financial providers, commodity organizations, colleges, governmental services, home services, furniture and art galleries and much, much more.

10-06-11 *CSP NEWS* School Bus Loading Reminder for ALL Drivers‏

Due to letters sent recently by concerned parents to the Department of Public Safety, Col. James M. Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol, and Dr. Linda M. Kanan, Director of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center, remind Colorado drivers that they must come to a full stop “…upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus that has stopped…” and is displaying flashing red lights, according to state law.

The requirement specifies that driver’s vehicle must remain at least 20 feet from the bus.

Drivers may not proceed until the red lights have been turned off, noted Chief Wolfinbarger.

Violations are a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense.

Colorado law also provides that non-compliant drivers witnessed by a school bus driver may be cited later by a law enforcement agency. A police officer does not have to witness such violations in order for a driver to be cited for violating the law, reminded Chief Wolfinbarger.

“School bus routes have changed this year. On November 6, daylight savings time ends, and drivers will need to be even more cautious for children on their way to or from school. These factors, in addition to the letters we have received, compel us to issue this reminder,” said Dr. Kanan.

10-06-11 CSU Biology Professor to Study Effects of Climate Change on Stream Hydrology in Colorado River Basin

FORT COLLINS - The Bureau of Land Reclamation has awarded Colorado State University biology Professor LeRoy Poff and his team $105,000 for their two-year research project on the effects of climate change on stream hydrology.

Under this new grant, Poff will focus on the Colorado River basin to identify streams that are prone to have no-flow days and go dry in summer, pushing vegetation to become more drought tolerant and the species surrounding the stream to also adapt.

Ultimately, the researchers intend to use this new information to understand vegetation sensitivity to climate change and the ability of vegetation to move with changing conditions as a basis for developing maps for policymakers and conservation groups. The grant comes from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Program through their Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

“We want to show how the vegetation is vulnerable to climate change in temperate streams,” said Lindsay Reynolds, post-doctoral researcher and principle investigator. “We are focusing our attention on the Colorado River areas projected to have longer and drier summers as the climate rapidly changes. Also, the biggest challenge we have faced in the field is understanding variability for the future and determining how much the fresh water supply will decrease for future generations.”

10-06-11 Local Meetings Will Provide Claims-Filing Help to Native American Farmers and Ranchers In Keepseagle Settlement

(Washington, DC) – As part of the claims-filing process, attorneys appointed by the court will hold meetings around the country to provide assistance to Native American farmers and ranchers who wish to file a claim in the $760 million Keepseagle class action settlement.  The settlement resolves a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against Native Americans in farm loan applications and servicing.  

Over the past six months, Native American farmers and ranchers around the country received information about their legal rights and options by postal mail and through print and radio notices. Class members who want to file a claim for cash and loan forgiveness must file their claims by December 27, 2011.

Class members can get free assistance in filing a claim at meetings that will be held around the country this summer and fall.  There will meetings in this area at the Ohkay Owingeh Casino in Ohkay Owingeh, NM on October 18-19 between 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Class members who have already registered for a Claims Package will receive a schedule of meetings with that package.  The complete schedule of Claims Filing Meetings is also available atwww.IndianFarmClass.com or by calling 1-888-233-5506.  Media are requested to include the website and phone number in pieces about the settlement.

Class members wishing to register to receive a Claims Package can do so through the website or toll-free number or by writing to Keepseagle Settlement Administrator, PO Box 3560, Portland, OR 97208-3560.

SOURCE: Class Counsel:  Joseph Sellers and Christine Webber, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, Washington, DC, 202-408-4600, http://www.cohenmilstein.com