READ the NAFB’s National Ag News as heard inside the BARN for Jan 25th

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“CARB Gets A No”

Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill has denied the California Air Resources Board’s motion to stay the decision he issued on December 29, 2011 that had halted the enforcement of the California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulation because that regulation is unconstitutional.  Last Friday CARB filed papers asking the Court to reverse its decision and allow the state to continue implementing the LCFS in 2012.  

Judge O’Neill noted that CARB sought not to preserve the – status quo – but rather to – allow enforcement that imposes higher restrictions than had been imposed previously – without citing any authority to show why the Court would have jurisdiction to grant that type of relief.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis say – Judge O’Neill’s decision demonstrates the strength of our claims against the LCFS. The California LCFS seeks to regulate conduct outside its borders and is blatantly discriminatory and unconstitutional.

CARB has appealed Judge O’Neill’s finding that the LCFS violates the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.  That litigation is in the 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals.

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“New Legislation Sets Dangerous Precedent”

Legislation introduced by Representative Kurt Schrader of Oregon would codify an agreement between the Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers establishing federally mandated egg production practices. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donald says the legislation would set a dangerous precedent for allowing the federal government to dictate on-farm production practices. Donald also says the move disregards decades of work the cattle industry has undertaken to develop science-based, voluntary animal care programs.

Donald believes – this legislation could set a dangerous precedent to allow government bureaucrats in Washington to mandate how farmers and ranchers across the nation raise and care for their animals.

Meanwhile, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman says the new mandated animal care standards are – based largely on the political goals of an animal rights group that seeks to eventually shut down animal agriculture by government mandate. According to Stallman,- we do not need heavy-handed government mandates based primarily on the extreme political whims of animal rights activists who clearly have no regard for science-based animal husbandry or for the hard-working families that provide all of us with wholesome foods from well-cared-for livestock.

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“President’s Budget Delayed”

Under law, the federal budget is supposed to be released on the first Monday in February.  The Obama administration says its 2013 budget will be delayed one week to February 13. This will be the third time in four years President Obama has missed his statutory requirement to present a budget on time.

South Dakota Senator John Thune says Senate Democrats need to make a move on a budget. According to Thune, – until the Democrat-led Senate gets serious about balancing the government’s books by passing a budget, dangerous levels of debt will continue to be pushed onto future generations of Americans.

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“Lock or Dam Failures Studied”

A study released by the United Soybean Board and the soybean checkoff found that American farmers and consumers – will suffer severe economic distress – if catastrophic  lock or dam failures take place. The report continues – more than half of the structures that are part of the U.S. inland waterway system for river barge shipping exceed their 50-year usable lifespan. And more than one-third surpass 70 years of age, and the study states that because – major rehabilitation is usually necessary to expand the typical lifespan from 50 to 75 years.

The study, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, examined the condition of locks on the Upper Mississippi River, Illinois River and Ohio River. The study also calculated the economic impact of specific lock failures on districts within states, showing the effect on agricultural commodity prices—and on fertilizer and coal prices, which also depend on upstream river barge shipping.

Just on the Ohio River alone, the accumulated shipping delays at broken-down locks has more than tripled since 2000, rising from 25-thousand hours to 80-thousand hours annually. As an example, this study shows that a three-month lock closure would increase the cost of transporting 5.5-million tons of oilseeds and grain, the average shipped by barge during that period, by 71.6-million dollars. A failure at any of the locks examined by the study could cost U.S. farmers up to 45-million in lost revenue.

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“Dow AgroSciences Reacts to Bayer CropScience Lawsuit”

Dow AgroSciences learned from a news release issued by Bayer CropScience that Bayer has filed a lawsuit against Dow AgroSciences in federal court in Virginia. Although Dow AgroSciences has not seen the Complaint, the company understands that this new lawsuit concerns the right to sell seeds containing glufosinate resistance technology, which is part of Dow AgroSciences’ highly-anticipated Enlist™ platform. This new lawsuit would be the third case Bayer has filed against Dow AgroSciences in a little more than a year.

Dow AgroSciences believes all three lawsuits are without merit, and it will aggressively defend itself against each of them. The company says it will do everything in its power to prevent Bayer from depriving American farmers of Enlist products. Dow AgroSciences adds, – it is, indeed, unfortunate that Bayer has decided to pursue these meritless claims through litigation.

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“Alliance Challenges New FAO Leader”

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance has challenged new Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Jose Graziano Da Silva on his simplistic and misinformed critique of biofuels and their alleged impact on commodity prices. GRFA spokesperson Bliss Baker says – Mr. Da Silva has failed to recognize that the rising price of energy is the primary driver in the rising cost of all commodities including corn and sugar.

Many international organizations have back tracked on their criticism of biofuels based on research which has found biofuels to have played a very minor role in the escalation of food prices globally. In fact, David Hallam, the FAO’s Deputy Director has said that – unexpected oil price spikes could further exacerbate an already precarious situation in food markets.

Baker points out – the International Energy Agency has concluded that biofuels could provide 27 percent of total transport fuel by 2050 and avoid around 2.1 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions per year when produced sustainably without jeopardizing food security.

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“Blender Pump Funds Available”

For the second year, USDA is accepting applications for federal REAP funds to help gasoline retailers install blender pumps designed to give consumers flexibility and choice in the ethanol blends they use. This program offers funding for grants, and loan guarantees, but certain restrictions will apply on the size of the local communities and the businesses applying for the funds. Applications for this program are due on March 30, 2012.

Last year, USDA had plans to install 10-thousand blender pumps over the next five years. According to RFA Director of Market Development Robert White, – this program provided funding for more than 250 blender pumps last year. The Blend Your Own Ethanol campaign, a joint educational effort by the American Coalition for Ethanol and the RFA, will again offer free grant writing services to those interested in applying.

According to White, – through the BYO Ethanol Campaign, we have the ability to assist retailers in applying for these funds and help USDA and the Obama Administration achieve the renewable fuel goals they have put forward. White believes, – with E15 fuel registration due any day, these blender pumps will help spread this new blend across the country.

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“Forage Kochia Could Benefit Rangeland Cattle”

Research led by geneticist Blair Waldron with USDA’s Agriculture Research Service in Logan, Utah, suggests that forage kochia can provide more nutritious winter forage than traditional rangeland vegetation, benefiting cattle that graze on rangelands in the western United States. Crude protein went up to 11.7 percent, well above the recommended minimum, while the stockpiled grasses had a crude protein content of only 3.1 percent.

Forage kochia is a shrubby Asian native plant that sometimes survives wildfires and other environmental challenges more successfully than North American native plants. The team of researchers found that forage kochia can be established on damaged rangelands, and that it can compete with cheatgrass successfully. It can even protect against wildfires.

After two seasons of field trials the researchers found that the forage yield on rangelands seeded with kochia was 2,309 pounds per acre, which was six times greater than the forage yield on traditional grazinglands. This difference meant that the rangelands with kochia could support 1.38 animals per acre, while the traditional rangelands could support only 0.24 animals per acre.

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“Happy Trails Tour Continues”

The Trigger and Bullet Happy Trails Tour will be part of the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA trade show February 1-3, 2012, at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. This stop is part of a 48-state tour honoring Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys”.  The RFD-TV Trigger and Bullet Happy Trails Tour began in July of 2010, after the company purchased Roy Rogers’ preserved horse, Trigger, and his German Shepherd dog, Bullet, in an auction at Christie’s. The tour honors Roy Rogers’ 100^th birthday.

Most recently, Trigger and Bullet, were seen on a float at the Tournament of Roses^® Parade on January 2, 2012. The float was preceded by 100 golden Palominos and their riders.

SOURCE: NAFB News Service