READ the NAFB's National Ag News as heard inside the BARN for July 16th

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“House Leaders Aren’t Talking Floor Time for Farm Bill”

House leadership isn’t making any promises on floor time for the farm bill. According to House Speaker John Boehner there are some good reforms in the farm bill – and there are other parts he has concerns about. According to Boehner – we have a Soviet-style dairy program in the country today – and one of the proposals in the farm bill actually makes it worse. The Speaker is reserving further comments on the legislation approved by the House Ag Committee until he gets a closer look. Majority Leader Eric Cantor didn’t even discuss floor time following committee passage. House Agriculture Chair Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson have both urged House leadership to bring the bill to the floor.

Politico reports that members of the committee also want the leadership to bring up the bill. Iowa Republican Steve King said he would have been happy to bring the farm bill to the floor the minute it passed out of committee. He’s not entertaining the idea that House leadership would extend existing farm policy. He says he would be disappointed if there is no floor time to debate the farm bill.

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“Proposed Farm Database Rule Withdrawn by EPA”

The EPA has withdrawn its proposed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Reporting Rule – a move applauded by the National Pork Producers Council. The rule would have required large livestock and poultry farmers to report information about their operations including contact information, location of a CAFO’s production area, permit status, the number and type of animals confined and the number of acres available for land application of manure. The agency said the information would allow it to more effectively carry out its CAFO permitting programs on a national level and ensure that CAFO’s are implementing practices to protect water quality and human health. NPPC President R.C. Hunt says the proposed rule would have been a duplicative and burdensome paperwork exercise for producers and clearly was an effort to undermine court decisions that said producers who don’t discharge into waterways don’t need a CWA permit.

NPPC notes the proposed rule was prompted by a May 2010 settlement agreement EPA entered with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Waterkeeper Alliance and the Sierra Club as part of a lawsuit the group brought and ultimately won over EPA’s 2008 CAFO rule.

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“Farm Bureau Expresses Importance of Methyl Bromide”

In preparation for a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on the U.S. Agriculture Sector Relief Act of 2012 – the American Farm Bureau Federation sent a letter to lawmakers on the importance of methyl bromide. AFBF President Bob Stallman says methyl bromide is an indispensable pest control tool used in crop production, grain storage, food processing and general pest management. For some agricultural users – he says its availability is nearly essential to providing consumers the safe and reliable food they expect. That’s why Farm Bureau is telling Congress that the continued shortage of methyl bromide and viable alternatives will negatively impact crop production in the U.S. and lead to higher dependence on imported food sources.

The U.S. Agriculture Sector Relief Act of 2012 supports all continued uses of methyl bromide. Non-critical use of the chemical compound was phased out in the U.S. in early 2005. Since then – Farm Bureau says the EPA has increasingly rejected critical uses of methyl bromide. Sales of viable alternatives have also been suspended – and the EPA has proposed withdrawing tolerances of another alternative. Farm Bureau says no other compound has proven as effective.

In the end – Stallman says American consumers will suffer greatly from agriculture’s loss of methyl bromide.

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“NFU Submits Comments on Release of Critical USDA Reports”

National Farmers Union is urging USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service to release critical reports when markets are closed. NFU President Roger Johnson says those using agricultural commodity markets – especially bona fide hedgers and end-users of commodities – would be best served if those markets were not open when critical NASS reports are released. He says it stands to reason that it is beneficial for market participants to have an opportunity to read and analyze the reports before trading resumes. NFU also has concerns that some in rural areas could have a difficult time downloading the reports in time to react quickly when markets are open – which Johnson says underscores the need for a release time outside of trading hours.

According to Johnson – an additional concern for NFU is the shift in focus of commodity exchanges that has forced USDA to alter its report release schedule. He says commodity markets have shifted emphasis from managing the inherent risks of farming and business to the influx of speculators and index funds. Johnson says speculators are now thought to account for 85-percent of commodity market activity. He calls it unfortunate that federal agencies are now forced to conform to the needs of speculation rather than the needs of farmers and businesses using their products.

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“Farm Bureau Submits Comments on Livestock Antibiotic Proposals”

The American Farm Bureau Federation has submitted comments to the Federal Drug Administration on proposals that would restrict antibiotic use. Farm Bureau cites a lack of data to support limiting antibiotic use in livestock – stating the proposals are based on unproven theory. While the FDA says its action is designed to help preserve the effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials for treating disease in humans – Farm Bureau says the agency hasn’t demonstrated whether the actions will have any effect on antibiotic resistance.

Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman says they agree that antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing healthcare problem – and developing strategies for reducing antimicrobial resistance is critically important for protecting both public and animal health. But he says Farm Bureau is extremely concerned with FDA actions. He says they seem to indicate the agency is basing complex animal health policies on theory – rather than sound scientific studies. According to Farm Bureau – there have been no peer-reviewed scientific studies to support the theory that judicious use of antibiotics in livestock increases antibiotic resistance in humans. Further – they say there is no data to indicate that limiting antibiotic use in livestock decreases human health problems with antibiotic resistance.

Stallman says antibiotics in livestock are used carefully in a highly-regulated process. He says the regulatory and industry layers of protection in place are based on years of data collection. He says the American Farm Bureau Federation believes any new policies relative to antibiotics should be grounded in data and reflective of the realities of the diversity of modern animal agriculture production. Limiting or eliminating animal antibiotic use in the livestock industry – he says – will have negative economic and animal health consequences.

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“American Petroleum Institute Issues E15 Warning”

The American Petroleum Institute is warning Kansas drivers not to use E15 – now available at a Lawrence gas station. The Renewable Fuels Association says their warning is based on a study funded by API and other oil interests in which some vehicles failed testing – including tests conducted on old fashioned gasoline not containing ethanol. Based on the study cited – RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen says API should be warning Americans against using so-called clear gasoline as well – since vehicles in their limited testing failed on that fuel also. The protocols involved in the study were questioned by the Department of Energy – which conducted more than six-million miles of testing on E15 and found no problems for vehicles built in model year 2001 and newer. RFA’s Dinneen says E15 has been the most thoroughly tested fuel in American history. He adds that ethanol has been a safe and effective fuel component in wide use for more than three decades.

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“Peregrine Financial Failure Alarming to Grain and Feed Group”

The National Grain and Feed Association is alarmed by reports that the Peregrine Financial Group failed to segregate customer funds. NGFA is the nation’s largest trade association comprising commercial hedgers of grains, oilseeds, feed and feed ingredients and grain products. The group says the case clearly demonstrates that the MF Global incident wasn’t a one-time problem – and they see significant risk to supposedly segregated customer funds still exists.

Earlier this month – NGFA submitted recommendations to Congress and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission designed to provide greater oversight and enhance customer protections in the event of another MF Global-type liquidation of a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM). They recommended amending the U.S. bankruptcy code to provide greater and more detailed guidance in liquidation proceedings involving a commodity broker or FCM. Another recommendation was the establishment of a new type of voluntary, fully segregated customer account to shield customer assets from pooled losses if an FCM bankruptcy occurs.

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“Additional Funds Announced for Everglades Restoration”

The Obama Administration has released a report that outlines the federal investments and progress made in Everglades restoration. They have also announced 80-million dollars in additional funding to support farmers and ranchers who voluntarily conserve wetlands on ag land in the Northern Everglades Watershed. This investment – made through USDA’s Wetlands Reserve Program – will restore another 23-thousand acres of wetlands vital to water quality and wildlife habitat in the Everglades system.

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the President has made Everglades restoration a national priority. He says it demonstrates a strong commitment to partnerships with farmers and ranchers to improve water quality and habitat protection while supporting Florida’s strong agricultural economy and ranching heritage.

The Obama Administration has invested 1.5-billion dollars in Everglades projects and initiatives – including 900-million to jumpstart construction projects to restore water flow and essential habitat. To build on the progress made and continue the investments, partnerships and projects designed to return the Everglades to health – President Obama has requested an additional 246-million in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget.

SOURCE: NAFB News Service