Farmers hate food-labeling proposal
Various agriculture-related groups are working together to fight off a proposal to label food in ways that make it possible to trace it back to the farms where it was originally produced.
Food safety officials in the United States like the idea of using identification numbers that would allow meat contaminated with bacteria or drug residues to be followed back to its origin.
The idea already is being used in Canada and throughout Europe. But in the United States, ranchers hate it. They fear that ranchers will get hit with lawsuits every time somebody becomes ill from food poisoning.
"If you're running a small farm with 30 cows or 100 cows, would you want this liability on you, when every time something went wrong they came back to you?" National Cattlemen's Beef Association lobbyist Gary Weber asked the Des Moines Register.
Specifically, officials would like to have cattle tracked through the use of ear tags that contain computer chips readable by special machines at packing plants.
Crops such as grains could have a uniform coding system in the packaging that would be similar to the bar codes already in use on most consumer goods.
Safe Tables Our Priority, a consumer activist group, said it thinks making farmers identifiable for tainted foodstuffs will force them to implement measures making the food products safer for human consumption.
"What it would automatically do is ratchet up food safety," group President Nancy Donley said. "Suddenly, the companies and farmers and producers are no longer invisible."
Currently, a measure is pending in the Senate, although it has yet to be reviewed by congressional committees. Neither the chairmen of the House nor the Senate agriculture committees is willing to take a stance on the bill.
About 79 million illnesses, 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths per year in the United States are caused by food poisoning.
Harvard University business professor Ray Goldberg said he believes a strict labeling system would go a long way to ensuring that mad cow disease does not infect livestock in the United States.
He also believes that it could reduce spread of diseases such as foot-and-mouth and lessen the use of antibiotics and other drugs in animals.
"People really want to know what the animal was fed, what the breed was, who the farmer or rancher was and who took care of the animals," Goldberg said.
Navajo nation:
The Agriculture Department Monday began its first department-wide consultation with the Navajo Nation.
During meetings in Window Rock, Ariz., officials discussed the impact on the tribe of the farm bill implementation, homeland security, new technology, rural development, education and training, and marketing.
The Agriculture Department "is committed to ensuring that our programs are available to everyone who needs them," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said. "This consultation and site visit is an opportunity to present these available programs so that the Navajo Nation can fully benefit from them."
Officials said they will provide three grants exceeding $430,000 to cover Navajo education, rural development, and computing and imaging equipment purchases.
Quarantine:
Farmers and ranchers in designated quarantine areas will be eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the Agriculture Department.
Emergency loans traditionally are made to producers in declared disaster areas where drought, floods and other natural disasters have had devastating effects.
"Plant and animal diseases can cause extraordinary hardships for farmers and ranchers," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said. "Allowing low interest emergency loans to producers impacted by these conditions will provide much needed relief."
Root diseases:
In the struggle to protect soybean plants against root diseases, one Ohio State University researcher is taking the fight below the soil surface.
Plant pathologist Brian McSpadden Gardener is studying biological control of plant pathogens using beneficial bacteria that colonize plant roots.
Officials hope to identify the distribution of soil bacteria to determine which soybean fields would be ideal candidates for biological control applications.
Crop progress:
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday 65 percent of the soybean crop is dropping leaves, compared to 42 percent last week, 57 percent at this time last year and 65 percent average for the past five years. Of that, 6 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 5 percent last year and 9 percent for the past five years. Forty-four percent of the crop is in excellent or good condition, with 30 percent fair and 26 percent poor or very poor.
For corn, 96 percent of the crop is dented, compared to 90 percent last week, 94 percent last year and 95 percent the past five years. Of that, 65 percent is mature, compared to 45 percent last week, 61 percent last year and 66 percent the past five years. And 13 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 9 percent last week, 13 percent last year and 14 percent the past five years. Forty-two percent of the crop is in excellent or good condition, with 28 percent fair and 30 percent poor or very poor.
For sorghum, 87 percent of the crop is coloring, compared to 81 percent last week, 95 percent last year and 94 percent the past five years. Of that, 60 percent is mature, compared to 52 percent last week, 69 percent last year and 65 percent the past five years. And 35 percent is harvested, compared to 30 percent last week, 42 percent last year and 39 percent the past five years. Twenty-three percent is excellent or good, with 34 percent fair and 53 percent poor or very poor.
For winter wheat, 31 percent of the crop is planted, compared to 17 percent last week, 30 percent last year and 27 percent the past five years. Of that, 12 percent is emerged, compared to 13 percent last year and 10 percent the past five years.
For cotton, 75 percent of the crop's bolls are opening, compared to 64 percent last week, 76 percent last year and 75 percent the past five years. Of that, 13 percent is harvested, compared to 9 percent last week, 14 percent last year and 15 percent the past five years. Fifty-two percent of the crop is excellent or good, with 30 percent fair and 18 percent poor or very poor.
For spring wheat, 95 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 90 percent last week, 100 percent last year and 97 percent the past five years.
For barley, 97 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 91 percent last week, 100 percent last year and 98 percent the past five years.
For peanuts, 13 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 7 percent last week, 16 percent last year and 18 percent the past five years. Forty-eight percent is excellent or good, with 36 percent fair and 16 percent poor or very poor.
For rice, 57 percent of the crop is harvested, compared to 45 percent last week, 64 percent last year and 60 percent the past five years.
Grains:
Grain futures were lower at the close Monday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Soybeans fell on expectations the harvest will be a good one this week.
Corn fell because of good harvest weather and speculation that the crop will be larger than originally expected.
Wheat dropped on a lack of new information. Oats also were lower.
The prices:
Soybeans: Nov 5.53 1/4 off 11 1/4, Jan 5.57 off 10 1/2, Mar 5.58 1/4 off 10, May 5.57 1/4 off 9.
Corn: Dec 2.54 1/4 off 6 1/2, Mar 2.61 1/2 off 6 1/2, May 2.65 1/2 off 6, Jul 2.66 off 5 1/4.
Wheat: Dec 3.89 1/2 off 10 1/2, Mar 3.88 3/4 off 9 1/4, May 3.73 1/4 off 5 3/4, Jul 3.45 1/2 off 6 1/4.
Oats: Dec 2.01 unch, Mar 1.98 off 1, May 1.96 off 1, Jul 1.90 unch.
