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UPI Farming Today

By GREGORY TEJEDA, United Press International

Congress to consider agri-terrorism bill

Congress will be asked to consider a measure meant to reduce the likelihood of sabotage against the agriculture industry in the United States by would-be terrorists.

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Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., is sponsoring a measure that calls for spending about $1.1 billion next year, and about $271 million in each of the next 10 years.

"Our nation's crops and livestock are now at very high risk," Roberts said.

"We must move quickly to prevent attacks on grain and livestock production," he said. "We must begin a massive research effort to develop vaccines and antidotes to halt diseases that could damage our food supply in the future."

Roberts said he is particularly worried about the chances of an attack on the food supply, claiming one of the 22 men recently placed on the FBI's Most Wanted list has "agriculture training."

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Under the measure, money would be spent to:

--improve Agriculture Department facilities at Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory in New York, the National Animal Disease Center in Iowa and the Animal Disease Research Laboratory in Wyoming,

--boost security measures at Agriculture Department research facilities, and at the Foreign Disease Laboratory in Maryland,

--implement a rapid response strategy through top universities, the Agriculture Department and agriculture industry groups, and

--provide grants to agriculture universities to develop vaccines, antidotes and plant varieties that can resist foot and mouth virus, karnal bunt or avian flu.

On a similar line, the National Farmers Union also wants to see improved security for the food production system -- they want a federal task force to study biosecurity issues.

Union President Leland Swenson said in a letter to the Agriculture Department that the agency needs to work with the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to develop a consistent federal policy.

The Agriculture Department Friday did provide a $50,000 grant to the Illinois Department of Agriculture to support the state's animal disease prevention, response and recovery efforts.


Combest: Trade negotiators hurting farm bill efforts

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House Agriculture Chairman Larry Combest, R-Texas, said he fears that U.S. trade officials are undermining his efforts to pass a farm bill.

The House has approved a version of a farm bill that caused European Union Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler to criticize the measure as "not fitting" with what U.S. officials have said during agricultural negotiations in Geneva.

"Reaction to the House farm bill by the European Union raises a red flag and a huge, huge question mark. What have our negotiators been saying?" Combest asked.

"The counter-cyclical approach to farm supports is virtually unanimous among farmers but is apparently rejected by U.S. negotiators. America's trade negotiators must not give up just to appease other countries."


2nd mad cow instance suspected in Japan

Health Ministry officials in Japan have found what could be the second instance of mad cow disease in the Asian nation.

The cow suspected of having the disease was found at an inspection center in Tokyo. Initial tests completed Thursday indicated the slaughtered cow had the disease. A second round of tests is necessary before a final ruling is made.

Officials said they will collect dressed carcass and organs of 1,509 cows slaughtered last week from the central wholesale market.

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The first case of mad cow disease in Japan was discovered in September. Officials with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry have yet to figure out how the virus got into the country. It had been prevalent last year throughout Britain and many European nations.


Doubt cast on mad cow types

A Scottish public health consultant is casting doubt on the link between mad cow disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which had been thought to be a human form of the same malady.

George Venters of Lanarkshire, Scotland, told the British Broadcasting Corp. he thinks evidence is weak to link the two conditions.

He says vCJD may simply be a rare type that existed before the mad cow epidemic in cows but simply was not diagnosed and cataloged properly until the 1990s.

That theory, if correct, would mean human victims of the condition did not get it by eating infected meat.


Crop production up slightly

The latest Agriculture Department forecast pegs corn production at 9.43 billion bushels, up 2 percent from the September forecast but down 5 percent compared to October 2000.

Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, yields are expected to average 136.3 bushels per acre, up 2.8 bushels from September. That would be the lowest production since 1997 but the third highest yield on record.

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Soybean production was forecast at a record high of 2.91 billion bushels, up 3 percent from the month before and 5 percent above 2000.

Yields are expected to average 39.2 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from last month and 1.1 bushels from last year.

Cotton production was forecast at 20.1 million 480-pound bales, up less than 1 percent from last month but up 17 percent from 2000.

Yields are expected to average 681 pounds per harvested acre, up 2 pounds from last month.


Grains down on CBOT

Grains futures were down at the close Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Soybean and corn futures both fell due to the record production forecast from the Agriculture Department, and due to weather conditions perceived to be excellent for crop development.

Those declines influenced traders with regard to wheat, as those futures fell as well.

But oats futures rose due to supportive cuts to production as a result of a lower yield estimate, reduced ending stocks and outlooks for tight global supplies.

The prices:

Soybeans: Nov 4.35 1/2 off 12 1/4, Jan 4.42 off 12 1/2, Mar 4.45 3/4 off 13, May 4.50 1/4 off 13 1/4.

Corn: Dec 2.08 off 4 3/4, Mar 2.20 3/4 off 4 3/4, May 2.28 3/4 off 4 1/4, Jul 2.34 1/2 off 4.

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Wheat: Dec 2.76 1/4 off 3, Mar 2.83 3/4 off 3, May 2.84 3/4 off 3 1/4, Jul 2.86 1/4 off 2.

Oats: Dec 1.86 1/2 up 4, Mar 1.71 1/4 up 2 1/4, May 1.62 1/2 up 2, Jul 1.52 unch.

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