President Bush says he will veto the farm bill
05/14/2008 06:43:12
In a statement yesterday, President George W. Bush said if the farm bill reported to the House and Senate makes it to my desk, I will veto it. Mr. Bush said he is deeply disappointed in the conference report as it falls far short of the proposal my Administration put forward. The President said the Administrations proposal would make wise use of the people's money by reforming farm programs, funding emerging priorities and providing a safety-net that better targets benefits for farmers. In the lengthy statement, the President spelled out in detail why he feels his farm bill proposal is superior to the bill now before Congress. He said, this is an appropriate time to better target subsidies and put forth real reform. The President also criticized the conference report as asking American taxpayers to subsidize the incomes of married farmers who earn $1.5 million per year. He says this is irresponsible and jeopardizes America's support for necessary farm programs. President Bush also emphasized that by increasing trade-distorting subsidies, the bill undermines our ability to open foreign markets to American agricultural goods. And the bill creates an egregious new sugar subsidy program that will keep sugar prices high for domestic consumers, while making taxpayers subsidize a handful of sugar growers. Mr. Bush asked Congress to extend current law for at least one year.
Nafziger says do not switch to short season hybrids
05/14/2008 06:40:19
Corn farmers may be tempted to swap their full seasoned hybrids for shorter seasoned varieties. It is probably not the best choice says University of Illinois Extension Agronomist Emerson Nafziger.
Nafziger says the central and southern Illinois, "full-seasoned hybrids" are not very full even when compared to northern Illinois. On that note, Nafziger does say farmers in the northern part of the state must be wary of their fullest season hybrids. They could get frosted at the end of the season.
The bottom-line, says Nafziger, is farmers should, for now, go with their first choice hybrids.
Whatever the case, Nafziger says it will be a planting season to remember for sure. Once the corn is in the ground and few days have past farmers will feel a little better about the crop yet to come.
Ag Secretary wants more response to ag census
05/13/2008 08:31:11
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer wants to make this year’s Census of Agriculture the most accurate on record. Schafer says more than two million responses have been received, but he wants more of America‘s farmers and ranchers to respond to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, either by Internet or postal mail. Conducted every five years, the Census of Agriculture is the only source of consistent and comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation. That information is used by town planners, policy makers, agribusinesses and others to make important growth-generating decisions that will shape rural communities for future generations. USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 46 field offices are now beginning to call and visit producers who have not responded. The Secretary says "it's your voice, your future and your responsibility." Whether or not actively engaged in agricultural activity, everyone who received a Census of Agriculture form is required by law to respond. For more information, or for assistance with completing the 2007 Census of Agriculture, call toll-free (888) 424-7828 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.
Number of corn acres planted in Illinois leaps ahead
05/13/2008 08:29:59
Farmers made significant planting progress in Illinois last week. Illinois Crop Statistician Brad Schwab reports.
Labeling will come to meat by year end
05/13/2008 08:28:42
By the end of this year shoppers will learn where the meat they wish to purchase comes from by checking its the Country of Origin label. Under Secretary of Agriculture Bruce Knight, confirms USDA will implement Country of Origin labeling yet this year. Under the business plan set by the National Animal Identification System, each animal's 15 digit identification number begins with three digits that identify its country or origin. If the first three numbers are 840, consumers will know the meat they are purchasing is from the United States. Bruce Knight says the technology of tracking identification numbers in the proposed National Animal Identification System may be beneficial to COOL. He says, because of COOL there will be consumers in the marketplace looking for where an animal comes from. Knight says animals don’t need any more identification papers; they don't need anything more than what is currently in that animal's ear.
Farm bill veto will be an uphill battle
05/12/2008 08:59:38
Speaking about the farm bill Friday, U.S. Ag Secretary Ed Schafer made it absolutely clear the President will veto the measure negotiators unveiled Thursday. But he admitted he believes sustaining the veto will be an uphill battle because of the political dynamics...
But Schafer said the administration wants to sustain the veto and will make an effort to do so. If they’re successful, House Ag Chair Collin Peterson says he certainly won’t go back to the drawing board and try to negotiate with the administration...
In fact, Secretary Schafer says the bill would increase the burden on taxpayers by nearly $20 billion. But farm bill negotiators insist this bill is $10 billion over the baseline, with all of that additional spending, plus some, going into nutrition...
And that’s seen as important to securing the urban vote in Congress.
Good says corn projections look high and soybean stocks continue to shrink
05/12/2008 08:57:31
USDA is predicting farmers will harvest a 153.9 bushel per acre national average corn crop this year. University of Illinois Extension Ag Economist Darrel Good says that figure sounds awfully high to him...
A 300 million bushel cut in U.S. corn production that Good says would, by necessity, have to cause a contraction in corn usage - one even larger than already forecast by USDA...
Good says USDA makes the balance sheet work for next year in several ways. First, he says the corn yield estimate is optimistic. Secondly, the agency has predicted a tremendous cut in use. And both, he says, were used to bring the 08/09 ending stocks to what is considered the minimum pipeline number. That is to say, enough corn left over to make it to the fall of 2009 without running out.
Soybean production in the United States is projected at 3.1-billion bushels, up 520 million bushels from the 2007-08 season, but USDA says most of the production gains are offset by sharply lower beginning stocks. Darrel Good says that means even if U.S. farmers do produce more beans this year than last, it won’t be enough to keep the pantry all that full before next fall arrives...
Soybean ending stocks for the 2008-09 marketing year are projected at 185 million bushels, up 40-million from 2007-08, leaving the stocks-to-use ratio at a relatively low six percent. The U.S. season-average soybean price for 2008-09 is projected at $10.50 to $12.00 per bushel, compared with $10.00 per bushel in 2007-08. Prices are expected to remain firm due to relatively strong corn and soybean oil prices. Soybean meal prices are forecast at $280 to $340 per short ton, compared with $315 per ton for 2007-08. Soybean oil prices are projected at 50 to 54 cents per pound compared with 52 cents per pound for 2007-08. Global oilseed production for 2008-09 is projected at 423 million tons, up 32.2 million tons from 2007-08. Soybean stocks for Brazil and Argentina are projected at a combined 39.8 million tons, down 1.5 million from 2006-07.
Oklahoma looking for wheat harvest crews
05/09/2008 08:33:01
The Oklahoma Agriculture Department is asking custom grain harvesters planning or willing to cut wheat in Oklahoma to be included in an online directory. Wheat harvest is expected in about two weeks and the agency hopes to help farmers locate harvest crews.
“Several producers have expressed concerns that they are having trouble getting commitments from custom harvesters this year,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Terry Peach. “This is due to a variety of factors including some harvesters leaving the business, high fuel prices and increasingly hard to find labor.”
Custom harvesters are encouraged to contact Glen Schickedanz at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry at 1-800-580-6543 or by email at glen.schickedanz@oda.state.ok.us. The mailing address is: Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, attn. Glen Schickedanz, 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105. The directory will be available online as soon as the agency begins receiving information. The web address is www.oda.state.ok.us. Producers who do not have online capability may call the toll free number for information business days 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information listed will include the custom harvesters’ contact information and number of combines available. Harvesters will automatically be removed from the list after 60 days. They can also ask to be deleted from the list at any time.
Farm Bill negotiators say they could overcome a veto
05/09/2008 08:29:40
Shortly after a press conference where key farm bill negotiators discussed the details of the farm bill conference report they’ve agreed to, the hopes Senate Ag Chairman Tom Harkin expressed regarding the President’s reaction were dashed. It wasn’t long before word that the President would veto the bill came from U.S. Ag Secretary Ed Schafer. But according to the comments of Harkin and House Ag Chair Collin Peterson, that doesn’t spell the end for the farm bill...
Peterson’s referring to House Ag Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte who told reporters he wants members to consider this bill from the standpoint of their own constituents and districts...
Strong enough, Goodlatte said in response to a reporter question, to overcome a Presidential veto...
That vote, according to Peterson, should come mid-week...
Peterson says the final language isn’t available yet because they’re still waiting to get the bill scored.
Farm Bill announced
05/09/2008 08:27:38
Key negotiators announced their agreement on the farm bill conference report Thursday afternoon. Senate Ag Chair Tom Harkin, who chaired the House-Senate Conference, exclaimed to reporters that he was a happy man...
According to House Ag Chair Collin Peterson, negotiators pulled off something truly amazing...
House Ag Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte says that’s because the farm bill principals recognized the need for reform...
Saxby Chambliss, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee, says that’s exactly who had input on how this bill turned out, as both committees held multiple farm bill hearings around the country before putting this legislation together...
But according to U.S. Ag Secretary Ed Schafer, the negotiators have failed to put a good farm bill together that the President can sign...
Peterson informed reporters Thursday that the bill has yet to be scored, so negotiators are not releasing the final language until that’s available. As a result, he says the House intends to have the final language on its website Monday morning.
Farm bill a step closer
05/08/2008 08:10:48
North Dakota Senator and farm bill conferee Kent Conrad told reporters Tuesday the White House had again threatened to veto the farm bill, claiming the measure costs too much. But according to U.S. Ag Secretary Ed Schafer, negotiators have made progress when it comes to spending levels, and not on reform...
Even so, Schafer says he’s optimistic negotiators will reach an agreement that Congress and the administration can agree to...
So-called farm bill principals met behind closed doors this week and on Wednesday declared they had tied up all the loose ends. They plan to announce the details of the conference report Thursday afternoon. Congress has until May 16th under the most recent extension to get a new farm bill approved.
No benefit to undoing RFS
05/08/2008 08:08:39
Corn ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Standard came under direct assault on Capitol Hill this week. But the RFS may be in no immediate danger of being repealed. It’s a feeding frenzy by lawmakers, witnesses, the national media and others that seem bent on destroying corn ethanol as a mainstay additive in the nation’s fuel supply. But Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen says not so fast...
Dinneen testified at one of two hearings this week on the food versus fuel issue, and says lawmakers heard the bottom line causes for food inflation - droughts, speculators, soaring food demand and skyrocketing oil prices. He charges the oil industry and grocers have diverted public attention...
Take half the ethanol out of the nation’s fuel supply - Texas Governor Rick Perry’s plan - and Dinneen says gas prices could jump to near $5 a gallon. National Corn Growers Association Vice President of Public Policy Jon Doggett points to studies by Texas A&M and the Kansas City Federal Reserve...
Meantime, House Energy Chair John Dingell of Michigan praised the 2007 Energy Bill’s Renewable Fuels Standard. Dingell argued Congressional requests for RFS changes started when the ink had hardly dried on the ’07 law, and changes now, even before EPA rulemaking, could lead to unintended consequences.
Planting annuals and killing broadleaf weeds
05/07/2008 09:35:25
McLean County Master Gardner Helen Leake says now is the time to fight broadleaf weeds that might be showing up in your yard.
Leake is also reminding the public that as Mother's Day approaches and people begin to plant annuals for this year, they now have the opportunity to recycle those plastic containers when they are finished.
For more advice from the McLean County Master Gardeners, call the University of Illinois Extension at 663-8306.
ISU FarmHouse offering scholarship
05/07/2008 09:32:30
As college costs continue to rise, scholarship opportunities become more and more important. FarmHouse Fraternity at Illinois State University is offering a $500 scholarship for any male high school senior that will be attending ISU in the fall of 2008, in any major, The deadline for application is May 26. For more information or to download an application, visit www.ilstatefarmhouse.org.
Farm bill under fire
05/07/2008 09:30:46
The White House has directly renewed its threat to veto the farm bill, claiming it costs too much. The White House itself, and not USDA, has told top GOP farm bill negotiators Saxby Chambliss and Bob Goodlatte the bill is still not acceptable, but on cost, not just policy. Senate Budget Chair and Ag Democrat Kent Conrad says the line in the sand seems to have shifted once again...
The White House earlier charged the bill was $18 billion over budget, based largely on program timing shifts. But Conrad argues the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation are not counting program timing as added costs...
Conrad claims the top negotiators tried to be sensitive to White House concerns in their latest payment and income limits and other proposals that they were shopping around to lawmakers late Tuesday. Top GOP Ag Senator Saxby Chambliss had this on the latest limits...
But the farm bill negotiators must still resolve a few issues, including controversial sugar provisions, get final bill cost estimates, and make any needed spending changes, before sending a bill back to the House and Senate late this week or next.
