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Session Wrap Up
The 2010 legislative session ended this week after a three day special session called by the Governor. While the civil unions bill garnered much of the press this session, there were many measures positive for the agriculture industry and rural Colorado. Tax-related bills for agriculture included HB12-1037, which classifies the sales of certain agricultural items used as inputs for farming and ranching as wholesale, meaning those items wouldn’t be subject to a sales tax. Agriculture is the only industry whose inputs were not classified as...
read moreWeekly Links 5-18
Prices for Hogs Wallow in the Mud Wall Street Journal In the Chicago futures pits, prices of lean hogs are going belly up. The 26% decline in prices over the past nine months has frustrated traders, farmers and meat processors, who have long anticipated a rebound. It also has shown little benefit to consumers, who still are paying record prices for pork chops or to snack on BLTs, as retailers are reluctant to discount pork products. TPP Talks Advance in Texas USTR The United States said that TPP partners – Australia, Brunei...
read moreGardner to Reform Legal Fees Law
Congressman Cory Gardner is co-sponsoring legislation to bring much needed reforms to the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). The law provides reimbursement of funds to non-profit organizations who incur legal costs when suing or defending the federal government. Increasingly, the EAJA has become a tool that environmental groups use to fund their operations. A press release from Congressman Gardner’s office singles out WildEarth Guardians as one of the most egregious users of the EAJA. “This abuse of taxpayer money has gone on long enough,...
read moreAg’s Pizza Party
Don’t forget to thank Domino’s Pizza this weekend for rejecting a Humane Society of the U.S. proposal that would have banned the use of modern food production systems. When you order a pizza between today and Sunday, mention the “Ag Pizza Party” to show your appreciation. AFBF is thanking the pizza chain by having its own employee pizza party today in Washington, D.C. Continuing the domino effect, Colorado Farm Bureau and Tennessee Farm Bureau staff are enjoying Domino’s as well. Find and “like” Ag Pizza Party on Facebook to...
read moreColombian TPA in Effect
On Tuesday this week, the U.S-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement went into effect. “Beginning today, U.S. agricultural exporters receive duty-free access on more than half of the products we currently export to Colombia and virtually all remaining tariffs will be eliminated within 15 years,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. Estimates show that the tariff reductions will expand total U.S. exports by more than $1.1 billion, supporting thousands of additional American jobs while increasing the U.S. global domestic...
read moreMay 25: Don’t Fry Day
To encourage sun safety awareness and remind everyone to protect their skin while outdoors, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has declared May 25—the Friday before Memorial Day—as “Don’t Fry Day.” Skin cancer is on the rise in the United States due to overexposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun. The American Cancer Society estimates that one American dies every hour from skin cancer. This year alone, ACS estimates there will be more than 76,250 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, and...
read moreKeep Crop Insurance Strong
Maintaining a strong, efficient, effective and affordable crop insurance program is a top priority, the American Farm Bureau Federation wrote yesterday to House Agriculture Committee leaders. “Federal crop insurance provides an effective risk management tool to farmers and ranchers when they are facing losses beyond their control; it reduces taxpayer risk exposure; it makes hedging possible to help mitigate market volatility; and it provides lenders with greater certainty that loans made to producers will be repaid,” Farm Bureau and other...
read moreLarge Corn Crop Will Ease Feed Cost Burden
USDA reported Monday that corn production for this crop year is projected at a record high of 14,790 million bushels, 20 percent over last year’s crop. With carry-in of 851 million bushels and imports of 15 million, supplies are projected at 15,656 million bushels. The large corn crop, augmented by increased production and yields of other feed grains—sorghum, barley and oats, could ease feed costs. However, feed grain usage also is expected to rise due to foreign demand and increasing U.S. poultry and hog inventories. There is no projected...
read moreList Could Spur More Wetlands
With the addition of more than 1,400 plant species to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ database of plant life that it, the Environmental Protection Agency and other entities use for wetlands designations, the number of marginal wetlands that may require Clean Water Act permits could also be on the rise, according to Inside EPA. The Corps says the 1,472 additional plant species increase the National Wetland Plant list by 22 percent. The Corps last week published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that the additions to the NWPL would...
read moreEHV in Colorado, Again
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is warning horse owners that an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) has been identified in Colorado. One confirmed case of the respiratory and neurological disease has been confirmed in Douglas County. The farm where the horse resides has been quarantined. The affected horse was imported by a private owner from Iowa through a transport company and was euthanized after showing severe neurological signs associated with the disease. There are three other facilities in Colorado that received horses from...
read moreAgvocate with Pizza
Chris Chinn, a fifth-generation hog farmer from Missouri, wrote an open thank you note to Domino’s Pizza this week for the company’s stance on hog gestation crates. And she’s encouraging farmers and ranchers to buy their pizza from Domino’s this weekend to help thank them for their support of the industry. Domino’s shareholders voted last month to reject a request by HSUS to stop buying pork produced with the crates. Other large fast food chains, including Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonalds, have announced that they will...
read moreHick Calls Special Session
Some bills important to CFB may be saved. The 2012 State Legislative Session ended Wednesday amid a flurry of controversy over the failed civil unions bill. Along with the measure, some 30 Senate bills were lost when the legislature adjourned without giving them a final vote on the House floor. On Thursday, Governor Hickenlooper called a special session of the legislature to deal with the lost bills along with the controversial civil unions measure. For agriculture, a $20 million water projects bill and several other measures were lost in the...
read moreWheat Report Positive
According to the Colorado Wheat Growers, the Colorado winter wheat crop is projected at 92,250,000 bushels, on 2,250,000 acres (estimate) harvested. The estimated average yield is 41 bushels per acre. According to the USDA Crop Progress Report, last year the Colorado winter wheat crop was 78,000,000 bushels, with 2,000,000 acres harvested (2,300,000 acres were planted) with an average yield of 39 bushels per acre. This compares with the 10-year average of 2,395,000 acres planted, 2,070,000 acres harvested, average yield of 32.2 bushels per...
read moreSoy Supplies Tight
There are going to be more soybeans grown across the United States this year, but that increase will be dwarfed by the amount of soybeans that will be used and exported. The scenario will mean U.S. soybean supplies will fall to a mere 16 days of inventory, according to American Farm Bureau Federation analysts. According to the Agriculture Department’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report for May 2012, this year’s soybean crop is projected at 3.205 billion bushels, an increase of 149 million bushels from 2011. That boost,...
read moreBPI to Close Three Plants
Company officials with Beef Products Inc., the nation’s largest producer of lean finely textured beef, announced the permanent closure of three plants on May 25. The plants are located in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kan; and Waterloo, Iowa. The company’s plant in South Sioux City, Neb., will remain open, operating at reduced capacity. More than 650 people will lose their jobs after the plants close. The facilities were initially shuttered for 60 days in March after a media uproar related to the company’s product, dubbed “pink...
read moreAFBF: Get Farm Bill Moving
The American Farm Bureau Federation and dozens of other farm, ranch and wildlife-related organizations are urging Senate leaders to bring the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, the farm bill, to the floor for a vote as quickly as possible. The bill passed the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26 on a strong bipartisan vote of 16-5. “The stakeholders we represent need to know details of the programs which will be in effect in 2013 as soon as possible,” the groups wrote on Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)...
read moreLegislative Update 5-9
There are only hours left before the session adjourns sine die and both chambers are working hard to finish things up before that time arrives. But because of the hard work 4 bills Colorado Farm Bureau has been working on have passed and on their way to becoming law. The first of those is HB-1317 which will establish a well balanced commission to oversee the new Department of Parks and Wildlife. Second is HB-1037 which classifies inputs ag producers use as wholesale, not allowing them to be subjected to sales tax. Next is HB-1042 that...
read moreLegislative Update 5-4
As it is said, if it wasn’t for the last minute. Well, the saying is holding true and there is much to do in the waining days of the session. After today there is only three working days left in the session as the general assembly must adjourn at midnight on May 9th. With that in mind there is precious little time to pass some bills that Colorado Farm Bureau is working on. The first of those is the Parks and Wildlife commission bill. HB-1317 establishes a new commission for the newly merged Division of Parks and Wildlife. Farm Bureau...
read moreTransportation Bill a Big Deal for Farmers
Everyone uses the roads, but when using them is a big part of your business, how they’re maintained affects your bottom line. Andrew Walmsley, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s transportation specialist, explained in a Newsline radio story how a new transportation bill could make that part of farmers’ and ranchers’ businesses better. “Provisions in the legislation would exempt farmers and ranchers from a bunch of federal regulations if they haul their goods over state lines,” Walmsley said. The exemptions would stop farmers...
read moreMore BSE Info Released
USDA is continuing its epidemiological investigation of a California dairy cow determined to be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service—in collaboration with the California Department of Food and Agriculture—has identified that one progeny born to the positive cow in the last two years was stillborn, and another has been located on a site in another state. That animal was appraised, humanely euthanized and sampled for BSE at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories...
read moreGM Rolls Out Bi-fuel Pickup Trucks
Chevrolet and GM recently introduced new bi-fuel pickup trucks that will run on regular gasoline or compressed natural gas (CNG), a cleaner burning fuel that is more plentiful and cheaper than gasoline. CNG can help areas such as Arizona and California’s San Joaquin Valley meet federal and state air quality standards that can be very difficult to achieve, particularly in major farming areas. The Silverado HD and Sierra 2500 HD offer customers fueling flexibility with a combined CNG and gasoline range of more than 650 miles, the longest range...
read moreBSE Case Limits Trade in Two Countries
The BSE infected cow discovered last week has not impacted beef export markets the same way that previous outbreaks have. The infected cow never entered the food supply and this fact is keeping U.S. beef on supermarket shelves in Japan, South Korea and every other export market, save two. Indonesia and Thailand have closed their borders to U.S. beef in response to the outbreak. The U.S. Meat Export Federation says the bans are politically motivated and sites Indonesia’s efforts to bolster their domestic beef production as one reason...
read moreWeekly Links 4-27
Delay sought on farm bill Politico A draft Senate farm bill would save $26.4 billion over the next 10 years, but it faces resistance from Southern commodity interests who are pressing for a delay in Wednesday’s markup before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Consumer Magazines Brag On Beef Beef Daily Want to improve your strength and endurance, increase your muscle mass while reducing fat, and live a long, healthy life? Beef may be the answer, according to leading health magazines. Rural kids, parents angry about Labor Dept. rule banning...
read moreDOL Nixes Ag Youth Rule
The Labor Department yesterday announced that they would pull their proposed agriculture youth labor rule saying, “The Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations. The decision to withdraw this rule – including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ – was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation...
read moreSenate Ag Moves on Farm Bill
**UPDATE** The Senate Ag Committee has approved its version of the Farm Bill and has sent it to the full Senate for action. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to take the measure up quickly. The House is waiting for the Senate version of the measure to pass before working on its own version of the measure. AFBF President Bob Stallman is encouraged by the Senate’s work. “The American Farm Bureau Federation is encouraged that the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its bipartisan farm bill and sent it forward to the full...
read moreLegislative Update 4-25
There are only two weeks left in the 2012 session. That’s right, the legislature only has 14 days to complete everything on the calendar and the list is long, expansive and it seems legislators add to it everyday with new bills. Considering this, this week as well as the rest of the session is going to be packed. So far in this packed week HB-1278, a bill that calls for a study along the South Platte, was heard in the House Ag committee again where it was amended to reduce the size and scope of the study. Farm Bureau supports the bill...
read moreColorado Ag Exports Rise
Colorado agricultural exports grew more than 25 percent during the first two months of this year vs. the same period in 2011, the state Department of Agriculture said Tuesday. Exports grew $45 million to more than $222 million, according to the agriculture department. The growth, led by meat and dairy exports, marked the fourth consecutive annual increase. “Colorado’s agricultural industry continues to be a shining light in a difficult economy,” state Agriculture Commissioner John Salazar said. “We continue to work for...
read moreE15 Clears Final Hurdle
After three years, the American ethanol industry has finally satisfied all federal requirements for E15 commercial sales as set by the partial E15 waiver granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to Growth Energy. On Monday, 99 ethanol producers had funded a nationwide fuel survey as required by the partial waiver that represents the final hurdle to E15 availability. “Americans remain under siege by high gas prices. While rhetorical battles in Washington are waged to find a solution to lowering prices, America’s ethanol...
read moreU.S. Organic Market Surpasses $31 Billion
Driven by consumer demand, the U.S. organic industry grew by 9.5 percent overall in 2011 to reach $31.5 billion in sales. Of this, the organic food and beverage sector was valued at $29.22 billion, while the organic non-food sector reached $2.2 billion, according to findings from the Organic Trade Association’s 2012 Organic Industry Survey. Overall organic product sales growth of 9.5 percent continued to outpace total sales of comparable conventionally produced food and non-food items, which experienced 4.7 percent growth. The growth in...
read moreSenate Postpones Farm Bill Markup
The U.S. Senate Ag Committee has postponed todays planned markup of its version of the 2012 Farm Bill. Reports from capitol hill indicate rice and peanut interests in the south are opposing key aspects of the measure. Direct farm payments would be eliminated and crop insurance would be expanded in the Ag Committee’s draft of the bill. The ranking member of the House Ag Committee Collin Peterson told members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters, who are in D.C. for a fly-in, that “you can’t pass a [farm] bill if...
read moreBSE Detected in CA Dairy Cow
A dairy cow in California tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), USDA announced Tuesday at a press conference. The animal was identified at a renderer and was never presented for slaughter. The cow never entered the food chain and poses no risk to beef supplies of human health. “It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE,” USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford said in a...
read moreGov Pushes Energy Office Revamp
Governor John Hickenlooper took to the pages of the Denver Post today to push HB 1315, a revamp of the Governor’s Energy Office. The bill, up before the State Affairs Committee today, would extend funding for the Office for 5 years and shift the focus to an “all the above” energy policy according to Hickenlooper. Thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Democratic state Sen. Pat Steadman and Republican state Rep. Jon Becker, we have an opportunity in House Bill 1315 to expand the mission of the Governor’s Energy Office...
read moreLegislative Update 4-20
It is the end of yet another week and there are less than 20 days left in the session. While much was accomplished in both chambers this week, there is still a lot to do before the session reaches Sine Die and adjourns for the year. This week we saw two very important bills pass out of the House and continue their journey in the Senate. The first bill is HB-1317, creating a new Parks and Wildlife commission. Farm Bureau has been working very hard on this bill to make sure agriculture has a strong voice on the commission. The current bill has 3...
read morePedal the Plains Route Unveiled
Governor Hickenlooper today unveiled the route for the upcoming three day, Pedal the Plains bike tour. The three day, two wheeled tour of eastern Colorado will begin and end in Yuma with overnight stops in Burlington and Wray. Described by the Governor as “Colorado’s next big cycling event,” the tour will include visitsof farms and ranches along the route, as well as historic battleground tours. “We are proud to include these three great host communities for the inaugural ride, which will embody the spirit of the...
read moreUSDA’s Farm to School Program
The Agriculture Department announced Tuesday that it will be investing in farm-to-school programs nationwide to help eligible schools improve the health and well-being of their students and connect with local agricultural producers. The new program will promote opportunities for nutrition and agriculture education while providing new economic opportunities for food producers of all kinds and communities nationwide. The Farm to School Grant Program is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which authorized and funded USDA to assist eligible...
read moreColombia TPA Will Take Effect in May
President Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced over the weekend that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will enter into force on May 15, now that Colombia has met the labor rights requirements of the agreement. The announcement was made at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. Congress approved the Colombia TPA, as well as trade agreements with South Korea and Panama, last fall. The Colombia agreement will be the second of the three, following the South Korea deal, to take effect. U.S. Trade...
read moreMelon Growers Get Organized
Southeast Colorado melon growers are forming a new COOP to help increase safety and consumer confidence in the Rocky Ford brand following last year’s deadly listeria outbreak. The COOP is being organized by every melon grower in the region and will be the center of a new food safety auditing and tracking system for the regions melons. In addition to hiring a new third party auditor and submitting to additional scrutiny from the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), the new organization is also sponsoring educational workshops and...
read moreFarm Bill hearing in Southwest Kansas
For those Farm Bureau in Southeast Colorado the House Agriculture Committee announced a Farm Bill hearing in Dodge City on April 20th. Friday, April 20, 2012 – 9:00 a.m. CDT Magouirk Conference Center 4100 W. Comanche Dodge City, KS 67801 Full Committee on Agriculture—Field Hearing RE: The Future of U.S. Farm Policy: Formulation of the 2012 Farm...
read moreHouse Ag Announces Farm Bill Hearings
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas has announced another series of hearings on the 2012 farm bill to begin next week in Washington, D.C. The six subcommittees will hold the hearings throughout April and May to hear from national agricultural stakeholders advocating for policy priorities. In June, the committee held 11 audit hearings on agriculture programs to look for ways to improve programs for farmers, increase efficiency and reduce spending. Lucas then took committee members to the countryside to hear directly from producers...
read moreLegislative Update 4-17
Happy Tax Day! I hope everyone has everything in to the tax man as it is the last day to file your taxes or extension. Last week the House spent their time crunching numbers as they pored through the state budget. After many hours of work the budget, or as we affectionately know it as the “long bill”, passed on an unprecedented 64-1 vote. The budget will now head over to the Senate for more debate, but while that happens the House will get back to business. Yesterday the Senate committees met with the Joint Budget Committee to hear about...
read moreBennet Bullish on 2012 Farm Bill
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is upbeat on the chances of Congress passing a new Farm Bill in 2012. At a Greeley townhall meeting the Senator expressed his optimism about passing a measure despite the looming elections in November. ““Just because it’s an election year doesn’t mean we can’t get anything done,” Bennet said. “We were the only group that could come to a bipartisan agreement then. We can do it again,” he said, referencing the positive steps the two parties made in budget allocations reported to the...
read moreLegislative Update 4-13
It was a week of number crunching as the House focused on the state budget. Throughout the week republicans and democrats pored through the long bill. It was a busy week where much was accomplished. The budget, more commonly referred to as the long bill, was introduced late last week. After its introduction it passed through committee and its various sections were presented to the corrisponding committees. The next day the two parties caucused to discuss the numerous amendments to the long bill. Over forty amendments were drafted which lead to...
read moreMembers Learn Campaign Skills
Colorado Farm Bureau members, their spouses and staff gathered in Denver this week to participate in the CFB Candidate School. The two day school, taught by AFBF Staff teaches those interested in running for public office how to manage a campaign and win an election. The course covers, issue selection and message developement, image management, fundraising, campaign structure, etc. Overall, the nationwide victory percentage for class graduates is 78%. In Colorado, nearly 95% of graduates have gone on to win their respective...
read moreWeekly Links 4-13
NGFA Wants to Take a Bite Out of CRP DTN The National Grain and Feed Association issued a news release Tuesday “urging the Senate Agriculture Committee to implement fundamental reforms to the Conservation Reserve Program as it begins drafting the 2012 farm bill this month.” T. BOONE PICKENS: ‘I’ve Lost My A– In The Wind Business’ Business Insider Energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens, the chairman of BP Capital Management and author of his namesake plan for U.S. energy independence “The Pickens...
read moreBest Yet to Come for Agriculture
Worldwide agriculture is a $3 trillion business and in the U.S., the agriculture sector is leading the recovery from our most recent economic recession. “In the history of the world there has never been a greater increase of wealth in such a short period of time as we are seeing in China. This plays right into our hands as an agriculture exporter,” said Mike Dwyer, director of global policy, USDA Foreign Ag. Service. The recession was a major speed bump for the U.S., Japan and western European countries, China and other emerging...
read moreU.S. and Brazil Partner to Improve Food Security
The United States and Brazil this week formalized a partnership to improve food security in Latin America and the Caribbean. The memorandum of understanding will begin with a trilateral agreement with the government of Haiti to improve agriculture practices and technologies. In Haiti, the partnership will primarily focus on sharing new technologies and implementing exchange programs and training opportunities. The three governments will: (1) test new varieties of maize, rice, beans, cowpeas and other crops; (2) implement new farming systems...
read moreMeats, Cheese Drive Food Prices
Retail food prices at the supermarket increased slightly during the first quarter of 2012 with protein staples—meats and cheese—showing the greatest increase in price, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $52.47, up $3.24 or about 7 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. Of the 16 items surveyed, 13 increased and three decreased in average price compared to the prior quarter. The cost...
read moreForest Service to Buy Land in CO
The U.S. Forest Service will spend $40.6 million to acquire land in 15 states this year. The agency says the acquisitions will help protect water and wilderness areas while protecting nationally significant lands from development and providing recreational access for hunters, campers and other nature lovers. The agency said it is purchasing the lands from “willing sellers at fair-market value or through partial or outright donations of property.” The projects, selected through a competitive bid process, are in Alaska, California, Colorado,...
read moreLegislative Update Monday 4-9
Welcome back, I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend! Last week ended on a very slow note. The General Assembly did not meet on Friday in observation of Good Friday. Early in the week, Farm Bureau testified in support of HB-1105, a bill that would make wind rights non-severable from the surface, clarifying who owns the right to develop the wind. It passed out of committee unanimously. The rest of the week we waited to see if the Parks and Wildlife Commission bill, HB-1317, would be heard on the house floor for second...
read moreAg Leading State Economy
For the 29th straight month, the economy of the mountain states region, which includes the three-state area of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, continued to expand, according to the Goss Business Conditions Index. The mountain states region now scores a 62.6 on a range of 0 – 100. The overall index is a mathematical average of indices for new orders, production or sales, employment, inventories and delivery lead time. An index greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy over the course of the next three to six months. The report noted...
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