Week of July 2, 2008 Archive
AFBF URGES USDA TO CONSIDER RELEASE OF CRP ACRES---In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer yesterday, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman urged USDA to consider an immediate, one-time release of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for haying and grazing in disaster counties and contiguous counties.
Citing extreme weather in the Midwest that has hampered corn and soybean production in the region and has also destroyed pastureland, Stallman requested USDA to provide farmers and ranchers with estimated or partial disaster payments as quickly as possible. “In addition, we strongly urge USDA to make the regulations on disaster assistance its highest farm bill implementation priority,” Stallman stressed.
AFBF also requested that producers be allowed to harvest a prevented planting crop beginning Sept. 1 with the strict caveat that the grain can only be chopped and used as livestock feed.
---RETAIL FOOD PRICES RISE SLIGTHLY IN SECOND QUARTER---Retail food prices at the supermarket increased in the second quarter of 2008, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 basic grocery items in the second quarter of 2008 was $46.67, up about 3.5 percent or $1.64 from the first quarter of 2008.
Of the 16 items surveyed, 14 increased and two decreased in average price compared to the 2008 first-quarter survey. Compared to one year ago, the overall cost for the market basket items showed a gain of roughly 8.5 percent.
“Prices of many food items continue to creep upward,” said Jim Sartwelle, an AFBF economist. “Those increases, however, pale in comparison to the huge increases in energy costs – for fuel, natural gas and electricity – that American families have become accustomed to over the past two or three years.”
Cooking oil, flour and bread prices continue to respond upward to historically tight world stocks of grain and oilseeds.
---USDA PROVIDES RURAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS---More than $2.7 million in job creation and economic development grants have been awarded to 15 organizations in seven states, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Monday.
“These funds underscore USDA’s commitment to foster a healthy business climate in rural areas,” Schafer said. “Helping small and emerging rural enterprises thrive is critical to our mission to deliver economic opportunity to rural communities.”
The grants are funded through USDA Rural Development's Rural Business Enterprise Grant program.
--- TOMATOES STIL LEAD LIST OF SUSPECTS IN SALMONELLA PROBE --- Officials with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday that tomatoes still lead the list of potential salmonella culprits, but the agencies are expanding the probe to include other types of produce that are commonly served with tomatoes.
The agencies would not identify what fruits and vegetables they are investigating. However, CDC officials said previously that many of the people who fell ill had eaten raw tomatoes in salsa and guacamole, according to an article in today’s Washington Post.
Despite a bigger focus on other fruits and vegetables, FDA still recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma or raw red tomatoes only if grown or harvested in areas not affected by the outbreak. The outbreak has sickened 869 people in 36 states and the District of Columbia since mid-April.
FDA has broadened its probe because more illnesses have been reported since the FDA issued its warning about tomatoes June 7. The latest person infected with the outbreak strain, known as Salmonella saintpaul fell June 20.
---WILL RICE FUEL THE NEXT ETHANOL TREND?--- Sushi rice, sticky rice, rice wine vinegar, sake and ethanol. Ethanol? Yes, ethanol - the Japanese are experimenting with rice as fuel. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal explored the subject. But as is always the case, there's more to the story than the quick hit.
With all of the recent news about food shortages and rising food prices worldwide, the idea of growing rice for ethanol would seem ludicrous on the surface. Rice is even more of a main staple than corn for most of the world's population - much more - and just look at the political blame being laid on the threshold of corn ethanol. But in Japan, it's possible, just possible that it makes sense.
(JH)
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