Letter No. 3141 January 11, 2002
Letter No.
3141
January
11, 2002
FUNDS TO BOLSTER USDA HOMELAND SECURITY EFFORTS - The President signed the Defense Appropriations Act (January 10), which included $367 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bolster biosecurity efforts in the wake of the September 11 tragedies, including strengthening programs for food safety, pest and animal disease protections and research, along with funding for other key programs. "These appropriations will provide important resources to help strengthen our biosecurity efforts in the wake of September 11," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. "The protection of our food supply, including guarding against pest and animal diseases, is extremely critical." Key funding includes: $105 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for pest and disease exclusion, detection and monitoring; $80 million for upgrading USDA facilities and operational security; $50 million for an animal bio-containment facility at the National Animal Disease Laboratory; $23 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center; $15 million for security upgrades and bioterrorism protection for the Food Safety and Inspection Service; and $14 million for increased security measures at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Contact: Alisa Harrison (202) 720-4623
USDA LIFTS FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE RESTRICTIONS - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently announced that it is adding the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, and Japan to the list of countries considered to be free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease. This change in disease status relieves certain prohibitions and restrictions on the importation of ruminants and swine, fresh meat and other products into the United States. However, these countries will continue to be subject to certain import restrictions on meat and animal products because of their proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest or FMD affected regions. All three countries will continue to be under restrictions for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Contact: Jim Rogers (301) 734-3256.
USDA AWAITS CONGRESSIONAL INTENTIONS - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced (January 4) that it will wait for final Congressional action on the Farm Bill before determining annual loan rates for the 2002 crops. "We feel it is prudent and responsible to wait to announce loan rates until the intent of the Congress becomes more clear through the farm bill process in order to avoid confusion for farmers," said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. "We urge the Senate upon their return to work in a bipartisan manner to complete a farm bill that is fair, responsible, and helps a broader range of producers. If it appears the Congress will not complete a farm bill in time for this year's crops, we then will make the determinations and announcement." Contact: Alisa Harrison 202-720-4623.
$30 MILLION BEEF PURCHASE - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced (January 8) plans to purchase up to $30 million of beef products for distribution in federal food and nutrition programs. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service will begin purchasing USDA Select, Choice or Prime graded beef roasts and ground beef in the near future. The frozen beef roasts and ground beef must be produced from domestic beef. Contact: Kathryn Mattingly (202) 720-8998.
TESTING KIT FOR BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced (January 7) that it has issued a U.S. veterinary biological product permit to Biocor Animal Health, Inc. of Omaha, NE, a division of Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, Limited, Melbourne, Australia, for a bovine gamma interferon test kit for use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection in cattle. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the organism Mycobacterium bovis, which infects cattle worldwide and is of major importance to the U.S. cattle industry. Bovine tuberculosis is a contagious, infectious and communicable disease that can affect cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats and other species including humans. Contact: Kimberley Smith (301) 734-6464.
FIRE ANT QUARANTINE - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is expanding its Imported Fire Ant quarantine to include all or portions of five counties in Arkansas, three counties in Georgia, eight counties in North Carolina and four counties in Tennessee because the invasive pest has been discovered in these areas. This emergency action is necessary to prevent the spread of the Imported Fire Ant into non-infested areas of the United States. As a result, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas is restricted. Contact: Meghan Thomas (301) 734-3266.
STATEMENT BY AGRICULTURE SECRETARY ANN M. VENEMAN (66TH Annual Oxford Farming Conference, Oxford, England, January 3) - Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman focused her remarks on emerging trends in agriculture and suggested some implications for both domestic and international policy. "This is a critical time for global agriculture. So much of what is going on in the world today involves agriculture: threats of bioterrorism, disease outbreaks, the launch of the new global trade negotiations, domestic policy debates, a wave of new technologies, acute hunger in parts of the world, and the challenge of assuring that developing countries become full participants and beneficiaries of the world economy and global trade." For the full transcript go to: http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2002/01/0003.htm.
RESOLVING THREATS AND DAMAGE CAUSED BY WILDLIFE - Wildlife is a natural resource enjoyed by many, but wildlife of all kinds can threaten lives, and cause significant economic losses. Deer-automobile collisions kill an average of 200 Americans and cost $1 billion in vehicle damage annually. A report by the General Accounting Office documents how the U.S. Department of Agriculture's wildlife services program applies its operational expertise and research across the nation to protect people, agriculture, natural resources, and property against wildlife threats and damage. "Increasingly, as wildlife habitat shrinks due to human population growth and activities, clashes occur between people and wildlife," the GAO reported. "The effects of injurious wildlife are not limited to rural populations; suburbanites are grappling with how to best deal with growing deer, geese and beaver populations that damage property and pose threats to human health." Contact: Ed Curlett (301) 734-3256.
EMERGENCY FARM LOANS - Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman (January 8) named three counties in Pennsylvania as eligible for USDA emergency farm loans due to losses caused by storms that produced excessive hail and high winds last year. " Pennsylvania farm families will soon receive much needed federal disaster assistance," Veneman said. "These loans will help producers recover from the harsh effects of last year's disastrous weather." Erie County was named as a primary disaster area on January 3, 2002. This designation makes all qualified farm operators in primary and contiguous disaster counties, including Crawford and Warren, eligible for low-interest EM loans from the Farm Service Agency. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of this declaration to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Contact: Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474.
Edited by Elizabeth Conley
AGRICULTURE USA # 2328 - 2001 was a year of incredible events for farmers and consumers. But what's ahead in 2002? In this edition of Agriculture USA, Gary Crawford talks with analysts who, in general, are predicting a better year.
CONSUMER TIME # 1814- More kids getting grown up health problems. Soyflour for soyglue. Disciplining children. Helping with hunger. Saving the whooping crane.
AGRITAPE # 2315 - USDA puts loan rate decision on hold. Snowpack levels looking good in the far west. Argentina and world farm trade. Creating customers for U.S. agriculture. Cover crop research for organic vegetable farmers.
UPCOMING ON USDA RADIO NEWSLINE - January 21, Federal Holiday. January 22, U.S. Agricultural Trade update. January 23, weekly weather and crop report. January 24, sugar and sweeteners outlook. January 25, monthly hogs and pigs report. These are USDA reports we know about in advance. The newsline carries many stories every day that are not listed in this lineup.
USDA RADIO NEWSLINES: (202) 488-8358 or 8359.
COMREX ENCODED (202) 720-2545.
Or
on the Internet at http:
//www.usda.gov/agency/oc/vtr/newsline.html
USDA HELPS UTAH FARMERS CONSERVE WATER, PROTECT RIVER - A U.S. Department of Agriculture agency is helping farmers in Utah use irrigation water more efficiently, which increases farm profits and helps control salinity in the Colorado river. Patrick O'Leary reports.
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE LONG HISTORY - The USDA's Agricultural Research Center in suburban Washington, D.C. has contributed greatly to Americans' daily lives. Bob Ellison reports from Beltsville, Maryland.
SCREAMING FROGS IN HAWAII - USDA is looking for a solution to the problem of an invasive species in Hawaii. Bob Ellison reports.
TV SATELLITE NEWSFEED - The feed is available Thursdays from 4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET from Telstar 4 (C-Band) Transponder 23-C, vertical, downlink frequency 4160 MHZ, 89 degrees west, audio 6.2/6.8, trouble number: 703-642-8585. Scripts for features are available by FAX: Use your FAX phone to call 202-690-3677; at prompt press 1, 4, then 9270.
Comments and suggestions are welcome regarding USDA broadcast services. Call Larry Quinn, (202) 720-4623, or write: 1400 Independence Avenue S.W., Mail Stop 1300, USDA, Office of Communications, Washington, D.C. 20250-1300. Internet e-mail: larry.quinn @usda.gov.
WHEN THE SUNNY SOUTH . . . became the snowy South early this month, TV farm reporter Dan Wilkinson (WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC) was called off the farm news desk to travel into South Carolina on one of the station's satellite trucks to get ahead of the storm as it approached. Dan met the storm just south of the North Carolina border and began feeding stories back via satellite. In fact, CBS News asked him to prepare a custom close for one of his news packages, which was then used on the nationwide CBS news feed. Dan said he received calls from fellow farm broadcasters around the nation who recognized his voice. Good news is that Dan has "thawed out and is back on the farm desk."
BACK IN FARM BROADCASTING . . . as the New Year begins is Cindy Zimmerman who is working for Southeast AgNet from her Jefferson City, MO location. She says she is "doing long-distance ag news via the Internet." Cindy adds, "Technology is a beautiful thing!" She will be doing citrus and vegetable news and general agriculture news, especially farm bill and trade issues. Her official e-mail address, which should be operating soon is cindy@southeastagnet.com.
IOWA FARM BROADCASTER . . . who had a 16-year career at Iowa Public Television died as the New Year began. Chet Randolph started hosting the TV "Farm Digest" show in 1974. The show was later renamed "Market to Market" and became nationally syndicated. Prior to his tenure in farm television, Chet was a farm broadcaster in Mason City, an assistant farm director for WLS in Chicago, a farm director for WNAX in Yankton, SD, and he had worked for Farm Journal magazine in Philadelphia before joining WHO Radio (Des Moines, IA) in the 1950s. He was with WHO for about 10 years. He later joined the American Soybean Association and became executive vice president and director of overseas market development. Also, he was the first executive director of Living History Farms in Urbandale.
LARRY A. QUINN, Deputy Director
Office of
Communications
