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July 1, 2011  
Inside This Issue.....
Governor Vetoes "Card Check for Ag" Bill
Democrats Pass, Governor Signs Budget
Vegetables and Produce from Planting Seed Still Safe to Eat During Holiday Weekend
Bills to Extend Biodiesel, Kill Ethanol Programs Introduced; 'Trigger Bill' Expected
Cardin Says He'll Block Pesticide Registration Fix
EPA Extends Comment Period on Draft U.S. Waters Guidance
California Sales Tax and Vehicle License Fee to Decrease Friday, July 1
Organic Pesticides: Not An Oxymoran
Senate Cancels July 4 Recess to Focus on Debt Ceiling Talks
TAA, Timing Row Blocks Senate Finance Committee Action on Trade Deals
Texas A&M Plant Breeding Bulletin
Upcoming Meetings
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Governor Vetoes "Card Check for Ag" Bill

 

Just one hour before the legislation would have become law, Governor Brown vetoed SB 104 (Steinberg), known as the "Card Check for Ag" bill.  The legislation would have eliminated the secret ballot for union elections, a pillar of the 1975 Ag Labor Relations Act (ALRA) signed by Jerry Brown and strongly supported by Cesar Chavez and the UFW during Brown's first term as Governor.  In his veto message, Governor Brown stated that the bill went too far but promised to personally engage to address any concerns with the current ALRA.

 

Specifically Brown stated, "I am not yet convinced that the far reaching proposals of this bill - which alter in a significant way the guiding assumptions of the ALRA - are justified.  Before restructuring California's carefully crafted agricultural labor law, it is only right that the Legislature consider legal provisions that more faithfully track its original framework."  He continued by stating, "I am deeply committed to the success of the ALRA and stand ready to engage in whatever discussions - public and private - that will accomplish the appropriate changes."

 

The broad coalition of agriculture and business groups that opposed this legislation were successful in obtaining this veto but will continue to actively engage in discussion to appropriately review the ALRA and work on amendments if deemed necessary.  Below is a link to the veto message in its entirety.

http://gov.ca.gov/docs/SB_104_Veto_Message.pdf

 

Democrats Pass, Governor Signs Budget


The California Legislature passed a budget with all Democrat votes.  The Governor signed the budget on June 30th, marking one of only a handful of times the budget was passed on time in the past 25 years.  The budget relies on inflated revenue projects of an additional $4 billion.  Many agriculture and business entities will see both a reduction in services as well as increased fees for many services.  Other major actions of the budget include:

  • Reduces K-14 education funding an additional $744 million.
  • Eliminates local redevelopment agencies saving $1.7 billion in General fund.  (However, due to recent initiatives this cut is legally precarious).
  • Additional $488 million reduction to Healthy Families and Medicaid programs.
  • Additional $150 million cut to CSU and $150 million cut to UC above and beyond the $500 million each system already suffered in March.
  • Cutting court funding by $150 million and a one year deferral of court construction of $310 million.
  • Cuts the Department of Food and Agriculture an additional $4 million, above and beyond the proposed cut of $15 million.  The specific cuts resulted in elimination of general fund  for  Pierces Disease program for $3.06 million savings and elimination of $900 thousand from med fly program. 
  • Increases fees for water discharge permits by an additional $11.5 million - the result is water discharge fees will increase by a total of $24 million for ag and industrial discharges. 
  • Adopted a fee for State Responsibility areas for Fire Protection to raise $50 million.
  • Increases Vehicle Licensing Fees by $12 per car. 

 

Vegetables and Produce from Planting Seed Still Safe to Eat During Holiday Weekend

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Consumers should note that vegetables and produce, unlike some sprouts, are still safe to eat, says one University of California-Davis food safety expert.  

 "We know from a number of research studies that even when seed is intentionally contaminated with E. coli and planted in the ground, the bacteria is not transmitted to the produce harvested," says Trevor Suslow, University of California-Davis Extension food safety specialist.  

This means that vegetables and fruits produced from seeds planted in the ground have not been found to be a source of contamination. To date, these seeds have not transmitted human pathogens, unlike the suspected sprouts linked to the virulent E. coli O104:H4 strain in Europe.  

Seeds used for sprout production are introduced to an extremely different environment than seeds planted in the ground. Seeds produced for sprouts are essentially placed in incubators where the lighting, temperatures and moisture levels are all precisely controlled; however, this environment is an ideal breeding ground for any bacteria or microbial pathogens that may exist.  

Seeds planted in the ground and the vegetables harvested from them are not a cause of concern. However, it's important that consumers practice safety protocols outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration such as cutting away any damaged or bruised areas, washing thoroughly and drying with a clean cloth or paper towel. For more safety tips and guidelines, visit http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm114299#avoiding.

 

Bills to Extend Biodiesel, Kill Ethanol Programs Introduced; 'Trigger Bill' Expected

 

As expected Sens. Maria Cantwell (D, WA) and Charles Grassley (R, IA) introduced legislation late last week to extend for three years tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel, but shifts the benefit away from a blenders' credit paid to oil companies and makes it a tax credit for the producer of biodiesel.  The bill is the companion to a similar bill introduced in the House by Reps. Aaron Schrock (R, IL) and Collin Peterson (D, MN).  At the same time, two members of the House Ways & Means Committee - Rep. Wally Herger (D, CA) and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D, NY) - introduced legislation to kill off the blenders' credit for ethanol along with the import tariff on imported ethanol.  "The ethanol program has driven up the cost of corn to sky-high levels and has cost the chicken industry and consumers billions of dollars," said Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council.  

 

Also expected is a House bill that would create a "trigger" mechanism requiring the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) requiring specific percentages of biofuel to be mixed with gasoline, when the corn stocks-to-use ratio and/or price hit certain levels.  The bill is aimed at ensuring sufficient supplies of corn at affordable prices for feed and food use. In testimony this week before the Senate Agriculture Committee reviewing the state of the livestock industry, Nation Turkey Federation (NTF) witness Rick Sietsma, partner and chief financial officer of Sietsma Farms in Allendale, Michigan, told the panel that the current runup in feed prices due to short corn supplies based on ethanol competition has created "significant uncertainty in the turkey industry," and is the industry's greatest challenge.

 

 

Cardin Says He'll Block Pesticide Registration Fix

 

A bill to eliminate duplicate registration of pesticides used near waterways, passed by the full House and approved last week by the Senate Agriculture Committee, hit a wall this week as Sen. Ben Cardin (D, MD), chair of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee subcommittee on water and wildlife, said he'll block the measure based on environmental concerns and procedural disputes.  A priority for farm state legislators, the bill would stop EPA from requiring new Clean Water Act (CWA) permits for pesticides already registered and permitted under FIFRA.  Cardin's office said his action is to ensure "the bill be treated with all appropriate deliberation, including the opportunity to offer amendments."  Sen. Pat Roberts (R, KS) said Cardin has moved into an area in which he lacks jurisdiction.  "The Senate Agriculture Committee has long had jurisdiction over pesticide issues. The appropriate committee of jurisdiction has acted on this bill," Roberts said.  Congressional action is up against an October deadline set by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals for EPA to act in accordance with a 2009 lower court ruling that held pesticides are a pollutant when used in, on or near waterways.

 

EPA Extends Comment Period on Draft U.S. Waters Guidance; Inhofe Says EPA Water Proposals Straining State and Local Budgets

 

EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced this week they are extending by 30 days the comment period on their draft guidance on identifying waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA).  The new deadline for comments is July 31.  At the same time, Sen. James Inhofe (R, OK), ranking minority member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, released a minority staff report showing several EPA CWA actions - both on the books and contemplated - are "significant unfunded mandates" that will cost state and local governments "tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars."   

 

The rules cited by Inhofe's report include new water quality criteria in Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and numeric nutrient criteria for geographic locations; new stormwater rules, and the New Pesticide General Permit (PGP) rules.  He said the rules are not the product of hearings or deliberation, but simply EPA's reaction to environmental activist lawsuits.  Inhofe also said the cost of the rules is not outweighed by the benefits, adding "these rules will cause a lot of economic pain for state and local governments without any guarantee of water quality improvement.  Meanwhile, the draft guidance is controversial as agriculture interests contend it is little more than an administrative gimmick to expand EPA authority over just about any body of water, including farm ponds and other non-navigable waters.  Details are found here: www.water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/CWAwaters.cfm.

 

California Sales Tax and Vehicle License Fee to Decrease Friday, July 1

 

As a follow up to the CRA alert on June 13 with regard to the status of the state sales tax rate and vehicle license fee, both will be reduced Friday. The Legislature and Governor were not successful in their attempt to extend the higher tax rates for additional years.

 

As a result, effective July 1, the 1 percent sales and use tax rate increase that was approved with the state budget and effective April 1, 2009 will expire, lowering the statewide base tax rate from 8.25 percent to 7.25 percent. In areas where there are voter-approved district taxes, the total tax rate related to sales and purchases will be the statewide base tax rate of 7.25 percent plus the applicable district tax.

 

Also, the current Vehicle License Fee (VLF) will drop by .5 percent from the current 1.15 percent rate.

 

For more information on the California city and county sales and use tax rates visit the BOE's website at

 http://www.boe.ca.gov/news/pdf/l277.pdf  

 

Organic Pesticides: Not An Oxymoran 

 

It may seem counterintuitive, but foods that are grown to organic standards can contain commercially manufactured pesticides.

 

A U.S. Department of Agriculture survey of produce that found nearly 20 percent of organic lettuce tested positive for pesticide residues piqued our interest. Lots of the lettuce contained quite a bit of spinosad, a pesticide marketed by Dow Chemical under the brand name Entrust.

 

So we called Jeff Gillman, a professor of nursery management at the University of Minnesota, who has written about organic practices for lay readers. Right off the bat he told us:

When people are buying organic food, they often make the incorrect assumption that there are no pesticides. It's true that organic production often uses fewer dangerous chemicals, but certain pesticides are allowed.

It turns out that a key factor in chemicals being cleared for use on organic crops is whether they occur naturally. Spinosad, for example, comes from the soil bacterium Saccharopolyspora spinosa. It can fatally scramble the nervous systems of insects. It's also poisonous to mollusks.

The USDA maintains an official list of substances that can and can't be used for organic farming. Other potent natural extracts that have been approved for use as pesticides include pyrethrin, derived from chrysanthemums, and azadirachtin, from the Asian neem tree, which was also detected on some samples of organic lettuce.

 

All three of these substances are considered slightly toxic by the EPA.

Synthetic compounds can also make it onto the list as pesticides, if they are relatively nontoxic combinations that include minerals or natural elements, such as copper or sulfur. But some naturally occuring substances, such as nicotine and arsenic are off limits.

 

Are naturally derived pesticides less toxic than synthetic ones? The answer depends a lot on the dosage, says Gillman. "To control fire blight on the same acre of land," he explains, "I could use a tiny amount of a potent synthetic that has proved safe over the last 50 years, or a much larger amount of an organic pesticide." He demurs on saying which is better, saying, "I want people to know that there are definitely tradeoffs."

 

In the USDA tests, there was ten times as much spinosad on organic lettuce than was found on conventionally cultivated fruits and vegetables.

Gillman wasn't alarmed by the spinosad finding:

It's a relatively new chemistry, relatively safe, and extremely effective against some pests. Now, if I heard about high levels of copper being detected, I'd be more scared than for this stuff.

Copper compounds are used to fight fungal and bacterial diseases in plants. Copper isn't very toxic to humans, he says, but it can accumulate in the soil and eventually become poisonous to plants and even worms at high concentrations.

 

The seeming contradiction between organic labeling and potentially harmful pesticide practices may lie in the relative leniency of the USDA organic guidelines, Gillman says. Various organic certification agencies, such as the Oregon Tilth, have tighter rules. (Check out this roundup of acceptable and forbidden pesticides.)

 

Gillman says just because an organic farmer used some authorized chemicals is no reason to shun the food. But it's important for consumers to know what's going on. For him, the answer to the ambiguity around organic labeling is to go local. "I go to the farmers market and talk to the growers to see who is serious about reducing pesticide use," he says. "I'd rather buy food from someone who used Roundup once than someone who uses organic pesticides all the time."

 

(By: Maureen Langlois, Shots, NPR's Health Blog/NPR News)  

Senate Cancels July 4 Recess to Focus on Debt Ceiling Talks; Potential Agreement will Rewrite Spending Process

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) this week followed the advice of President Obama and cancelled the Senate's week-long July 4 recess in hopes a deal can be cut on extending the federal debt ceiling.  And as President Obama points fingers at Congress and Vice President Biden continues to try and hold his bipartisan negotiating team together in hopes of coming up with an agreement by which Congress can raise the federal debt ceiling while cutting spending even further, the appropriations process is in limbo pending the hoped-for debt deal.  The Senate has yet to come up with its own budget resolution, the gross amount of how much is available for spending, and while Senate Budget Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D, ND) says he's got the plan in draft form to cut about $4 trillion over the next 10 years, he won't release it for "at least a couple of weeks" in hopes a debt ceiling agreement will be reached so he can rework his plan if he has to.   

 

Ag spending, including farm program payments, are on the table, even with the deep cuts included in the House-passed FY2012 appropriations bill, as House and Senate negotiators from both sides of the aisle acknowledge they've come up with over $1.5-1.7 trillion in cuts over the next decade, but are at loggerheads over "revenue increases," be they restrictions in existing tax credits or increases in taxes across the board.  The tax increase question brings into play the so-called Bush tax cuts extended at the end of the last Congress, as well as other actions to "reform" the federal tax code, and there is significant bipartisan opposition to raising taxes in any way going into the 2012 elections.  If the debt agreement cuts as deeply as the GOP hopes - House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) continues to demand that cuts will equal increases in the debt ceiling - then the work done so far in both chambers on appropriations goes out the window and it's back to square one.   

 

For the Senate this likely signals only a couple of individual appropriations bills may move independently - military construction and Veterans Administration are cited as "noncontroversial - meaning Congress is likely going to have to wrap the rest of spending into an omnibus bill or settle for another round of continuing resolutions until an agreement on spending and debt ceiling increases is finalized.

 

TAA, Timing Row Blocks Senate Finance Committee Action on Trade Deals

 

Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee this week refused to show up for a committee "mock" markup of the Korea, Colombia and Panama trade agreements because a reauthorization of the timing of the meeting and because Trade Assistance Authority (TAA) is set to be included in the Korea implementation bill.  Senate rules require at least one minority member to be present at a committee meeting and the boycott forced cancellation of the session, with ranking committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch (R, UT) angry the meeting, originally scheduled for the morning of June 30 and agreed to by both sides of the aisle, was switched to 3 p.m.  Hatch denounced the time shift, saying he was "very offended" by the move, adding "the President jammed us and we're not going to put up with being jammed," particularly since 97 discussion "amendments" have been filed for consideration during the markup.   

 

He also said the GOP had asked for the markup to be rescheduled for Tuesday, July 5, but the request was rejected.  U.S. Special Trade Representative Ron Kirk, referring to GOP calls for the President to formally send the three trade agreements to the Hill for a vote, said, "Today, the agreements were there - and Senate Finance Committee Republicans were not."  Ag and business group supporters of quick approval for the three trade pacts were disappointed in the delay in what was seen as the first concrete signal a deal has been struck to move the agreements to ratification.  TAA is a 50-year-old package of federal assistance to U.S. workers whose jobs are affected by the trade deals, providing health insurance, wage and hour protections to U.S. workers.  The law expired in February and has experienced a rocky road to reauthorization since opponents say the program is expensive and ineffective.  Finance Committee Chair Sen. Max Baucus (D, MT), in setting the markup, said he has reached agreement with the White House and Rep. David Camp (R, MI), chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, on TAA extension. Camp scheduled similar meetings for last week, but cancelled them, saying they'd be rescheduled.  Camp, however, has also said publicly he does not endorse the Democrat process plan and will defer to Senate GOP leadership on advancing the bills.   

 

As part of the deal announced by Baucus, TAA extension will be part of the Korea trade pact implementing bill, while the reauthorization of the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preferences Act will be extended until the end of 2013 as part of the Colombia implementing bill.  The decision to add TAA to the Korea bill has some GOP members upset, with Hatch calling it "a highly partisan decision."  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) said he was disappointed in the move, and urged the White House to send all three treaties to the Hill at the earliest possible date and "without extraneous poison pills included."  In related developments, South Korea and Canada announced this week they have come to an agreement on resuming Canadian beef sales to Korea.  Korea will allow bone-in beef from animals less than 30 months old, officially ending Korea's eight-year ban on Canadian beef over BSE concerns.

 

 

TEXAS A&M

PLANT BREEDING Bulletin

June 2011

 

 

Payne Burks will receive his M.S. degree in Plant Breeding in December 2011 and then pursue a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding at the University of Illinois. Payne received his B.S. degree in Agronomy from Texas A&M in May 2009. A native of Hamilton, Texas, he grew up directly involved in agriculture through ranching and livestock, and participation in high school FFA. Payne noted that his roots in agriculture extended to his grandparents who farmed during the dust bowl and depression era. I asked Payne to tell us about himself and about his research in bioenergy crops. Below is his story.

 

"As I entered my freshman year of college at Texas A&M, there were many life decisions to be made, especially choosing a career path in agricultural. My decision was made easy when I met the late Norman Borlaug a month into college. At the time he was 90 years old, but still full of stories and enthusiasm to inspire young agriculture professionals. After he finished speaking, I remember shaking his hand and deciding then to become a plant breeder. The next big step for me was becoming interested in the recent biofuel initiative of the United States.

 

During the junior year of my undergraduate experience, I became a student worker for Dr. Bill Rooney in the Sorghum Breeding program. My interest in biofuel development led me to Dr. Rooney's program for his extensive research in sweet sorghum, which had recently become a hot topic in the ethanol world due to production of fermentable sucrosebased sugars. I worked for two summers as a student worker for Dr. Rooney, and my interest in sweet sorghum heightened. It was during my senior year of college that I decided to pursue a graduate degree under Dr. Rooney.

 

The country of Brazil has efficiently produced and supplied 30% of their transportation fuel through biofuels for the last 30 years. Using sugarcane as a model for ethanol production, sucrose-based sugars in sugarcane can provide an easy and resourceful

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

AND LIFE SCIENCES

Department of Soil and Crop Sciences

Academic & Student Advising Office

 

means to produce ethanol. Sugarcane is adapted to tropical and semi-tropical environments and thus can only be grown on limited acreage in parts of the Southeastern United States. It also can be grown only in monoculture and cannot meet our ethanol demands. The sugar harvest window for sugarcane across the Southeastern U.S. occurs between the months of October and March. For ethanol plants to be economically feasible, the harvest window for sugar needs to be extended by at least four additional months. A complimentary crop is needed to provide this extended harvest window and sweet sorghum may meet that requirement.

 

My research focused on identifying specific sweet sorghum hybrids within different maturity groups to extend the sugar harvest window by four additional months. Using different maturity groups is essential for a continuous and stable harvest window. Different maturity groups are important also for increasing sugar yields since later maturing hybrids generally produce higher amounts of sugar. By utilizing April-June planting dates, different sweet sorghum maturity hybrids provide July to early November harvest dates. Therefore, combining production of sugarcane and sweet sorghum for "sugar harvests" from late summer through March of the following year across the Southern U.S. provides for the needed eight months of continual sugar harvests for a more efficient ethanol production industry.

 

 

In my research, sweet sorghum hybrids in different maturity groups were selected and evaluated and the optimal maturity groups were identified for April through June planting dates. Hybrids and optimal maturity groups were evaluated based on sugar

Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

Sweet

Sorghum

Planting Season

4 Month Harvest

Sugarcane

Planting

Season

 

5 Month Harvest

Combined Eight Month Continual Harvest content, fresh biomass production, and days to maturity. After two years of research, we concluded that sweet sorghum can provide a consistent and stable sugar harvest window between July and November. Future direction of the research is aimed at improving sweet sorghum hybrids of different maturity groups to continually enhance sugar values for efficient ethanol production."

 

Payne will spend his summer working with Monsanto in Blair, NE in their corn breeding program before joining the University of Illinois for his Ph.D. studies. We wish him well.

 

 

Upcoming Meetings


Mark Your Calendars:

 

CSA MId Year Meeting is October 11-12, 2011 at the InterContinental The Clement Hotel on Cannery Road in Monterey, CA

 

CSA Annual Convention is  February 19-21, 2012 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, CA