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Conveyor Currents                                 April 19, 2014
Upcoming Dates
2014
April 23-26, 2014  CGFA Annual Convention ~ The Sheraton Resort, Maui, HI 
*** Information Click Here ***

May 14-15, 2014 California Animal Nutrition Conference,  Fresno Hotel in Fresno, CA
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2015
 
January 14-15, 2015  Grain & Feed Industry Conference - Embassy Suites on Monterey Bay

April 22-25, 2015   CGFA Annual Convention - The Monterey Plaza Hotel on Cannery Row.

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California
 Grain & Feed Assn.
      www.cgfa.org
 
California Dept. of Food & Ag 
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U.S. Dept. of Food & Ag
    www.usda.gov
      
In This Issue
Bill Providing Urban Farms Ability to sell to Restaurants Passes Committee
CANC room deadline
Immigration Back on Front Burner for Both GOP and Democrats
Railways Ordered to Report on Fertilizer Shipment Plans
Ag Groups Want More Time to Comment on Worker Protection Rule
Obama Gives Strong Support to Ag Biotech in Letter to Borlaug Granddaughter
Methane Emissions Plan Continues to Draw Hill Skepticism
PEDv Cases Continue to Rise, Cutting Swine Herd
Happy Easter

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

 (photo courtesy of Gemperle Egg Farms)
California Animal Nutrition Conference - Hotel Reservation Deadline Here...

Fresno Hotel & Conference Center, Downtown Fresno.
A number of rooms have been blocked at the Fresno Hotel & Conference Center at a reduced rate of $118.00. The hotel phone number is (559) 268-1000. Reservations must be made by April 22, 2014 to receive the reduced rate.
 
Immigration Back on Front Burner for Both GOP and Democrats

 

After months of inaction and a lot of talk, both the Democrats and GOP in the House are saying all the right things about comprehensive immigration reform moving this summer.  Whether the House will pass a bill that can be conferenced with the Senate, approved by Congress and sent to the President's desk before the November election remains to be seen.

 

President Obama and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R, VA) traded political barbs throughout the week after a phone call between the two. Cantor said he was dismayed the President had blasted Republicans for inaction on immigration reform, then called to push for House action on the Senate comprehensive immigration bill passed a year ago.  Cantor said he told the President again the House will not consider the Senate's reform bill.

 

House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that in remarks last month at a Las Vegas fundraiser, he said he's "hellbent on getting this done this year," referring to a House version of immigration reform. However, Boehner has said repeatedly the House will not work with the White House on the issue until the President "shows he's a trustworthy partner," referring to the GOP distrust the President would implement the law as Congress enacts it.  

 

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) continues to push a discharge petition that would bring to the floor the Democrat-sponsored House companion to the Senate immigration bill.  Pelosi must convince 30 Republicans to sign on to the petition to obtain the needed 218 supporters.  

 

However, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chair of the House Judiciary Committee through which immigration bills must move was more upbeat about House action this year.  Speaking to a group in the Silicon Valley this week, he told his audience it was "entirely possible" the House would move on immigration in 2014, likely in the form of floor votes on five to seven separate bills aimed at reforming federal immigration authority, according to the Journal.  Those bills, once approved, would likely be rolled into a single legislative package for approval and conferencing with the Senate bill.

 

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R, FL) said this week he's drafting a bill that would grant illegal immigrants "legal status" while allowing them to seek citizenship through the current system.  He's reportedly been told to have his bill ready for floor debate by late June or early July.  

 

One unknown is the outcome of a review by the Department of Homeland Security as to what administrative actions the President can take if Congress doesn't act, particularly on federal deportation policy.  Rep. Jared Polis (D, CO) said some short-term actions by the White House will come as soon as the next few weeks, with longer-term program changes to follow later in the summer.

 
Railways Ordered to Report on Fertilizer Shipment Plans

The Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board (STB) this week ordered the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Canadian Pacific railways to report by Friday, April 18, on how they intend to maintain timely delivery of enough fertilizer throughout the Midwest so farmers can begin planting.  The order came during an STB hearing at which farmers told the STB "that without timely delivery of adequate amounts of fertilizer, they will not be able to commence spring planting for the 2014 crop," the STB reported.

 

BNSF Railway Co. told the board it intends to add trains in Montana, the Dakotas and Minnesota to move fertilizer, saying, "simply put, we are working to deliver high volumes of fertilizer into the marketplace as quickly as we can. This increased service includes 52 fertilizer trainloads, with each train pulling 65-85 cars.  Twenty-one trains are destined for South Dakota, 10 for North Dakota, six for Minnesota and two for Montana. The Canadian Pacific has not responded.

 

The STB also ordered the rail companies to provide weekly reports for the next six weeks on how much fertilizer is being delivered on the two lines.  The reports are to include delivery dates by state, the number of railcars shipped or received.

 

The rails said their ongoing service problems in the Midwest are due to a perfect storm of problems, including cold temperatures, heavy snows, limited capacity and slowed speeds. Also, oil and gas shipments have competed for rail capacity.  

 

Ag Groups Want More Time to Comment on Worker Protection Rule

 

A number of agricultural groups have formally requested EPA give them at least 90 days longer to file comments on the agency's proposed changes to its agricultural worker protection standard.  While comments aren't due until June 17, CropLife America said in its request for more time "the public inspection document is over 300 pages long, is technically dense and practically impactful and therefore requires a range of expertise for development of comments." If granted the additional 90 days would make comments due in mid-September.

 

Obama Gives Strong Support to Ag Biotech in Letter to Borlaug Granddaughter


Dr. Norman Borlaug, acknowledged father of the "Green Revolution" through his breakthrough work in hybridizing wheat varieties to meet world food challenges, is immortalized now in the Capitol Rotunda with the dedication of a statue in his honor last month during Ag Day celebration.  President Obama, in a letter to Borlaug's granddaughter Julie last week, gave his strongest endorsement of agriculture biotechnology to date.

 

"While I was running for president, your grandfather wrote to me about the importance of agricultural development," Obama wrote. "I share his belief that investment in enhanced biotechnology is an essential component of the solution to some of our planet's most pressing agricultural problems...our Nation will continue to engage in research and development in support of his life's mission to feed the world."

 
Methane Emissions Plan Continues to Draw Hill Skepticism

 

While reports continue to indicate the White House intends to propose rules to control industrial methane emissions as part of the President's climate action plan," farm state lawmakers continue to warn EPA and the White House to stay away from livestock and poultry production.

 

In a related development, EPA this week released its annual inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.  Agriculture contributes 9% of greenhouse gas emissions, and while carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to be the leading greenhouse gas, methane is second.  Overall, greenhouse gas emissions were down 3.4% in 2012 over 2011.

 

This week Sen. Charles Grassley (R, IA) sent EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy a letter outlining his questions concerning what the Administration calls its "Biogas Roadmap," a document to be released in June outlining voluntary steps the dairy industry can take to adopt technology - primarily anaerobic digesters - to reduce its methane emissions 25% by 2020.

 

Grassley asks McCarthy to give him answers on how many other countries incentivize methane-reducing protocols for their dairy or livestock industries; if livestock producers in other countries don't reduce or increase their methane emissions, will that negate U.S. actions; how many dairy farms would need to install anaerobic digesters to hit the 25% reduction goal, and what are the typical costs and payoff times for an anaerobic digester on an average size dairy or livestock farm.

 
PEDv Cases Continue to Rise, Cutting Swine Herd; USDA Mulls Mandatory Reporting

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) continues to spread through the U.S. swine herd, with 257 more cases reported this week by the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, bringing to over 5,500 the number of cases reported in 30 states since the outbreak began a year ago.

 

Experts say PEDv reports are more frequent during winter months and warmer weather should bring a decline in the number of cases.  Despite this expectation, USDA is considering making PEDv a reportable disease to facilitate tracking the outbreak.  

 

The outbreak is cutting already low pork supplies, pushing consumer prices higher, experts said.  Rabobank has predicted North American hog production and slaughter may drop as much as 7% this year, and could be as bad as 12.5% below 2013. This decline is expected to run through 2015.

 

In related PEDv developments, it was reported this week Cargill has donated $150,000 to the National Pork Board to be used for research into PEDv detection and eradication.  Sen. Al Franken (D, MN) this week joined several other congressional lawmakers calling on Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack "to enhance (USDA) disease detection capabilities for the virus; take measures to prevent its further spread, and stretch efforts aimed at developing countermeasures, such as drugs and vaccines."  Sens. Kay Hagan (D, NC) and Debbie Stabenow (D, MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, called on Vilsack to approve disaster assistance for small producers affected by PEDv.