The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus
 

OCTOBER 2, 2015
ASA Darcy Toes the Line
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water held a hearing this week entitled "Oversight of the Army Corps of Engineers' Participation in the Development of the New Regulatory Definition of 'Waters of the United States'" in Washington, D.C. Ass't Secretary of the Army, Jo Ellen Darcy testified before the committee towing the Obama administration line on the WOTUS rule. The subcommittee will conduct oversight on the Army Corps of Engineers' participation in the development of the final rule entitled "Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States," including the record supporting the final rule. The hearing explored the internal memoranda developed by the Corps of Engineers highlighting the technical and procedural problems with the WOTUS rule.
 
PTC Deadline Looms
Spring planting may seem quite far off, but farmers are already looking ahead with a wary eye on something that may derail all their plans-a nationwide railroad shutdown. Unable to comply with the looming Dec. 31 deadline for implementing positive train control, railroads are warning customers that they might stop rolling altogether-and soon, unless Congress gives them more time. Positive train control is a GPS-based train control system designed to prevent collisions and over-speed derailments. Under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, railroads are required to implement PTC systems by the end of this year on mainline tracks that carry "toxic by inhalation" materials like anhydrous ammonia-a key fertilizer ingredient-as well as passenger traffic.
Feds Open Until Dec. 11
The Senate on Wednesday passed H.R. 719, a short-term Continuing Resolution, by a vote of 78-20. The CR will fund the government through Dec. 11 and contains no controversial riders. The House also passed the CR and the president has signed it into law. This short-term extension opens the door for Congress and the president to begin negotiations to remove sequestration caps and raise funding levels. Closely related, Congress needs to raise the debt limit as part of the end-of-year legislative calendar. The debt limit is the total amount of money the U.S. government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds and other payments. The Treasury Department is currently using "extraordinary measures" to avoid default and preserve borrowing capacity. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew anticipates the department has the ability to use extraordinary measures through early December. Congress must raise the debt limit before then or the country will default on its obligations.
Enter by 10/30                   
How would you like to be cruising the country in a brand new Ford F-150? Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) members are eligible to win a 2-year lease during the Built Tough F-150 Haul in a Winner Sweepstakes! The all-new 2015 F-150 works harder and smarter than ever before, with its military grade, aluminum-alloy body, best in class towing, and payload. The future of tough is here, and it starts and ends with the 2015 F-150. There's nothing to buy, but so much to win! IFB members are also eligible to receive $500 Bonus Cash toward the purchase or lease of any eligible vehicle from the comfortable and capable lineup of Ford cars and trucks. If you're not already an Illinois Farm Bureau member, contact your county Farm Bureau to sign up and enter the Built Tough F-150 Sweepstakes! Enter the sweepstakes before October 30, 2015 to be eligible to win.
  
TODAY IN HISTORY
OCTOBER 2, 1959
TWILIGHT ZONE PREMIERS
 
Created by writer Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone was an anthology television series, filmed in black-and-white, with storytelling based in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. Disguised underneath the themes of fantasy and science fiction, the series was known for delving deep into the human condition, and with each episode, delivered morality plays and modern-day parables with a signature ironic twist ending. Since the series was an anthology, there were no recurring characters or stories; each week brought with it new characters, plots and settings. The stories and characters were usually established within a framework of normality; banks and bank-tellers, diners and patrons, and the like. A recurring theme throughout, revolves around comeuppance being dishing out to bad/evil characters, and second chances and redemption rewarded to good characters.
 
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