100 hour agenda

The new Congress will begin business this week, and there is a 100 hour agenda by the Democrats that is addressed in this story. One thing the Democrats apparently won't do is deal with the Republican appropriation bills that need approval for fiscal year 2007 funding. Instead, Congress may authorize spending for agriculture and other agencies based on 2006 levels. That means a lot of hard work by industry lobbyists to expand funding for priorities like the fruit and vegetable snack program may go for naught. That puts all the more importance on gaining some traction in the 2007 farm bill.

Coming together

Quoting PMA's Bryan Silbermann and United's Jim Gorny, this Associated Press story talks about how government and industry are working to fight E. coli in leafy greens before the spring planting season. The report notes new guidelines from the industry are due in April and California growers are set to approve new labeling by March for farms that follow stricter practices in growing greens. It is encouraging to see industry figures quoted in the consumer media, and it doesn't happen with enough regularity. To recall how the f.o.b. market for spinach reacted to the food borne illness outbreak in September and how it is doing lately, check out this spreadsheet.
Meanwhile, a news report from Hawaii notes that the biotech seed industry is absorbing many workers laid off from the state's pineapple fields, though there is some environmental activist dissent. Hawaii's climate that can grow three crops a year is attractive to seed companies like Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta.