USDA gets toasted

Rep. Rosa DeLauro has turned her attention to the USDA and meat inspections. From her office:

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) issued the following statement about the Department of Agriculture’s three week delay in announcing the massive, record-setting 21.7 million pound ground beef recall.

“The American people rely on the Food Safety Inspection System to act expeditiously when potentially contaminated meat is identified. It is beyond belief then that despite five illnesses in five separate states, FSIS withheld this information from the public for 18 days after confirmation of the contamination. Since then 30 people in eight states have become ill from E. coli and we are left wondering how many of those could have been prevented if FSIS had acted aggressively.

“And yet again in the face of unprecedented recalls, the government agency responsible – this time the Food Safety and Inspection Service – has said it will study and assess the situation; even though many of the reforms that would minimize the risk of E. coli contamination are already known. It is time to end the discussions and meetings and begin to act to ensure the safety of our food supply.

“Four years ago, in 2003 the National Academy of Sciences recommended a testing program for beef trim, which has not been fully implemented. Nor has the agency been enforcing its own 2002 directive to grinders that they either establish their own E. coli testing program or assure that their suppliers are performing the testing. It appears that Topps did not have certificates that prove its suppliers had tested the material sent to them.

“We know the steps necessary to begin minimizing the risk of food-borne illnesses and we must act now to strengthen our food safety system.”

USDA retail price report

The Packer's Andy Nelson is reporting in this week's issue that the USDA is unveiling a new retail price report today. Called the National Fruit and Vegetable Retail price report, it will be published today for the first time. A spokesman said it should be available by about 5 pm CST. Here is the link for the report. Andy quotes a USDA official saying the report will feature retail prices for 27 vegetables and 22 fruits sold on ad that week. That's important to note; these ads are not average retail prices, but a sampling of commodities on ad. Still, this should be a closely watched report and helpful to the trade. Here is an example of what one page of the report will look like.

On labor and agriculture

The House Agriculture Committee's hearing on agricultural labor, held yesterday, featured too much information to absorb for one day. I haven't had time to go through all the documents yet, but I know Holt and Stallman both bring a ton of stats in their presentation. So, I will publish all the prepared remarks to Google Docs or the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group (depending on file size) so you can review them at your leisure. Find the links below, after the news release from the committee.


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Agriculture heard from agriculture organizations and farmers concerned with the growing shortage of farm labor in the United States.
As a labor-intensive industry, agriculture relies heavily on seasonal workers to produce and harvest a wide variety of products.
Agriculture employs more than 3 million people every year in this country, and the need for an adequate agriculture labor force is a serious concern for producers.
"I've traveled across this country, and no matter where I am, labor is one of the top concerns I hear from farmers and ranchers,"
Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson said. "Before we can find a meaningful solution to address the labor crisis we face, Congress must understand the scope and depth of this problem across many industries, agriculture included. If we don't have enough farm laborers, the great bounty of American agriculture will wither on the vine, so this issue cannot go unresolved."
"The agriculture industry needs reliable farm labor. Workers need access to stable, legal, temporary employment. It is in our nation's interest to create a sensible way for workers to come in on a temporary basis, fill empty jobs, and go back to their home countries. It is possible to simultaneously streamline the guest worker program, reduce illegal immigration, and protect our borders," said Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte.

Witness List
Panel I
· Dr. James Holt, PhD, James S. Holt & Co., LLC, Washington, D.C.
· Mr. Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C.
· Mr. Bruce Goldstein, Executive Director, Farmworker Justice, Washington, D.C.
· Mr. Lee Wicker, Deputy Director, North Carolina Growers Association, Vass, North Carolina
· Mr. Scott Herring, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Farm Credit of Western New York, ACA, Batavia, NY
· Mr. Mike Brown, Senior Vice President for Legislative Affairs, American Meat Institute, Washington, D.C.
Panel II
· Mr. J Allen Carnes, President, Winter Garden Produce, Vice President, Carnes Farms, Inc., and Chair, Texas Vegetable
Association, Uvalde, Texas
· Mr. Mason G. Smoak, Citrus Producer and Cattle Rancher, Lake Placid, Florida
· Mr. Harry B. Yates, Board Member, National Christmas Tree Association, and Christmas Tree Producer, Boone, North Carolina
· Mr. Randy Mouw, Misty Morning Dairy, Ontario, California
· Mr. Keith Atkinson, Tobacco Producer, Java, Virginia
· Mr. Rick Roth, Specialty Crops Producer/Packer, Roth Farms, Inc., Belle Glade, Florida

Coming on

Things are falling together, or at least appear to be, for Senate Agriculture Committee work on the farm bill. Here is the link to the Senate Finance Committee package of tax/revenue offsets, and below is a release from Agriculture Committee Chairman Sen. Tom Harkin.

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today released the following statement after the Senate Finance Committee reported favorably a tax package on agriculture. The measure may be added to the 2007 farm bill when the farm bill is considered on the Senate floor.

“As the Senate edges closer to considering its version of the farm bill, this funding comes at an opportune time and gives us some important assistance in the critical farm bill investments that are needed now more than ever. We are still facing an extremely tight budget on this farm bill and we welcome the help from these added funds.”

USDA employee lost in Afghanistan

Here is a tragic loss for the agency, and the passing of an individual who was making a difference....


STATEMENT BY ACTING SECRETARY CHUCK CONNER REGARDING THE LOSS OF A USDA EMPLOYEE IN AFGHANISTAN
October 5, 2007
"It is with much sadness that I confirm the death of Steven Thomas (Tom) Stefani, a USDA Forest Service employee on voluntary assignment with the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service in Afghanistan. He was serving on a Provincial Reconstruction Team as an agricultural advisor when he lost his life yesterday in an explosion that impacted his convoy near Ghazni.
"In Afghanistan, Tom was developing and implementing projects to help the people of the Ghazni Province. He worked directly with Ghazni's Director of Agriculture to create a reconstruction plan that included a poultry rearing facility and other agricultural advancements. Last month, Tom proudly reported that construction had begun on a cold storage facility for farmers to store their commodities, which would enable them to preserve and sell the products. He had also worked on a project to improve grape production and management practices. Tom's contributions will have a real and lasting impact on the people and agricultural economy of Afghanistan.
"For USDA, Tom was a respected Rangeland Management Specialist on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada. As a rangeland management specialist he worked with permit applicants to balance livestock needs with those of rangelands. He developed grazing strategies to help achieve this balance. Tom was a problem-solver and a tremendous ambassador for the department and the U.S. government.
"The fact that Tom recently requested an extension of his service time in Afghanistan speaks to his courage and commitment to protecting our freedom and creating a better life for a deserving people. I extend my deepest condolences to Tom's parents, brothers and friends. They should be very proud of all that Tom accomplished, both here at home and abroad.
"I call on all Americans to reflect on the great sacrifices being made by many brave men and women, including those in uniform and civilian volunteers, to protect our freedom."

Under the limit

U.S. agricultural support payments are well below the World Trade Organization limits for trade distorting subsidies, the USDA is reporting.

From a news release:

WASHINGTON, October 4, 2007 - Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner today announced that the United States has submitted its domestic support notifications to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the years of 2002-2005.
"The United States has an obligation to notify the WTO about its agricultural domestic subsidies," said Conner. "In our notification, we have informed the WTO that U.S. domestic trade-distorting support level remains below our $19.1 billion ceiling, demonstrating that the United States is in full compliance with our WTO commitments. We look forward to continuing to work with our WTO trading partners in broadening market access for all member nations."
The $19.1 billion ceiling applies to amber box support, which is a classification of payments in the WTO. Amber box support is one part of the overall trade distorting subsidy level. The current ceiling for overall trade distorting support in the U.S. is $48 billion under WTO commitments.
Amber box support includes payments linked to production or prices, and other trade-distorting support that became subject to negotiated limits under the Uruguay Round Agriculture Agreement.
Support that is classified as green box in the WTO includes major outlays for domestic food assistance, conservation programs and research. Green box support is provided under programs that are not subject to WTO limits because they do not distort trade, or do so only minimally.
The United States last notified the WTO of its domestic support levels in March 2004 for the years 2000-2001. Below is a summary of the newly reported U.S. domestic support levels.
($US billion)
Item 2002 2003 2004 2005
Amber Box $9.6 $6.9 $11.6 $12.9
Amber Box Limit (WTO ceiling) $19.1 $19.1 $19.1 $19.1
Green box - No Limit $58.3 $64.1 $67.4 $71.8