You are the 96,449th visitor and other thoughts

The blog will soon reach a notable milestone in the next month. That's right - 100,000 visitors. Sitemeter stats show that,as of Sunday night at 8:49 p.m., Fresh Talk has had 96,448 visitors since early 2007. Nothing lasts forever, and the form and address of this blog may change at some time in the future, with a coming redesign of The Packer Web site. For now, keeping coming here and the sitemeter stats will keep on clicking. Who knows, you may be the lucky 100,000th visitor. That and $3.49 will buy you a latte at Starbuck's.

Headlines snatched from the Web:

Families sow seeds of change with home gardens Indynews

Victory gardens or recession gardens still save TimesBulletin.com

Fresh vegetables and fruits were in short supply since transportation and the work force were affected by the war. So, encouraged by the government, people planted gardens everywhere there was a plot of ground available. Fruit production was also encouraged. The gardens supplied all the vegetables a family needed, and with preservation, also provided good meals during the winter. It was said that in 1943 over 315,000 pressure canners were sold to preserve fruits, vegetables and meats. This compared to 66,000 sold in 1942.

Obama garden: Farm Bureau chimes in Examiner.com

For American agriculture, the new White House garden offers a great teaching moment. Farm Bureau sees the garden as just one more way to engage the public about what goes into producing food. American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman is hopeful that other families across our nation will join the Obama family and plant their own gardens this spring.“It’s a great way to discover what it takes to produce food and learn about the growing cycle, from preparing the seed to tending the weeds and pests, and with hard work, a bountiful harvest,” Stallman, a Texas rice farmer and cattle producer, said this week. “Home gardens are a great way to complement production agriculture that Farm Bureau members devote their lives to.”

Growers get tax break if they destroy derelict groves TBO

If producing groves are maintained, they are taxed at a lower rate - as agriculture lands, said McIntyre.If the grove is not maintained and picked, but the landowner destroys the trees, the land will be assessed at $50 per acre. At the current millage rate, they'll pay 75 cents per acre.
If the grove bought for development purposes is not maintained and it's worth, for instance, $50,000 per acre, the owner would pay $750 per acre, McIntyre said.

Ag agents wage war on pests, plants and disease NJ.com

Smuggling is often inadvertent and cyclical. That is why Newark ran operation "Lunar Eclipse" during the Chinese New Year. "It is a time when, traditionally, gifts of food are exchanged," said Chinese-born agricultural agent Albert Lew. "I understand because it is also part of my culture, but it is forbidden." Focusing on 7,500 passengers off flights from China, agents seized 900 pounds of undeclared, prohibited products, according to customs. They included live ducks, dragon fruit and Chinese chocolates known to contain a small amount of beef. More than 150 fines totaling $36,000 were issued.

Sales of organic food slump by as much as 30 percent The Independent (UK)

Demand for organic food has fallen faster than expected, according to new statistics about shoppers' habits. Consumers who were once prepared to pay a premium for organic produce are turning to cheaper alternatives, cutting sales by a fifth in the past year.
Although some decline was anticipated because of the recession, figures from the market research company TNS Worldpanel show that some foods have been hit hard within an overall 20 per cent drop in sales: organic bread has fallen by 31 per cent; fruit by 16.5 per cent and vegetables by 10 per cent. The company monitored the shopping habits of 25,000 households in the UK from February 2008 to February 2009.
Several of the big supermarkets confirm that some sales of organic produce have declined over this period. The Co-op said that organic meat fell by 12.5 per cent, and that sales as a whole had begun to decline since September. Tesco said: "Recently organics have declined slightly."

Mexican trade dispute threatens Washington agriculture Bellingham Herald

Washington's pear, cherry, apricot and Christmas tree growers find themselves in the middle of a trade clash not of their own making and facing 20 percent tariffs on their exports to Mexico.

U.S. retail numbers ugly Barbara's retail blog

The layoff, store closing, and Chapter 11 numbers from the U.S. retail industry this week gave consumers and analysts a clear signal that further recession in the retail sector is possible and likely, but store opening numbers gave an equally clear signal that a comeback is underway. The ups and downs in this week’s retail industry news demonstrate the clash that can occur in one sector of the economy when recession collides with recovery.

Buy local, vote conservative Boston.com..Story from the UK

American Republicans, who have struggled with irrelevance after November's Democratic landslide, have been casting jealous glances at the successes of British Conservatives under leader David Cameron, who carries a double-digit lead in polling and is expected to carry his party to victory in the next general election. Cameron has gained a reputation as almost Obamaesque - a youthful, pragmatic modernizer with a knack for seizing issues from the opposition, such as the environment and civil liberties. His party's rejuvenated localism offers a fresh take on a longtime challenge for conservatives: how to balance their probusiness stance with their innate reverence for tradition.

NAFTA, Mexico trucking and air quality Examiner.com

The program failed. Even though the major truck engine manufactures say they manufacture one engine platform worldwide to U.S. emission standards they don't. Mexico's truck technology is decades behind the U.S. due to economics. While we can cite union influence, drug traffic, money laundaring, gun trade and other intangibles, air quality impacts, based on science is the real reason why the NAFTA provision to allow Mexico trucks to operate beyond the 100 mile border area is based on good science I first proved seven years ago. The U.S. will win in the NAFTA court case to follow because it is based on sound technical science

Georgia nears tougher law on illegal workers AJC

The measure would require local governments, state agencies and companies that do public business to show they are using federal databases to make sure they don’t hire illegal workers or provide them with public benefits. If they don’t, local governments would face cuts in state road funding and other penalties, and companies could have contracts revoked.

Will NAFTA exterminate Canada's pesticide bans CTV.ca

A battle brewing over cosmetic pesticides between one of North America's biggest chemical companies and Canadian lawmakers may end up re-shaping the future of Canada's environmental policies in the years ahead.
Next month, Onatario is set to become the second province in the country (after Quebec) to ban the sale and use of most off-the-shelf cosmetic pesticides.

Delay in immigration raids may signal policy change Washington Post

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has delayed a series of proposed immigration raids and other enforcement actions at U.S. workplaces in recent weeks, asking agents in her department to apply more scrutiny to the selection and investigation of targets as well as the timing of raids, federal officials said.
A senior department official said the delays signal a pending change in whom agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement choose to prosecute -- increasing the focus on businesses and executives instead of ordinary workers.

The future of Japan's rice farmers NYT


OOIDA seeks suspension of Mexico truck plan Transport Topics Online

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which said it represents 160,000 small business truckers, sent a letter contending that the Mexican government should raise its regulatory standards to equal that of the United States and Canada before its motor carriers are allowed full access to U.S. highways.

California housing may have a new floor LA Times

Illegal immigrants part of stimulus debate OC Register
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Builders and Contractors are legally challenging a law that would require employers who do business with the federal government to use E-Verify. The program is scheduled to take effect May 21, but could be postponed because of the legal wrangling.Even if the law were to take effect, E-Verify would remain optional for state and local governments – many of which will chose contractors and subcontractors who will then hire their own workers for the stimulus projects.
As it stands now, employers are required to follow local, state and federal labor laws and hire legal workers, but only E-Verify requires the checking of social security numbers.

Roubini: Bear market rally Money News.com