National Agricultural Law Center and PACA

Bruce Summers of USDA AMS passed on a nice resource to look at when considering the issue of PACA trust rights and relevant court decisions over the years. This link highlights the American Banana case from several years ago that resulted in a produce seller losing rights to statutory trust due to a post-default agreement. Also find this helpful commentary here. More coverage coming on that in The Packer...

Here are some headlines snatched from the Web this morning.

Obama's first day After 10 inaugural balls the day before, Obama active on war in Iraq, bailout

Possible FDA head: more staff needed to inspect food From Newsday

Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic - and reported to be on President Barack Obama's short list to become FDA chief - said food inspection is swamped by the FDA's other responsibilities: the approval of medications and medical devices.

"Here's one of the problems: Foods have two major inspection agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA. I think all of it needs to be under one roof," Nissen said yesterday.

Immigrant activists call for end to raids

European pesticide battle rumbles on Grower groups want negative impact measured before new rules are implemented next year

State auditors question avocado commission's payouts Coverage from The Packer

World running out of water Pacific Institute and Water Footprint Network produces scary numbers and has ag in its sights:

A significant part of the problem is the huge, and often deeply inefficient, use of water by industry and agriculture. UN calculations suggest that more than one third of the world's population is suffering from water shortages: by 2020 water use is expected to increase by 40 per cent from current levels, and by 2025, according to another UN estimate, two out of three people could be living under conditions of “water stress”.

Florida growers work to save crops from freeze

Rio Queen citrus founder dies Coverage from The Packer

CDC warns of program cuts The now familiar theme: how will state budget cuts affect services to consumers and industry?

Supply, weather factors lift lettuce prices Coverage from The Packer

Colder winter actually proof of global warming Could it be any other way?

Greek farmers maintain highway blockades

Potato shippers avoid national oversupply Coverage from The Packer

South Korea's economy shrinks Fourth quarter results show GDP contracted 5.6%, more than double what was predicted

Foreclosures spread from sub prime to prime

Changes to credit limits influence consumer behavior
A report on website Internet Retailer suggests that falling credit limits could impact the average person's spending behavior.
While many people reported they planned to voluntarily cut back on purchases over the holiday season, others may have found their hands tied due to credit concerns.

Deeper housing woes this year, say economists

Hotels trim amenities Fewer cookies and hand lotion

Air travel dives

Related to one of the Fresh Talk poll questions this week on business travel, here are the latest numbers from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on air travel.


January 15, 2009 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines during October 2008 declined by 7.1 percent from October 2007, dropping by 4.6 million to 59.6 million, in the 8th consecutive monthly decline from the same month of the previous year, the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported (Table 1). The October system passenger number was the lowest October number since 2003.

BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 7.5 percent fewer domestic passengers than in October 2007. The October domestic passenger number was the lowest October number since 2003. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 3.6 percent.

Obama inauguration

For the record, here is President Obama's inauguration speech:

Peanut butter trips up produce packs

TK: The recent travails of peanut butter linked to salmonella have disturbed the otherwise placid waters of produce safety. From the FDA Web site:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- IRWINDALE, Calif., January 20, 2009 -- After receiving notification from one of its suppliers, Ready Pac Foods, Inc. is announcing that they are initiating a voluntary recall of certain products containing peanut butter that may have been contaminated with Salmonella. These products have been distributed to different retailers in the states of California, Utah, Illinois, Washington, Texas, New Jersey, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maryland. This recall is part of a nationwide recall initiated by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA).

Ready Pac has earned an outstanding food safety record for over 40 years and out of an abundance of caution has taken this immediate action in the interest of public health and safety.

We notified all of our customers who have received the products in question and directed them to remove products from their shelves. Neither Ready Pac nor its customers have received any reports of illness connected to any of these products.

It is possible that some products may have already been purchased by consumers and therefore anyone who has purchased the following products with the expiration dates listed should dispose of the product or return the product to the store for a full refund. No other products are impacted in this recall.

• Ready Pac Cool Cuts Celery with Peanut Butter 12/6.75 oz
  By Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09 and UPC: 077745-22415-2
• Trader Joe's Celery with Peanut Butter 12/6.75 oz
  By Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09 and UPC: 0048-5401
• Trader Joe's Celery with Peanut Butter 30/6.75 oz
  By Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09 and UPC: 0048-5401
• Eating Right Apples with Peanut Butter 12/6.75 oz
  By Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09 and UPC: 0-79893-70175-2
• Eating Right Celery with Peanut Butter 12/6.75 oz
  By Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09 and UPC: 0-79893-70172-1

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.