Wholesalers worry that new security checks will spoil food USA Today

Wholesalers worry that new security checks will spoil food USA Today

Fruit, vegetable and seafood wholesalers are worried that their perishables will spoil at airports next year because of a new security law requiring crates of goods to be checked for bombs before going on passenger airplanes.

Boxes of fresh food could sit in airport warehouses for hours, losing freshness and potentially facing unsanitary conditions while cargo handlers stack them up and test for bombs, said Chris Connell of Commodity Forwarders, which transports perishables.

"You could have people putting their hands in strawberry cases looking for explosives," Connell said.

Harvey Waite of transporter Oceanair said he worries airport warehouses will become so backed up that "they'll have to shut their doors because they won't be able to keep up with screening."

The Transportation Security Administration is phasing in a 2007 law requiring freight to be screened before going in the belly of a passenger plane with suitcases. U.S. passenger planes carry 12 million pounds a day of freight ranging fish to computers.

TSA Assistant Administrator John Sammon said "it's possible" that the screening requirement could lead to delays getting freight on passenger planes.

Some freight is now being screened, but a big test comes in January. That's when goods being hauled out of Alaska and Hawaii on passenger planes must undergo screening.

Alaska's fishing industry, which produces nearly 60% of domestic seafood, is bracing for bottlenecks, said Jan Koslosky of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, which has seven fish-processing plants in Alaska. "There's absolutely no way all this cargo can be screened at the airport," Koslosky said.

The law worries producers because the TSA will not be doing the screening. Although TSA workers have been scanning luggage since 2002, the agency is putting the responsibility for cargo on private companies, which it will certify and oversee.

Airlines and cargo handlers are buying screening equipment to perform bomb scans in their warehouses. But Sammon said those companies can't handle all the freight in a timely way.

The agency is urging manufacturers and distributors to join a new program that lets them satisfy the screening requirement if they impose strict security rules, such as employee background checks.

Alaska seafood processors are slowly signing up for the program. But Koslosky said she worries that when the massive and lucrative salmon harvest begins in May, there will be inadequate screening capacity, and 50-pound boxes of the fish piling up in storage.

Niagara Region throws support behind fruit and veggie growers - The Standard

Niagara Region throws support behind fruit and veggie growers - The Standard

Posted By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN
Posted 2 hours ago

Regional council is asking for provincial and federal aid for Niagara's endangered fruit and vegetable farmers.

Council unanimously voted Thursday to support the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association in its request for a government-supported risk-management program for the beleaguered horticulture industry.

Association chair Brenda Lammens said the tender-fruit industry faces "a catastrophe" born of skyrocketing production prices and cheap foreign imports "dumped" into the local market.

Lammens said tender-fruit-growing areas like Niagara are poised to lose farms and potentially "thousands of on-farm jobs" if a government-supported industry support program isn't developed.

"This really is a crisis ... a lack of profitability across the entire sector that will have serious consequences for Niagara farmers," she said.

The association represents 7,500 fruit and vegetable farmers across the province, which translates into 30,000 farming jobs and $1.2 billion annually to the economy.

Lammens said the association is seeking a premium-based support program that includes production insurance to "protect farmers from escalating costs and decreasing returns."

Lammens noted Ontario already provides a similar risk-management program for the grain and oilseed industry.

"This is insurance for us, but it's an insurance program for everyone in this room," she told councillors at Thursday's meeting. "It's ensuring you're still going to be able to get Ontario fruits and vegetables for your table."

Part of the problem is the quick jump in the minimum wage in an industry that relies on manual labour and competes with cheap overseas production. Lammens said over the last three years, the labour costs for Ontario growers will have increased by more than $70 million, or close to 30 per cent.

The other big problem, she said, is artificially low prices for imported products like peppers and peaches.

A report from Guelph's George Morris Centre, an agricultural think-tank, has also predicted catastrophe for the industry without government intervention.

Ontario Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky recently told The Standard she is "pleading the case" for improvements to come soon to federal-provincial business risk-management programs.

Lammens said change needs to come soon. Her association has already petitioned Lincoln's municipal council for political support and plans to continue lobbying.

Niagara Regional Chairman Peter Partington called the tenderfruit industry "one of the drivers of our economy" and promised to write letter of support to both provincial and federal representatives.

Where social media heads next Itvoir

Where social media heads next Itvoir

Social media has bitten everyone. It had witnessed an exponential growth. Alone, Twitter grew 1,382% year-over-year in February and Facebook continued to outshine MySpace with its growing chart of popularity.

In 2010, it is expected to gain more popularity. However, the trends may change as popularity surges more.

Less social will be the social media: As preferences for niche community will see a surge, networks will be more “exclusive.” The users will find themselves unfitting in the newly created lists and hiding the proactive updaters will be common.

Scalability will be the mantra for Corporate: The firms will leverage more and more from social technology to save costs. These will scale the usage of social initiatives beyond marketing or communications units.

Social media will be more local: Many players in social media will push towards making the social media a more networked local and mobile activity. These will help in making social media a serious play and a bit of friendly competition.

Social Media Policy from Firms: Enforcement of some social media policies will be seen with particular rules of engagement across multiple networks in firms that do not possess any such policies as of now.

Handsets will become an imperative part of social media life: Smartphones sales will ride on the ever increasing popularity of social networks. People will hook more to mobile phones for staying in touch with their social groups.

Email will take a backseat: With instant messaging and tweets emerging as the next big thing, e-mails are poised to take a backseat. The trend to adopt social media as a mainstream medium to share will see a surge.

These all trends are most expected to make their way in social media acceptance.

USDA STUDY FINDS 54.9 MILLION ACRES OF U.S. FARMLAND NOW IRRIGATED

USDA STUDY FINDS 54.9 MILLION ACRES OF U.S. FARMLAND NOW IRRIGATED
Figures Show 5 Percent Increase Since 2003

Washington. Dec. 3, 2009 – USDA's 2008 Farm and Ranch Survey has found that farmers and ranchers are now irrigating 54.9 million acres farmland across the United States, an increase of nearly 5 percent since 2003. U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) collected the data for the Irrigation Survey earlier this year.

"Water is the most critical, limited resource for our nation's farmers and ranchers," said Molly Jahn, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics. "For farmers and ranchers who are looking for more efficient ways to irrigate their land and ways to reduce their expenses, the results of the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey provide a valuable tool to help them make informed decisions about the future of their operations."

The Irrigation Survey provides the most comprehensive source of up-to-date information regarding the U.S. agriculture industry's use and stewardship of our nation's water resources. The survey results show a continuing trend towards more efficient irrigation methods as farmers reported irrigating more acres with sprinkler systems and less with gravity irrigation. During the five-year period since the last Irrigation Survey, the area irrigated by sprinkler systems increased 15 percent while the area with gravity irrigation decreased 5 percent.

Despite the changes in application methods, equipment in general continues to be one of the leading expenses of irrigation. In 2008, farmers and ranchers spent $2.1 billion on expenses related to irrigation equipment, facilities, land improvements and computer technology.

In addition to looking at irrigated acres, application methods and expenses, the irrigation report provides insight into farmers' energy and water conservation practices. Between 2003 and 2008, a total of 74,846 farms implemented changes in equipment or management practices that reduced energy use and/or conserved water. Nearly 46 percent of these farms reported reduced energy cost and 59 percent reported a reduction in the amount of water applied.

For the first time NASS also gathered information on the use of recycled and reclaimed water. A total of 9,843 farms reported using recycled water and 3,205 used reclaimed water.

General results of the 2008 Irrigation Survey are available online at www.agcensus.usda.gov .

Obesity and Smoking: Dramatic tolls on health Food Consumer

Obesity and Smoking: Dramatic tolls on health Food Consumer


By Sheilah Downey

If statistics are to be believed, Americans as a whole are not a healthy bunch.

Recent estimates from the American Heart Association show that approximately 47.1 million people still smoke cigarettes and about 60 million people are obese.

And while the numbers of nonsmokers are increasing yearly, so are the waistlines of more and more Americans.

In fact, if obesity rates continue to escalate as they have been, they could erase the health benefits achieved nationally by declining smoking rates, says the study by Harvard and the University of Michigan.

"In the past 15 years, smoking rates have declined by 20 percent, but obesity rates have increased by 48 percent," said lead author Dr. Susan T. Stewart, a Harvard research associate. "If past trends continue, nearly half of the population -- 45 percent -- is projected to be obese by 2020."

So unless rates of both smoking and obesity decrease, the life expectancy of Americans will be reduced by nine months, according to the study in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Using analysis that forecasts trends based on historical data, researchers predicted that despite declines in smoking, the life expectancy of a typical 18-year-old would decrease by 0.71 years by 2020 because of the increased Body Mass Index (BMI) of the general population.

On the silver-lining side of the picture, researchers found that if all adults stopped smoking and reached normal weight by 2020, their life expectancy would increase by about 4 years.

"Obesity plays a large role in life expectancy," said co-author Allison B. Rosen, assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. "Despite the fact that we are smoking less, body mass indexes are going up. Those increases in obesity are overtaking these changes in smoking behaviors."

Researchers pointed out that results of the study do not necessarily imply a drop in life expectancy, but rather that it would not rise as quickly as it otherwise would without these risk factors.

Although studies in the past have linked quitting smoking with weight gain, researchers said this study does not indicate that is a factor. Weight gain associated with quitting smoking is usually temporary and not considered a significant trend in increased BMIs.

It is the roots of obesity that need to change, said study authors, including sedentary lifestyles and the fast-food, super-size portions that are dominating many American diets.

Public health efforts aimed at smokers have worked and similar efforts could help forestall the obesity rates, said Dr. Rosen.

"Losing weight is harder than quitting smoking," she said. "People don't have to smoke to live. People have to eat to live."

Rosen said the ideal world where no one smokes and everyone is of normal weight may not be achievable, but should be studied.

"These results show the dramatic toll that both smoking and obesity can have on both the length of life and the quality of life," she said.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement and the Lasker Foundation.

Obama’s Afghanistan Decision Is Straining Ties With Democrats - NYT

New York Times

December 4, 2009
Obama’s Afghanistan Decision Is Straining Ties With Democrats
By CARL HULSE and ADAM NAGOURNEY

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan over the objections of fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill is straining a relationship already struggling under the weight of an administration agenda that some Democratic lawmakers fear is placing them in a politically vulnerable position.

The result has been a subtle shift in which Democrats in Congress are becoming less deferential to the White House, making clear that Mr. Obama will not always be able to count on them to fall into line and highlighting how Mr. Obama’s expansive ambitions are running up against political realities.

The troop buildup is stirring unease among Democrats at a time when they have been struggling to navigate crosscurrents of pressure from different constituencies. Democrats now face the prospect of enacting a health care bill that Republicans are using to paint them as fiscally irresponsible and intent on extending the government’s reach deeper into the economy and personal health decisions.

Mr. Obama continues to push for action to curb global warming and to revamp immigration policy, subjects that seem certain to expose new geographic and ideological strains in the party, even as Democrats in Congress press the White House to make addressing high unemployment its singular focus.

To a considerable extent, the strain stems from a calculation by Mr. Obama’s aides that it is essential to move early in the term. But there are political calculations as well: Mr. Obama has nearly three years to recover from any damage he suffers by pushing through legislation that divides the public. Members of Congress do not.

“They say you do the tough things early,” said Representative Anthony Weiner, Democrat of New York. “Early 2010 is early for the White House, but it is perilously late for members of Congress. I don’t know if it’s a new tension, but it’s certainly something people are talking about on the Hill.”

Some Democrats worry that the administration is willing to sacrifice some House and Senate seats in the interest of accomplishing its broader goals.

“There is a tension and a wariness about where everyone is coming from,” said Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona and co-chairman of the House’s liberal caucus. “We are being asked to be loyal soldiers, but I think what you are seeing now is resistance to going along to just go along.”

Mr. Obama’s aides and Congressional Democrats said that the reaction to the troop buildup had in fact been more restrained than they had expected, and that they were confident that in the end Democrats would rally behind Mr. Obama on the issue. Democrats will have to vote at some point next year on financing the troop buildup and many are likely to vote against him.

“The president made a courageous decision knowing full well that people in his own party would be the most vocal critics,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. “But that won’t interfere with the things we agree on: the economy, health care and energy independence legislation.”

Still, this White House can ill afford even a slight souring of its relationship with Congressional Democrats at a time when it is calling on them to do so much. And some of the issues Mr. Obama is pressing could make Democrats vulnerable to attack not only by Republicans, but also by fellow Democrats in primaries.

In Pennsylvania, Senator Arlen Specter has come out against Mr. Obama’s Afghanistan policy, setting up a clash against his Democratic primary opponent, Representative Joe Sestak, who backs the escalation of the war. His move gives Mr. Specter, who switched parties earlier this year, a chance to win some support from the left, which has been the base of Mr. Sestak’s support.

Some groups on the left have threatened to run candidates in primaries against moderate Democratic incumbents who do not vote in favor of including in the health care bill some form of a public insurance plan to compete with private insurance.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have refused to cooperate with advancing a major overhaul of federal financial regulation out of frustration with what they see as the administration’s inattention to the economic struggles of members of minorities.

“There are voices here that have information pertinent to the administration’s program, but many of those voices are not being heard,” said Representative Alcee L. Hastings, Democrat of Florida and senior member of the black caucus.

And it is not just the progressive ranks where Congressional patience with the White House is wearing thin.

Conservative and moderate Democrats from swing districts and states are uneasy over the push on a health care overhaul, with some questioning whether the effort on health care should have instead been set aside for a singular focus on the economy and jobs.

“Whether it is at the end of 10 months or two years, the question in the minds of the American people is going to be, Has everything been done to get the economic engine running again, to put people back to work?” said Senator Byron L. Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat up for re-election next year.

Many senior Democrats say the administration’s war strategy could divert scarce resources from domestic priorities in what promises to be a difficult budget year in 2010.

“I do not support the decision to prolong and expand a risky and unsustainable strategy in the region,” Senator Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, told administration representatives appearing Thursday before the Foreign Relations Committee. “I do not believe more American lives should be risked for a war that no longer serves our most pressing national security interests.”

Mr. Obama remains extremely well liked among Democratic members of Congress, and that reservoir of good will could be critical in the months ahead. Even Democrats who are speaking out aggressively against the troop buildup emphasize that they strongly support Mr. Obama, demonstrating that lawmakers know their fates are tied to how successful the president is.

“We want this administration to be successful,” Mr. Grijalva said. “It is important to us and it is important to the country. But the loyalty issue is a two-way street.”