Celebrate Peach Month with Certified SC Grown Peaches

Celebrate Peach Month with Certified SC Grown Peaches
- free peaches at the SC State Farmers Market this Saturday while they last

COLUMBIA, S.C., July 20, 2011 – In celebration of the ‘tastier peach’ and National Peach Month, the South Carolina Peach Council in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture is hosting Peach Day at the Market this coming Saturday. Free peaches will be offered while they last to visitors in the North Farmers Shed at the SC State Farmers Market, 3843 Charleston Highway, W. Columbia from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 23.

In 1982, Congress by Joint Resolution recognized the role peaches play in our food supply and our economy. With that in mind, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Peach Month. That was nearly 30 years ago, but South Carolina’s peaches remain the sweetest, tastiest peaches around. That’s why a South Carolina peach is known far and wide as the ‘tastier peach.’

Lynne Chappell of Kline, S.C. in Barnwell County, S.C. Peach Council President, said, “The Peach Council is sponsoring this promotion to showcase peak season for our tastier South Carolina peaches. Growers throughout the state are working around the clock providing customers everywhere with our delicious, sweet tree-ripened fruit.”

More than 14,000 acres are planted in peaches in South Carolina and, depending on the weather and other production factors the value of production at the farm level is between 60 and 65 million. In 2010, close to 3,000 truckloads of commercially packed peaches were shipped from South Carolina orchards. With the ripple affect the value of the peach industry increases significantly, especially in the 14 rural counties of the state where peaches are predominantly grown.

“This is another in our series of summer events celebrating our 4th Anniversary of the Certified SC program,” said Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of Agriculture. The ‘tastier peach’ is South Carolina’s signature fruit and people anxiously await its arrival. They’re here. Clingstone or freestone, they’re all great. So, join us at the market for this sweet retreat and get peachy!”

Peach salsa, peach cobbler, peach smoothie, peach ice cream, or just a simple fresh peach – which will it be? It doesn't matter how you eat them just as long as you celebrate National Peach Month by eating Certified SC grown peaches in as many ways as you can imagine. But since peach season in South Carolina extends from May to September, consumers can buy a bag or basketful well into the fall.

Building a New Partnership: USDOT and America’s Farmers

Building a New Partnership: USDOT and America’s Farmers
By: Anne S. Ferro, Administrator
U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood often says that of all the Department’s responsibilities, safety is the most important – nothing else comes close. All of us at USDOT are working to build a transportation network that creates jobs and ensures America’s long-term competitiveness. Still, under Secretary LaHood’s leadership, safety is always priority one.

At the same time, we realize that well-meaning regulations can be burdensome if the government isn’t thoughtful about how they’re put in place. Finding the right balance between the two can be challenging.

In many cases, farmers and farm equipment don’t come under federal truck safety regulations when they are transporting products short distances, either within the farm or to a local market. This allows farmers to do business without meeting the same requirements as, for example, a company shipping goods across the country.

However, the lines of distinction aren’t always clear. So in May, USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public feedback on how existing commercial truck safety regulations impact the agricultural community. The feedback we’ve received so far has reflected significant concern among the agricultural community. So we wanted to be clear about the purpose of this notice. We are not proposing new regulations for the farming community. What we are doing is seeking input and solutions from the community on three important issues:


1. Interstate vs. intrastate commerce. We’ve heard feedback that more clarification is needed between the two. Since the difference between the two has been determined by the U.S. Supreme Court and other Federal courts, we have limited flexibility to provide additional guidelines, but we are interested in feedback on how we can provide better guidance within the constraints of established judicial rulings.

2. Commercial Driver’s License. Currently, Federal regulations allow states to make exceptions to Commercial Driver’s license regulations for certain farm vehicle drivers, as long as their vehicles are not used by for-hire motor carriers. We’ve heard questions about whether drivers who work for “crop share” or similar arrangements are eligible for this exemption.

3. Implements of Husbandry. In a perfect world, farm vehicles would only operate on farms, while commercial trucks would operate on public roads. The reality is that farm equipment not designed or intended for everyday use on public roads is often used for short trips at limited speeds. This creates a gray area for classification. In the absence of guidance, enforcement officials sometimes cite carriers for violating equipment rules, even when doing so would be impractical.

A key principle of the Obama Administration is that the best public policy comes from bringing the most people to the table. Although USDOT doesn’t have a long history of working with the agricultural community, it’s time we rolled up our sleeves together and got started.

We’re well aware of the concern within the agricultural community regarding these three issues. The comment period is an opportunity to bring those concerns to the table. We’re eager for input and ideas about how we can achieve our safety mission without tying America’s farmers down with unnecessary burdens.

Nevertheless, the comment period only works if stakeholders take an active role in the conversation. At the request of a number of farm bureaus, we’ve just extended the comment period from June 30th to August 1st. This allows all participants more time to ensure that their voices are heard.

Everyone in this Administration – from President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary LaHood on down – is committed to the long-term success of America’s agricultural industry. In many ways, agriculture is the backbone of our economy – feeding hundreds of millions of Americans and billions more around the world. As the largest user of freight transportation in the nation, the agricultural industry is also one of USDOT’s most important constituents. We hope that this comment period is the start of a new and productive relationship. We may not ultimately agree on every issue, but we will always listen -- and do our best to help America’s farmers succeed.