Emergency Meeting Gives Food Safety Bill Another Shot

The House Committee on Rules held an “emergency meeting” today, Jul 29, 2009, to discuss the future of H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act. Early today H.R. 2749 failed to garner the required two-thirds majority of the members “present and voting” necessary for a bill to pass under Suspension of the Rules; however, the legislation did have enough votes to pass under regular order. And that appears to be the next step according to sources on Capitol Hill. The conclusion of the “emergency meeting” is that H.R. 2749 will come to the House floor for a vote under a “closed-rule,” which means no amendments were made in order. The bill, which is somewhat controversial among those in the agricultural community, will likely pass tomorrow by a significant majority based on today's Suspension of the Rules vote outcome...AALA

Farmers see prices tank for carbon credits

Farmers enrolled in a program that rewards them for reducing greenhouse gasses are finding the market for their carbon credits has shrunk amid the recession and uncertainty about climate legislation being crafted by Congress. Carbon dioxide credits are fetching about 60 cents a metric ton, down from a high of about $7 a year ago, according to the National Farmers Union, which runs the program. Farmers, ranchers and landowners earn credits by growing grasses and trees or using no-till farming practices, in which seeds are injected into the soil to reduce the amount of dirt turned over and carbon released. Livestock producers can participate by installing systems to capture methane from manure. The program pools the credits for sale on the Chicago Climate Exchange, a private agency that trades greenhouse gases and other pollutants just as other exchanges trade commodities such as crops and livestock. Corporations, cities and other exchange members buy the credits to help offset their emissions. The program's participants in 2006 and 2007 captured carbon dioxide from 2.8 million acres, or about the amount produced by 320,000 cars per year, Enerson said. Farmers usually receive payment for their credits - typically a few thousand dollars - in July. But those checks haven't been sent this year because most of the carbon credits pooled in 2008 have yet to be traded, Johnson and Enerson said...AP

Judge Rejects Farmers' RFID Lawsuit

A federal judge quashed a lawsuit by Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), a national nonprofit organization representing small farmers, that the group filed against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). The group had argued that USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS) violated federal laws, and that the MDA's cattle-tracking program, which requires all Michigan cattle farmers to identify each animal by means of an RFID tag, is a financial burden to small farmers and violates the religious freedoms of cattle owners who believe that God prohibits their participation in any sort of governmental regulatory system that imposes upon them a "mark of the beast," as described in the Bible's Book of Revelations. The FTCLDF also claimed that rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were violated, namely that the environmental, economic and social impacts were not properly evaluated before Michigan's and the USDA's cattle-tracking program were established. What's more, the suit contended that the USDA unfairly pressured the state of Michigan into adopting a mandatory cattle identification program. The judge determined in a July 23 decision, however, that the MDA's program was not influenced by the USDA, noting the USDA does not require any state or rancher to use RFID technology to track cattle. She ruled that the MDA program was instead a state regulation subject to the laws of Michigan State, rather than the federal government. For that reason U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer ruled that the suit against the MDA was invalid. In her decision she noted that with NAIS, states "may choose to keep premises registration voluntary or not, based on local needs." The judge also ruled that "each of plaintiffs' six counts against USDA hinges on the erroneous assertion that NAIS requires the registration of PINs and the use of RFID tags.... NAIS is neither 'federal law' nor 'federal regulation.' It is an identification and tracking program developed by USDA and adopted by state agriculture departments on a voluntary basis." The judge, therefore, dismissed the plaintiffs' counts against USDA...RFIDJournal

Argentina feels chill as exports tumble

THE weather has been particularly foul in Argentina, with cold winds sweeping across the great plains of the Pampas, but that is as nothing compared with the mood of beef producers, who fear their formerly vast and vibrant industry will struggle to recover from its depressed state. In 2006, Argentina exported one million tonnes of beef to a range of destinations. This year exports will struggle to reach 100,000 tonnes. Malcolm Rodman, a rancher and industry expert, told The Scotsman: "Due to the fall in production, we will have only limited exports in 2010 and in 2011 there will be no chance of exporting beef. "We also have two million fewer calves on the ground than last year, which will result in a fall in volume equivalent to our normal exports. Farmers are used to climatic vagaries and while Argentina has been experiencing one of the worst droughts for many years, it is political interference that really upsets them. The per capita consumption of beef at an astonishing 70 kilos is the highest in the world and the government in Buenos Aires has been determined to keep domestic prices low by imposing export taxes to avoid the possibility of political unrest...Scotsman

Most of our producers will not be saddened by the lack of exports from Argentina.

The thing to note though is this: Produce a quality beef product that is popular with consumers and your product may become "politicized", a political pawn to be kicked around by elected officials. What kind of perverse incentive is that? And we thought our system was screwed up.

You NFU folks and similar types who keep lobbying for more programs, more subsidies, bigger and more powerful agencies, etc. take note: the government is not your friend.

Early preacher helped tame West Texas town

Probably because of Western movies, we tend to think of the American West as wild and wooly. In some cases it was. A lady named Opal Berryman set out to change that image a bit with her book about her father. She said that “good men were relatively few,” but they contributed “much to the proper development of the West.” In her book, Pioneer Preacher, she tells about growing up in West Texas as the oldest child of her Baptist preacher father, George Berryman. The family moved in 1905 to a town whose name she spelled “La Mesa.” Located 60 miles south of Lubbock, the community was platted only two years earlier in an area where the land was so flat it reminded newcomers of a tabletop. Although the Spanish “La Mesa” was suggested, the town committee chose to spell and pronounce it “Lamesa.” The railroad came in 1910. Actually, Lamesa grew after it won an election for county seat over the nearby Chicago. The Berrymans first had arrived in Chicago and so packed up and moved to Lamesa as did numerous other families. While in Chicago and looking for a place to stay, they found only an empty storefront in which to set up housekeeping. A local merchant sold the new family several yards of red calico material to put over the two front windows. With a borrowed wagon sheet attached to a wire, the storefront was divided into two rooms. Imagine the surprise of the new minister when on a Saturday night two drunk cowboys banged on the door, thinking the building was a bawdy house in a “red light” district...AzleNews

Song Of The Day #094

Todays song is by the Delmore Brothers.

It's their 1946 recording of She Left Me Standing On The Mountain.

This great song, along with many others are available on their 4 disc box set Classic Cuts, Vol. 2: The Later Years 1933-52.

Organic food is no healthier, study finds

Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007. A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference. "A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors. "Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority." The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition...Reuters

More than 130 years after their deaths, Buffalo Soldiers buried in Santa Fe National Cemetery

Three members of the famed Civil War-era Buffalo Soldiers, whose remains were disinterred during a federal grave-looting investigation two years ago, were given full military honors and reburied Tuesday at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. In an emotional tribute more than 130 years after their deaths, U.S. Army Pvts. Thomas Smith, Levi Morris and David Ford were laid to rest in wooden boxes at the national cemetery. Sketches of their faces adorned posters nearby. Members of the Tucson-based Arizona Buffalo Soldiers Association, in full period dress, served as pallbearers. Later, they sang a rendition of the cavalry song "Boots and Saddles," as about 100 people, including veterans and government officials, watched. Smith, Morris and Ford died between 1866 and 1877, and were among hundreds of so-called Buffalo Soldiers, all African American regiments of the Army who served at remote outposts on the Western frontier in the years after the Civil War...AP

Video - New Mexico 1940s - Travel Film Archive

An interesting period piece with film of Santa Fe and downtown Albuquerque, and several ranching segments.

Judge Hears Arguments Over Bighorn Forest Plan

Managers of Bighorn National Forest should have considered the potential environmental damage of livestock grazing more when they revised the forest's management plan, an attorney for an environmental group argued before a federal judge Tuesday. A U.S. Forest Service attorney countered that such a forest-wide look at grazing was neither required nor necessary. The revised management plan for the Bighorn National Forest in Northern Wyoming went into effect in 2005. Western Watersheds Project, based in Boise, Idaho, filed suit over the revision process in 2007. U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer took Tuesday's arguments under advisement and told both sides not to expect a ruling for at least a month. "I don't really have an indication where I'm going to go in this case," Brimmer said. The lawsuit claims laws including the National Environmental Policy Act required forest managers to a closer look at grazing in revising the plan. "The Forest Service didn't actually tell us what the impacts of grazing on the forest are," Western Watersheds Project attorney Natalie Havlina told Brimmer. "Livestock grazing isn't something that can just be left in the background in this part of the country when the Forest Service is considering how it's going to manager 1.1 million acres for the next 15 years," Havlina said, referring to the size of Bighorn National Forest. Other forests in the region have considered less grazing in revising their forest plans, she said...AP

Slump Mutes Call of the Wild

The promise of new jobs amid a recession is weakening the resolve of some rural residents to keep wildlands from development. That dynamic is evident around this historic mining town of about 1,650, which had long opposed a ski-resort expansion from nearby Mt. Crested Butte to the neighboring national-forest lands of Snodgrass Mountain. The proposal, which has come up several times in the past 30 years, had been repeatedly shot down by locals concerned skiing would ruin the popular hiking and biking area. But with the downturn, the Snodgrass expansion has been resurrected -- and this time it's drawing wide support. That's because the development would likely fuel a job surge in an area reeling from a slide in real estate and tourism. Housing prices are off as much as 20% from their 2006 peak, local officials say, while sales-tax receipts have slipped as much as 15% from 2008. Meanwhile, unemployment in surrounding Gunnison County rose to 5.9% in June from 3.8% a year ago. "The down economy definitely helps get people to support the expansion, because they understand the need to stimulate our ski product to get more people to come here," says Joseph Fitzpatrick Jr., town manager of Mt. Crested Butte, at the base of the resort...WSJ

Unable To See Wind's Deficiencies For Forests Of Concrete And Steel

On this side of the pond, legislators are promoting "green" energy and jobs, via new mandates, standards, tax breaks and subsidies. However, the U.S. would need 180,000 1.5-megawatt wind turbines by 2020, just to generate the 600 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity needed to comply with the Waxman-Markey global warming bill, retired energy and nuclear engineering professor James Rust calculates. Erecting these forests of concrete and steel would require millions of acres of scenic, habitat and agricultural lands, and 126 million tons of concrete, steel, fiberglass and "rare earth" minerals for the turbines (700 tons per turbine); prodigious quantities of concrete, steel, copper and land for new transmission lines; and still more land, fuel and raw materials for backup gas-fired generators. Posturing has already collided with reality in Texas. Austin's GreenChoice program cannot find buyers for electricity generated entirely from wind and solar power. After seven months, 99% of its most recent electricity offering remains unsold, as Austin's renewable electricity now costs three times more than standard electricity...IBD

Food safety bill headed for a vote

The House of Representatives is poised to vote on a historic food safety reform bill July 29. As some lawmakers and lobbyists continue fighting for last-minute changes to the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, the bill was positioned for an expedited vote in the House on July 29, Capitol Hill sources report. However, Capitol Hill contacts said that the timing could change. The Senate hasn’t completed work on its own food safety legislation. Emily Boneing, a legislative aide for Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, said July 28 it is unknown if changes would be incorporated into the bill before the full House vote. No copy of the bill was available for review July 28, she said. Kaptur and other six other lawmakers signed a letter to House Energy and Commerce leaders on July 23 seeking changes to address produce safety standards, traceability, registration fees and research priorities. Kaptur sought to focus FDA produce safety standards on value-added produce and also reduce record keeping requirements for traceability for smaller producers. A Washington D.C. lobbyist, speaking on background, said it is all but certain the bill will pass. He said the legislation is vague, which allows the FDA to write regulations with considerable flexibility. “The regulations will be the real law,” he said...ThePacker

So much for the separation of powers doctrine.

Scientists Expect Wildfires To Increase As Climate Warms In Coming Decades

As the climate warms in the coming decades, atmospheric scientists at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and their colleagues expect that the frequency of wildfires will increase in many regions. The spike in the number of fires could also adversely affect air quality due to the greater presence of smoke. Using a series of models, the scientists predict that the geographic area typically burned by wildfires in the western United States could increase by about 50% by the 2050s due mainly to rising temperatures. The greatest increases in area burned (75-175%) would occur in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. In addition, because of extra burning throughout the western U.S., one important type of smoke particle, organic carbon aerosols, would increase, on average, by about 40 percent during the roughly half-century period...ScienceDaily

Utility pays Forest Service $14.75 million in wildfire settlement

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is paying the U.S. Forest Service $14.75 million to settle damage claims stemming from a 1999 forest fire in Northern California. The payment is the second largest of its kind to the agency, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Last year the Forest Service won a $102-million settlement from Union Pacific Railroad Co. in a lawsuit involving another Northern California wildfire...LATimes

County fair roots grow from medieval times

Fairs date to medieval times when people weren't able to travel much, so tradesmen got together - usually once a year - to sell their wares and buy from others. In the United States, county and state fairs became popular as an "end-of-harvest" celebration in the 19th century, with mostly rural folks gathering to exhibit the best of their livestock, produce, flowers, sewing and quilting. Winning entries in county fairs often went on to exhibit at state fairs. Salida was founded in 1880 and during years that followed, residents were no doubt kept busy establishing a community, homes and businesses. But by 1893 the idea of a county fair was beginning to develop. A July 5, 1893, Salida Semi-Weekly Mail writer commented, "Why cannot Salida have a fair here next fall? No reason in the world why it should not. If the enterprising people of Salida will organize an association, prepare the grounds and offer the premiums...MountainMail

Song Of The Day #093

Country music lovers, it's time to break out the special Pink Music Player again.

Since we are all about diversity and equality here at Ranch Radio, we will from time to time have a special song to honor all you feminists out there.

Serving this important role today is Cowboy Copas singing If I Bring Home The Bacon.

This song has proven to be so popular that new copies of the CD are no longer available. Not to worry, you can purchase used copies of Copas' 26 track Copasetic.

Recovery of Mexican gray wolves remains elusive

Something has gone awry -- some would say everything has -- in the federal government's effort to reestablish the population of Mexican wolves, North America's most endangered mammal. Beginning with an initial release of 11 wolves in 1998, the Mexican wolf population in the Southwest was projected to reach at least 100 by 2006. Three years beyond, the number of wolves in the wild is half that. Wildlife managers -- following the program's often punitive rules -- have contributed to the deaths of more than 25 wolves through shooting, trapping, sedating, penning and relocating the notoriously skittish animals. A wolf slated for capture died of hyperthermia after a helicopter chase. At least eight wolves died of stress in holding pens. Six pups were killed when placed in the care of another captive pack. The program's most-photographed wolf -- Brunhilda, a young female in the first pack -- died after federal biologists captured her to perform a routine check; the animal became stressed and overheated during the examination and died...LATimes

Boom in hydropower pits fish against climate

The ability of the nation's aging hydroelectric dams to produce energy free of the curse of greenhouse gas emissions and Middle Eastern politics has suddenly made them financially attractive -- thanks to the new economics of climate change. Armed with the possibility of powerful new cap-and-trade financial bonuses, the National Hydropower Assn. has set a goal of doubling the nation's hydropower capacity by 2025. Expanding hydropower is fraught with controversy, much of it stemming from the industry's history of turning wild rivers into industrialized reservoirs struggling to support their remaining fish. The emerging boom in hydroelectric power pits two competing ecological perils against each other: widespread fish extinctions and a warming planet...LATimes

If the global warmists are correct, then this is fish vs. humans...and the fish are covered by the Endangered Species Act.

North Carolina to Ban Mountaintop Wind?

A furious battle over the aesthetics of wind energy has erupted in North Carolina, where lawmakers are weighing a bill that would bar giant turbines from the state’s scenic western ridgelines. The big machines would “destroy our crown jewel,” said Martin Nesbitt, a state senator who supports the ban, according to a report in The Winston-Salem Journal. As it currently stands, the bill would ban turbines more than 100 feet tall from the mountaintops. Residential-scale turbines (typically 50 to 120 feet high) could still go up, but the industrial-scale turbines that can produce 500 times as much power or more would be effectively ruled out. The legislation appeared likely to pass the state Senate last week, but got sent back to committee. Such a ban would be virtually unprecedented, according to Brandon Blevins, the wind program coordinator for the the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and it would make roughly two-thirds of North Carolina’s land-based wind potential unavailable...NYTimes