Judge upholds changes in visas
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — A federal judge turned down on Jan. 15 a request to stop the Bush administration from instituting new rules that would make it easier for farmers to bring in foreign work crews to harvest their spring crops.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina refused the request from the United Farm Workers union and the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project to stop the Labor Department from instituting new H2-A visa rules.

The groups had argued that the administration’s overhaul of the country’s agricultural worker program would lower wages in the fields, erode labor protections and make it easier for contractors to bypass hiring legal U.S. workers. Urbina said they presented too little evidence that their members would “suffer immediate decreased wages, increased transportation costs or loss of employment.”

The new rules went into effect Saturday, only days before the Bush administration left office.

Groups sue over EPA rule
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Six environmental groups have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenging a new Bush Administration rule exempting dairies and other large-scale livestock operations from having to alert officials when toxic emissions are released.

Attorneys with Earthjustice filed the suit Jan. 15 in a federal appeals court in Washington. They say the exemption threatens the health and safety of people living and working near lagoons that store farm animals’ urine and feces, sources of dangerous ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.

Large-scale farms had been required to notify officials when air pollution levels exceeded safety thresholds. The EPA rule change particularly affects the southern San Joaquin Valley, where 2.5 million milking cows live on hundreds of large-scale dairies. It went into effect yesterday.

ICGA forms new committees

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Recently the Indiana Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) board of directors formed two new committees to better serve its membership.

The Policy Committee will be charged with assuming responsibility on all policy matters affecting corn producers and overseeing the ICGA’s communication with elected officials and government representatives. It will serve as a forum for discussion of legislative matters that significantly impact ICGA’s members, corn producers and allied industry partners. The Policy Committee will ultimately recommend legislative priorities to the ICGA Board for approval.

The Membership Committee will be charged with assuming responsibility for developing a membership recruitment strategy for ICGA that will assist in the fulfillment of ICGA’s mission. It will serve as a forum for discussion of how best to recruit and retain members. The Membership Committee will help create membership benefit and incentive programs.

ICGA members have an opportunity to participate on either of these committees by contacting Jared Coppess, ICGA external relations manager, by e-mail at jcoppess@indianacorn.org or by calling 317-347-3620.

Kansas picked for biothreat lab

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — It’s official: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) picked a site Jan. 16 in Kansas for a $450 million laboratory to study livestock diseases.

The agency’s Directorate for Science and Technology made its decision official Friday by publishing it in the federal record. The document affirmed a decision announced in December to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility at the Manhattan, Kan., campus to replace an aging lab at Plum Island, N.Y.

Sites in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas were the other finalists. A site in Kentucky was considered in early rounds of deliberation. Scientists will be researching and developing new vaccines for deadly foreign animal and other biological threats, including foot-and-mouth disease.

Construction is expected to begin in 2010, and the project’s costs could increase from the $450 million initially estimated by the DHS. The bulk of the cost will be covered by federal funds, and the facility is expected to open by 2015.