Lincoln new head of Senate Ag Committee
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) was picked to head the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on Sept. 9, making her the first woman to serve as the panel’s leader.

She takes over for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Lincoln has served on the Senate committee since January 1999. When she was a congresswoman, Lincoln served on the House Agriculture Committee from 1993-95.

“As a seventh-generation Arkansan and farmer’s daughter, I know my father is smiling down on me today,” Lincoln said.
She said implementing the farm bill and ending the Cuba trade embargo are among the top issues facing the panel. Lincoln said the committee has always been a top choice for her during her time in Congress.

Lincoln said she ended up first in line for the job because other more senior senators – Max Baucus, Kent Conrad and Patrick Leahy – already serve as chairs of other committees. She downplayed the notion that the new role would make her more politically powerful as she runs for reelection next year.

Borlaug of ‘green revolution’ dies at 95
DALLAS, Texas (AP) — Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the father of the “green revolution” who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in combating world hunger and saving hundreds of millions of lives, has died in Texas, a Texas A&M University spokeswoman said. He was 95.

Borlaug died just before 11 p.m. Saturday at his home in Dallas from complications of cancer, said school spokeswoman Kathleen Phillips. Phillips said Borlaug’s granddaughter told her about his death. Borlaug was a distinguished professor at the university in College Station.

The Nobel committee honored Borlaug in 1970 for his contributions to high-yield crop varieties and bringing other agricultural innovations to the developing world. Many experts credit the green revolution with averting global famine during the second half of the 20th century and saving perhaps 1 billion lives.

Thanks to the green revolution, world food production more than doubled between 1960 and 1990. In Pakistan and India, two of the nations that benefited most from the new crop varieties, grain yields more than quadrupled over the period.

“We would like his life to be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind,” his children said in a statement. “One of his favorite quotes was, ‘Reach for the stars. Although you will never touch them, if you reach hard enough, you will find that you get a little ‘star dust’ on you in the process.’”

Closing approaching for crop insurance

Springfield, Ill. — USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers considering Multi-Peril Crop Insurance for the 2010 crop year that the sales closing date is Sept. 30 for certain fall-planted crops.

Crop policy provisions may change with the start of a new crop year. The producer should review the various products and crop options to ascertain which are best for their situation before this fall crop sales deadline. Some changes include provisions addressing determinations of good farming practices and language that clarifies insuring organic farming practices.

Crops affected and their associated states are as follows: winter wheat – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio; winter barley – Illinois, Indiana, Ohio; forage production – Illinois, Michigan; and mint (with winter coverage) – Indiana.

For more information and a list of local crop insurance agents, visit the RMA website at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents

TSU assistant stabbed, beaten to death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Metro Nashville police say a Tennessee State University employee found dead at a research farm had been stabbed several times and beaten.

Nathaniel Adefope was a research associate and supervisor at the university’s poultry farm. His body was found Sept. 8 and police said there was evidence of a struggle.

The Tennessean reported no one had been arrested by Sept. 9, but police hoped surveillance video would give them clues about who killed the 60-year-old Adefope, who was a native of Nigeria.
Adefope earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in poultry science at TSU, then returned to the school to work at the research facility. Police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said no motive has been established for Adefope’s murder.