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| News from Around the Farm World - June 15, 2011 |
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Drought in wheat-producing England
LONDON (AP) — A drought has been declared in a major wheat-producing region of Britain after one of the driest springs on record. East Anglia, in eastern England, also produces other cereal crops and beets.
Britain is the EU’s No. 3 producer of the grain. It wasn’t immediately clear if the drought declared Friday by Britain’s Environment Agency would have an immediate impact on food prices. The agency will now ask farmers, industrial plants and water companies to use less water where possible, and has already suggested farmers irrigate their fields at night to reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation.
Britain’s national weather agency said 2011 has had the second driest spring across England and Wales since 1910, hitting cereal farms particularly hard.
Obama creates White House Rural Council
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — President Obama has created a special advisory council to recommend ways to boost the economic outlook and quality of life for the estimated 60 million people who live in rural areas of the United States, a White House official said.
Obama signed an executive order Thursday establishing the White House Rural Council and naming Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, of Iowa, to be its chair. The panel will be responsible for providing recommendations to the president on investment in rural areas, as well as coordinating with a variety of rural interests, including agricultural groups, small businesses and state, local and tribal governments.
It will focus on 10 areas that affect nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population of 308 million. But the panel’s initial focus will be on job creation and economic development. Rural residents are eager for better educational opportunities, transportation alternatives, better access to health care and reliable access to the Internet, among other issues.
The remaining subject areas will be: agriculture, access to credit, innovation, health care, education, Internet access, infrastructure, conservation and developing regional economies.
Disaster relief for Ky. and Tenn. counties
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam has requested federal disaster relief for 15 Tennessee counties as a result of severe storms and flooding that occurred in April and May. The counties are Dyer, Giles, Greene, Hancock, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Henderson, Lake, Knox, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton and Washington.
The disaster designation would make farmers in these and adjoining counties eligible to apply for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment Program to help recover lost income. Farmers in the affected counties have reported crop losses ranging from 30-60 percent, and higher in some cases, primarily for corn and wheat, but also for hay, pastures and specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables and nursery stock.
There are also reports of debris and livestock losses and extensive damage to buildings, equipment and conservation structures.
The USDA has also designated 11 counties in Kentucky as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by severe storms, excessive rainfall and severe flooding that began April 17 and continues. The counties are: Ballard, Hancock, Hopkins, Logan, Ohio, Union, Crittenden, Henderson, Livingston, McLean and Trimble.
Farmers and ranchers in contiguous counties in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Tennessee also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous.
Notifying black farmers of suit begins
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The court-ordered process of officially notifying black farmers and their heirs about the $1.25 billion Pigford II class action settlement is under way.
Black farmers around the country who tried to file a claim in the 1999 Pigford settlement but were unable to receive a decision on the merits because their claims were late are now receiving information about their legal rights and options under the settlement by postal mail. The plaintiffs and USDA announced the proposed settlement in late 2010 and President Obama signed the bill authorizing payment on Dec. 9, 2010. The proposed settlement includes $1.25 billion for cash payments and loan forgiveness for class members who file valid claims.
Class members eligible for the settlement are African-Americans who farmed (or attempted to farm) between Jan. 1, 1981-December 31, 1996; were prevented from applying for or were denied a USDA farm loan during that period or were given a loan with unfair terms; and who filed or attempted to file a late claim between October 13, 1999-June 18, 2008, in the original Pigford case. Heirs or kin of people who fit this description but have since died may also be class members.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will consider whether to grant final approval of the settlement at a hearing in Washington D.C. on Sept. 1. Class members should visit www.BlackFarmerCase.com or call 877-810-8110 for complete information, including the detailed notice, key dates and claims-filing information.
Diesel leak traced to pipeline in NW Iowa
MILFORD, Iowa (AP) — State officials say a diesel leak found by a farmer in northwestern Iowa has been traced to a pipeline.
The farmer on Thursday noticed a strong odor and a sheen on a stream about 10 miles south of Milford. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said Friday the leak was traced from the stream to a tile line draining a farm field to the pipeline, which was damaged.
The pipeline is operated by Texas-based NuStar Energy, which has officials on-site. They said the damage happened when the pipe was nicked last fall when the tile was installed. The DNR’s Jennifer Christian said cleanup will involve excavating about 200 yards of the tile line and hauling contaminated soil to a landfill.
Man pays $10K restitution for fish kill
SAINT ANSGAR, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a northern Iowa man has paid a $315 fine and $10,000 in restitution for dumping hog manure through a field into a tributary of the Cedar River in Mitchell County.
The Mason City Globe Gazette is reporting that Anders Knudsen admitted pumping about 25,000 gallons of waste from a containment pit over six hours in September 2009. The manure ended up in Otter Creek. Its high ammonia content killed an estimated 151,000 fish over a stretch of almost four miles.
Last month, Knudsen was convicted of negligent disposal of a pollutant, which is a misdemeanor.
Commission votes to lift deer baiting ban
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s wildlife policymakers have voted to lift a ban on baiting and feeding whitetail deer in much of the state’s Lower Peninsula (L.P.). The plan was approved by a 4-3 vote Thursday by the Natural Resources Commission. The panel also decided it will revisit the issue in three years.
Baiting and feeding have been banned in the L.P. since August 2008, when a deer with chronic wasting disease was found at a captive breeding farm in Kent County. No other cases have been reported. The new plan allows baiting and feeding with limits in the Lower Peninsula, except for a section of northeastern Michigan where bovine tuberculosis remains a problem.
Baiting would be allowed from Oct. 1-Jan. 1. Policies allowing the practice in the Upper Peninsula continue. |
| 6/15/2011 |
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