Ohio’s Livestock Care Standards bill passes House
COLUMBUS, Ohio — On March 10, 2010, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 414, with a vote of 98-0. HB 414 was drafted to support the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board that would help to regulate livestock farms across the state.

The bill will be referred to the Senate for committee consideration as Senate Bill 233. SB 233 has had a number of hearings in the Senate Ag Committee. There are slight differences between the bills which will need to be resolved before a bill is sent to the governor.

Some issues of concern with the legislation include the bill’s lack of attention to federal organic standards, financial support of the board, which is estimated to receive $500,000 per year from the Commercial Feed and Seed fund, and the ability for the director of agriculture to enter a farm premise without a warrant.

Soybean prices fall on rising China inflation

DENVER, Colo. (AP) — Soybean prices are falling on concerns about waning demand in China and news of canceled U.S. exports of soybeans last week.

Wheat and corn prices also fell slightly on Thursday, but still fared better than soybeans because neither is exported to China. Analyst Vic Lespinasse of grain analyst.com says China is a significant buyer of U.S. beans, so a report of higher inflation there in February raised fears that the country may impose more credit restrictions.

In addition, the USDA reported that sales of 115,000 metric tons of soybeans were canceled in the past week. Other commodities prices were mixed.

Woman dies after falling into well on Iowa farm

DONELLSON, Iowa (AP) — Officials are investigating the death of an elderly woman who apparently drowned after falling into a well on a farm near Donnellson.

The Lee County sheriff’s office on March 10 identified the woman as 72-year-old Ardis Fett. Sheriff Buck Jones said the well was covered with an old concrete lid. He said Fett apparently stepped on the cover and it crumbled and she fell into the well.

The sheriff’s office didn’t know how deep the well was. Emergency crews were called to the farm March 9. They had to bring in a backhoe and a jackhammer to dig around the well and break up the concrete to remove the body. The sheriff said Fett was last seen getting her mail, by a neighbor the previous day.

Merck, Sanofi combining animal medicine businesses
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Two of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies said March 9 they are uniting their animal health businesses in a deal to become the top dog in the veterinary industry.

Merck & Co. and France’s Sanofi-Aventis SA said they’ll jointly own the combined business, which will have a share of about 29 percent in the $19 billion-a-year global market for medicines for pets and livestock. That’s well ahead of the current leader, Pfizer, Inc.’s Fort Dodge unit, which has about 20 percent of the market.

The joint venture will combine Sanofi’s Merial animal health business, the maker of Frontline flea and tick fighter and Heartgard for preventing heartworm infection, with Merck’s Intervet/Schering-Plough unit, which mainly makes vaccines and drugs for farm animals. Merial mainly operates in North America and South America, while Intervet sells in Europe and emerging markets.
Last year, Merial had sales of about $2.55 billion and Intervet had $2.74 billion, for a total of $5.3 billion. The deal is expected to close in the next year.

Plan for giant railroad yard stirs opposition in Tennessee
ROSSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The development of Norfolk Southern Corp.’s $112 million intermodal yard on a former cattle ranch in Fayette County has polarized the community for more than a year.
Proponents are excited about the project’s economic opportunities, while opponents fear it will ruin their rural community forever. But both sides of the divide have one thing in common: Their objectives rely on time and money, both of which are at a premium.
The Norfolk, Va.-based railroad is striving to manage a complex schedule that calls for the 570-acre Memphis Regional Intermodal Terminal to open in early 2012 on the Twin Hills Ranch annexed by Rossville. That means fulfilling requisite environmental permits, preparing the site for construction and completing the immense infrastructure where cargo containers would be transferred.

Major manure spill in Clayton County
GARNAVILLO, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a major manure spill in eastern Clayton County.

The department said between 50,000-70,000 gallons of manure flowed at 800 gallons a minute out of a broken pipeline the morning of March 10 at a dairy farm north of Garnavillo. Much of the manure overflowed from a concrete basin and eventually flowed into Buck Creek.

The dairy dammed up the spill to stop manure from flowing. The DNR is investigating if the spill caused a fish kill in Buck Creek.