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| APRIL 2003 |
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National
Grange Expresses Support for Bush Administration
At the time President
George W. Bush made his State of the Union Address back in January, our country
was on the threshold of war. When addressing this challenge, the president said
that "whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend
the freedom and security of the American people."
As
of this writing, war with Iraq is no longer a mere threat; it is a reality. In
such a short period of time, we have experienced a number of casualties. Regardless
of whatever personal feelings members may have about war, the National Grange
will stand behind the president, giving him and his administration our unwavering
support. Furthermore, it is critical that we as a nation present a united front
in support of the brave men and women who are risking their lives to ensure the
freedom and safety of both Americans and the citizens of Iraq. The
National Grange offers its thoughts and prayers to our troops, to our president
and his administration. We are all hoping for a quick resolution to this situation,
that the Iraqi people will be able to enjoy the freedom that has eluded them since
Saddam Hussein came into power. Furthermore, we hope and pray for this situation
to be resolved in a timely manner, minimizing the loss of lives and creating a
world that is safer from the threats of terrorism, a world that is more peaceful
for all its inhabitants.
top National
Grange Supports Milk Import Tariff Equity Act
In recent coalition letters
to the House and Senate, the National Grange joined the Dairy Producers for Fair
Trade urging the passage of the Milk Import Tariff Equity Act of 2003 (MITEA).
The MITEA was introduced to help close the loophole allowing foreign dairy producers
to import milk protein concentrate (MPC) products while displacing those of American
dairy producers. Both
the House and Senate versions of MITEA would not restrict the importation of casein
for industrial uses; it would address the growing utilization of casein and MPC
in food products. Both of these bills would not eliminate importation, they would
provide a mechanism in which the President would have the authority to renegotiate
the largest tariffs with the largest exporters and allow compensation. With input
from the U.S. dairy industry, the U.S. Trade Representative will develop a compensation
package that would prevent retaliation from the affected countries. The
Dairy Producers for Fair Trade is a broad-based coalition of state, regional,
and national farm groups united in their efforts to pass this legislation to ensure
the viability of the dairy industry in the U.S. Through their advocacy, they are
contributing to an agricultural economy in which all producers can prosper.
top Biotech
Corn Gains Regulatory Approval
The Monsanto Company announced recently
that it has received final regulatory approval for a new biotech corn designed
to fight rootworm. The genetically modified corn, called YieldGard Rootworm corn,
contains a protein from a common soil microbe that targets the larvae of corn
rootworm. This protein provides a built in insecticide allowing the corn to protect
its roots against rootworm infestation, which the USDA estimates costs corn farmers
up to $1 billion a year.
In order to reduce the risk of rootworms developing a tolerance to this built
in insecticide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required Monsanto
to provide 20 percent of the acreage where the corn is planted to serve as a buffer
zone to provide a refuge for rootworm that wouldn't be in contact with the pesticide.
The initial release of this new product will focus on areas of eastern Colorado,
western Kansas and western Nebraska, where rootworm problems are the most severe.
Monsanto is hoping to increase seed production for up to 5 to 6 million acres
by 2005.
top Department
of Homeland Security Launches Citizen Preparedness Ad Campaign
The Department
of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with The Advertising Council and the
Sloan Foundation, have launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign
that will enable American citizens to prepare for and protect themselves from
potential terrorist attacks. Examples of such action include creating an emergency
supply kit containing non-perishable food and water, flashlights and a battery
operated radio; having a safe room within your house or apartment sealed off with
duct tape and plastic sheeting to safeguard against chemical attacks and establishing
a communication plan between groups of people. Secretary
Tom Ridge will be appearing in these PSAs along with several New York City firefighters,
Office of Emergency Management personnel, Port Authority officers and police officers.
The message these ads stress is to "Arm Yourself With Information" because in
any emergency situation, knowledge really is power. A phone number is also provided
to call for further instructions (1-800-BE-READY). For additional information,
visit the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS).
top Department
of Interior Provides Grants Supporting Conservation on Private Lands
U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton recently announced that $34 million in federal
grants are available to states under a new program to assist private landowners
in conserving and restoring the habitats of endangered species and other at-risk
plants and animals. These cost-share grants are part of the Bush Administration's
new Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) that will enable states to provide financial
and technical assistance to fish and wildlife agencies, non-profit groups and
other interested private landowners to defray the costs of habitat improvements
for imperiled species. The
LIP is a two-tiered program. The first tier focuses on program administration
and cannot exceed $180,000 in federal money. The second tier supports specific
projects and requires at least a 25 percent match of funds from non-federal sources.
According to Secretary Norton, these funds are "providing the seed money to many
states to get their landowner programs off the ground." For additional information,
contact the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 140,
Arlington, VA 22203.
top OR
State Grange Launches New "Expressway" Initiative
A proposal by the Oregon
State Grange to construct an expressway crossing eastern and southern Oregon is
gaining momentum among farm groups as well as rural and urban legislators. Concern
about the loss of prime farmland, traffic congestion in the Portland, OR metro
area and a growing economic disparity between eastern and western Oregon also
prompted the Oregon State Grange to help organize a public initiative campaign
starting this spring.
The goal is to gather enough signatures to put the matter in voters' hands if
the Legislature fails to act, according to John Shank, agriculture committee chairman
for the OR State Grange. News reports about the Grange involvement in the expressway
legislation and initiative campaign were aired on Oregon Public Radio and KOIN
TV news in Portland in February. Supporters
see the proposed expressway as an economic development tool, as a long overdue
step toward modernizing the highway system in rural Oregon and as a way to reduce
development pressure on the states diminishing supply of prime and high value
farmland. Already, the infilling of housing developments within urban growth boundaries
and expansion of boundaries in the Willamette Valley area around Portland is driving
farms, dairies, ranches and livestock auctions, food processing plants, tractor
and implement dealers and other agricultural firms out of business. Opening rural
Oregon with the expressway would also help spread population growth more evenly
across the entire state instead cramming two-thirds of the population into the
100-square-mile Willamette Valley. Several
bills are in the works supporting variations of the expressway project in the
state legislature. The first is Senate Bill 40, which calls for building an east/west
toll expressway between Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast and Interstate 84 east of
the Idaho/Oregon border near Ontario. Shank is spearheading efforts to fund the
nearly $532.5 million expressway by adding lanes, straightening, rerouting and
improving sections of existing highways crossing the southern and eastern half
of the state.
In
addition to pursuing legislative funding, the Grange is planning to organize an
initiative drive this spring, according to Jim Welsh, Grange lobbyist. The Oregon
Trucking Association, whose members stand to save thousands of dollars via the
proposed expressway route instead of being diverted up and around the northern
border along I-84, have signed on as proponents of the proposal. According to
the plan endorsed by the Grange, much of the funding to repay $532.5 million in
bonds needed to finance construction of the expressway would come from toll receipts
estimated at more than $25,000 a day. As much as 60 percent of those tolls could
come from out-of-state motorists, according to expressway proponents.
top Sign-up
for Livestock Compensation Program Begins April 1st
Agriculture Secretary
Ann Veneman recently announced that sign-up for the Livestock Compensation Program
(LCP) will begin April 1st. The LCP is an emergency initiative administered by
the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to provide immediate assistance to eligible owners
and cash lessees of certain types of livestock in designated counties. The FY
2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed into law by President Bush on Feb. 20
allocates $350 million for the Livestock Assistance Program (LAP) in addition
to the LCP. For more information, please contact your local Farm
Service Agency.
top
45th Annual Ohio State Grange Legislative Day!
On Saturday, March 15, 2003, the Ohio State Grange hosted its 45th Annual Legislative
Conference at the Friendly Hills Camp, with more than 100 Ohio Grangers in attendance.
After registration, there was an opening ceremony with remarks by Ohio State Grange
President, Laddie Marous. Lisa Tharp, Legislative Director of Ohio State Grange
welcomed attendees and discussed Offset/Windfall pension reform issues and the
status of efforts to save the Oliver H. Kelley Farm as Ohio's top priorities.
Congressman Ted
Strickland (D-OH 6th) addressed the conference to discuss issues affecting rural
areas of Ohio. He specifically addressed the need to include prescription drug
coverage for seniors as part of the federal Medicare program. Rep. Strickland
also noted his support for the US troops from Ohio, and all across the nation,
who were being sent to the Persian Gulf region. Next, Leroy Watson, Legislative
Director of National Grange, introduced the 2003 National Grange legislative programs
including the 10-point Blueprint for Rural America, the National Grange Legislative
Policy Book and Grassroots Training Manual, the National Grange Washington DC
Legislative Fly-In scheduled for May, as well as many of the individual legislative
issues that the National Grange has been working on recently. He also introduced
National Grange Legislative Research Analyst, Chil Sook Hwang, and recognized
her for her hard work in producing the National Grange's grassroots "Action Alerts."
After lunch there
were two guest speakers. One of them was Jay Hendren, a former Grange member and
comedian, who shared some humorous stories about "how to be outstanding in your
field." The next speaker was Rick Graham, from the Ohio division of the Izaak
Walton league, who provided some information about Ohio's conservation and access
initiative, known as the "POHIO Project." For the last program of the event, there
was a drawing of winning tickets for two door prizes: a "Grange" basket and an
"Ohio" proud/bicentennial basket. Funds from the door prize will be used to support
the Grange legislative program in Ohio.
top USDA
Economic Research Service Unveils New Magazine
The USDA's Economic Research
Service (ERS) recently unveiled a new magazine covering the agency's entire range
of economic research and analysis. The magazine, Amber Waves, covers issues in
agriculture, food, rural America, trade, environment, and is offered in print
and Internet editions. The
magazine provides readers with a picture of the issues affecting the U.S. food
and fiber system and rural America. "We've tried to design this magazine with
the reader in mind and relate ERS research to current events," commented ERS Administrator
Susan Offutt. "With this magazine and links to related material on our web site,
we can provide information on a wide range of issues as well as in-depth analysis
for readers with specific interests." Click
here for a free Internet edition.
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