According to the NPPC, U.S. pork exports to Mexico have fallen by a whopping 20 percent since the Mexican government added pork to the list of U.S. products against which it is retaliating for the failure of the United States to live up to a trade obligation. According to recent data from the U.S. Department [...]
Archive for November, 2010
30 Nov
Legacy and Estate Planning Workshop for Families
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 3:30 to 9 p.m. Arapahoe County Fairgrounds 25690 E. Quincy Ave., Aurora, CO Hosted by CSU Extension-Arapahoe County How do you pass on the legacy that was your life? How can you help your family carry on after you are no longer with them? Learn how to organize your legacy: • [...]
30 Nov
Senate Passes Food Safety Bill
The Senate passed the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization by a 73-25 vote earlier today. The House is expected to approve the Senate version of the bill with no changes and President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure. The Senate legislation would: —Allow the FDA to order a recall of tainted [...]
30 Nov
Skyrocketing Feed Costs Slamming Dairy Farmers
One thing is certain, dairy farmers throughout the nation hope folks drink a lot of eggnog and eat a lot of cheese balls this holiday season, otherwise they may have very little to celebrate in the new year. John Anderson, American Farm Bureau Federation livestock economist, said skyrocketing feed costs is the big problem. “Dairy producers [...]
29 Nov
Private Fish Hatcheries Create Billions of Dollars in Economic Activity
A recently completed study by researchers at Colorado State University showed that angler spending supported by the Aquacultural Suppliers of Recreational Fish (ASRF) in the Western region of the United States contribute about $1.9 billion in output and more than 26,000 jobs to the economy of the states in the region. The Western region includes [...]
29 Nov
Keep Your Christmas Tree Shopping in the Farm Bureau Family
Looking for a way to take the family out for some holiday fun? Still need to pick out that perfect Christmas Tree? Plan on visiting Christmas Tree Acres in La Salle! Owner Bill Jerke, a longtime Colorado Farm Bureau member invites you and your family to come enjoy an American tradition by choosing and cutting [...]
29 Nov
Congress Back for Lame-Duck Session
Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill today for round two of the lame-duck session of Congress, with some talk that the work won’t be complete until the week of Christmas. High on the agenda: fiscal year 2011 spending, expiring 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, tax incentives (including those for biofuels), the food safety bill and expiring [...]
28 Nov
The Real Farmwives of Colorado
The Farmwife Project is beginning to take shape and it may very well be one of the coolest projects around. In the upcoming weeks, a group of agvocates are coming together right here on this site. They raise hogs, cattle, potatoes, bees, and children. They are farmwives, daughters, sisters, and mothers. And they are one [...]
24 Nov
Thanks to Our Sponsors
The Colorado Farm Bureau would like to thank our sponsors, without whom the 2010 Annual Meeting would not be possible! Premier Partner Colorado Farm Bureau Insurance Mountain Plains Farm Credit Tri-State Generation and Transmission Gold Monsanto Silver Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons CoBank Bronze Farm Credit of Southern Colorado Colorado Petroleum Association Colorado Oil & Gas [...]
23 Nov
CFB Elects New President
CFB is pleased to announce Donald Shawcroft of Alamosa, Colorado has been elected President of the Colorado Farm Bureau at the organization’s 92nd Annual Meeting on Saturday, November 20th. Since 2000, members of Colorado Farm Bureau have known Shawcroft as Vice President to Alan Foutz who officially retired from the office on Saturday. Don was [...]
18 Nov
HSUS Strikes Again
Agriculture awareness is becoming an ever critical component of our daily lives. Unfortunately, there some organizations are out to portray the most negative image of agriculture possible. The Humane Society of the United States released an undercover video today showing alleged animal abuse and food safety problems at Cal-Marine Foods, the nation’s largest egg producer. [...]
17 Nov
Food Production a Bright Spot in U.S. Economy
Although the recession hit manufacturing and other industries hard, food production has remained a bright spot in the economy. Growth has been so good that many food processors are expanding facilities and adding new equipment. New facilities include cheese-making operations in Wisconsin, Idaho, and Colorado and a sweet potato canning plant in Arkansas. The Hershey [...]
17 Nov
Record Enrollment for Wetlands Reserve Program
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that farmers, ranchers and Indian tribes enrolled more than 272,000 acres in the Wetlands Reserve Program in fiscal year 2010. The fiscal 2010 enrollment is the highest single-year enrollment in the program’s history. It’s also a 52 percent increase over fiscal 2009 when 179,000 acres were enrolled. There are [...]
17 Nov
2010 County Leadership Conferences
We are proud to announce that Colorado Farm Bureau is once again holding leadership training workshops and we want you to be there! This year CFB will be holding five regional leadership conferences close to you on December 6-10. This leadership conference is designed to provide grassroots training and direction to board members and county [...]
16 Nov
Rental Pigs
As an agriculture teacher, I get a number of requests throughout the course of the day. Last night, I answered a phone call and heard the sweet and slightly desperate voice of Patty. Patty, a middle school teacher in Colorado Springs, organized a food drive at her school and the main attraction at the all-school [...]
10 Nov
USDA urges support for National Broadband Plan
USDA has submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission to support development of the National Broadband Plan based on USDA’s considerable experience in financing broadband projects in rural areas. The FCC is implementing the plan to guide broadband deployment nationwide. “Robust economic growth and job creation in rural America depend on the quality and reach [...]
10 Nov
EPA under suit for Ethanol Blend Decisiod
Agriculture Resumes its Infighting The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the American Meat Institute joined other groups in filing a lawsuit Tuesday against EPA to overturn the agency’s decision to allow a higher ethanol blend in gasoline. The groups said EPA overstepped its authority in allowing cars built in 2007 and later to burn E15 or [...]
10 Nov
JBC Elects Hodge to Chair
Today, the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) selected Senator Mary Hodge (D-Brighton) as its Chair for the 2011 legislative session. The JBC is a bipartisan committee charged with the creating a balanced state budget every year. This year the JBC will face a shortfall of more than $1 billion. Senator Hodge was elected unanimously by the [...]
9 Nov
Sonnenberg to Chair Ag Committee
Colorado Farm Bureau member and past CFB State Board member, State Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, today was named the new chair of the House Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources committee. “I am excited to chair the committee that handles the issues from the top two industries in the state,” commented Sonnenberg. “Both agriculture and the oil and [...]
8 Nov
Proposition 2 Could be Declared Unconstitutional
The California Supreme Court could be requested to rule on the constitutionality of the state’s ballot initiative process. It’s highly unlikely, but if the court were to rule that the process is unconstitutional, all ballot initiatives adopted over the last 100 years could be declared invalid, including the 2008 ballot initiative on animal housing, Proposition [...]
5 Nov
2010 Election Recap
Following the November 2 election, Colorado is truly a purple state. Republicans now control the Colorado House with a 33-32 majority*, won three of the statewide races and two Congressional races. Democrats were able to keep control of the Colorado Senate, the Governor’s office as well as the U.S. Senate.
4 Nov
HSUS, Campaigns, and You
If you haven’t heard, the state of Missouri passed Proposition B by a vote of 51.6 % to 48.4%. This measure was aimed at bringing increased regulation to commercial dog breeders and was heavily supported by HSUS. The fact that HSUS supported Prop B is not a big story. They will support almost anything that [...]
4 Nov
State Legislature Elects New Leadership
The House and Senate met this morning to elect leadership positions. The following are the results: House Leadership Speaker–Frank McNulty Majority Leader–Amy Stephens Assistant Majority Leader–Mark Waller Majority Caucus Chair–Carole Murray Majority Whip–BJ Nikkel JBC–Cheri Gerou and TBD Minority Leader–Sal Pace Assistant Minority Leader–Nancy Todd Minority Whip–Claire Levy JBC–Mark Ferrandino Caucus Chair – Lois Court [...]
4 Nov
Nationwide, Deer Collisions Expensive
There are an estimated 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions annually in the U.S., resulting in damages of about $1 billion according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist. In Texas where feral hogs are a problem, hog-related traffic accidents occur at an average rate of about 1 percent of the hog population or more yearly, [...]
4 Nov
Inventor of Cap & Trade Says It’s the Wrong Approach on Carbon
Thomas Crocker, an economics Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is credited with the development one of the most innovative and controversial public policy proposals of our time: cap & trade. But although he devised the idea, Crocker said in an interview with The Washington Independent that cap & trade is not the best policy [...]
4 Nov
Pickens’ Horse Sanctuary Gets a ‘NO’ from County Commissioners
Elko county commissioners rejected supporting Madeleine Pickens’ plan for a wild-horse sanctuary. Madeleine, the wife of T. Boone Pickens, shared her vision of Mustang Monument, a sanctuary where wild horses could roam free, which would attract tourists as well with covered wagon rides, campfires and other amenities. The commission followed precedent and declined to support [...]
4 Nov
A New Solution for Beets
The USDA has unveiled a plan that would allow the planting of Roundup Ready sugar beets in 2011 under strict regulations. According to The Wall Street Journal, the USDA’s proposal represents the preliminary stage of the process and will be followed by a 30-day comment period before the department makes a final decision. The USDA [...]
4 Nov
Stabenow, Lucas Likely Ag Committee Chairs
With the defeat Tuesday of Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is expected to take over the gavel as chair of the Agriculture Committee in the 112th Congress. And with Republicans gaining control of the House, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), who coasted to re-election Tuesday, will likely be the next [...]
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