During the Senate Farm Bill Debate yesterday, the amendment proposing crop insurance not be available for tobacco growers was defeated, with both NC Senators Burr and Hagan voting against the amendment. Hagan said earlier in the week during a press conference with reporters that it was not right to disallow crop insurance for a legal crop.
Combines Predicted to Roll Mid-June
Getting to the finish line with this year’s wheat crop has been anything but easy. Dan Weathington, Executive Director of the North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association says combines should start rolling the second week of June:
“That will be the first time we see a lot of wheat being cut here in the state.”
Here late in the season head scab on winter wheat has become an issue, and Weathington has this advice:
“If you think you have a scab problem, when you start your harvest you turn the air up on your combine to blow the damaged grains out. That will help your levels of scabs in the seed. The levels are 2 parts per million for human consumption and 5 parts per million for animal consumption.”
And testing for vomitoxin is available through NCDA’s agronomics lab:
“We have lined it up and paid for the kits, it will cost the farmer $38 to get the test done with NCDA food and drug.”
Immigration Reform Bill Gets Senate Judiciary Nod
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Border, Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act on a bipartisan 13 to 5 vote. More than 200 amendments were considered - and 141 adopted - during the committee’s five markup sessions to consider the bipartisan legislation. American Farm Bureau Federation says the Senate’s immigration reform bill is balanced and includes a fair and workable farm labor provision.
Hurricane Season Underway Next Week
Batten down the hatches...the predictions are out for the 2013 hurricane season. The estimate is for 13-20 named storms, 3-6 of which could become major hurricanes. CBS News Correspondent Pam Coulter reports...
“Federal Weather and Emergency experts are encouraging Americans to prepare now for the upcoming hurricane season, which is expected to be well above average in terms of activity. They warned against complacency, pointing out storms can occur before the June 1st start and that hurricane Sandy happened at the end.”
Those predictions are right in line with NC State’s; they’re predicting up to 17 named storms with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes.
Stricter COOL Rules Could Start Trade Wars with Canada & Mexico.
Meat Labeling Will Get Stricter Rules
The United States is poised to introduce stricter rules on the labeling of meat imports this week, a move that is likely to heat up a simmering trade dispute with Canada and Mexico.
Under new regulations that Washington says are aimed at complying with a World Trade Organization order, all meat sold in the US must have labels that state where an animal was born, fed and harvested.
Meat exporters in Canada and Mexico say the new rules would cut even deeper into cattle and hog shipments that have already slumped by as much as half in the last four years. Two-way meat and livestock trade between Canada and the United States is worth more than $5 billion a year |