Deterring Copper and Aluminum Theft Purpose of New NC Law

Metal thefts from  jobsites, electrical facilities and farms is becoming a pervasive problem.  Earlier this summer, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill to make it more difficult to sell stolen copper and aluminum according to NC  Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler:

Rural electrical cooperatives were also on board with the passage of this bill:

Troxler explains that the new law has some serious teeth:

This law will bring North Carolina law more in line with South Carolina.  Crooks were thieving metal in South Carolina and brining it across the boarder  and selling it under North Carolina's more lax rules.

Container Port at Wilmington a No-Go

There is no support for building a container port in Brunswick County from either of North Carolina's gubeernatorial candidates.  The StarNews of Wilmington reported Monday that, if elected, neither Democrat Walter Dalton nor Republican Pat McCorory would pursue building a new container port on the Cape Fear River.

Lt. Governor Dalton says there's no support for the idea from the federal government, the state's congressional delegation or the state legislature.  McCrory says the marketplace doesn't support a new port.

Retail Prices of Proteins Likely to Rise by 2013

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has briefed President Obama on the drought gripping the central United States and its potential impact.  Vilsack suggests the Crop Insurance programs already in place should be mostly adequate for crop producers – corn and soybeans – but says Congres should act to aid livestock farmers.

Here's how the Secretary sees the drought impacting national food prices; the shorage of commodity crops like corn and beans and the of hay, will cause livestock producers to reduce the size of their herds before winter:

Farmers recieve about 14 – cents of every food dollar that goes through the grocery store.

Farm Bill Missing from House Floor Schedule

House republican leaders have outlined the floor schedule for this week and the farm bill isn't on it.  Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson notes that leaves just four legislative days to consider the bill before Congress adjourns for the August recess.