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Texas drought getting worse
Storms that hit east Texas Monday did little to relieve an extreme drought that now covers more than 40 percent of the state. Wildfires continued to burn in parts of West Texas, where some ranchers haven't seen a drop of rain since early fall.
The area considered in an extreme drought has tripled in the past month, and weather forecasters expect the drought to continue or get worse through June in most of the state. That means the danger of fire will remain extremely high, National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said.
"This could end up being one of the more devastating droughts, agriculturally speaking and for wildfires, if we don't start getting normal to above normal rainfall before June," Murphy said. "The odds of seeing that are likely below normal."
Texas hasn't had a drier October to February period since 1967, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said. The five months that ended Feb. 28 saw only 4.8 inches of rain on average across the state. In a typical year, an average of 9.7 inches would fall.
1099 Repeal Legislation Introduced
Efforts are again underway to repeal a provision of the healthcare reform act, requiring farmers, ranchers and small business owners to provide an IRS Form 1099 to each vendor from which the business has purchased more than $600 of products in a calendar year.
…Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) Tuesday introduced the “Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act,” which would repeal the provision, while offsetting its cost. Reportedly he’s gathered over 50 co-sponsors, including 12 Democrats. This is his third repeal attempt.
…Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced a similar provision Tuesday, but without the budget offsets.
…On the House side, Rep. Dan Lundgren (R-Calif.) has re-introduced a repeal bill he wrote last year, and reportedly has at least 245 co-sponsors, including 12 Democrats.
Johanns said he’s optimistic about his bill’s chances. But like last year, observers say, it could be de-railed by partisan wrangling over paying for its cost in lost federal revenue. The Congressional Budget Office put that figure at $19 billion.
APHIS Files Interim Rule & Request for Comments Amendments to Current Brucellosis Regulations
An interim rule appearing in the December 27 Federal Register will make significant changes in the current federal brucellosis eradication program, according to Dr. John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer for the Animal, Plant Health Inspection Service. “Today, the disease is mostly eliminated from the United States, with the exception of the known reservoir of brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone area. These new regulations will help us better address the current situation and continue to move toward our long-term goal of complete eradication.”
Specifically, these amendments:
- Reduce the amount of testing required to maintain Class Free status for states that have been Class Free for five or more years and have no Brucella abortus in wildlife;
- Remove the provision for automatic reclassification of any Class Free state or area to a lower status if two or more herds are found to have brucellosis within a two-year period or if a single brucellosis-affected herd is not depopulated within 60 days;
- Reduce the age at which cattle are included in herd blood tests;
- Add a requirement that any Class Free state or area with Brucella abortus in wildlife must develop and implement an APHIS-approved brucellosis management plan in order to maintain Class Free status; and
- Provide an alternative testing protocol for maintaining the certified brucellosis-free status of dairy herds, which will give producers more flexibility for the herd certification process.
The interim rule is the first step in updating the brucellosis program, and is consistent with the proposed changes set out in a concept paper USDA published in October 2009. The interim rule is effective December 27, 2010 and can be viewed in its entirety on LMA’s website, www.lmaweb.com, at the “Industry and LMA News Link” under the “Proposed and Final Regulations” banner.
Texas producers urged to consider anthrax vaccination
This is the time of year when livestock producers in certain parts of Texas should be on the lookout for anthrax in their animals, the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) said Friday.
The TAHC said among the anthrax cases confirmed this summer are a cow in Crockett County, one whitetail deer in Kinney County and one whitetail deer in Uvalde County.
Although anthrax can occur anywhere, the TAHC noted, “in Texas, cases most often are confined to a triangular area bounded by the towns of Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass. This area includes portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney and Maverick Counties.”
Anthrax cases are not unusual, “especially at this time of year,” said Dr. Dee Ellis, TAHC executive director and state veterinarian. “This is peak season for anthrax to resurface and affect livestock and deer. Ranchers and livestock owners should be aware of recent anthrax confirmations in their area and consider vaccinating their livestock to protect against the disease.”
New rules for horses sold to Canadian processing plants sent to members
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced new rules, effective July 31, 2010 for all equine, including imported horses, sold to Canadian equine food processing plants.
Beginning July 31, Canadian processing plants must have complete records of each horse, including a written and picture identification, along with a comprehensive record of illness and medical treatment administered to the animal for six months prior to slaughter. Horses sold through markets which may go to a Canadian food processing plant must have this information, provided by the owner, in the CFIA’s “Equine Information Document” (EID). This information must be provided to the buyer before the animal can move to a Canadian plant.
Comprehensive information about the new rules was sent, via e-mail or FAX, to all LMA members this week. The information is available above by clicking on Horse Slaughter. Questions can be directed to Vice President for Government and Industry Affairs Nancy Robinson, 800-821-2048; nrobinson@lmaweb.com.
Livestock Marketing Association Update on the Eastern Livestock Bankruptcy:
Market Livestock Through Member Auction Markets to Ensure Prompt, Secure Payment
(January 13, 2011) KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – In light of recent events surrounding the default and bankruptcy of Eastern Livestock Company, the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) and its member livestock auction markets want to reassure livestock producers that they still have a proven, fiscally sound method for marketing their cattle.
“There were 731 producers who received bad checks from Eastern but not one of those defaults came from a livestock auction,” said Mark Mackey, LMA chief executive officer. “Unfortunately those producers probably wish now that they had sold through a livestock auction market where 100% of payments to producers were made.
“Livestock auction markets remain the most secure way to market cattle,” Mackey explained. “Livestock auction markets protect the farmers and ranchers they serve by acting as the agent to transfer ownership from the seller to the buyer. That means that at the end of the sale, the producer gets a check that is backed by a bonded and regulated account and the auction market assumes all of the risk for non-payment. You don't hear a lot about this because livestock auction markets assume that risk for a very small cost – commission.”
USDA’s Animal Disease Traceability Plan Still On-Track
USDA/APHIS reviewed their proposed Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) plan at the first meeting of the Secretary’s newly formed Advisory Committee on Animal Health (SACAH) Jan. 20 and indicated they are very optimistic that they will publish the ADT proposed rule sometime in April of this year.
It then is USDA’s desire to publish a final rule to begin implementation of the plan approximately 12 to 15 months thereafter. Full implementation of Step I: Identification and Traceability of Adult Cattle is not expected until nearly a year after publication of the final rule in order to provide sufficient outreach and education of ADT stakeholders on the new ID/traceability requirements.
USDA’s estimates that initiation of Step III-Full Implementation for All Classes of Cattle could be 5 years or more away from publication of the proposed rule. However, depending on available federal and state financial and staffing resources to implement the ADT plan, it could be longer than that.
GIPSA posting market tariffs on website
For the first time, USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration is posting livestock markets’ tariffs on its website. These are the markets’ rates and charges for services, and other information, as filed with GIPSA. GIPSA’s listing of tariffs can be found at http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/psp_tariff/default.aspx. Users can search by state for the tariffs of specific businesses.
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