November 2001

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$45.2 Million Requested For USDA To Strengthen Biosecurity Measures On October 19, 2001, Agriculture  Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced that President Bush has proposed the allocation of $45.2 million to USDA as part of a $20 billion submission to Congress for emergency funding to strengthen essential programs and services related to biosecurity issues. "The President's proposed emergency funding for USDA will help advance the next phase of our emergency preparedness activities and will help meet our critical infrastructure needs," said Veneman. "We have taken the appropriate steps to date to ensure the critical needs for USDA are met, however, we must remain vigilant in protecting our nation's food and agriculture." The President's proposed allocation of $45.2 million to USDA will enhance other actions taken throughout other federal departments to increase homeland security. The funding proposed for USDA would support: • Enhanced security for USDA facilities ($17.2 million); • Design and construction of a satellite facility at the USDA laboratory in Ames, Iowa for research activities ($14.1 million); • Technical assistance to State, local, Federal, and private sector entities to improve biosecurity ($5.0 million); and • Education and training to strengthen response mechanisms to potential food supply threats, improve data collection and dissemination, and other biosecurity activities ($8.9 million). "USDA is committed to doing our part for homeland protection," said Veneman "We must stand ready and ensure that we are prepared, coordinated, and able to respond should we face an emergency." USDA has taken responsible measures to ensure its programs and services are responsive to potential threats. This includes inspectors being on heightened awareness at ports of entry and in food processing plants; increased security at appropriate USDA facilities; strengthened coordination state agriculture offices, other federal entities such as the FDA, CDC, Customs, law enforcement agencies, and industry organizations; and, an examination of short and long term needs to ensure the continued protection of America's food supply and agriculture against pests and diseases. Earlier this year, USDA began an extensive review of it pest and disease prevention and eradication programs, given the devastating outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. As a result, by the end of FY 2002, USDA will have increased its inspection personnel at our ports of entry by nearly forty percent and will double our inspection dog teams from levels two years ago. This year, Veneman has authorized $40 million to expedite these resource needs and strengthen coordination, communication and technological capabilities. Veneman has also called for the next Farm Bill to establish a permanent agriculture investment fund in order to maintain and bolster the effectiveness of our nation's animal and plant inspection services, food safety inspection services and agricultural research.  For more information about these important issues, please visit www.usda.gov. September 11th Continues To Affect Agriculture From Far West This Week, Far West Agribusiness Assoc. Attention continues to focus on agriculture in the wake of September 11th. Among the current issues: calls for protective measures against ag bioterrorism, including more food inspections on imported produce and more vigilance against foot-and-mouth disease, and criminal background checks on Commercial Drivers License holders who haul hazardous materials. FDA Wants To Increase Food Inspections Amidst media hype about anthrax, Congress is being asked for money to increase food inspections and to authorize federal agencies to pull tainted food from store shelves. Groups testifying before Congress claim potential terrorist targets include imported fruits and vegetables that people eat raw - and which are subject to little inspection - and foot-and-mouth disease, which is harmless to humans but devastating economically. The FDA wants to add 410 new food inspectors, lab specialists and other personnel to check fruits, vegetables and other products, primarily imports, and to buy additional pathogen detection equipment. The figure being commonly used in media reports is that the FDA currently inspects just 1 percent of imports. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman assured lawmakers this week that the food supply is safe. She says her biggest concern is that terrorists would contaminate a feedlot with foot-and-mouth virus. Criminal Background Checks On Hazardous Material Haulers Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah introduced a bill this week to require states to conduct criminal background checks on persons applying for commercial drivers licenses who would transport hazardous materials. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine introduced similar legislation requiring background checks, but her legislation puts the responsibility for background checks with companies rather than states. Both bills have been referred to committee. Successful Farmers Give Direct Seeding Advice By Terence L. Day, Washington State University Learning from those who are succeeding is the concept behind an award-winning series of 16 free Pacific Northwest Extension publications on direct seed farming operations. The Direct Seeding in the Inland Northwest series recently won the American Society of Agronomy's Award of Excellence for publications. The award was presented at the annual ASA meeting in Charlotte, N.C. in late October. Roger Veseth, WSU/UI Extension conservation tillage specialist and one of five authors, said, "Many established direct-seed growers say one of the keys to their success was having other direct-seed growers share their experiences and knowledge with them as they developed their own system. "This series of 16 case studies allows growers and agricultural support personnel to learn from growers experienced with direct seeding throughout the Inland Northwest." Each case study features a single farm operation and typically contains the following components: • How the growers started direct seeding, and lessons learned • Description of their current direct seed system including: crops and rotation, residue management, weed, disease and insect control, fertility management and fertilizer application, seeding strategies • Description and evaluation of the drills they are using • Primary benefits and challenges of direct seeding seen by the growers • Advice for growers new to direct seeding • Economic summary (when available) Farms featured in this series are located across the range of rainfall zones in the Inland region of Washington, Idaho and Oregon. They utilize a variety of equipment and cropping systems. More than 25,000 of the publications have been distributed so far. They can be ordered through your local Cooperative Extension office or directly from the extension publication offices in Idaho (208)885-7982, Oregon (541)737-2513 and Washington (800)723-1763. The publications are also available on the Internet (http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu)&emdash;click on Direct Seed Case Studies for viewing, printing or downloading the publications in PDF (Acrobat) format, just as they appear in the printed form. Pocket Gophers By Darla Rugel, WSU Cooperative Extension, Davenport (Reprinted from Agricultural Horizons, a publication of WSU Cooperative Extension) Do you ever feel there is a conspiracy by shy underground dwellers to destroy your lawn with dirt mounds? These mounds are the work of pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.), a burrowing rodent so named because of the fur-lined, external pouches on its cheeks used for carrying food and nesting materials. Pocket gophers are 6-8 inches long with stout bodies, powerful forequarters, and short necks; their head is small and flattened. Adult males are larger than adult females. They are equipped with oversized claws and teeth adapted for digging through soil and rocks. The pocket gopher is capable of closing its lips behind four large incisor teeth in order to keep soil out of its mouth while burrowing. They use their tails and whiskers as sensors in guiding them forwards as well as backwards through darkened tunnels. Colors of pocket gophers range from almost white to nearly black. The color variability is generally attributed to an adaptation to the local area. The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides), generally found in our area, is typically a yellowish-brown with a pale underbelly (Case, 1983). They rarely travel above ground. However, they may be occasionally seen surface feeding, pushing dirt out of their burrow, or moving to a new area. They use their acute sense of smell to locate food. Pocket gophers do not hibernate and are often active in and under the snow. They tend to be less active in the heat of the summer than in the spring and fall of the year. The female gives birth between March and June to one or two litters; each consists of 5-6 young. The maximum life span of a pocket gopher is about 5 years. These little critters are extremely territorial and antisocial, preferring to live by themselves in an extensive underground burrow system. The pocket gopher's burrow system can range from a few hundred square feet to upwards of 1000 square feet. They tend to have a smaller territory when food sources are abundant. Their burrow system may be linear or highly branched. A linear system may be up to 200 yards long. Their tunnels are 2-3 inches in diameter and typically 6 inches to a foot below ground, although they can be up to 6 feet deep. They tend to have deeper tunnels in sandy soils compared to clay soils. In snowy regions, gophers will continue to create burrows in the snow, resulting in long earth cores above the ground once the snow has melted. A single gopher may create several mounds in a day, and as many as 70 mounds per month. Mounds are formed as the gopher digs a tunnel and pushes dirt to the surface. Ordinarily mounds are crescent or horseshoe shaped when viewed from above. The hole will be off to one side and is usually plugged. Gopher mounds can often be mistaken for mole mounds. However, mole mounds appear to be circular and have a plug in the middle much like a volcano. Moles also burrow close to the surface leaving a raised ridge to mark their trail, unlike pocket gophers. We do not have moles in this area. Pocket gophers are strictly herbivores, feeding on a variety of vegetation, such as herbs, grasses, shrubs and trees. They most commonly feed on the roots and fleshy portions of plants they encounter when digging. However, they will sometimes feed above ground from "feeding holes", not venturing more than a body length or so from their tunnel. They will also pull vegetation into their tunnels from below. Perennial herbs are preferred to annuals, particularly alfalfa when it is succulent in the spring and summer. Portions of plants eaten will also vary seasonally. In snow-covered regions pocket gophers may feed on trees and shrubs just above ground level or on bark of trees several feet up. Pocket gophers often invade yards, gardens, and pastures. Even though their burrowing can assist in soil aeration, mineral cycling, and increased water infiltration, they tend to do greater harm by killing vegetation and, damaging plastic water lines, sprinkler systems, and underground utility cables by gnawing on them. On farms and ranches the damage caused by gophers feeding can lead to significant yield reduction, and their dirt mounds may cause damage to machinery and hay. Mounds left behind by pocket gophers provide a seedbed for desirable plants as well as annoying weeds. Burrows can increase erosion on hillsides. The pocket gophers' abundant burrows and mounds make them unwelcome visitors who can be difficult and frustrating to evict. A successful control program depends on early detection and appropriate control measures. Concentrate gopher control efforts in late winter to early spring, before they have given birth and increased the population. There are several cultural and habitat modification methods that can be used. Protecting roots of highly valued ornamental shrubs and trees with steel mesh can be effective if buried at least 18 inches deep. This method will not prevent dirt mounds however, and it is expensive and has limited practicality for valuable plants. Flooding through field or hose irrigation is another method used to reduce the gopher population, but will not eliminate them. Alternate to crops and plants, such as pines and mole plant (Euphorbia lathrys), that may be "resistant" to pocket gophers and may reduce populations. For a further list of "resistant plants" see (http://www.markw.com). "In alfalfa, plant varieties with several large roots rather than a single taproot, will fair better when fed on by pocket gophers" (Case 1983). Creating habitat for predators that eat pocket gophers is another useful control method. Predators of gophers include house cats, dogs, birds of prey, coyotes, and foxes. Other natural predators that may assist in controlling pocket gophers, but may be less desirable near homes, are badgers, snakes, and skunks. In Washington, according to Initiative Measure No. 713 (The Humane Treatment of Wildlife and Pets), "chemicals may be used to poison rodents including pocket gophers designated as injurious to the agricultural interests of the state" (Summary Initiative Measure No. 713, 2000). Common household or commercial poisons, with the exception of sodium flouoroacetate (1080) and sodium cyanide, may still be used in controlling pocket gophers. However, the common types of traps designed for capturing pocket gophers which are considered to be body-gripping traps, are illegal under the statute as defined by RCW 77.15.192. On the other hand, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is allowed to authorize special permits for Conibear-type traps in water, padded foothold traps, or non-strangling-type foot snare traps to abate animal problems according to RCW 77.15.194. An animal problem occurs as a result of, "any animal that threatens or damages timber or private property or threatens or injures livestock or any other domestic animal" [2001 C 1 & 2 (Initiative Measure No. 713, approved November 7, 2000).] Once pocket gophers have been controlled, monitor the area on a regular basis. Level existing mounds and clear away weeds so fresh mounds can be seen easily. Wildlands, vacant lots, and hay fields may be a source of pocket gophers. If your property borders this type of habitat, expect new underground visitors on a regular basis. If new evidence of gophers is found, take immediate action before the population gets out of hand and control becomes expensive and time consuming. The next time you find your yard full of soil mounds do not fret, it is probably the effects of the ambitious excavator the pocket gopher. Identify them, and take measures to control the population before it becomes too large and causes excessive damage. References Case, Ronald M. 1983. "Pocket Gophers". University of Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska. pp. B13-26 Initiative Measure No. 713, approved November 2000: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/inits/text/i713.htm Church Bloopers "The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession." "Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 PM. Please use the back door." "Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary."

Trace Amount Of Anthrax Found In ERS Mailroom The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed that trace amounts of anthrax have been identified in the mailroom of USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) office located at 1800 M Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C. USDA confirmed the test results late Monday afternoon and immediately reported the results to local authorities and began coordination of precautionary measures directly with the Public Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Homeland Security. The ERS office receives its mail from the Brentwood postal facility, which previously tested positive for anthrax. Environmental air samples taken from the ERS mailroom on Friday were negative. However, preliminary test results received today from a surface swab sample showed a trace number of anthrax spores to be present. The ERS mailroom has been closed until additional samples and test results are complete. Nearly 400 USDA employees work at the office. Testing of all other Washington, D.C. area USDA mailroom facilities began last Thursday. To date, no other samples have tested positive for traces of anthrax. Last week, as recommended by the Public Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services, USDA contacted employees and contractors who work in or frequent mail rooms to receive a ten-day supply of antibiotics while mail handling facilities are being tested. The USDA is committed to taking recommended precautions to protect the health and safety of its employees, and will continue to work with public health authorities to ensure the proper steps are taken to keep employees safe. For more information on USDA biosecurity measures, please visit http://www.usda.gov. WSU's Agrichemical/ Environmental News Highlights Agriculture & Food Terrorism From Far West This Week, a publication of Far West Agribusiness Association The November issue of WSU's Agrichemical and Environmental News contains a worthwhile primer on food terrorism issues. The articles include: Terrorism on the Hoof: Livestock as a Bioterrorism Target; The "New" Bioterrorism: A Public Health Perspective; Crop Duster Concerns: NW Aerial Applicators Respond to FBI/FAA; Terrorists at the Table, Part I: FDA Looks at Food Bioterrorism Terrorists at the Table; Part II: Developing an Anti-Terrorism Plan; Pesticides as Weapons: Agrichemical Industry's Role in Anti-Terrorism; Who You Gonna Call? (Emergency Response Contacts if You Suspect Terrorist Activity) http://www.aenews.wsu.edu/Nov01AENews/Nov01AENews.htm. Responsible Pesticide Ownership & Storage Checklist From WSU's Agrichemical and Environmental News • Secure all pesticides; lock storage areas (where fire codes permit). • Secure all application equipment. • Choose storage areas not easily vandalized or destroyed. • Know who has access (keys) to your pesticides. • Post all storage areas (WSDA requires locking and posting signal words: DANGER-POISON. • Inspect storage areas on a regular schedule. • Inventory your stock and records on a regular schedule; have your inventory readily available for authorities. • Maintain complete and proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items for all employees. • Make pesticides available to authorized parties only. • Report any suspicious or inappropriate activity (unusual purchases, illogical behavior) or inquiries immediately. • Report theft of pesticides or equipment immediately. Apprise employees of these concerns; empower them to report suspicious or inappropriate activity. Prepare Your Christmas Cactus In Fall By Peg Herring, Oregon State University To encourage a prolific bloom on your Christmas cactus, turn out the lights. This time of year, these tropical houseplants require at least 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness in order to form flower buds, according to Ross Penhallegon, horticulture agent with the Oregon State University Extension Service. "Flower buds will not form unless the plants have a long period of uninterrupted darkness," said Penhallegon. Most newly purchased Christmas cacti have already been conditioned to darkness and are ready to bloom. But if you have potted cacti that you have nurtured over the summer, autumn is the time to prepare them for their mid-winter bloom. To condition your own cacti, place them in a spare room that is not lit at night or cover them at night with a black plastic bag. Cool night temperatures, 65 to 68 degrees, will also encourage bud formation. Water and feed your cacti normally throughout this time, and make sure they get normal light during the day. Watch the tips of the leaves for tiny flower buds. Once buds appear, you can turn the lights back on. Keep the plants fed, watered and away from the heater, and the blooms will unfold for weeks. Some cacti may even reward you with a second bloom in the spring. Canadian Barley Stressed By Extreme Weather Reprinted from WAWG's Green Sheet &emdash;Information From World-Grain. com During a recent malting barley program sponsored by the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI), 22 international and 7 Canadian participants got a first-hand look at malting barley varieties now being commercially grown and ones that are under development. The CIGI group toured crop research centers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and saw the effects of weather on western Canadian crops. This year's extreme weather conditions placed a variety of stresses on malting barley crops across the Prairies. While the field trial plots near Brandon, Manitoba, were in reasonable shape, continual dry weather had stunted and dried the barley in plots just outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Recent hail had beaten down sections of the barley plots near Lacombe, Alberta, after they had recovered well from dry weather earlier this summer. With malting barley production estimated to be about 11.5-million tonnes this year in Canada, combined with reduced production in the U.S., European Union and Austraia, demand is increasing as buyers scramble to secure supplies for the coming year. This increased demand and lower supply prompted the Canadian Wheat Board to ask for an increase in the initial payment for designated barley grades. Effective Sept. 5, the initial payments for 2- and 6-row malting barley were raised by C $16 per tonne. The CIGI barley event also featured a discussion on specific new malting barley varieties gaining market acceptance. AC Metcaffe, Stein, CDC Kendall, CDC Stratus and Merit are the five varieties that are gradually replacing Harrington. The man credited with developing Harrington and making it a world standard, Bryan Harvey, spoke to the CIGI group about the new varieties, saying that they possessed characteristics making them more attractive to western Canadian farmers from an agronomic point of view. Although Harrington is his "baby," Harvey said he realized that growing conditions and market demands change, making continual development of improved varieties essential for Western Canada's malting barley industry. Internet Tax Workshop Jo Lynne Seufer, USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) Federal tax cuts have created new opportunities for family businesses, farmers and foresters. Now, thanks to an Internet workshop presented by Oregon State University's Austin Family Business Program (AFBP) and U.S. Bank, agricultural businesses can learn more about the implications of the cuts from the comfort of their home or office. The Internet workshop, a two-part video presentation, is available at www.familybusinessonline.org through April 15, 2002. The workshop comes complete with downloadable notes and is presented in two indexed segments. The workshop features national tax and estate planning experts. There are 2 segments within the educational module. The first segment, "The new tax law and YOU&emdash;the family business owner," will cover basics of the new law and how it can impact your family business. The second segment, "Critical decisions for farmers and forest landowners," expands on the information from the first segment for agricultural and timber businesses. The workshop is co-sponsored by Oregon State University's Austin Family Business Program and the Colleges of Forestry and Business, the OSU Foundation, U.S. Bank and U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray and is funded in part by a grant from the RMA's Spokane Regional Office, (serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington). Can You Eat 286 Slices of Bread A Day? Each Idahoan would have to eat as many as 286 slices of bread each and every day of the year to consume all of the wheat produced in Idaho per year. That is, if all of the wheat were converted to bread. New production figures recently released from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture show just how productive our state really is. For example, in one year each Idahoan would have to consume 65 potatoes/day, 1.5 pounds of cheese/day, 29 glasses of milk, and four 8-ounce steaks&emdash; and that's not even including the many other agricultural products produced in Idaho such as; peas, lentils, beans, onions, trout, apples, seed corn and more. Way to go Idaho! Northwest Direct Seed Conference Slated By H. Dennis Brown, Washington State University The Fifth Northwest Direct Seed Cropping Systems Conference is scheduled Jan.16-18 at the Doubletree Hotel&emdash;City Center&emdash; in Spokane. The conference will be held in conjunction with Spokane Ag Expo and Pacific Northwest Forum. It will feature 24 speakers, including 10 growers from the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Some major topics on the agenda include changes in nutrient cycling and fertility management over time; managing for improved soil biology and direct seed benefits to soil health; redesigning crop rotations; and Brassica crop selection and management. In-depth discussions on the impacts and management of soil acidity; the make-up and management of key soil-borne crop pathogens; strategies for managing heavy wheat residue and many other topics will be offered during panel sessions. "Direct seed systems offer growers and the public a unique win-win opportunity through improved soil productivity, yield potential, environmental protections and reduced productions costs," said Roger Veseth, conference chair and Washington State University-University of Idaho Cooperative Extension tillage specialist. He said more than 700 growers and ag advisors are expected to attend. The conference is being organized by the Pacific Northwest STEEP research and educational program on conservation tillage systems and the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association. The conference is sponsored by area agricultural companies and in cooperation with 10 Northwest grower organizations and agricultural support groups and agencies. For more information, visit the conference web site at: http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/directseed or contact the conference office at (509) 547-5538 or wpeay@mcmgt.com. www.european internet.com/terrorism If you go to www.europeaninternet.com/terrorism you will find a summary of terrorism news headlines from around the world. These headlines point to full text articles from publications large and small, popular and obscure. The European Internet Network has begun aggregating this information because of the extraordinary importance of the Sept. 11 developments in New York and Washington, DC. Solid Advice If you bought $1000 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49. If you bought $1000 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, and traded in the cans for the nickel deposit, you would have $79. Why Aren't Wheat Prices Higher? From WAWG's Green Sheet From USW&emdash;World wheat stocks are the lowest they've been since 1995/96, and many in the grain trade thought there would be higher prices by now. The lament (by those who want high prices) is that current prices "don't compute" with basic market fundamentals. The explanation may be that, in examining basic fundamentals, analysts should be looking beyond what is happening in the U.S. and with other major exporters. Last year, total world exports were 102.9-million metric tons, with the 5 major exporting countries supplying 89.1 MMT or 87%, of world trade. This year's exports are estimated at 107.2 MMT, with the 5 majors supplying 86.1 MMT or only 80%. This is the lowest percentage traded by the majors in recent memory. The non-traditional exporters last year exported 13.8 MMT, and this year they are forecasted to export 21.1 MMT. Breaking it down further, last year Eastern Europe, the FSU, India and Pakistan exported 8.65 MMT while this year they are expected to export 16.8 MMT. This very large increase, plus increased exports from Argentina, are exerting price pressures on the market, as wheat from these exporters is usually on the lower end of the scale, pricewise. India, for example, uses heavy subsidies so that wheat can be offered to exporters at $89.40/ton. A good example is in the Ukraine, which plans to export up to 7-million metric tons of grain this season, compared to 2 MMT last year. Officials there say that ag commodity exchanges have thus far registered contracts to export 1.677-million tons of feed wheat. Ukrainian export grain prices currently stand at 106 FOB per ton of milling wheat and $73-79 FOB for feed wheat.

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