October 2001

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USDA Implements Chronic Wasting Disease Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the authorization of $2.6 million from Commodity Credit Corporation funds to implement a chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and indemnity program in the United States. While considered rare, CWD is endemic to free-ranging deer and elk in a limited area of southeastern Wyoming, northeastern Colorado, and southwestern Nebraska. CWD has also been found in captive elk herds in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. All positive herds are under state quarantines. This transfer of emergency funds will be used to reduce the spread of CWD in captive elk herds. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will implement the CWD program by purchasing positive and exposed elk from CWD-infected herds, enhance surveillance and diagnostic testing for CWD, and increase training for producers and veterinarians.  There is currently no evidence that CWD is linked to disease in humans, or in domestic animals other than deer and elk. CWD is a progressive disease that affects deer and elk. CWD is part of a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, a group that includes scrapie and bovine spongiform en-cephalopathy. Currently, there is no live animal test or vaccine for CWD.    The USDA policy on TSE's has been to be proactive and prevent-ative. The USDA continually monitors and assesses all ongoing events and research findings regarding TSE's, as new information and knowledge may lead to revised conclusions and prevention measures. USDA continues to enhance these important infrastructure programs by taking a proactive approach to monitoring, controlling, and eradicating TSE's. USDA is committed to strengthening various plant and animal pest and disease prevention and erradication programs, which is in effect, are the backbone of the food and agricultural system. In this effort, USDA is also focusing on research and appropriate program modernization to keep pace with continuously emerging and often unique challenges. Notice of this action is scheduled for publication in the Sept. 27 Federal Register and becomes effective immediately. APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related information including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html Import Restrictions Imposed Due To BSE In Japan The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced recently that it has imposed import restrictions on Japanese ruminants and ruminant products due to a suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). These restrictions apply to prohibited product arriving in ports on or after September 10. Japan reported the suspected case of BSE to the Office International Des Epizooties (OIE), a world organization for animal health, on September 10. The disease is suspected in a 5-year-old Holstein cow kept on a dairy farm in the Chiba prefecture. Initial tests have provided some positive results. The Japanese authorities have submitted samples to international reference laboratories for confirmatory testing.  BSE, widely known as "mad cow disease," is a chronic, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. Affected animals may display changes in temperament, such as nervousness or aggression; abnormal posture; incoordination and difficulty in rising; decreased milk production; or loss of body condition despite continued appetite. There is no treatment, and affected cattle die.  USDA has restricted the importation of live ruminants and ruminant products from Japan since March of 2000 due to foot and mouth disease. No case of BSE has ever been diagnosed in the United States. This action is necessary in order to continue to safeguard American agriculture against this deadly neurological disease of bovine animals. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, in cooperation with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and other federal agencies, has taken aggressive measures in BSE surveillance, prevention, education, and preparation for response. Since 1989, APHIS has prohibited the importation of live ruminants from all countries where BSE is known to exist in native cattle. Other products derived from ruminants also are restricted entry into the United States except under special conditions or under permit for scientific or research purposes. Report On Food And Ag Policy For The New Century Released Publication Takes Long-Term View of the U.S. Agriculture and Food System and offers Constructive Ideas to Help Guide the Necessary Efforts to Meet Future Farming Needs On September 19, 2001, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman released the Bush Administration's review of the food and agriculture system with a view toward identifying critical needs for the new century. The report, "Food and Agricultural Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century," details the enormous changes that have taken place in agriculture which continue to accelerate across the American food and farm sector. Given the enormity and pace of change, the report recommends that policy makers take stock to examine past policies and programs and, where necessary, define anew goals and principles that can best guide the future growth and development of the farm, food and agriculture industry in the new century. "Our challenge today is to address the vital forces of change while at the same time modernizing the foundations of our farm and food system to ensure continued growth and development for the 21st Century," said Veneman. "Farmers today operate in a global, technologically advanced, rapidly diversifying, highly competitive environment that is driven by increasingly sophisticated consumers. The various policies, programs, and supporting infrastructure that serve our food system will require updating to meet future needs." The report recognizes that U.S. agriculture is driven by basically the same forces shaping the U.S. economy&emdash;globalization of markets and cultures; advances in information, biological and other technologies; and fundamental changes in the workforce and family structure. It examines the enormous changes faced by today's food and farm system as well as the lessons learned from more than seven decades of food and farm policies.  While describing the background of today's policies, the goals they were designed to serve, as well as the enormous changes that have occurred through years of growth and development, it also suggests that past polices designed for narrower purposes in an isolated economy simply cannot meet the current needs of our modern, rapidly expanding food and agricultural system.  The report offers a set of principles to guide policy development for trade, a farm safety net, system infrastructure, conservation and environment, rural communities, nutrition and food assistance, and program delivery. The following is a summary of the key principles: * Farm policy and programs must be tailored to reflect wide differences among farms with respect to production costs, marketing approaches, management capabilities, and household goals. * Farm policy, including providing a safety net, must promote more sustainable prosperity for farmers through market orientation without engendering long-term dependence on government support. This does not rule out helping farmers and ranchers when unexpected events beyond their control occur and cause output or income to plummet. * Trade policy must focus on gaining access to foreign markets through tariff reduction and the elimination of trade distorting subsidies and be supported by domestic policy that meets our existing international obligations and provides ample latitude to pursue ambitious goals in trade negotiations. * Domestic farm policy must not inadvertently reduce competitiveness at the same time that trade policy seeks expanded export market opportunities for farmers. * The infrastructure that supports market growth and efficiency, which includes everything from border inspection services to research endeavors, must be renewed and reoriented to fit today's realities, with input and cooperation from every link in the food chain. * Conservation policy must pursue a portfolio of instruments, including stewardship incentives on working farmland or retirement of environmentally sensitive land to respond to Americans' growing expectations about agriculture's role in promoting and protecting environmental quality. * A strong commitment to ensuring the access of all Americans to a healthy and nutritious food supply must continue, with particular attention to improvements in the delivery of food assistance to low-income families. * Recognition of emerging diet quality issues is of paramount importance, as the nation's concern shifts from under-consumption and under-nutrition to that of the proper variety and quantities of foods and nutrients that promote health and well-being. * Rural America is diverse, and tailored policies must create conditions that will attract private investment, encourage the education of the rural labor force, and promote alternative uses of the natural resource base, including through development of renewable energy sources and carbon sequestration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. * Systems must be integrated to assure coordinated and collaborative delivery of food and farm programs and to citizen access to public services. "This report suggests that fundamental, far-reaching changes in policy, programs, procedures and institutions may be required to best prepare our farmers, ranchers and food industry as a whole for the new world marketplace," said Veneman. "It is this broader vision that we want to encourage and support, and to help bring into focus in the months and years ahead." For a complete list of future farm policy principles and for more information about "Food and Agricultural Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century," please visit http://www.usda.gov  or contact USDA Public Affairs at 202-720-4623. Radio news feeds with interviews featuring USDA officials can be found at http://www.usda.gov or by calling 202-488-8358. Pacifist Training An e-mail gem! What to do if you happen upon a peace rally by naive hemp-shirt-wearing college kids, to teach them why force is sometimes needed: 1) Approach student talking about "peace" and saying there should be, "no retaliation." 2) Engage in brief conversation, ask if military force is appropriate. 3) When he says "No," ask, "Why not?" 4) Wait until he says something to the effect of, "Because that would just cause more innocent deaths, which would be awful and we should not cause more violence." Or "America has brought it on itself, given its imperialist actions and has angered the people of..." 5) When he's in mid sentence, punch him in the face as hard as you can. 6) When he gets back up to punch you, point out that it would be a mistake and contrary to his values to strike you, because that would, "be awful and he should not cause more violence." In addition, tell him that his "actions angered you and that he brought it on himself." 7) Wait until he agrees that he has pledged not to commit additional violence and that the reason you punched him was mostly his fault. 8) Punch him in the face again, harder this time. Repeat steps 5 through 8 until they understand that sometimes it is necessary to punch back. 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." "The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment." "The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience."

Drawdown Hurts Economy A study by the University of Idaho buttresses the complaints of local merchants that the annual summer drawdown of Dworshak Reservoir hurts Clearwater County's economy. The toll over the years: $4.5-million lost annual sales; 125 fewer jobs; and more than $1.4 million a year in vanished earnings. Dworshak Dam was completed in 1973 to provide flood control, hydropower and recreation. The lower water has made summer recreation all but nonexistent. European Opportunities For SRW, HRW Based On Policy, Quality & Supply From WAWG'S Green Sheet Report from USW&emdash;Wheat export opportunities for sales to Europe are evolving more quickly than even the most experienced market observers had anticipated, and that's good news for the U.S. wheat export picture. EU import duties recently fell to zero for medium quality wheat, and got close to zero for lower quality wheat as well. The impact of the changes hit home for the U.S. when an unexpectedly large sale of soft red winter wheat was made to Spain recently. Changes in the import duty were quite timely, coming as they did on top of buyers' worries about blending and biscuit wheat supplies. Intermittent rain in France and the UK is causing concern about crop quality (although nobody is panicking yet), but the market has some worries about production volume as well, as observers expect the UK to produce only 13-million metric tons (MMT) of wheat against 16.7 MMT last year, with only around 1- to 2-million metric tons for export, compared to 4 or 5 MMT in a normal year. The situation would likely benefit soft red winter wheat because the technical specs of SRW are almost identical to some UK wheats that are used in Spain. Additionally, any French or UK bread wheat quality problems may benefit U.S. hard red winter wheat, as HRW technical specs are very close to that wheat. On the downside for U.S. prospects, Germany's big crop is still very competitive on price, but that will not necessarily last all season, observers point out. Tested Your Soil Lately? Here Are A Few Soil Testing Tips Reprinted from Forever Soil & Water, Nez Perce Soil & Water Conservation District What is a soil test? A soil test is a chemical evaluation of certain aspects of the soil. The test focuses on the nutrient-supplying capability of the soil. By looking at laboratory test values and normal crop responses to fertilizer rates, scientists can develop reliable fertilizer recommendations for the agricultural landowner. A few things to remember: * Soil test results are only as good as the soil sample. Make sure you take a sample that represents the area you plan to fertilize. * Because nutrient concentrations in the soil vary with the season, you should take soil samples as close as possible to planting, or to the time of crop need for the nutrient. Ideally, you should plan on taking the soil samples 2-4 weeks before planting or fertilizing the crop. It usually takes 1-3 weeks to take a sample, get it to the lab, and get the results back. * Not all soil testing methods are alike, nor are all fertilizer recommendations based on those soil tests equally reliable. * Poor soil sampling procedures account for more than 90 percent of all errors in fertilizer recommendations that are based on soil tests. * A soil test does not measure the total amount of a specific nutrient in the soil. There is usually little relationship between the total amount of a nutrient in the soil and the amount of a nutrient that plants can obtain. * A soil test also does not measure the amount of plant-available nutrients in the soil because not all the nutrients in the soil are in a form readily available to plants. What does a soil test measure? Current soil testing methods are designed to measure a certain portion of the total nutrient content of the soil. A sample of soil is mixed with a chemical solution for a certain period of time. The chemical solution extracts the nutrient contents of the soil. This solution is then separated from the soil by using a filtration process. Lastly, the solution is analyzed for the specific concentrations of nutrients that it has removed from the soil sample. A low soil-test value for a particular nutrient (say nitrates, for example) means the crop will be unable to obtain enough of that nutrient from the soil to produce the highest yield possible under average climatic and soil conditions. This nutrient deficiency can be corrected by adding the nutrient as a fertilizer in the appropriate calculated amount. For more detailed information on the soil sampling process contact the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Program and/or see Bulletin 704 (revised) "Soil Sampling" by R.L. Mahler and TA. Tindall, University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Program, College of Agriculture. European Pasta Makers Look To U.S. For Wheat From OWGL's Wheat Letter Substantial growth of U.S. wheat imports into Western Europe over the last six years continues, aided by a more favorable import duty regime and lower EU durum wheat production. Future changes in the EU agricultural policy may further aid U.S. wheat imports, according to Goris van Lit, U.S. Wheat Associates assistant regional director for Europe. Accompanying major Italian and Swiss milling and pasta production executives on an intensive weeklong trade mission to the U.S., van Lit points out that it will be critical for the U.S. wheat industry to follow the developments on food safety issues in respect to mycotoxins and the market acceptance of genetically modified (GM) products "when applicable." (GM wheat is not currently commercialized in the U.S.) "These issues were high on the agenda for a large number of meetings," van Lit reports. "Traceability and identity preservation or assurance were subjects often discussed as well." A growing interest for organic wheat was also brought in the discussions regularly, he notes. Van Lit points to the large volume of low grade/ high protein U.S. durum shipped to Italy and a few other European destinations, which is blended with high grade/low protein European durum. "Besides reducing input costs, U.S. durum enhances the protein in the final product. For many European pasta producers this is crucial as a minimum of 12% or 12.5% protein is guaranteed on the packages." The average protein content of the European durum wheat shows a long term declining trend. Antioxidant Protection From Carrots By Erik Sorensen, WSU Extension, Franklin & Benton Co. The orange and red plant pigments beta carotene and lycopene score high as antioxidants in the test tube, but their antioxidant capacity has seemed to disappear in human blood. Not any more. A new assay that peers into blood lipids shows that these antioxidant nutrients have been doing their job in our blood all along. Beta carotene, lycopene, and other fat-soluble antioxidants hang out in the lipid portion of human plasma. But popular assays measure antioxidant capacity of the water portion only, where vitamin C and other water-soluble antioxidants settle. Oxidation events generally begin there, but the chain reactions they set off readily cross over into the lipid portion of plasma and vice versa. The new assay, which measures oxidation in both environments, gives a truer picture of total antioxidant capacity of biological samples, according to USDA/ARS researchers. Ultimately, the assay will help health professionals better recommend the antioxidants an individual needs to boost protection against heart disease, cancer and other age-related diseases. These are believed to evolve, in large part, from cumulative oxidative damage to cell components. Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidants. Orange carrots contain high levels of beta carotene.: One half cup of raw carrots contains more than two times the vitamin A equivalent needed to meet the recommended daily allowance for men and women. Red carrots, popular in India and Japan, are high in lycopene. Such high nutrition carrots are currently included in an on-farm trial by WSU in the Columbia Basin. More than 100 lines of dark orange, red, yellow, purple, and white carrots were recently featured at a field day held at Klaustermeyer Farms. Ag's Contribution To Trade Balance Is Being Threatened From WAWG's Green Sheet American agriculture is one of the few remaining sectors of the economy doing its part to reduce the country's negative trade balance, despite suffering as a result of embargoes. The U.S. trade balance has plummeted each of the past 10 years, culminating at negative $450-billlon in 2000, according to U.S. Bureau of Census data. Manufactnred goods comprise 87% of the negative trade, while mineral fuels are the remaining 13%. By country, China represents 19%&emdash;$83-billion&emdash;of the United States' negative trade. Agriculture, meanwhile, boasted a positive trade balance of $12.6-billion. The soybean industry led the way among commodities with a $5.2-billion contribution, while wheat added $3.1-billion. But agriculture's positive contribution is being threatened. It has dwindled from $18.8-billion in 1992. Fruits and vegetables have already dipped into the negative side at $1.7-billion. It appears the United States has entered the realm of not being seif-sufficient in fruits and vegetables and, if history repeats itseif, other agricultural products will follow, warns Glen Squires, analyst with the WWC. Pakistan is an example of a correlation that can exist between declining exports of U.S. wheat and growth in the U.S. trade deficit. U.S. wheat exports to Pakistan have falien 92% after being restricted by the United States in 1997 due to nuclear testing. Meanwhile, the negative trade balance has grown 88 percent. While a waiver of U.S. sanctions was subsequently obtained, Australia stepped in to supply Pakistan with over 1.2-million tons each year, up more than 50% from previous years. U.S. white wheat exports to Pakistan, meanwhile, fell the past three years to just 152,000 metric tons in 2000/01. On the import side, Canada has hurt the U.S. wheat trade balance. The United States, with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, has become the top market for Canadian grain and oilseeds. Increasingly, American food is originating from other countries where it is grown under less restrictive laws and produced more cheaply. More alarming, customs data reveals that only 1 to 2% of shipments arriving at U.S. seaports are inspected. Such warning signs revealed by trade imbalance should permeate discussions of support for U.S. farmers and not get lost in the dialogue of the upcoming federal Farm Bill, said Squires. Note: News release prepared by Washington Wheat Commission (WWC) Communications Director Brian Walker (509-456-2481): (Contacts: Tom Mick (tmick@wwcspokane.com), Glen Squires (gsquiresewwcspokane.com) More Church Bloopers "Today's Sermon: 'How Much Can a Man Drink?' with hymns from a full choir." On a church bulletin during the minister's illness: "God is good&emdash;Dr. Hargreaves is better." "Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow." "The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church." "Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones."

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