Leier's comment on my Lehr' deer story
I hear Doug Leier from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, talking today about a "great story" about the Boschee Brothers Ranch at Lehr, N.D. -- how they handled a deer depradation problem the correct way this year
(The affable Leier appears to moonlight for a Fargo radio station, which I won't name here. Has Doug replaced Larry Ristvedt as a co-host on Tom and Larry In the Morning? How long will the second half of Tom and Larry be originating his comments from Arizona on a "Live and Local" station? I couldn't possibly speculate.)
Anyway, Leier apparently didn't know (He'd have mentioned it, wouldn't he?) that the Boschees were a cover story for the March 8 issue of Agweek. The Boschees, who are conservationists and cattlemen, had some 300 deer hovering around their hay bales. North Dakota's "Boys in Green" came out to the Boschee place, wrapped their bales and saved the best the second-cutting alfalfa for the Boschees' Angus cows and calves.
Yes, Doug, I agree it was a success story of a state program in stepping in when ranchers are overrun by the bounty on the prairie. I have to say that after meeting Rod Compson, an assistant wildlife biologist, and R.J. Gross, the technician, working at the Boschee place, I am impressed with the quality of the discussion and the priority the agency seems to put on this.
If this is true everywhere in the state it is exemplary.
A curious postscript on the Boschee story: Cleo tells me that a week after the bale-wrapping, the deer are mostly gone. There has been melting of the snow that covers the natural habitat of the deer. Only a dozen or so of the cripples remain. Boschee assures me bale-wrapping isn't wasted, however. If there's another snowstorm this spring, he's pretty sure those deer will be back. I hope he's wrong about the snow.
Posted by: mpates on 3/10/2010 at 6:24 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
National Farmers Union in Rapid City
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is the featured speaker for the National Farmers Union Convention, which comes to Rapid City, S.D., March 14-16. North Dakota's own Roger Johnson, former long-time state agriculture commissioner, is president of the national. Here is the final agenda, that recently was posted on the NFU website. If you have any interest in hearing Vilsack, he's speaking at 11:45 a.m., Monday. If Vilsack is promoting "local" food in western South Dakota, I'm sure beef will be part of the menu.
National Farmers Union
Convention Agenda
Sunday, March 14
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Policy Committee (Harney Peak Room)
9:00 a.m. Non-Denominational Worship (Sylvan I,II & Sheridan Rooms)
10:00 a.m. Full Board Reconvenes (Lincoln Room, if necessary)
Noon Registration Opens (Convention Center II Foyer)
12:30 p.m. Bus Trip to Mt. Rushmore Available (approximately 3 hours)
12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Policy Committee Available for Delegate Presentations (Harney Peak Room)
2:45 p.m. Rules Credentials & Election Committee Meeting (Bear Butte Room)
3:30 p.m. Bylaws Committee Meeting (Bear Butte Room)
4:30 p.m. Welcome Reception (Rushmore Room)
Sponsored by AT&T and Own Energy Inc.
5:00 p.m. Convention Opening Banquet (Rushmore Room)
Sponsored by North Dakota Farmers Union
• Pledge: NYAC
• Invocation: Doug Sombke
• Video: NFU Foundation
6:00 p.m. State of the Farmers Union
• President Roger Johnson
6:30 p.m. Meritorious Service Awards
• Vice President Claudia Svarstad
David J. Frederickson
Farmers Union and American Agriculture
Dr. Daryll E. Ray
Meritorious Service to Agriculture and to World Agriculture
The Honorable Robert J. Dole
For Meritorious Service to Humanity
7:00 p.m. Entertainment
• Comedian Buzz Sutherland
8:00 p.m. NATFARMPAC Reception (Washington Room)
• Steve Jarding
Monday, March 15
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Policy Committee (Harney Peak Room)
8:00 a.m. Convene/Call to Order (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
• Welcome
o Bill Even, South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture
• Preliminary Report of the Rules, Credentials & Elections Committee
• Preliminary Report of the Bylaws Committee
• Audit Report
o Kent Peppler, Treasurer
• Consideration of the minutes of the 2009 Convention
o Doug Peterson, Secretary
• Nomination of Vice President
• Nomination of President
@@@9:00 a.m. Speaker: Michael T. Scuse
USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Policy Committee Available for Delegate Presentations (Harney Peak Room)
@@@9:40 a.m. Speaker: Dr. Daryll Ray
University of Tennessee Director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center
10:15 a.m. Break
Sponsored by the American Sugar Alliance
10:30 a.m. Breakout Sessions
• Renewable Energy (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
• Health Care (Washington Room)
• Media (Badlands Room)
• Youth Session: How Cool are Co-ops? (Bear Butte Room)
@@@11:45 a.m. Keynote Address: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
(Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
12:45 p.m. Lunch on Your Own
1:45 p.m. National Youth Advisory Council Presentations (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
2:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions
• Climate Change (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
• Dairy (Washington Room)
• Planned Giving (Badlands Room)
• Membership (Bear Butte Room)
• Youth Session: Make Yourself Heard (Jefferson Room)
3:30 p.m. Break
Sponsored by Growth Energy and Syngenta
@@@3:45 p.m. Speaker: Dallas Tonsager (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development
4:15 p.m. Feeding America Presentation
• Brett Weisel, Advocacy Manager
5:00 p.m. NFU Foundation Event (Rushmore Room)
Tuesday, March 16
8:00 a.m. General Session Reconvene (Sylvan I, II & Sheridan Rooms)
Final Report of the Rules, Credentials & Elections Committee
Final Report of the Bylaws Committee
Consideration and Adoption of Special Orders and Policy
10:00 a.m. Break
Sponsored by the Chicago Climate Exchange
10:15 a.m. Consideration and Adoption of Policy (continued)
Noon Election of NFU President and Vice President
Lunch and Awards Ceremony (Rushmore Room)
Sponsored by Farmers Union Insurance
• Milt Hakel Award
• Silver Star Membership Award
• Leadership Achievement Awards
• Outstanding Leadership Achievement Awards
1:30 p.m. Consideration and Adoption of Policy (continued)
2:30 p.m. Break
Sponsored by Farm Credit and Pioneer
2:45 p.m. Consideration and Adoption of Policy (continued)
Board Reorganization Following Adjournment
5:00 p.m. Bon Voyage Reception (Rushmore Room)
Sponsored by Farmers Union Industries
Posted by: mpates on 3/9/2010 at 9:18 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Judge takes GM beet issue "under advisement"
The California federal judge hearing the Roundup Ready beet case has taken the case under advisement. No immediate action, as expected. Following is what American Crystal Sugar Co. president David Berg recently posted on the company's website. The real hearing comes in June. -- Mikkel Pates
Judge White Takes Case Under Advisement
March 5, 2010 - Judge White of the 9th Circuit Court in Northern California today took the request for a preliminary injunction in the Roundup Ready sugarbeet case under advisement. This means that he will further analyze all the filings and evidence submitted by the plaintiffs and defendants, and will provide his decision at a later, but undetermined time.
The Company and the entire legal team feel that the arguments which we presented to Judge White clearly illustrate that Roundup Ready sugarbeet technology is completely safe both for the environment and for sugar consumers. In addition, we made a strong case that not allowing use of Roundup Ready seed in 2010 would be extremely disruptive to the sugar producing industry, and to all sugar consumers in the United States.
Please keep in mind that even if we receive a successful ruling from Judge White in the current preliminary injunction phase of the case, another full hearing is still scheduled for June of this year. The June hearing is intended to determine whether Roundup Ready seed can be grown in Oregon and planted for sugar extraction in the rest of the country. The result of the June hearing might impact the 2011 and later year crops.
Needless to say, we will keep you posted as soon as we learn anything on the preliminary injunction, and will also continue to work to have plans to lessen the impact of an unfavorable ruling.
We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Factory District meetings, and to answering your questions on this and other topics at that time.
David Berg
President / CEO
Posted by: mpates on 3/5/2010 at 3:04 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
No GM beet seed in 2010? Inconceivable (?)
The Roundup Ready sugar beet situation reminds me of a couple of movie quotes.
First, from the movie “Shrek”:
Lord Farquaad addresses his subjects about an impending war: “Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.”
It would seem inconceivable to me that the federal government would allow the U.S. sugar beet industry to implode over the Roundup Ready issue, at least in preliminary injunction request. A federal judge in San Francisco is set to decide on March 5 whether to grant a “preliminary injunction” against planting Roundup ready beets for the 2010 crop, as well as allowing processing and marketing of Roundup ready sugar from prior crops.
If the judge doesn’t the preliminary injunction, the issue goes to a more complete injunction on June 11.
Nobody at American Crystal Sugar Co. seems to want to talk much about a strategy to appeal an adverse decision -- if it comes. David Berg, American Crystal's president, offered this statement: "American Crystal will continue to vigorously work through all legal channels to try to ensure that this safe and proven technology be allowed to be used by our shareholders. "
Prospects for an appeal have not appeared in stories by colleagues who have written on this topic in recent days. I think the sugar companies are hoping for a favorable decision and are trying to show confidence in the courts.
Me? I’m too old to be willing to predict court outcomes.
But I am going to go out on a limb here.
I’m going to predict that if this judge grants a preliminary injunction, the industry will file appeal it to Ninth District Court of Appeals so fast it’ll make something spin.
That much delay would allow enough time so the commercial beets would be in the ground in 2010, at least in the Red River Valley.
Beet seed planting typically is done in the fall out in Oregon, so court action decision either way would come before that.
Think of what would happen if an injunction stands? A multi-billion sugar beet industry would take a powder for a year or two, or more.
And this isn’t because of any illegal action on the part of beet growers or their processors. It would be because the Department of Agriculture didn’t prepare enough analysis in granting a technology that other industries already have. The Center for Food Safety could have filed an objection when the decision was made, but instead waited until after the industry converted.
The plaintiffs here want the sugar industry not only to not plant any GMO/Roundup Ready crops for seed, but also not to plant Roundup Ready seed for commercial crops (which, by definition, are harvested before they produce seed). Finally, they don’t want the industry to sell stored sugar from 2008 or 2009 Roundup Ready crops, even though that sugar doesn’t carry DNA to as GMO.
Here are just a few implications that immediately spring to mind:
• Pretty much all of the sugar beets in America would not get planted because there may not be enough “conventional” seed to plant them.
• Even if there were sufficient conventional seed for 2010, chemical companies don’t have enough inventories or time to make chemicals to go with it. Ditto for 2011.
• Because it takes two growing seasons to generate beet seed, sufficient conventional seed might not be available in 2011 either.
Sugar prices already are at historic highs. Imagine sugar prices if half of the U.S. production capacity were choked off?
Unemployment rates are already high. Imagine the hue and cry if jobs in a vibrant industry would suddenly be lost because of bureaucratic malfeasance?
All of this said, I think opponents of GMO crops are perfectly within their rights to challenge their development.
They did so successfully in the alfalfa market, but it seems so different from the impact on beets on the face of it. Alfalfa is a perennial, producing seed annually.
But here, a huge sugar beet planting and processing business would be crippled or closed, with huge consequences.
I say “inconceivable,” but that line has been used before.
From the movie, “Princess Bride”:
Inigo Montoya: You sure nobody’s followin’ us?
Vizzini: As I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable … Out of curiosity, why do you ask?
Inigo Montoya: No reason. It’s only … I just happened to look behind us and something is there.”
Posted by: mpates on 3/4/2010 at 12:08 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Wanzek's hopes forcold-tolerant GM crops
Posted by: mpates on 2/19/2010 at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
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