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CLIMATE CHANGE BILL FACES MANY HURDLES -- The House-passed climate change bill still faces many legislative hurdles with passage in the Senate seen as very difficult. Bloomberg reports that several climate change measures are being drafted in the upper chamber, where regional and philosophical differences are even more sharply defined.
 Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said even with the support of President Obama, passage is “going to be very tough.” Sen. James Inhofffe (R-Okla.), the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee that will hold a hearing on the bill, said the razor-thin passage in the House spells doom in the Senate. He called the bill “the largest tax increase in American history” and vowed a tough fight against the measure.Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, plans a committee vote on climate change legislation before the August recess. Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF director of public policy, tells Agriculture Online that Farm Bureau doesn’t anticipate the massive climate change bill passed by the House last week to pass the Senate this year. And the New York Times reported Tuesday that opposition from Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups threatens to kill the bill in the Senate. The Times reports that groups such as AFBF wield greater clout in the Senate, because members there must be protective of an entire state, rather than a small congressional district. A full Senate agenda, including health care reform and the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, also will likely delay debate and a vote on climate change this year. “It's hard for me to believe they could change it enough in the Senate to make agriculture a winner,” Thatcher said. “True commercial agriculture is not going to be a winner in this thing.” In the New York Times article, Rick Krause, AFBF senior director of congressional relations, said Farm Bureau remains opposed to the bill partly because of worries about its impact on the cost of fertilizer and fuels. The Times reports that the main thing that would shift Farm Bureau’s stance is new language guaranteeing that the United States will toss its cap-and-trade system if China and India don't follow suit with a similar program. “The U.S. is competing in the world markets with Chinese and Indian agriculture products already,” Krause said.
PEANUT PROUD & FEEDING GEORGIA -- Georgia’s peanut industry recently kicked off the Peanut Proud & Feeding Georgia program. The Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Peanut Commission, National Peanut Buying Points Association and American Peanut Shellers Association have committed to donating more than $20,000 in peanut butter to Georgia’s Food Banks. Tara Foods, located in Albany, Ga., will use Georgia grown peanuts to make the peanut butter that will be donated through this program.
Individuals, organizations or businesses can also contribute to the cause and help feed needy Georgians with a healthy snack packed full of protein – peanut butter. Georgia’s peanut industry hopes to raise enough through this campaign to help feed the 1.29 million persons in poverty in Georgia. Donations will benefit the Georgia Association of Food Banks and will be distributed to food banks across the state. “Georgia Farm Bureau is proud to partner with the Georgia Peanut Commission and other peanut organizations on this project to help Georgians in need by providing them with healthy, nutritious peanut butter that’s grown and produced here in Georgia,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “Donating peanut butter made from Georgia grown peanuts that are processed by a company located in Georgia not only helps those in need, but also helps Georgia’s peanut farmers who are currently facing a tough market and supports Georgia jobs, which is important in this tough economy.” A case of 12 jars costs $10; 500 jars costs $400 and 1,000 jars costs $800. Visit www.gapeanuts.com to download a donation form or call (404) 892-9822. Checks can be made payable to Georgia Association of Food Banks and mailed to the Georgia Association of Food Banks, Attn: Peanut Butter Donation, 732 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318.
GEORGIA'S COTTON AND SOYBEAN ACREAGE UP; PEANUT ACREAGE DOWN-- Georgia farmers planted less peanuts and wheat and more corn, cotton and soybeans in 2009 compared with 2008, according to the USDA, NASS, Georgia Field Office.
 Based on a survey during the first two weeks of June, growers indicated that peanut acres would be down considerably from last year. The survey also indicated that soybean acreage would be up from last year. Tobacco acreage is down from 2008. Hay acreage is expected to decrease from last year. Since the beginning of the year, rainfall has generally been above normal for most of the State. The early and mid part of the spring was wet, and the latter part of the spring was dry. Spring time temperatures were near normal, until the latter part of May and into June, when temperatures were above normal.Cotton producers planted an estimated 980 thousand acres of cotton in 2009, up 40,000 acres from the March Prospective Plantings Report, and 40,000 acres more than in 2008. Planting the crop got off to a slow start, due to the wet conditions, and did not get caught up until mid June. Georgia's acreage in 2009 is the second largest in the nation behind Texas. Peanuts planted in 2009, in Georgia, total 460,000 acres, 40,000 acres less than the March Prospective Plantings Report, and 230,000 acres less than in 2008. Acreage for harvest is expected to total 455,000 acres. Planting progress was slow due to the wet conditions. By the end of May, only about 60 percent of the crop had been planted, as normal planting progress would be 80 percent. Corn planted in Georgia totaled 450,000 acres in 2009, 100,000 acres more than what was anticipated in March and 80,000 acres more than in 2008. Planting was off to a fast start, and then was slowed by the wet conditions. By the end of March, about half the crop had been planted and most of the crop wasplanted by the end of April. The early June survey indicated 380,000 acres to be harvested for grain, 70,000 acres more than in 2008. Soybean acreage for 2009 is expected to increase to 500,000 acres, 70,000 acres more than in 2008. This June estimate is a significant increase of 100,000 acres from the March Prospective Plantings Report. Harvested acreage is expected to total 480,000 acres, 65,000 acres above 2008. As of June 22, 87 percent of the crop had been planted, which is near normal. Soybeans were rated in fair to mostly good condition. Tobacco growers have decreased their harvested acreage from last year. Acreage for 2009 is 14,000 acres, 2,000 acres less than in 2008 and 1,000 acres less than the March Prospective Plantings Report. Transplanting got underway about the last week of March, which is a normal starting time. Wet weather in May and early June lowered prospects. Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus and Black Shank have been reported. Some of the tobacco, in low areas, was drowned. Harvest should start by the end of June and the crop was rated in fair to good condition. Sorghum planted for all purposes in 2009 is expected to total 55,000 acres, the same that was intended in March, and 5,000 acres less than what was planted in 2008. Sorghum to be harvested for grain is expected to total 40,000 acres, 4,000 less than last year. Hay acreage to be harvested, in 2009, totals 690,000 acres, 30,000 acres less than last year, but 40,000 acres above March Prospective Planting Report. Harvesting hay has been slowed, as wet conditions have caused delays. Wheat seeding for 2009 totaled 370,000 acres, down 110,000 acres from 2008. Wheat harvested for grain is estimated at 270,000 acres which is down 130,000 acres from last year. Oats planted for 2009 total 70,000 acres, 5,000 acres more than last year and unchanged from March. Oats harvested for grain is expected to total 30,000 acres, 5,000 acres more than last year. Rye at 170,000 planted acres, is 30,000 acres less than last year and the harvested area of 25,000 acres is down 15,000 acres less than last year.   down 4 percent from 2008. All and upland cotton acres are the lowest since 1983.In Mississippi and Louisiana, producers planted the lowest upland acreages on record at 270,000 and 240,000 acres respectively. The largest percentage decline is in California where upland producers planted 65,000 acres, 46 percent less than last year. Increased upland planted acres are expected in Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. American- Pima cotton growers planted 149,400 acres, down 14 percent from 2008. Area planted to peanuts in 2009 is estimated at 1.10 million acres, down 29 percent from 2008. This represents the lowest U.S. planted acreage since 1915. Area for harvest is forecast at 1.07 million acres compared with the 1.51 million harvested last year. Abundant supplies resulting from the record production of 2008 has led to lower contract prices in 2009 and is the reason for the decline in planted acreage. Corn planted area for all purposes in 2009 is estimated at 87.0 million acres, up 1 percent from last year but 7 percent below 2007. This is the second largest planted acreage since 1946, behind 2007. Planting proceeded behind the normal pace, similar to last year, as frequent spring precipitation and coldtemperatures slowed early season fieldwork and planting activities in the central and eastern Corn Belt, Ohio Valley, and northern Great Plains. On May 10, corn planting was 48 percent complete, down 23 points from 5-year average. In late May, however, dryer conditions allowed farmers to make rapid progress. Farmers reported that 97 percent of the intended corn acreage had been planted at the time of the survey interview compared with the 10-year average of 98 percent. The 2009 soybean planted area is estimated at 77.5 million acres, up 2 percent from 2008. Planted area increased from last year in 22 out of 31 States, and is the largest U.S. planted acreage on record. Area for harvest is forecast at 76.5 million acres, up 3 percent from 2008, and will also be the largest on record, if realized. Growers in the 11 major soybean-producing States (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota) planted 61.5 million acres, up 2 percent from 2008. Compared with last year, the largest increase is in Kansas, up 300,000 acres. Acreage increases of 200,000 acres or more also occurred in Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The increase is largely due to tight soybean supplies and high prices. Record high planted acreage is estimated in Kansas, New York, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania. Soybean planting began slowly as wet, cool weather during April across most of the major growing areas delayed progress. The month of May began with planting in all States, except Nebraska and North Carolina, at or behind their 5-year average. The trend continued during the first full week of May, as heavy spring rains fell from the Southeast into the Southern Corn Belt. Month-to-date rainfall totals were greater than 8 inches in parts of Alabama and Arkansas. During the following week, a pair of cold fronts produced heavy rain from Texas to the northern Corn Belt and through much of the eastern U.S. with more than 4 inches of rain falling from northern Missouri into Indiana, continuing to hamper planting progress. As of May 17, only 25 percent of the intended soybean acreage was planted, unchanged from last year but 19 points behind the 5-year average. Progress was more than 30 points behind normal in Michigan and North Dakota, and 40 points or more behind normal in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Except for Louisiana, the only other States that were ahead of the normal pace were Minnesota and Nebraska, where drier conditions prevailed. Conditions generally improved for much of the major soybean planting area for the remainder of the month, as warmer, drier conditions allowed rapid planting progress to be made in many areas. During the week ending May 24, progress of more than 30 points was made in Wisconsin and Iowa. However, rainy weather returned during the last week of May to parts of the Corn Belt, again slowing planting progress. As of May 31, planting progress had returned to near normal in many States, but remained 13 points behind the 5-year average nationally and at least 28 points behind normal in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, and Tennessee. In turn, the crop began emerging well behind normal, as only 36 percent of the crop had emerged by May 31, fifteen points behind the 5-year average. Emergence advanced to 72 percent by June 14, eleven points behind the normal pace, and at or behind normal in all States except Iowa, Nebraska, and North Carolina. U.S. all tobacco area for harvest in 2009 is estimated at 343,650 acres, down 3 percent from 2008. Acreage decreases from 2008 in flue-cured, fire-cured, and dark air-cured more than offset increases in burley, Southern Maryland belt, and cigar type tobacco. Flue-cured tobacco, at 214,500 acres, is 4 percent below a year ago. Flue-cured acreage accounts for 62 percent of this year's total tobacco acreage. Acreage in North Carolina, the leading flue-cured State, is down 3 percent from last year. Harvested acreage decreased in Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina, by 13 percent, 6 percent, and 3 percent, respectively from a year ago. Area planted to sorghum in 2009 is estimated at 6.96 million acres, down 16 percent from 2008. Area to be harvested for grain is forecast at 5.97 million acres, down 18 percent from last year. Producers in Kansas planted 2.90 million acres, unchanged from last year, while Texas growers planted 2.60 million acres, down 25 percent from 2008. The 2009 winter wheat planted area is estimated at 43.4 million acres, down 6 percent from 2008 but up 1 percent from the previous estimate. States in the Corn Belt and Delta are all down from 2008, with Arkansas and Missouri down 600,000 and 450,000 acres, respectively. Acreage in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas is up a combined 1.15 million acres from 2008. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 34.8 million acres, down 12 percent from last year. Despite large increases in planted acres, harvested acres in Oklahoma and Texas are down 900,000 and 850,000, respectively, as both States have experienced below normal precipitation during the growing season
WINNERS AND LOSERS EMERGE IN U.S. CLIMATE BILL -- In addition to raising energy prices, the climate legislation that's winding through Congress would create a parallel financial system with a carbon-based currency. The House on Friday narrowly passed landmark legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and create an energy-efficient economy, voting 219-212. President Barack Obama on Saturday urged senators to follow suit. Everyone from small farmers to nuclear energy companies would be forced to re-evaluate their place in the new order. Power plants, factories and refineries would feel the first impact if the federal government moves ahead with plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by about 80 percent near the end of the century. The sharply debated bill's fate is unclear in the Senate. A major struggle is expected with 60 votes needed to overcome a certain Republican filibuster. How much it will affect other industries is still a matter of intense debate, though the primary winners and losers are already emerging. ------ The Winners:  Solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy companies, including nuclear (at left), are some of the obvious winners in a carbon economy.In addition to the billions of federal stimulus dollars they expect to receive, those industries can expect to see a huge boost in investment as utilities and power companies are forced to cut their carbon emissions. Companies like Florida Power & Light Co., Arizona Public Service, Southern California Edison and others are already investing in solar farms and other renewable energy projects, and they'll likely spend even more to increase the mix of carbon-neutral energy sources. Farmers also will find new ways to make money in a carbon economy. Carbon consultants like the International Carbon Bank & Exchange in Florida see huge potential in agriculture for managing carbon emissions. Farmers that till their soil differently or apply new environmental techniques can get money by cooperating with a polluter as a carbon "offset." Owners of large tracts of forest land also will get a lot of interest from the business community. Like farmers, environmental experts see them as a huge player in the carbon economy because of their natural ability to absorb carbon. Louis Blumberg, director of climate change for the Nature Conservancy's California chapter, envisions a system in which forest owners could make money simply by signing an agreement to cut down fewer trees for lumber. The Nature Conservancy did just that last year with the Conservation Fund, a nonprofit agency that owns about 24,000 acres (9,800 hectares) of redwood and douglas fir forest northwest of San Francisco. The groups changed the logging schedule on the property, and the fund expects to receive about $2 million from Pacific Gas and Electric, which participates in a regional climate initiative similar to the one that the Waxman-Markey bill would create around the country. "This is really a model of what can happen," Blumberg said. "Property owners everywhere want to figure out a way to be part of this." ------ The Losers:  Anyone who pays an electric bill would likely feel the impact of climate legislation. Utilities will try to raise rates as they invest in cleaner-yet-more-expensive energy sources. Some have already announced plans to do so. Petroleum companies also may try to import more of their refined gas and heating oil from countries with no carbon law, which will raise costs.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Environmental Protection Agency both issued estimates of how the climate bill would affect energy costs. The CBO estimated the cost at $175 a year for the average household. The EPA forecasts $80 to $110 a year. The American Petroleum Institute disputed both estimates, saying the bill could cost the average household up to $3,300 by 2020. "That is more than a few postage stamps," API President Jack Gerard said in a slap at Rep. Edward Markey. Markey has compared new energy costs to a postage stamp per day. API has tried to paint the bill as a job killer that would choke off efforts to pull the economy out of recession. "While we support creating new jobs, the legislation offers an unnecessary and false choice of eliminating good jobs in the oil and natural gas industry to create green jobs," Gerard said. Oil and gas companies have spent record amounts of money lobbying Congress recently as they try to blunt the impact of the bill. Refiners, in particular, say the inherent costs in the legislation could shift some fuel production outside the U.S., where refiners would not be bound by its provisions. The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association also says the legislation hurts them two different ways, by capping emissions from refineries as well as emissions from the fuels they produce. But refiners say they are not recieving enough credits. The association says the legislation could cost U.S. refiners as much as $58 billion a year. Coal miners also are worried because it might cut into demand for coal, which is loaded with carbon. Mining also uses a lot of energy, so the rise in energy costs would hurt their bottom line. The country gets about half of its electricity from coal. Some utilities that rely on coal to generate much of their electricity worried about initial versions of the legislation that they said would lead to skyrocketing rates. The current version will mean much smaller increases, they said. Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power said the legislation will send rates about 25 percent higher by 2015; the initial version would have meant rate hikes of 65 percent to 75 percent. Another big utility that relies on coal, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy, said the legislation creates regulatory certainty for an industry that spends billions on capital expenditures annually. If Congress does not act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will after the U.S. Supreme Court gave the agency authority to regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act, Jim Rogers, Duke's chairman, president and CEO, said in a letter to U.S. Rep. James Clyburn obtained by The Associated Press. "While the EPA may have the technical expertise to create environmentally sound regulations, it lacks the explicit legislative authority to craft an environmentally sound program that minimizes costs to consumers and our economy," the letter said. "So leaving the EPA with the responsibility to develop and implement a program that will touch every aspect of our daily lives is neither appropriate nor in the best interest of our nation." Rogers said the initial legislation would have required consumers in states where fossil fuels make up the majority of electric generation to pay double -- first to purchase the allowances to keep current generation operational and then for investments in low-carbon technology. Wayne Leonard, chairman and president of New Orleans-based Entergy, said his company is looking at its alternatives such as biomass and expanding production from its nuclear plants to cut emissions.
Not only will these projects further important research being conducted at USDA laboratories in 29 states, these funds will help revitalize local economies by creating jobs and supporting local businesses that supply needed construction products and services. "President Obama is committed to ensuring that USDA stays on the cutting edge of research in food safety, nutrition, producing food and preserving the quality of our soil and water," Vilsack said. "This funding will ensure that our labs can carry out the critical research that enables the U.S. to have the safest, least expensive food supply in the world." The Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens is slated to receive $2.3 million. The Recovery Act funds will improve the safety and health aspects of the laboratories, enhance the energy efficiency, and reduce the cost of operation and maintenance. These benefits will improve the working environment, resulting in improved productivity, and generate maintenance savings that will be captured and returned to directly support the research program. All of the projects selected are at locations conducting research of the highest priority.
AFBF: GREATER CORN SUPPLIES COULD LEAD TO HIGHER ETHANOL BLEND RATE -- Two reports released June 30 by the Agriculture Department show a big jump in both planted acreage and stocks for corn, pointing to greater corn supplies this year, which could encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to increase its ethanol blend rate, according to Terry Francl, senior economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
 “For the 2009/2010, the greater availability of corn supplies makes it more likely that the EPA will increase the ethanol blend rate from the current 10 percent to 12 percent or 13 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2010,” Francl said. “That will in turn utilize some 400 to 500 million more bushels of corn in the 2009/2010 crop year and reduce corn ending stocks by 300 to 400 million bushels. It is also important to remember that about one-third of the corn that is utilized as ethanol comes back as distillers dried grain, which replaces corn and some protein meal.”USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service pegs corn stocks at 4.27 billion bushels as of June 1, up 6 percent from June 1 of last year. “The corn stocks number suggest further downward adjustments in the amount of corn used to feed livestock and poultry will need to be made in the July USDA WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate) report,” Francl said. In the acreage report, NASS pegs corn plantings at 87 million acres, up about 1 million acres from last year and nearly 3 million more acres higher than the March estimate, which caught many analysts by surprise, Francl said. As for soybeans, Francl said the 12 percent drop in soybean stocks, compared to June 1 of last year, points to a very tight supply-and-demand balance for the current crop year that ends in August. “Soybean supplies are very tight which implies further price rationing may still be needed,” Francl said. The NASS grain stocks report can be accessed here: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/GraiStoc/GraiStoc-06-30-2009.pdf. The NASS acreage report can be accessed here: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/Acre/Acre-06-30-2009.txt
“S. 787 would remove any bounds from the scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction, so that the regulatory reach of the act would extend to all water -- anywhere from farm ponds, to storm water retention basins, to roadside ditches, to desert washes, to streets and gutters, even to a puddle of rainwater,” stated the letter. “For the first time in the 36-year history of the act, activities that have no impact on actual rivers and lakes would be subject to full federal regulation.” According to AFBF, by applying the Clean Water Act to “all interstate and intrastate waters,” farmers and ranchers would be significantly impacted due to the number of normal farming activities that would be subject to citizen-suit provisions of the Clean Water Act, which could lead to outright regulation. “Not only would many activities not previously regulated require federal permits, those permits would be subject to challenge in federal court, delaying or halting these activities to the detriment of our economy,” stated the letter. AFBF also believes that by deleting the term “navigable” as a condition for regulation under the Clean Water Act, it would allow for an extraordinary expansion of federal jurisdiction, giving the federal government the right to exert inordinate control over private property, while opening the door for activists to sue landowners whose activities they don’t like. The coalition letter signed by AFBF stated that the group supports the protection of U.S. navigable waters, as well as rivers and streams that flow to navigable waters. All of these are already protected under the Clean Water Act today.
LACK OF MOISTURE AGAIN IN GEORGIA -- Hot temperatures caused soil moisture to quickly evaporate, according to the USDA, NASS,
 Georgia Field Office. Daily average high temperatures were in the 90’s. Average lows fluctuated between the upper 60’s and lower 70’s.Soil moisture conditions were rated at 14% very short, 51% short, 34% adequate, and 1% surplus. Dryland crops suffered from lack of rain. Early planted corn reached the dent stage. Early planted cotton was side-dressed and square retention looked good with light insect pressure. Peanuts were blooming, but heat and dry soil conditions may hurt pollination. Peanuts received fungicide and weed control applications. There were reports of Black Shank in tobacco. Farmers sprayed insecticide to control budworms and hornworms. Fescue was dormant due to heat and drought conditions. Other activities included controlling weeds in cotton, applying land plaster (calcium sulfate) to peanuts and fertilizer to tobacco. County Extension Agents reported an average of 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork. FOR THE DETAILED CROP REPORT FROM THE STATISTICS SERVICE, CLICK HERE.
The Georgia Farm Bureau, Inc./dba Georgia Farm Radio Network, does not necessarily agree with nor endorse any of the information contained in the above news stories. The page is merely a digest of what is being said about Agricluture in the media as compiled in the Georgia Farm Radio Network / Clear Channel Networks newsroom.
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