Georgia Farm Bureau's Leadership Alert - October 6, 2010

October 6, 2010

www.gfb.org

Vol. 28 No. 40

CHAMBLISS AND ISAKSON SUBMIT BILLS OUTLINING WATER UTILIZATION

Four bills setting guidelines for water usage from reservoirs were introduced by Sens.

Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson last week in an effort to help Georgia meets its water needs as the state negotiates a long-term agreement with Alabama and Florida over the use of water from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River.

“It’s critical that Georgia, Alabama and Florida come to an agreement on water resources that meets the needs of the three states,” said Chambliss (R-Ga.). “From a federal standpoint, Senator Isakson and I will continue to explore additional avenues to support the negotiations and make sure Georgia has an adequate supply of water.”

Three of the bills deal directly with Lake Lanier, a central element in the tri-state water dispute. One bill, S. 3910, authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to document the effects of water supply withdrawals, both current and in the future, in updates of its water control manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, into which water from Lake Lanier flows.

Under S.12, Lake Lanier would be authorized as a water source for municipal and industrial water supply. In July 2009 U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson ruled that Georgia must stop withdrawing water from Lake Lanier within three years unless it can get permission from Congress to do so. The ruling indicated that Lake Lanier was not authorized as a source for metro Atlanta’s water supply and that the Corps of Engineers was violating the law by allocating water from Lake Lanier to meet metro Atlanta’s water needs.

Under S. 3911, water from both Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona would be authorized for use in municipal and industrial water supplies.

The other bill, S. 13, would give municipalities credit for treated water they return to federal reservoirs. According to a joint press release from Chambliss and Isakson, local governments do not currently receive credit for water they return to the reservoir. The amount they return would be subtracted from the amount they withdraw.

“I will continue to work closely with all stakeholders in Georgia toward a resolution of the longstanding dispute between Alabama, Florida and Georgia over water. It is critical that we reach an agreement that is in the best interest of Georgia while at the same time respecting the interests and concerns of Florida and Alabama,” Isakson said. “However, Senator Chambliss and I believe we should work to abide by Judge Magnuson’s ruling and do everything in our power to ensure Georgia’s water needs will be met.”

Leadership Alert page 2 of 4

BEEF CHECKOFF PROGRAMS SELECTED FOR FY 2011 Product promotion, research projects, foreign marketing and communication efforts make up the bulk of the National Beef Checkoff initiatives that the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) will fund through its $42.8 million budget for Fiscal Year 2011. The Beef Operating Committee - 10 members of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and 10 members of the Federation of State Beef Councils - met Sept. 20-21 in Denver to consider 48 proposals for checkoff funding in Fiscal Year 2011, which began Oct. 1.

The committee selected 42 of the proposals designed to build beef demand. The budget includes about $18.1 million for consumer advertising, retail and foodservice marketing.

Nearly $6.7 million will be spent on research projects that will address beef safety, human nutrition and product enhancement. More than $5.7 million will fund foreign marketing of U.S. beef in China/Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Mexico, the Middle East, Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbean. More than $4.6 million will be spent on consumer information programs. About $3.4 million is allocated for beef industry information projects, such as the beef quality assurance program, and an estimated $1.7 million is allocated for producer communications.

“These programs have been evaluated very carefully and the value that we're getting from them is pretty strong,” CBB Secretary/Treasurer Robert Fountain said.

The Beef Checkoff program is funded through a $1 per head assessment that cattle and dairy producers pay when selling cattle. States retain up to 50 cents of the dollar and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the checkoff program subject to USDA approval.

PETERSON SUBMITS BILL TO LIMIT PESTICIDE PERMIT REQUIREMENTS Noting that pesticide permit requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) are already regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) last week introduced H.R. 6273, a bill that would amend both FIFRA and the Clean Water Act (CWA) to prohibit the requirement of additional permits for pesticide applications that are consistent with FIFRA. Similar bills have also been introduced by Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and in the Senate

by Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).

Peterson’s bill, introduced with 12 cosponsors, is an effort to reverse the permit implications of the January 2009 ruling by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of National Cotton Council et al. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The ruling overturned a 2006 rule implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that exempted permitting of certain pesticide applications from the CWA. The court ruled that the EPA did not have authority under the CWA to exempt application of pesticides.

The EPA has historically regulated pesticide applications through FIFRA and according to a press release from the House Ag Committee has never issued an NPDES permit for the application of a pesticide. Peterson said the bill avoids placing a costly regulatory burden on producers in a manner that provides minimal environmental benefit.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 4 GFC GETS USDA GRANTS FOR PROJECTS, BUT TRIMS BUDGET AND STAFF The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) will receive $7,936,169 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address threats to state and private forests. The funding, announced by the USDA on Sept. 22, is typically used for firefighting, hazardous fuels reduction, tree planting and overall forest management issues.

In moves unrelated to the grants, the GFC plans to reduce its number of regional offices from 10 to six and is closing seven county offices (Madison, Montgomery, Towns, Cherokee, Pulaski, Clay and Richmond at Spirit Creek) to reduce its staff by about 60 jobs statewide due to state budget cuts. In addition, the passage of Georgia HB 1055, which addressed the fee structure for a wide variety of state services, required the GFC to raise county forest protection fees from 4 cents to 10 cents per forested acre.

CHINA MAKES FINAL DETERMINATION ON POULTRY TARIFFS Saying the U.S. poultry industry benefits from government subsidies for corn and soybeans and that U.S. poultry companies have been dumping chicken on the Chinese market, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) last week announced final punitive tariffs on U.S. poultry imports.

Poultry industry representatives and members of the U.S. Congress decried the decision, saying the poultry industry is the focus of China’s retaliation for an unrelated trade issue.

For U.S. companies that did not register in the MOFCOM anti-dumping investigation, the tariff rate will be 105.4 percent of the trade value of the exported products. MOFCOM imposed specific rates on three U.S. companies; the rate for Pilgrim’s Pride is at 53.4 percent and the rate for Keystone Foods and Tyson Foods is at 50.3. A group of 32 other U.S. companies that registered in the investigation will be subject to a rate of 51.8 percent.

CHAMBLISS BILL ADDS NON-AMNESTY LANGUAGE TO H-2A PROGRAM Hoping to streamline the H-2A temporary worker program, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (RGa.) introduced the Helping Agriculture Receive Verifiable Employees Securely & Temporarily (HARVEST) Act of 2010 last week.

“This bill focuses on the needs of America’s farmers and ranchers rather than focusing on providing citizenship to illegal farm workers and their families. I am hopeful that my colleagues in the Senate will join me in passing this legislation to ensure that the United States continues to produce the best and safest food and fiber in the world,” Chambliss said.

According to a press release from Chambliss’ office, the bill would provide a means for dealing with undocumented workers on U.S. farms without causing a work stoppage or allowing those workers to gain U.S. citizenship. It includes protections to U.S. workers and requires the U.S. Department of Labor to increase the frequency of random audits and H-2A inquiries to ensure H-2A employers are complying with U.S. labor laws.

The HARVEST Act would require limits to a foreign worker’s continuous stay in the U.S. and require H-2A employers to verify the work eligibility of all agricultural workers they hire. It would also ensure that the H-2A program can work for employers with yearround operations.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 4 UPCOMING EVENTS SPECIAL COUNCIL ON TAX REFORM & FAIRNESS FACT FINDING SESSIONS Oct. 6 4-7 p.m.

Columbus State University Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center Columbus Oct. 7 4-7 p.m.

Darton College Allied Health Community Services Building Albany Oct. 21 10 a.m. -1 p.m.

Youth Recreation Center Blue Ridge Oct. 27 4-7 p.m.

Location to be announced Dalton The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians continues holding public meetings to get feedback on Georgia’s tax structure. The council, created by Georgia House Bill 1405 earlier this year, is charged with studying Georgia’s current tax structure and submitting its findings and recommendations for changes to the speaker of the house and lieutenant governor at the beginning of the 2011 legislative session. Visit http://fiscalresearch.gsu.edu/taxcouncil/index.htm and click on Fact Finding Sessions to get more information or call 770-414-6507.

GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR Oct. 7 -17 Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter Perry The award-winning fair features livestock and horse shows, youth exhibits, home and fine arts competitions, family entertainment, rides and games, fair food, and major concerts. Visit www.georgianationalfair.com for more information.

GFB DISTRICT ANNUAL MEETINGS Oct. 12 9th District Mitchell Co. High School Oct. 14 7th District First Baptist Church Oct. 26 6th District Poplar Springs North Baptist Church Contact your county Farm Bureau office for more information.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

Camilla Statesboro Dublin

SUNBELT AGRICULTURAL EXPOSITION Oct. 19-21 Spence Field www.sunbeltexpo.com Moultrie Gates open at 8:30 a.m. daily. Admission is $10 per person or $20 for a multi-day ticket. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information call 229-985-1968.

GIPSA WEBINAR Oct. 14 12 – 2 p.m.

The National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas will provide an overview of the proposed rule changes the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration are suggesting for poultry and livestock production. The webinar will review the UDSA rule-making process, explain how to submit comments on the proposed rules and include a question and answer session. Before the webinar, visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect to the server: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/. The day of the meeting, visit the following web address: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/aglaw to participate in the webinar. Enter your name under the "Enter as a Guest" heading. Click on "Enter Room." Instructions that detail how to join the conference will be displayed. If you have questions about attending or connecting to the webinar, please contact Shannon Mirus at smirus@uark.edu or 479-575-2364.

FUMIGATION MANAGEMENT PLAN WORKSHOPS Oct. 26 Bulloch County Extension Office Statesboro Oct. 27 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Oct. 28 Decatur County Extension Office Bainbridge This series of workshops, organized by the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and the UGA Cooperative Extension, is designed to help familiarize growers with the EPA’s new soil fumigant regulations and create plans for their operations. Dr. Stanley Culpepper will be the principal speaker. All meetings will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 10:30 a.m. For more information call the GFVGA at 706-845-8200.