As published by National Hog Farmer on January 23, 2012 (emphasis added):

image from www.connecttristates.com

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) on Thursday joined nearly 90 agricultural organizations in filing two sets of comments with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Reporting Rule.

The first set of comments was signed by a coalition of 88 national, state and local agricultural groups. The second set of comments was filed on behalf of NPPC and the American Farm Bureau Federation and concerned the various legal issues the organizations have with the rule and challenges the rule would face if finalized.

Under EPA’s proposal, large livestock and poultry facilities would be required to submit to EPA substantial confidential farm and business information. The CAFO database was established as a clearinghouse for activists on the location of farms as part of a settlement between the Obama administration and anti-farming groups.

NPPC expressed concerns that as a result of these actions pork producers would face substantial legal liability and that compiling this information would threaten the biosecurity of producers’ operations.

NPPC also believes the CAFO rule would provide virtually no added benefits to improving manure management or protecting water.

NPPC Vice President Randy Spronk, a pork producer from Edgerton, MN, met with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in December to express the pork industry’s concerns with the proposed rule.

To view the article in its original format, visit http://nationalhogfarmer.com/environment/nppc-files-comments-epas-cafo-rule/?YM_MID=1286899&YM_RID=palmer@myrainreport.com

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — BASF SE is moving the plant-science unit that genetically modifies crops to the U.S. from Germany after European consumers resisted the technology.

The division’s headquarters in Limburgerhof will move to Raleigh, N.C., and development and commercialization of all products targeted solely at cultivation in the European market will be halted, BASF said today in a statement.

The move will result in the loss of 140 European jobs, the Ludwigshafen, Germany-based company said.

“There is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians,” Stefan Marcinowski, the BASF board member responsible for plant biotechnology, said in the statement. “It does not make business sense to continue investing in products exclusively for cultivation in this market.”

The flight of research means Germany may lose out on the $12 billion market for genetically modified plants, which is set to grow 5% annually over the next 5 years, according to advisory firm Phillips McDougall. BASF founded the agricultural center in Limburgerhof in 1914 and has 11,000 square meters of greenhouses and about 40 hectares of fields.

Limburgerhof will retain its crop-protection activities, and the company will close sites in Gatersleben, Germany, and Svalov, Sweden, it said. Research activities for plant science will continue in Ghent, Belgium, and in Berlin, BASF said.

The plant-science unit will concentrate on the Americas and Asia, BASF said. Genetically modified potato products will no longer be developed specifically for Europe, though the unit will continue seeking regulatory approval to “maintain all options,” the company said.

BASF won U.S. approval last year for cultivating a drought-tolerant corn developed in collaboration with Monsanto Co.

http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/News—BASF-Moving-Plant-Science-Unit-To-US.php

As posted in Hay & Forage Grower January 10, 2012:

image from www.farmprogress.com

Late-December rains have taken the pressure off scarce hay supplies in parts of East Texas for the time being, reports Aaron Low, agriculture agent for Texas AgriLife Extension in Cherokee County.

“Things are looking better,” says Low, noting that 5-7” of rain fell in the area during the last two weeks of 2011. “A lot of (cattle) producers here planted ryegrass and clover back in late September and October rather than buy hay. Then they had to sit on those plantings without any rain for two months.

“It was a gamble. But now, because of the recent rains, it looks like it’s paid off. If they make use of rotational grazing, some producers will be able to utilize some of these fields through the end of the winter.”

Due to last summer’s crippling, widespread drought, area hay supplies were “pretty much wiped out” as of early fall, says Low. “There just wasn’t any hay to be found all the way into Mississippi and on up through Arkansas.”

That shortage of hay set off extensive culling by beef producers. Cherokee County lost about 50% of its cow herd in 2011, Low estimates. “Out of what’s left, we estimate we could lose another 25-50% if we have another year like last year.”

To view the original article, visit http://hayandforage.com/hay/rains-boost-east-texas-forage-growth#node-6651?NL=HFG-02&Issue=HFG-02_20120110_HFG-02_740&YM_RID=palmer@myrainreport.com&YM_MID=1283640

image from triplepundit.com

Article posted by DTN’s Bryce Anderson 1/09/12

Statistics from 2011 prove out what a lot of you have already experienced–the year 2011 was the driest ever in Texas. Here are the highlights.–Bryce

HOUSTON (AP) — The National Weather Service says 2011 was Texas’ driest year on record as well as its second hottest.

The agency said Friday the average rainfall for the drought-stricken state last year was 14.88 inches. The previous driest average total was in 1917 with 14.99 inches.

The weather service says 2011′s average temperature was 67.2 degrees. Texas’ warmest year on record was in 1921 with an average temperature of 67.5 degrees.

Last year Texas suffered its worst single-year drought, its largest agricultural losses and the hottest summer in U.S. history. From June through August, Texas averaged 86.8 degrees, beating out Oklahoma’s 85.2 degrees in 1934.

The current drought started in fall 2010. Forecasters say it is expected to drag on at least through June.

Posted at 9:37AM CST 01/09/12 by Bryce Anderson