The Farmer's Weblog

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

A back-to-work order covering the busy seaports on the West Coast was extended Wednesday to the full 80 days called for under the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act by a federal judge who agreed with the Bush administration that work stoppages were harmful to the United States' economy.

-- Maybe business can get back to work and a reasonable solution worked out in the next 80 days --
9:29:52 PM    comment []

On Oct. 21, 2002, everyone in the United States will know that "organic" means food produced without hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers, genetic modification or bacteria-killing radiation.

Small organic farmers are afraid that the government has opened the door for big agriculture to take over what has been the domain of the family farm. In protest, some organic farmers have chosen to decertify by creating their own labels based on more far-reaching criteria. The cutting edge of northern California agriculture considers itself beyond organic.

--A nice description of organic farming in California--
9:14:24 PM    comment []

Geneva, Switzerland[~]Labels can kill. Some 14 million people in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi are facing imminent starvation, but their governments are reluctant to give them food aid because the European Union wants to put special labels on products with ingredients from genetically enhanced crops. The E.U. has banned the importation of modern biotech foods until it can devise a labeling scheme for them. Not surprisingly, African leaders and E.U. consumers both interpret such labels as warnings that biotech foods are unsafe.

--Another view on the GM problem--
9:10:11 PM    comment []

Despite a terrible drought, the African state says it is right to refuse GM maize from the US

As the crisis deepens so does an anguished debate: should the countries accept genetically modified maize, donated mostly by the US. The maize has been rejected by Zambia and has aroused suspicion in other states concerned about the impact on health, the environment and trade.

International environment and development groups accuse the US of manipulating the crisis to benefit the biotech corporations, and of using the UN to distribute domestic food surpluses which cannot find a market. America responds that hysteria stoked by Europeans is endangering starving people.

-- Another example of the need for more careful testing and marketing of GM. Even good science has not and will not convince everyone. The recent scandals in Enron and others have people wondering about the validity of coorporate science. --
8:53:36 PM    comment []

During the last four weeks, eggs set on average have been down 4.25 percent on a nationwide basis. USDA[base ']s eggs set data is for commercial hatcheries and refers to the number of eggs put into incubators, a key early stage in the broiler production process. During the last two weeks of September, USDA data showed eggs set fell 4.9 and 4.5 percent while this past week (week ending October 5th) eggs set were reported at 6 percent below last year. These have been very large year-to-year changes; in fact, some industry participants have categorized the recent declines in eggs set as [base "]unprecedented[per thou].
8:59:19 AM    comment []

The steer by-product value, which includes such products as the hide, tongue, and liver, is driven by the export market, in particular the demand for hides from Asia. On the supply side, it is the number of steers and heifers being marketed that powers the by-product value, which in turn effects fed cattle prices. Last fall, as the supply of cattle being slaughtered rose and export demand was soft, the by-product value fell, adding pressure to an already soft fed cattle market.
8:57:58 AM    comment []

Several factors influence calf and yearling prices. Prospects for calf prices look better now than at this time a month ago. Yearling prices (700-to 800-pound steers) have remained relatively strong due to rather tight supplies, even in the face of continued red ink for feedlot closeouts.
8:55:11 AM    comment []

This Page was last updated: 1/25/04; 9:14:42 AM
Copyright 2004 Russell Gum

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