Document 6609089

A20 - Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 22, 2014
www.lancasterfarming.com
Ag Briefs
International
Near-Record Juice
Grape Harvest in Washington
China, Australia
Sign Free-Trade Deal
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China and Australia signed a
preliminary free-trade deal Monday that would give Australian
agriculture advantages over competitors from the United States,
Canada and the European Union, officials said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessed the signing by Australian and Chinese officials of a declaration of intent, which officially concluded negotiations that began in 2005. Trade Minister
Andrew Robb said the pact would be signed next year and take
effect as early as March if it is endorsed by the Australian Parliament by then.
The removal of tariffs on Australian farm products would give
Australia an advantage over U.S., Canadian and E.U. competitors
while negating advantages New Zealand and Chile have enjoyed
through their free-trade deals with China, Robb said.
Egyptian Woman Dies
of Bird Flu, Second This Year
ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian health officials say a woman
who was diagnosed with bird flu has died, the second fatality
from the H5N1 virus this year in the country.
Egypt has reported seven bird flu cases so far in 2014. Most
victims have been women and children who are traditionally
tasked with caring for domestic poultry. Ahmed Abdel-Hamid in
the southern city of Assiut says the woman was a 19-year-old
who raised chickens at home. He says she was admitted to hospital on Nov. 10 and died on Monday.
Health Ministry official Amr Kandil says the earlier fatality
was in June. Since 2006, there have been 64 bird flu deaths in
Egypt. The H5N1 virus is hard to catch but has remained a threat.
Most cases have been linked to contact with poultry.
National
Chinese Company, Dairy
Farmers Plan Kansas Plant
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Chinese company and the
Dairy Farmers of America say they are planning a $100 million
plant in Kansas.
DFA, a cooperative owned by 13,000 dairy farmers, is based in
Kansas City. It is working with the Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial
Group. The two groups formed a partnership two years ago.
The Kansas City Star reports that the plant’s location has not
been disclosed but that it will likely be in western Kansas, where
most of the state’s milk production occurs. The plant will produce
up to 88,000 tons of milk powder a year.
Rick Smith, president and CEO of Dairy Farmers of America,
said Yili is a fitting partner because it is a leading Chinese dairy
processor.
Tenn. Farmers Ready
to Grow Hemp, Unused to Rules
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — With a decadeslong ban
on hemp production in Tennessee finally lifted, some
farmers say they want to grow the crop but aren’t used to
the government oversight that comes with it.
WPLN-FM reports the state Agriculture Department
held a hearing Tuesday about proposed rules it hopes to
finalize before spring planting.
They include a requirement to let inspectors enter
hemp fields at any time to check the levels of THC, the
only real difference between hemp and its cousin, marijuana.
Farmers would have to pay the $35-an-hour bill for
inspections. In addition, they would be required to purchase an annual hemp license that would cost $250, plus
$2 per acre.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE
Salisbury Township, Lancaster County
has the following items for sale:
• 2000 Ford F350, 4x4, dual wheel, aluminum tool
body, 98,500 miles
• 2004 Pinehill Drop Trailer- 19,000 GVW, 18 ft.
long
• 2 Athey Belt Loaders
• 2 Large V Plows
• 1 12 ft. Side Plow
• CAT Backhoe Buckets, 30 in., 16 in. & 12 in.
• Int'l Front Tractor Weights (1970's)
• Misc. Steel I Beams- for reuse or recycle
• Truck Mount Fuel Tank w/ hand pump
• Electronic Portable Speed Sign
Best offer received by Jan. 20, 2015 at noon. Must
be on township bid form. For photos or more info,
contact 717-768-8059 or email twp@comcast.net
GRANDVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Thanks to very little spring
frost damage, a hot summer and warm fall, growers of Concord
grapes have harvested a near-record juice crop in Washington,
industry officials said.
Figures compiled for the growers estimate the crop at 264,000
tons, the third-highest on record and well above the 10-year average of 190,000 tons, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported Friday. Washington is the nation’s largest producer of juice grapes,
contributing about half the annual tonnage.
Processors averaged 12.3 tons per acre for Concords, well
above the 10-year average of 8 or so, said Trent Ball, a Yakima
Valley Community College viticulture professor. Prices are down
to about $110 per ton, partly because of cheaper imports and inventories left over from large 2013 harvests in New York and
Pennsylvania, Ball said. Last year, Washington growers received
$225 per ton following record prices of $280 per ton in 2012.
Officials Say Farmworkers
Weren’t Paid Properly
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Federal labor officials say they’ve recovered more than $131,000 in back wages for almost 400 farmworkers in central Florida who weren’t paid for work they did.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday
also said they had issued $196,000 in civil penalties this year
against growers who had safety, housing and transportation violations.
The farmworkers picked citrus, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon. Labor officials say they saw fewer violations in Florida’s citrus industry this year compared with last year but that they
continue to see violations in the strawberry industry.
Farms Ask Court to End
Ore. County’s GMO Crop Ban
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Two southern Oregon farms are
asking a court to end Jackson County’s voter-approved ban on
genetically modified crops or force the county to pay the farms
$4.2 million.
The farmers say that’s the value of the Roundup Ready alfalfa
crop they’ll have to destroy if the ban stands. The Medford Mail
Tribune reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Jackson County
Circuit Court on behalf of Schultz Family Farms LLC and James
and Marilyn Frink and their family trust.
Lawyers say a coalition of farming, agriculture and biotechnology organizations is assisting the Jackson County farmers.
County voters approved the ban in May. The lawsuit claims that
the GMO ban conflicts with state law and will require farmers to
destroy crops they have already planted and grown for sale.
Midwest Farmers Turn
to Barges to Deliver Goods
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Congested railways have more Midwest corn and soybean farmers turning to the Mississippi River
and its navigation system to move their goods.
As oil trains from North Dakota compete for space on the
crowded rail lines, the river system is becoming more important
to shipping crops. A USDA report says grain barge tonnage is up
13 percent this month compared with the five-year average.
The Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis says another federal report notes that barge rates for export grain in October averaged 33 to 60 percent higher than the five-year average for the
month.
Chevrolet Supports Grassland
Preservation Program
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Chevrolet has become the
first corporate participant in a public-private initiative that pays
farmers not to convert natural prairie to large-scale crop production, officials said Monday.
The automaker, a division of General Motors, said it has bought
more than 39,000 metric tons of carbon credits from North Dakota ranchers to preserve 5,000 to 6,000 acres of grasslands in
the prairie pothole region, a broad expanse of grasslands and
wetlands reaching across the northern Great Plains and parts of
Canada.
Grasslands store huge volumes of carbon dioxide, one of the
gases most responsible for climate change. Tilling the soil for agriculture releases the gases into the atmosphere. Preserving grasslands keeps carbon bottled up and preserves habitat for waterfowl
and other wildlife.
Feed Recalled After
3 Horses Die in South Florida
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Lakeland-based animal feed
manufacturer is recalling four of its horse feed products following a possible link to the deaths of three horses in South Florida.
The deaths are being investigated by the Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Spokeswoman Erin Gillespie told The Ledger of Lakeland the feed has been sent to a
private lab for testing.
Lakeland Animal Nutrition recalled the four products on Oct.
22. It is a subsidiary of Alltech, an animal nutrition company
based in Lexington, Ky. The horses died between Oct. 16 and 20
at a South Florida ranch.
Regional
Heavy Snowfall Puts
Ohio Harvests Behind Schedule
TROY, Ohio (AP) — The first heavy snowfall in the state has
put Ohio harvests behind schedule after an already difficult growing season due to last winter’s brutal cold.
The Dayton Daily News reports heavy snow blanketed much of
Ohio before one-fifth of the state’s corn crop could be harvested.
The wintry conditions mean farmers might have to work into December to complete their harvests. Miami County Farm Bureau
President Bill Wilkins says farmers are running late when they’re
still harvesting after Thanksgiving.
Soybeans are also running late, with about 7 percent of the
crop still to be harvested. Farmers may also face a loss of yield
from the wintry weather. Wilkins says soybean pods are at risk of
opening in cold temperatures, and the weight of snow can cause
cornstalks to collapse.
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