Category: Agriculture
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Win, Lose
Now this is really ….. interesting. Part of the whole ethanol boom is the distillers grain that is available after the ethanol is made. This distillers grain has turned into a real boom for the cattle feeding buisness. The cattle feeders might be losing some corn but they are making up for it with the…
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Good Luck
Good luck finding people to grow camelina for <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/01/news/state/46-biodiesel.txt">this project</a> with grain prices as high as they are. I'm not sure how high wheat prices are but I heard barley is over $200 a ton and durham is over $20 a bushel, if you can find any. With these kinds of prices I'm not…
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Rules
I didn't comment on the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym>'s OTM rule yesterday allowing older Canadian Cattle to be imported into the US. It's one of those situations that I have mixed feelings about.<br />n<br />nThe people opposed to the OTM rule say that they…
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Blame
Well, it looks like the Farm Bill got stalled out.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/17/news/state/37-filibuster.txt">GOP filibuster stymies Farm Bill</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>A wide-ranging rewrite of the Farm Bill fell victim Friday to a Republican filibuster in the Senate, threatening enactment of new and expanded subsidies promised to farmers by lawmakers seeking re-election next year.<br />n<br />nThough politically popular,…
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Farm Bill Critics
I have mentioned the Farm Bill a couple of times and even mentioned that it is designed to help the rural areas of the US. Whether it actually does this or not I don't know, but that is the purpose. In all fairness I should post a critics point of view.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119500379205092116.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">The No…
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Loonie
The Canadian cattlemen have really been getting beat on in the last few years. I really feel for them. First there was the case of <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym> which closed the border into the US where a large portion of their beef goes and really sent the market into a nose dive. A lot…
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President Ready To Vote No
What does the administration <a href="http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2007/11/0329.xml">think of the Senate Farm Bill</a>?<br />n<br />n<blockquote>I am pleased to have this opportunity to outline the Administration's very significant concerns about the Senate farm bill being debated on the floor of the Senate this week. The Statement of Administration Policy, or SAP as we refer to it, will be…
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Talk
I found this very funny and true. Thought you might enjoy it.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.grit.com/article/2007/11/How-to-Talk-Farmer.html">How to Talk Farmer<br />nLearn the understated language of those who work the land.</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>“Just a few acres.” On the off chance that you’re a tax assessor, most farmers would rather chew a leg off than tell you how many…
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Organic
Interesting opinion piece on organic food.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.charlotte.com/409/story/319543.html">NO: Foods from large-scale farms are just as safe, less costly</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Public interest in the environment is increasing, and the news is full of stories about food safety. Those developments have led many to push for a return to small organic farms.<br />n<br />nSuch farms do…
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So True
Some times things are going on that I have no way of relating to people who aren't in the agricultural business. <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/10/14/news/business/20-costs.txt">This story about rising prices for agricultural producers</a> is one of those things. It very clearly explains how rising production costs are really eating into any money we might be able to make…