Obama Department of Labor Gives Up Drive to Regulate Youth Workers Down on the Farm or Ranch

The white flag of surrender has been held up by the Obama Administration, after a huge backlash swept across rural America to the Department of Labor's decision to crack down on youth 16 or younger that wanted to work for anyone on a farm that was not owned by their parents. Even after the DOL modified their proposal to not include relatives in their rulemaking efforts, the criticism continued with storm force against the foolish plans of those who would restrict the ability of young people to gain a work ethic that could propel them into positions of greater responsibility as they reached their adult years. 

Finally, the Department of Labor made the decision to cut their loses and hope to minimize the damage for President Obama's reelection campaign this fall. The following statement was released late Thursday afternoon by the Department and also distributed by the White House:

"The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations.


"As a result, the Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations.


"The decision to withdraw this rule - including provisions to define the 'parental exemption' - was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.


"Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders - such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H - to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices."  

Click here for industry reaction- obviously very joyful- as well as comments from Oklahoma 4-H leader Charles Cox on this stunning 180 degree retreat by the Administration.  

Featured Story:

The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry today voted to approve the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, a bipartisan farm bill authored by Committee Chairwoman Senator Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Senator Pat Roberts. The bill passed out of committee on a 12-4 vote of members present. (We have an audio overview of the mark up session which you can listen to by clicking on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of the story.) The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration- assuming Majority Leader Harry Reid will cough .

The bill reforms food and agricultural policy by eliminating direct payments and emphasizing the need to strengthen risk management tools for farmers, saving billions of dollars. Overall, the bill will reduce the deficit by $23 billion dollars by eliminating unnecessary subsidies, consolidating programs to end duplication, and cracking down on food assistance abuse. These reforms allow for the strengthening of key initiatives that help farmers and small businesses reach new markets and create American jobs.

"This bill proves that by working across party lines, we can save taxpayer money and create smart, cost-effective policies that lay the foundation for a stronger, more prosperous economy. I am proud that once again the Agriculture Committee was able to work together in a bipartisan way to complete major reforms that save money and grow our economy, said Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

You can read more about this story or listen to an audio overview of yesterday's markup session and its outcome by clicking here. 

Reaction Runs the Gamut to Senate Committee's Approval of 2012 Farm Bill Proposal  

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas commended his Senate counterpart, Senator Debbie Stabenow, for her committee's quick work on the mark up.  He said that he was disappointed, however, that the Senate's bill did not go far enough in establishing a safety net for all commodities and all regions.

Lucas was kind compared to his Chair of the General Commodities Subcommittee of the House Ag Committee- Mike Conaway of Texas- his reaction was nothing short of a scathing rebuke of the Senate's treatment of much of US crop agriculture- 

"The Senate Agriculture Committee today broke faith with tradition by passing a Farm Bill that is so lopsided and discriminatory against certain producers, regions, and crops that it will take extraordinary effort to restore the kind of balance necessary to pass a farm bill.  

"In making the farm bill indefensibly rich for some while making it ineffective for others, the legislation will also distort planting decisions; producers with the option to do so will plant for the program instead of the market.  In addition, the Senate Farm Bill manages to fail in the two ways most important to farmers, by missing opportunities to protect and improve crop insurance and by failing to provide farmers price protection in periods of prolonged low prices.   

"Especially ill-served in the bill are producers of wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts, and even corn and soybeans where they farm areas with any production risk.  This bill was specially designed for a crop or two grown in one region of the country and it will not become law. Today was a big step backward in completing a Farm Bill this year."

Meanwhile, most industry groups reiterated their support for crop insurance and for quick action by the Senate and the House to complete the bill by the end of September.

To read the statements for the various groups and producers, click on the names below.

American Farm Bureau Federation 

Dairy Farmers of America 

Izaak Walton League 

National Association of Conservation Districts 

National Corn Growers Association 

National Cotton Council 

National Council of Farmers Cooperatives 

National Farmers Union 

National 25x'25 Alliance

 

USDA and Arkansas Partners Announce Added Incentives on Conservation Program for Illinois River Watersheds

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Bruce Nelson announced that USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the state of Arkansas entered into a revised agreement to add additional incentives to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The Illinois River Watershed CREP, as it is more commonly known, was created to reduce nutrient, bacterial and sediment load in the Illinois River Watersheds.

"USDA is proud to work with the state of Arkansas to enroll up to 10,000 acres of eligible cropland and marginal pastureland to enhance the water quality, biological diversity and aquatic habitats of the Illinois River Watersheds," said Nelson.

The additional incentives will benefit Oklahoma as the Illinois River flows west from Arkansas into northeast Oklahoma. It then flows southwest and south through the mountains of eastern Oklahoma into Tenkiller Ferry Lake.

Click here to learn more about this incentive program which will benefit Oklahoma.

Report Predicts Lower Wheat Production, Kim Anderson Believes India May Fill the Gap- Plus Your Weekend SUNUP Lineup 

Dr. Kim Anderson, grain marketing specialist for OSU, tells Lyndall Stout on this weekend's SUNUP that a new report indicates world wheat production is lower than expected. While it is just one among several reports which indicate greater than expected production, he says it does bear watching.

"If you look at the major exporters their production was estimated to be down 6.5 percent. I think that's good for the United States. Argentina, Australia and the former Soviet Union were all down about 13 percent, and the EU 27 were down about five percent. Now it's a long time before we get into that '12-'13 marketing year and a lot can happen in that time period."

He says a good harvest in India could exert downward pressure on prices.

"India's harvest will be done about the time ours gets started. They're having another record wheat crop. There are some reports that say that they will export wheat and they should have that wheat in export position as we have ours in an export position and that will create some competition and maybe some potential lower prices for us."

You can listen to more of Dr. Anderson's market analysis and see what else will be on SUNUP this weekend by clicking here. 

Noble Foundation Professor Says Flush of Cool-Season Grasses Offers Challenges, Possibilities

Warmer than normal temperatures and above average rainfall are good for agricultural producers, but not necessarily great for their bermudagrass pastures.

The additional rain and increased temperatures following last year's drought have resulted in a flush of cool-season annual grasses, such as ryegrass, growing in bermudagrass pastures that are key for livestock production.

This heavy growth of cool-season annual grasses will out-compete bermudagrass in the spring for moisture, sunlight and nutrients, according to James Rogers, Ph.D., assistant professor. This spring spurt of annual grasses creates a delay in spring growth and yield reduction of bermudagrass stands still recovering from last year's drought.

"This forage abundance has been a blessing, but overabundance is causing many producers to worry about the effect it will have on emerging bermudagrass," Rogers said. "However, there are a couple of management options to properly deal with this forage abundance." 

You can read James Rogers' suggestions for managing bermudagrass given our warmer and wetter weather conditions by clicking here.

USDA Now Searching For Cohorts and Offspring- Dr. John Clifford on BSE Case 4 

USDA continues to do basic detective work on the California dairy cow reported as being positive for BSE- or what has been called Mad Cow Disease- earlier this week.  On today's Beef Buzz, we hear from the Chief Veterinary Officer of the USDA- Dr. John Clifford- about the search for what are called Cohorts and Offspring. 

On Thursday evening, USDA issued these latest facts on the case:

"On April 24, USDA confirmed the nation's 4th case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in an animal that was sampled for the disease at a rendering facility in central California. This animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply, or to human health in the United States. As the epidemiological investigation has progressed, USDA has continued to communicate findings in a timely and transparent manner.

"As a result of USDA's ongoing epidemiological investigation, more information about the history and age of the animal is now available.

"The animal in question was 10 years and 7 months old and came from a dairy farm in Tulare County, Calif. The animal was humanely euthanized after it developed lameness and became recumbent. The animal's carcass will be destroyed.

"USDA is continuing its epidemiological investigation and will provide additional information as it is available."

Click here to read more and to listen to our conversation on today's Beef Buzz with John Clifford- EXCELLENT info on how they are searching for the past in this Dairy Cow's life- and some comments on how easy it may or may not be given the state of disease traceback- animal ID in this country.  It will be worth your five minutes to take a listen to Dr. Clifford if you are in the beef cattle business- there is a direct impact on your ability to make a living in this industry!!!!