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April 7, 2000
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| PETA
pulls ‘Got Beer?’ advertising campaign The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), known for their off-the-wall approach to promote animal rights, has decided to pull its controversial "Got Beer?" campaign. PETA started the campaign, a parody of the "Got Milk?" ads, on college campuses to try to dissuade students from drinking milk. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) protested the campaign, saying it promoted underage drinking. PETA said it pulled the ads out of respect for MADD. "MADD got their message out; we got our message out," said PETA’s Bruce Friedrich. "Our goal was always to raise awareness of the suffering of cows and their calves, and we have certainly done that." PETA plans to unveil another campaign, using a spot showing a calf modeled after the pictures of missing children seen on the backs of milk cartons. Source: AFBF Executive News Watch, March 17, 2000 United Kingdom unveils new GM
crop test sites Within weeks, 30 farm-scale trials of GM maize, beet and oilseed rape will be planted in order to decide the viability of growing the crops commercially. The remaining 50 sites will be planted later this month. Last year, environmentalists disrupted several of the nine GM crop trials. Environmental Minister Michael Meacher said some of the new GM trials could be suspended if there was enough resistance from local residents. Just prior to announcing the location of the 30 crop test sites, the British government also presented new labeling rules for GM foods. The new rules follow the European Union regulations, which require catering suppliers to label all products that contain GM soya and maize. Foods containing additives and flavorings from GM sources will also have to be labeled. The effective date is April 1. Source: AFBF Executive News Watch, March 20, 2000 Government payments temper farm
income drop In 1998 and 1999, the U.S. government helped maintain farm income and temper financial hardship for many producers by enacting emergency legislation to increase assistance to farmers. For 2000, government payments are forecast at $17.2 billion, accounting for 8 percent of projected gross cash income—a $5.5 billion decline from 1999’s estimated record of $22.7 billion. Source: Agricultural Outlook, February 2000 County Appraisal Districts use
higher cap rate in 2000 The Property Tax Code requires CADs to use a cap rate that is greater of either 10 percent or the interest rate charged on the previous December 31 by the Farm Credit Bank of Texas, plus 2.5 percent. The Bank’s interest rate on Dec. 31, 1999, was 8.4 percent. With the 2.5 percent added, that rate became 10.9 percent. In recent years, the cap rate has ranged from a low of 10 percent in 1994 and 1999 to a high of 14 percent during the 1980s. The capitalization rate for timberland appraisal is also set at 10.9 percent, up from 9.65 percent in 1999. The Property Tax Code sets out the requirement for the timberland cap rate and does not include a 10 percent floor like the agricultural land rate. Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Statement, February 2000 Farmers’ participation up
in crop insurance Total insured acres reached 196 million, up about 8 percent from 1998, and acres insured at buy-up levels—above minimum catastrophic coverage (CAT)—increased by 19 percent. The discounts—applicable to any federally supported crop yield or revenue insurance plan—dropped producers’ after-subsidy premium costs for buy-up coverage about 30 percent, on average, across all buy-up levels. Higher levels of buy-up participation are expected to continue in 2000, with federal agricultural appropriations for FY 2000 providing funds for premium discounts. Source: Agricultural Credit Outlook, March 2000 Urban homesteads see maximum
size increased Passed by Texas voters, Proposition 6 increased the maximum size of an urban homestead to 10 acres from one acre and limited such a homestead to a single lot or contiguous lots. It allows an urban homestead to be used either as a home or as an urban home/place of business. A rural homestead, available for residences only, consists of up to 200 acres in one or more parcels. Source: Statement, January 2000 World meat trade shows rapid growth The trade primarily involved shipping cuts of meats and edible offal rather than carcasses or live animals. Emerging patterns of trade are due only partially to relative advantages in countries’ production costs. The presence or absence of trade barriers has also influenced trade patterns, as have disparities in preferences among trading partners for particular meat cuts. In the past 15 years, U.S. exports of the three major meats—beef, pork and poultry—have grown faster than other countries’ meat exports and the U.S. has evolved from primarily a meat importer to a large meat exporter. U.S. exports totaled $6.5 billion in calendar 1998, compared with $2.8 billion in imports. Nevertheless, the U.S. remains the world’s largest beef importer and a major pork importer. Source: Agricultural Outlook, March 2000 |
