Kika de la Garza: 'Distinguished Texan'

Kika de la Garza, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and longtime House Ag Committee chairman, recently received the Distinguished Texan in Agriculture Award by the Agriculture Program of The Texas A&M University System.

"Kika de la Garza is a leader committed to public service, as is evidenced by his lifelong contributions to Texas agriculture," Dr. Edward A. Hiler, vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences, said at the Weslaco ceremony. "We are indeed proud to recognize the service of this great Texan through presentation of this award."

Since he first served on the House Committee on Agriculture in 1965, de la Garza has spent his career striving to improve the life and livelihood of the nation's farmers and rural community, wrote Dr. Jose Amador, resident director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Weslaco, in de la Garza's nomination form, adding:

"He is respected for his advocacy of the agricultural community and his promotion of legislation concerning such areas as commodity programs, expansion of agricultural export trade, development of alternative crops and industrial uses for crops, rural economic development, soil and water conservation and ensuring the availability of agricultural credit."

Rural America is "an incubator of traditional values but the absence of a strong national voice is an impediment to drafting rural policy," according to a new report from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on the perceptions of members of Congress toward rural America and public policy.

Bi-partisan research and consulting firms conducted interviews with 26 members of Congress—16 Democrats and 10 Republicans—and concluded that job loss and the overall lack of economic opportunities are the two biggest challenges facing rural America. Other rural issues identified by the study include expanding access to broadband, improving rural healthcare, generating incentives to attract industry and preserving the rural environment.

"Elected officials share the view that there is something unique and particular about rural America that deserves attention, protection, and support," said Anna Greenberg, vice president of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Inc. "But legislators express some pessimism about rural America. They are disturbed about the death of the family farm and the effect that consolidation has on ordinary farmers as well as the persistent poverty in rural communities and the difficulty of bringing economic opportunities to rural communities."

APHIS issues new Karnal bunt rule

APHIS recently issued a new rule regarding Karnal bunt in the Federal Register that was applied retroactively to April 25, 2002. The rule prohibits grain grown in a regulated area from being used as seed outside regulated areas.

Previous regulations did not contain an explicit prohibition, but USDA believes it is necessary to prevent the spread of Karnal bunt to fields outside regulated areas.

The new rule also removes the requirement that wheat seed, durum wheat seed, and triticale seed that originates within a regulated area be treated with a fungicide before it may be planted in a regulated area. USDA has determined this treatment requirement is not necessary.

APHIS has proposed that five changes be made to present Karnal bunt regulations. They are:

•Wheat harvested from Archer, Baylor, Throckmorton or Young counties in Texas that tested negative for Karnal bunt after harvest will be eligible for compensation.

•Growers that held back harvested wheat to use as seed that is Karnal bunt positive are eligible for compensation.

•Additional payments may be made to producers that treated spore-positive Karnal bunt seed with fungicides to dispose of the seed by burial or in a landfill.

•Producers in Oklahoma that commingled wheat with infected wheat in Texas may be eligible for compensation.

•There will be a one-year deferral on the regulation prohibiting compensation to producers who planted wheat in a regulated area.

The rule extends the time period producers may make compensation claims from March 1, 2002 to July 30, 2002.

While the rule is effective immediately, comments will be taken until July 1, 2002.

Death tax really dead?

With legislation already passed in the House to make 2001-passed tax cuts, including repeal of estate taxes, permanent, it is now up to the Senate. By June 28 the Senate will vote on a bill, to be offered by Sens. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), that would make the death tax repeal permanent.

Farm Bureau is seeking permanent repeal because although death taxes were phased out and repealed as part of the $1.35 trillion Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, total repeal will last only one year—in 2010. Without congressional action, the death tax then will be completely reinstated in 2011.

AFBF has posted a special feature on its web site (www.fb.org) detailing how people can help kill the death tax, once and for all. Simply click on the icon in the upper right hand corner to link to the information.

Notable Quotables

"Now I urge the Senate and House to quickly work to produce an agreement in conference that affords the President the authority he needs to open markets for American goods, services and investment."

—Commerce Secretary Don Evans in a May 23 statement on Senate passage of a trade package that includes presidential Trade Promotion Authority.