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Texas
Agriculture Archive
February 21, 2003
Space shuttle debris cause of sick animals?
Three cows and two captive deer on three premises in Cherokee County are being held under movement restriction by the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), pending evaluation and diagnosis of the animals' illness, signs of which have been reported to include swollen tongues and heads and stiff necks.
Veterinarians from the TAHC, the state's regulatory agency for livestock and poultry health, and a veterinarian from NASA, are examining the animals to determine why they became ill.
"Debris from the Columbia space shuttle was found on the captive deer premise, and we want to learn if the animal might have licked it or come into close contact with a chemical residue from the pieces. According to official reports, more than 600 pieces of debris have been found in Cherokee County, and we don't know if there is a link between the animals' illness and the shuttle debris," said Dr. James Lenarduzzi, acting executive director for the TAHC. "A full evaluation is underway to determine the cause of this illness, as we must know if we have a disease situation, or if this is a response to a hazardous chemical substance. The animals will not be allowed to move from the premises until we know they do not pose a health risk to other livestock or to human health."
Dr. Lenarduzzi urged livestock owners to work with their private veterinary practitioners if their animals become ill.
He reminded producers and veterinarians that the Texas Animal Health Commission operates a 24-hour hotline for reporting unusual signs of illness or unexpected death losses in livestock and poultry. To make a report, call the TAHC at 1-800-550-8242. A veterinarian is on call at all times to take reports and initiate a disease investigation.
Drought tax relief measure
could save $29 million
Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to provide tax relief to livestock producers affected by drought. If enacted, the provision could save farmers and ranchers $29 million over 10 years. Farm Bureau supports the legislation.
The bills are S. 252 introduced by Sen. Thomas (R-WY) and H.R. 478 introduced by Reps. McInnis (R-CO) and Pomeroy (D-ND). Other cosponsors of S. 252 are Sens. Enzi (R-WY), Hagel (R-NE), Roberts (R-KS) and Domenici (R-NM). Cosponsoring H.R. 478 are Reps. Hayworth (R-AZ), Herger (R-CA), Hulshof(R-MO), Peterson (D-MN), Cubin (R-WY), DeGette (D-CO), Hefley(R-CO), Beauprez (R-CO), Musgrave (R-CO) and Tancredo (R-CO).
Under the proposal, existing law would be modified to address the impact that extended drought has on livestock producers. Currently, producers forced to sell livestock due to drought must replace their herd within two years or pay capital gains taxes on the sale. A two-year replacement window is not long enough when on-going drought conditions exist as they do today. The bills would address this problem by extending the replacement period from two to four years and allowing the deferment of taxes for the same length of time.
Grassley bill would limit packer ownership
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) has introduced S. 27, legislation that would ban most meatpackers from owning livestock or exercising control over production of livestock more than seven days prior to slaughter.
The bill calls for a ban on packer ownership and feeding of livestock for more than seven days prior to slaughter compared to last year's proposed ban of 14 days. In addition, the bill requires all packers who must comply with mandatory price reporting to comply with the ban on ownership and feeding.
Last year's bill called for exempting packers that process less than 2 percent of the type of livestock slaughtered in the U.S. in a calendar year, which amounts to about 2 million hogs and 728,000 cattle. The exemptions in S. 27 are packers that process less than 100,000 hogs or 125,000 cattle per year, cooperatives that are owned by members who are livestock producers and packers that own just one livestock processing plant.
The American Farm Bureau Board of Directors has taken action indicating that AFBF will oppose the movement of any legislation pertaining to packer ownership until after a Farm Bureau study is completed and additional action is taken.
Farm income increase forecast
Net farm income this year should rebound from 2002, according to first forecasts from the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service. Net farm income for 2003 is forecast to be $44.9 billion, up nearly 39 percent from 2002.
ERS reports that early expectations of higher crop prices and higher production, coupled with some improvements on the livestock side, are driving most of the increase. Also adding to the increase in value added in 2003 is a shift of government payments scheduled for 2002 into the 2003 calendar year.
This shift amounts to about $3.9 billion and occurs as a result of farmers' decisions with respect to program signup, ERS said.
Notable Quotables
"Many of these programs are providing incentives for our nation's farmers and ranchers, the best stewards of the land, to better protect and conserve working farmlands. This is not only good news for agriculture, but for communities throughout the country."
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman comments on President Bush's proposed fiscal 2004 budget for USDA that includes record spending for farm conservation measures, food safety protection and nutrition and food assistance programs.
