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Due to a serious decline in agricultural news programming on local radio stations, many rural audiences are no longer being adequately served, an obligation that licensed radio stations must fulfill, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
In comments filed recently with the Federal Communications Commission, which is conducting an inquiry into whether broadcasters are adequately serving their local communities, AFBF President Bob Stallman asserted that instead of "improving and maintaining their agricultural services, many radio stations are eliminating or curtailing farm news."
Farmers and ranchers are mobile during their workday and research shows that in many areas of the country, they continue to rely on farm radio as a vital source of business information, according to AFBF. Many rural radio stations, however, are no longer fulfilling that obligation to serve their local listeners.
AFBF's official policy states that in order to "make vital decisions, farmers and ranchers need detailed and timely weather information, local news, up-to-the-minute market reports and news affecting production agriculture."
A combination of several factors, including massive consolidation in the radio industry and a decline in farm-related advertising, has made farm radio vulnerable. But, while some station managers and owners have a strong commitment to their rural audiences, others have used these factors as a "convenient excuse" to dump farm programming, Stallman said.
A new rule recently issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service that ensures pesticides will be approved faster, without duplicative reviews required, took effect Sept. 7.
The new rule gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to determine whether a pesticide is likely to adversely affect endangered or threatened species or their habitat, without having to consult with other agencies. FWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, collectively called the Services, said EPA has sufficient expertise to make the determination on its own, consulting with the Services only when it thinks it's necessary.
"This is important to farmers because it streamlines the process," said Rebeckah Freeman, American Farm Bureau Federation pesticide policy specialist. "This puts a process in place that keeps products in the market and coming to market. It also protects endangered species."
The new counterpart regulation will replace previous federal regulations that required EPA to consult with the Services before approving pesticides or certain pesticide uses. Because EPA has not done the consultations, environmental groups have sued the agency.
Because of the risk of lawsuits over the consultation issue and risk that more pesticide uses could be lost, more than 30,000 Farm Bureau members wrote letters and postcards in support of the new regulation. AFBF President Bob Stallman said they deserve credit for helping to bring about the rule change.
The Services said the new procedure would ensure that their staffs could spend their time on protecting species, rather than second-guessing determinations by an agency that has more expertise in evaluating pesticide safety. In addition, they said it could help protect species by getting new, safer pesticides to market faster than if formal consultation had to take place on every pesticide registration. Still, several environmental groups opposed the change.
The Services will still periodically review EPA's methods of determining a pesticide's likelihood of affecting species. EPA will be allowed to decide when to request informal consultation with the Services, when to involve staff from the Services directly in its assessment process and when to follow the formal consultations process that was previously required, in which the Services make the final determination of a pesticide's impact.
AGFUND launches website
The Texas Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund (AGFUND), Inc. has announced the
launch of a new website to present the information and the candidates endorsed by the
political arm, a separate segregated fund, of the Texas Farm Bureau. The site, listing the
AGFUND endorsements and other news, can be found at www.txfbagfund.org/index.asp. The
AGFUND site was launched on September 1.
"AGFUND is financed by voluntary contributions from Texas Farm Bureau members," said Texas Farm Bureau and TFB AGFUND President Kenneth Dierschke. "It is an opportunity for Farm Bureau members to support candidates based on their stands on agricultural issues and Farm Bureau policy."
The site will feature AGFUND endorsement news releases and candidate profiles. Also, an explanation of why AGFUND endorsed each candidate will be posted.
The avian influenza virus strain (H5N2), detected in Gonzales earlier this year, has been completely eradicated, according to the Agriculture Department. Six months have passed since the detection and eradication of the virus strain, said USDA official Peter Fernandez.
"Targeted and extensive surveillance has not detected any further evidence of the virus," said Fer-nandez.
"With the successful eradication of the virus, the state quarantine orders on affected premises were released. The virus has been completely stamped out…the United States of America considers itself free from highly pathogenic avian influenza."
—President George W. Bush, addressing the Republican National Convention
