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The Landowner publication said it has not been able to confirm the details from the principals involved. But here's what publication representatives say has been learned from sources close to the sale.
The sale involved 140 acres of bare farmland in desperate need of tile. The auction was held in an attorney's office. Sources told the publication the bidding turned into a showdown between two local landowners with extensive farming operations in the area. Apparently, the landowners had competed for land in the area for years. This time neither would blink. A neighbor with land on both sides of the property finally won the bidding, paying that $6,150 an acre, several sources indicate. Publication sources said the auction occurred in the morning and the winning bidder was on the ground planting soybeans that afternoon!
There are probably only two people truly happy with this sale—the seller, who sold the ground for as much as $2,500 to $3000 per acre over the market, and the county collector, who now has a new benchmark price.
The $6,150 price is not a new state record. A March 16 sale of 160 acres of 80.7 CSR land in Scott County snared $6,250 per acre paid. But the $6,150 price has to be a record paid for bare farmland in a non-metropolitan county.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; June 16, 2005
The cows are being impounded in a parking lot. If owners want to get their livestock back, they'll have to pay about $2 for each hour they were impounded.
Source: AFBF Executive Newswatch, June 7, 2005
And, Nigerian cow
arrested for murder!
A cow in Lagos, Nigeria, was arrested and detained by police after killing a bus driver standing on the highway, according to a police spokesman.
The horned African cow was a stray in the city and injured several bystanders after ramming into the bus driver. Although people at the scene suggested the cow be shot, the district police officer insisted on taking it alive. Police are now looking for the owner to press charges for not keeping the cow under control.
Source: AFBF Executive Newswatch, June 14, 2005
Administration takes steps
towards WTO compliance
The administration will submit legislation to Congress to bring the cotton Step 2 program and the GSM Credit guarantee programs in the compliance with the recent WTO ruling.
The WTO ruling stated these programs should be changed by July 1, a deadline that will almost certainly be missed.
The schedule for compliance can be changed by mutual agreement between U.S. and Brazil,. However, no such agreement is in place yet. Any changes will probably be part of the
budget reconciliation process and won't be passed by Congress until late fall.
Source: Doane's Agriculture Report,
June 10, 2005; Vol. 68, No. 23-1
Texas refinery first
to offer biodiesel blend
AGE Refining, Inc. is the first refinery in the United States to offer a blend of biodiesel direct from the refinery.
The San Antonio-based company announced recently it would offer B20, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel fuel.
Biodiesel available direct from the refiner cuts out the middleman, reduces transportation costs and encourages increased production. AGE's B20 fuel will be available from a number of petroleum distributors in the South Texas area.
Source: AFBF Executive Newswatch,
May 24, 2005
American independence
relies on food stability
Agriculture's greatest contributions toward American independence is food stability.
Americans have the most affordable food supply in the world. We spend 10 percent of our disposable incomes on food, compared to countries like India, where that number increases to a staggering 51 percent. Further, each U.S. farmer produces enough food to feed 144 people.
Source: AFBF Ag-Agenda; June 16, 2005
Animal rights activists score confinement victory
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Wild Oats Markets, Inc. announced a historic victory in the effort to combat intensive confinement systems in animal agribusiness.
After multiple discussions with HSUS, Wild Oats, one of the nation's largest natural foods retail chains, agreed to avoid the sale of eggs from caged birds in all of its 75 Wild Oats Natural Marketplaces, located in 23 states. While some U.S. companies, such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, have asked their egg suppliers to increase cage space, this announcement makes Wild Oats the nation's first major chain to formally implement a cage-free corporate policy for eggs.
Beef and pork producers have reason to be concerned that this trend, which began in Europe, could eventually produce new demands and restrictions, on them as well from the retail food sector.
Source: Doane's Agricultural
Report; June 3, 2005
Organic milk
demand explodes!
In the past six months, dairy farmers across the country have fallen short of meeting buyers' total orders for organic milk. The demand is estimated at 10 percent higher than the supply.
Most of the shortages are at large chain grocery stores. Smaller stores that rely on local producers are not having as many supply problems. The demand for organic milk has been hard to predict, and some are calling it a social phenomenon with the demand increasing every day.
Source: AFBF Executive Newswatch, June 6, 2005
Maryland goats combat
invasive plant species
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission has employed new pest-control devices for their parks—goats. In response to the rapid growth of invasive plant species, Montgomery County has started a pilot program of weeding public parks with goats.
According to the Baltimore Sun, environmentalists claim invasive plants are the second largest threat to biodiversity, following urban sprawl. Officials are most interested in eliminating the multiflora rose and porcelainberry plants, which the goats have no problem eating. The biggest problem with the goats is that they could threaten native plants if left in one area too long.
Source: AFBF Executive Newswatch, June 8, 2005
