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Texas Agriculture Archive

November 18, 2005

Bad news: Japanese don't want U.S. beef
There is sobering news for those assuming U.S. beef sales will quickly recover to previous levels if Japan ever allows imports to resume. A survey conducted by the leading daily newspaper in Japan reports that 67 percent of those surveyed say Japan should not lift the ban on U.S. beef. The same percentage also say they won't eat U.S. beef if the ban is lifted and 81 percent of those surveyed say they want stores and restaurants to identify the source of the beef they offer.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 68, No. 43-1; Oct. 28, 2005

Hazardous waste collected from cities
Farmers have to handle compounds listed as hazardous in many of their farming operations, but persons living in urban centers seldom think about how much hazardous material they handle on a daily basis.

The amount of household hazardous material in some cities was highlighted by a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency estimated that more than 1 million pounds of household hazardous waste has been collected in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The types of waste listed included cleaning products, lawn and garden products, fuels, paints, batteries and car-care compounds.
Source: AFBF; Executive Newswatch; Nov. 7, 2005

U.S. consumers okay cloned animal products
Results of a survey, conducted by a Texas-based company that is conducting work in the areas of cloning cattle, pigs and horses, shows that two-thirds of consumers in the United States would either buy or consider buying milk and/or meat from cloned animals, if the U.S. government specifies that cloning for such purposes is safe.

About one-third of those surveyed said they would definitely buy food products from cloned animals, and another one-third said they would consider buying such products. The positive results are definitely dependent upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agriculture Department declaring cloning and the resulting food products safe.

Reuters news service issued the report made public from Viagen, Inc. Also of note is that the survey found 45 percent of consumers said they knew nothing at all about animal biotechnology, 26 percent said they knew a little and 21 percent said they knew "something." The Oct. 21 to 23 telephone survey reportedly has a margin of error or plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Source: AFBF; Executive Newswatch; Nov. 7, 2005

African countries target U.S. cotton production
African countries with cotton production are demanding developed countries end subsidy programs, and the United States is a main target of their demand.

The elimination of the Step 2 cotton subsidy program was included in the Senate budget reconciliation package, with the subsidy program eliminated effective Aug. 1, 2006. In conjunction with this action, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revised the amount of money the federal government will save by eliminating the subsidy program.

The estimate is down to only $536 million over the 15 years following the 2006 program termination; this compares to $1.2 billion, the original CBO's baseline estimate. The smaller estimate is because of demand and price correlations for upland cotton not included in the original calculations. The program elimination, to meet World Trade Organization (WTO) demands, is also expected to reduce U.S. cotton exports by about 2.5 percent and domestic cotton prices from 0.0075 to 0.02 cents per pound.
Source: AFBF; Executive Newswatch; Nov. 7, 2005

Higher costs drop net farm income
Net farm income is expected to drop by $10.7 billion in 2005 compared to 2004, according to testimony recently presented to a House subcommittee reviewing the state of the U.S. farm economy. Agriculture Department Chief Economist Keith Collins testified that several factors will contribute to the drop, but it is mainly because of increased production costs for farmers.

Higher costs for energy, fertilizer, manufactured inputs; crop and livestock losses from disasters; and interest rates will all play a part, but rising costs of energy-based inputs and increasing interest expenses will account for more than 60 percent of the increase in costs in 2005, Collins told the House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. Collins said total production expenses in 2005 are projected to be $218.7 billion, up $8.9 billion or 4 percent.
Source: AFBF; Executive Newswatch; Sept. 30, 2005