Trade Agreement With Chile
Will Benefit Farmers/Ranchers
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S.
Secretary Ann Veneman released
the following statement Tuesday,
Dec. 11, after the conclusion of
the trade agreement with Chile
“Today’s announcement that
the United States and Chile have
concluded a free-trade agreement
is good news for America’s farm
ers, ranchers and exporters who
are eager to take advantage of
the new and promising export
opportunities that the agreement
will bring.
“Under this FTA, our access to
Chile’s market will improve for a
variety of U.S. agricultural prod
ucts, including durum wheat,
USDA Issues New Scrapie Eradication
Program Recordkeeping Guidelines
For Markets, Dealers
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. New compliance guidelines to simplify
record-keeping for sheep and goat dealers and markets have been is
sued by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Vet
erinary Services (APHIS-VS) as part of the national scrapie eradi
cation program.
The new record-keeping compliance guide
lines require only standard business practices of
recording buyer, seller, the number of animals,
date, species and breed or class of animal. No
longer will dealers and/or market operators be
expected to record individual identification in
formation unless individual “IDs” are inserted
or replaced by a dealer or market.
The record-keeping change is important to all
segments of the sheep and goat industries,
according to Dr. Cindy Wolf, Sheep Health
committee chairperson for the National Institute
for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) and a small ru
minant specialist with the University of Minne
sota. “It allows market channels to operate nor
mally and still be in compliance with the scrapie
eradication program.”
The new guidelines will not affect existing ID
and record-keeping requirements for most pro
ducers. The exceptions are for owners of low
risk commercial sheep and owners of goats that
have been commingled with low-risk commer
cial sheep. These producers may now identify
their sheep and goats with an official premises
ear tag rather than a registered brand or ear
notch.
More information on these and other topics
relating to the scrapie eradication program is
available on the Internet at
vmw.animalagricuiture.org/scrapie, or call toll
free (866) 873-2824.
Winners Named In KILE
Junior Steer Show
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The HJM
Cattle Company of Richland was selected as the
grand champion winner in this year’s Keystone
International Livestock Exposition (KILE) Jun
ior Steer Show. Megan Fuls, 16, exhibited her
champion crossbred market steer for the compe
tition. She has been showing at KILE for eight
years.
The breeds of the champion steer were Paul
and Beth Wingard of Sunrise Club Calves, Ship
penville.
The reserve grand champion steer was owned
and exhibited by Red Rock Farm, Etters.
Megan Fuls, Richland, exhibited the
chdmpion market steer.
pork, beef, feed grains, and dairy,
horticultural, and high-value
food products. Over three-quar
ters of U.S. farm goods will enter
Chile duty-free within four years
and all duties on U.S. products
will be phased out over 12 years.
‘U.S. wheat, wheat flour and
vegetable oils will now receive the
most preferential rate available
and will be duty-free at the con
clusion of the transition period.
In the past, Chile’s price band
system sharply constrained ex
port opportunities for these prod
ucts.
‘Both of our countries have re
newed their commitment to con
tinue the work on resolving ira-
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portant sanitary and
phytosanitary issues that inhibit
market access.
“While U.S. tariffs will also be
eliminated over time under the
FT A, the agreement has a provi
sion that will help protect farm
ers and ranchers from sudden
surges in imports from Chile.
When the safeguard is triggered,
additional duties will be applied.
“This FTA is another step to
ward this Administration’s goal
of harmonizing market access
abroad for U.S. agricultural pro
ducers and exporters. The agree
ment will give America’s farmers
and ranchers and the businesses
they support improved, and in
many cases, new access to a mar
ket of 15 million consumers.
“I want to extend my thanks
and appreciation to Ambassador
Zoellick as well as the team of
negotiators from both countries,
who have worked long and hard
for two years to make this FTA a
reality. Cooperation in trade in
this hemisphere will benefit all of
us. Today’s agreement moves us
closer to that goal.”
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NACD Calls On President To
Stop Cuts In Conservation Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. The
National Association of Conser
vation Districts (NACD) has
called upon President Bush to
stop the Office of Management
and Budget’s redirection of con
servation technical assistance
funding.
An NACD analysis shows that
OMB has redirected at least $75
million of technical assistance
funding in 2002. These actions
undercut the role farmers and
ranchers play in protecting the
nation’s natural resources. The
magnitude of the problem will
only grow as funding for the
Farm Bill is ramped up over the
next five years.
“These conservation programs
are crucial to achieving a cleaner,
healthier environment on the na
tion’s private working lands
benefits that translate to an im
proved quality of life for all
Americans,” said NACD’s Presi
dent Read Smith. “The public
will be the ultimate losers if the
administration does not fully
fund these programs.”
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At the heart of the issue is
whether the base conservation
technical assistance funds that
support private lands conserva
tion in every county in the coun
try should be redirected. Despite
clear direction from Congress in
the Farm Bill law, the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
wants to redirect funds intended
to support non-Farm Bill conser
vation programs, and use them to
fuel the technical assistance
needs of the new Farm Bill con
servation programs.
NACD is calling upon the Ad
ministration to fully fund the
technical assistance component
of the 2002 Farm Bill conserva
tion programs enacted by Con
gress earlier this year. “America’s
farmers and ranchers are count
ing on these programs to help as
sure their economic future and
improve their ability to protect
the environment for all,” Smith
said.
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