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BEEF'S COW CALF WEEKLY    April 4, 2008  |  A PENTON MEDIA PUBLICATION
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    Table Of Contents
> WTO Ruling On Hormones Is Bittersweet
> The Cursed Comfort Zone
> We Were Way Off The Mark Where Ethanol’s Concerned
> Applications Being Accepted For W.D. Farr Scholarship
> Argentine Beef Crisis Is Perhaps At An End
> Auction Market BQA Video Released
> Body Condition As A Reproduction Management Tool
> Cattle-Hauling Website – uscattlehaulers.com – Debuts
> DHS Bullies The Border
> Dried Distillers Grains Don’t Increase E. coli O157:H7
> Ellen Terpstra Nominated As USTR Ag Ambassador
> Four Cattle Suspected Dead Of Rabies In West Virginia
> Gasoline Sets New All-Time High; Diesel Drops
> Is Your Dewormer Working?
> Korean Ambassador Promises Quick End To Beef Ban
> NDSU Releases Weed Barrier Video
> New Bahiagrass Offers Southeast Faster Germination
> No Health Benefit To Keeping Just-Weaned Calves
> Planting Intentions Reveal 8% Fewer Corn Acres
> Retail-Food Prices Rise In First Quarter
> Schafer Stands By Voluntary NAIS
> USDA Pumps Up TB Funding
> USDA Releases Draft Of NAIS Business Plan
> Updated “Cow-Calf Management Guide” Now Available
> WTO Rules Yet Again On 20-Year-Old Hormone Dispute
> Westchester Ag Scholarship Applications Due April 30

    Our Perspective
    WTO Ruling On Hormones Is Bittersweet

This week, I couldn’t help but get excited when I read the headlines regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on the European hormone ban. After all, the headlines asserted in one way or another that the EU ban on hormones was wrong and was somehow a victory for U.S. beef producers.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Troy Marshall



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    The Cursed Comfort Zone

Here’s one of my favorite jokes:

A rancher is walking through his pasture one day and stumbles on a lamp. He picks it up and, just like the other stories, out pops a genie. The genie thanks the rancher for setting him free and grants him three wishes – one per year.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Troy Marshall

      We Were Way Off The Mark Where Ethanol’s Concerned

The law of unintended consequences where ethanol is concerned can be seen everywhere. When politicians chose the ethanol industry as their answer for something substantive they could point to relative to U.S. reliance on Mideast oil, it could be argued that the entire ag world was forever changed.

Sure, the windfall profits of a few were predicted, but the industry also predicted that it would create a spike in the Choice/Select spread, that it would result in lower outweights, and that it would put pressure on the government to open up Conservation Reserve Program lands. The list goes on and on. In many, if not most, of these cases, the conventional wisdom has been proven to be totally wrong.

Things are often different than they appear at first blush. With $5/corn, most people would assume that creep feeding would be less economical than in the past. Yet some people are claiming that now is the time, what with weight price spreads coming together, early weaning and other considerations.

The lesson from a manager’s standpoint is that with all the changes that are occurring, one really needs to sit down and analyze all the various ramifications because what appears obvious at first blush might prove to be off by about 180°.
-- Troy Marshall



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      Applications Being Accepted For W.D. Farr Scholarship

Applications are being accepted for the W.D. Farr Scholarship program, presented by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. Two, $12,000 graduate scholarships will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing graduate degrees in animal science, environmental science or ag. Applications must be postmarked by April 30.

Find the scholarship application and criteria online at www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org/scholarship.aspx, or call 303-694-0305. Winners will be introduced at the 2008 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, July 15-19.
-- National Cattlemen’s Foundation release

    Argentine Beef Crisis Is Perhaps At An End

For three weeks, Argentine farmers blocked farm goods and livestock from reaching Argentine cities, stripping supermarket shelves of food and meat, paralyzing beef and grain exports and sparking a political crisis. The blockade – sponsored by four farm groups – was in opposition to a government decision to raise taxes on exports, a tactic aimed at keeping more domestic production at home in a bid to control domestic food prices and curb runaway inflation.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Muriel Elizabeth Hayes, Buenos Aires, Argentina



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      Auction Market BQA Video Released

The beef checkoff and the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) have teamed up to release an auction-market Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training DVD titled “Focal Point, An Auction Market BQA Guide.”

“The goal was to create a tool that would help market owners and managers have a conversation about BQA and correct animal handling with their market staff and to take a look at their own practices,” says Kristen Hendricks, LMA vice president of membership services.

“We hope this cooperative effort between BQA and LMA will create opportunities to reach auction markets that have not previously had BQA top of mind,” says Ryan Ruppert, director of quality assurance programs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

About 2,000 of the DVDs have been sent to auction markets across the U.S., covering 99% of U.S. facilities. LMA is also encouraging auction markets to reach out to their state BQA coordinators to further certify their market and look at possible producer-training opportunities. Videos were also sent to each state ag department and state veterinarian.
-- Cattlemen’s Beef Board release

    Body Condition As A Reproduction Management Tool

The practice of assigning a body condition score (BCS) to a cow is a great management tool for identifying nutritional needs in a beef cowherd. There’s a strong link between a cow’s body condition and her reproductive performance.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Clint Peck



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      Cattle-Hauling Website – uscattlehaulers.com – Debuts

A free website – uscattlehaulers.com – is aimed at making the location of livestock transportation faster, easier and more cost-effective for cattlemen. Available 24 hours/day, seven days/week, uscattlehaulers.com brings livestock buyers and shippers together with experienced trucking firms equipped to handle all their livestock transportation needs, says Dan Little of Little & Little Trucking LLC. A “100% free service” for cattlemen, shippers, buyers and feedlots, locating a reputable livestock transportation company from the convenience of your home or office is just several computer clicks away, he adds.

The website allows users to post a load, post a truck, view the load board, or scan the contact and insurance info on 120 truckers spread across the U.S. Other features include links to truck stops, scales locator, maps/directions, road conditions, weather, nationwide fuel prices and more.
-- uscattlehaulers.com

      DHS Bullies The Border

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it will issue two waivers of certain laws to expedite security improvements on the border with Mexico. The waivers are the result of Congressional authority given to DHS permitting them to ignore legal requirements in an effort to install additional physical barriers and roads at the border to deter illegal activity.

One waiver applies to certain environmental and land-management laws for project areas in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, encompassing roughly 470 total miles. It will facilitate additional pedestrian and vehicle fence construction, towers, sensors, cameras, detection equipment and roads close to the border.

A separate waiver was signed for a levee-border barrier project in Hidalgo County, TX. The roughly 22-mile project will strengthen flood protection in the area while providing the Border Patrol with tactical infrastructure. DHS has used its waiver authority on three previous occasions.
-- DHS release

      Dried Distillers Grains Don’t Increase E. coli O157:H7

A new Kansas State University study concluded that the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 or salmonella are no different in cattle fed dried distillers grain (DDGs) or cattle fed steam-flaked corn. An earlier study suggested that feeding cattle DDGs increased the shedding of E. coli in fecal matter.

The report states, “Unlike our previous studies, we found no evidence to indicate that dietary inclusion of distiller’s grains or corn-processing methods have a significant effect on the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 or salmonella in cattle feces.”
USDA is conducting a similar study.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent



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      Ellen Terpstra Nominated As USTR Ag Ambassador

Ellen Terpstra is being nominated to be chief ag negotiator for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative. Terpstra now serves as USDA’s deputy under secretary of ag for farm and foreign ag services. She previously served as administrator of USDA’s Foreign Ag Service. Prior to joining USDA, she served as CEO of the USA Rice Federation and U.S. Apple Association.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent

      Four Cattle Suspected Dead Of Rabies In West Virginia

Four cattle in a Hampshire County, WV feedlot are suspected dead of rabies after being bitten by a rabid skunk. Under quarantine for investigation into their health status are 85 other head, reports the Cumberland Times-News.

In addition, State Veterinarian Joe Starcher says six people who came in contact with the saliva of the infected animals are being treated. The six are undergoing a five-dose, 28-day, regime of rabies vaccination.

Starcher says a veterinarian will be on the farm daily to watch for disease signs in the quarantined cattle. These include any behavior that appears "offbeat, the animal stays alone, exhibits strange movement, is slobbery, appears to be choked and has a deep bellow or bawl that is caused by the throat muscles becoming paralyzed," he says.

The website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - www.cdc.gov/nicidoc/dvrd/rabies - has more on rabies exposure and vaccination.
-- Joe Roybal

      Gasoline Sets New All-Time High; Diesel Drops

The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline rose 3.1¢ for the week to hit a new all-time high of $3.29/gal. Meanwhile, the average retail diesel price dropped for the first time since late January, shaving 2.5¢ to $3.964/gal., or $1.174 above last year.

By region, regular gasoline increased 1.5¢/gal. on the East Coast to $3.256, or 58.5¢ higher than last year, while the Midwest added 5.7¢ to $3.249, or 63.5¢ over last year. The Gulf Coast price rose 4¢ to $3.206 (64.1¢ over a year ago); the Rocky Mountains added 3.4¢ to $3.232, or 61.3¢ higher than last year; and the West Coast moved up 0.6¢ to $3.523, or 42.7¢ higher than last year. California was at $3.608 for the week.

On a regional basis, diesel prices fell in all regions but the Rocky Mountains, which added 1.9¢ to a new all-time high of $3.972/gal. The East Coast shaved 3.1¢ to $4.014, or $1.25 over a year ago; the Midwest trimmed 3.5¢ to $3.929, or $1.149 up from last year; and the Gulf Coast dropped 2.1¢ to $3.907. The West Coast fell by 0.7¢ to $4.049, or $1.164 over last year, while California shaved 0.7¢, falling to $4.112 ($1.173 above the price a year ago).
-- Energy Information Administration

    Is Your Dewormer Working?

Anthelmintics (dewormers) are among history’s miracle drugs. Since first introduced in the 1960s, these products have literally helped feed a growing planet by increasing the efficiency and sheer volume of cattle, sheep and goat production.
-- Click on headline to read the rest of this story by Joe Roybal

      Korean Ambassador Promises Quick End To Beef Ban

After several previous false starts, South Korea's market may be just weeks from truly re-opening to U.S. beef.

South Korean Ambassador Lee Tae Sik wrapped up a three-state tour Tuesday in Omaha, where he met Gov. Dave Heineman and state ag and business leaders, according to Brownfield Network. Lee’s key message was that new South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his parliament understand the country’s de facto U.S. beef ban may derail the pending U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreement, a deal South Korea wants to finalize.

"Since this is standing in our way to get our agreement approved in the U.S. Congress, we have to resolve it rather quickly," he says.

Just how quickly? Heineman says perhaps as soon as later this month. "You may be aware the new president of Korea is going to visit our country and President Bush April 18-19 at Camp David," Heineman remarked. "I think all of us are focused on the positive opportunity there."

Officially, South Korea's market is already open to U.S. beef, but only to boneless beef from cattle 30 months of age and younger. But trade has been repeatedly suspended due to the discovery of bone fragments in U.S. beef shipments.

Lee says the new beef agreement would include bone-in beef, formerly the largest source of U.S. beef exports to South Korea. He also tells Brownfield the resumption of U.S. beef imports would happen in accordance with guidelines established by the World Organization for Animal Health.
-- Peter Shinn, Brownfield Network

      NDSU Releases Weed Barrier Video

A video on the use and maintenance of polypropylene weed barrier fabric for trees is available from the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service. The video explains annual maintenance requirements and tips, as well as methods for removing the weed barrier and alternative tree-care methods.

Produced by the Adams County Soil Conservation District, Adams County Extension office, NDSU Hettinger Research Extension Center and NDSU Ag Communication Department, access or download the video at: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/hettinge/economics.htm. For more info, contact Julie Kramlich at 701-567-2735, Dan Nudell at 701-567-4323, or Shari Wick at 701-567-2661, Ext 3.
-- NDSU release

      New Bahiagrass Offers Southeast Faster Germination

TifQuik is a new bahiagrass cultivar aimed at providing Southeast forage growers with a better shot at beating back weeds before they gain a stranglehold on forage pastures. Developed by Ag Research Service (ARS) scientists in Tifton, GA, TifQuik provides faster germination and field establishment than Tifton 9, ARS researchers say.

Most currently available bahiagrass cultivars require 2-3 weeks to establish a full stand, a time during which weeds can infest the pasture, restricting moisture for forage-seed germination. In greenhouse studies, TifQuik’s germination rate averaged five times greater than that of Tifton 9 after six days, and three times greater after eight days.

One week after planting, TifQuik emerged about 75% faster than Tifton 9 and Pensacola, another commonly used forage bahiagrass. Four weeks after planting, TifQuik plants were taller than those of both Tifton 9 and Pensacola.

Read more in the April 2008 issue of Agricultural Research at: www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr08/forage0408.htm.
-- ARS release

      No Health Benefit To Keeping Just-Weaned Calves

A Kansas State University (KSU) study indicates calves shipped just after separation from their dams grew and stayed as healthy as calves kept on the ranch for varying amounts of time up to 60 days.

In the study, summer-weaned beef calves (Angus crosses weighing 400 lbs.) were separated by age, says KSU Extension animal nutritionist K.C. Olson. They were assigned to one of five weaning periods that corresponded to the length of time (60, 45, 30, 15 and 0 days) between separation from dams and shipment to an auction market.

Olson and graduate student Justin Bolte conducted the study.

All calves were fed the same diet-free choice throughout the trial and were monitored twice daily for symptoms of respiratory disease.

They were vaccinated against common diseases 14 days before separation from dams and again on the day of separation. On a common shipping date (day 0, Aug. 24, 2007), the calves were transported three hours to a commercial auction market, where they were held for 14 hours. Then they were moved to a feedlot an hour away.

The body condition of the dams was assessed 60 days before, and 60 days after, the shipping.

“Under the conditions of our study, ranch-of-origin weaning periods of between 15 and 60 days did not improve calf health or growth performance, relative to shipping calves immediately after maternal separation," Olson says.

For more info, contact Olson at 785-532-1254 or kcolson@ksu.edu.
-- KSU news release

      Planting Intentions Reveal 8% Fewer Corn Acres

High nitrogen costs and strong soybean prices have U.S. growers eschewing corn for beans this planting year. According to USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings Report, producers intend to plant 18% more soybean acres this spring and 8% fewer corn acres. Last year featured the most corn acres planted since 1944.

Growers say they’ll plant a total of 86 million acres of corn in 2008. At an average yield of 154 bu./acre, 2008 corn production would again fall below consumption, pushing supplies to the lowest levels in years.

Meanwhile, U.S. soybean producers intend to plant 74.8 million acres in 2008, up 18% from last year, but 1% below the record high of 2006.

Planting intentions for other crops include:
  • Hay growers expect to harvest 60.6 million acres in 2008, 2% fewer than 2007, with harvested acreage expected to drop throughout most of the Great Plains, Southeast and Southwest. Texas will lead the way with a 390,000-acre decrease, followed by South Dakota and Nebraska with 300,000 and 150,000-acre reductions, respectively.

    Hay acreage is forecast to increase in most of the northern Great Plains, Western Mountain regions and Northeast. North Dakota leads with an expected 120,000-acre increase. In the West, minor increases are expected in Oregon, Nevada and California.

  • Cotton – 2008 acres of 9.39 million acres, 13% below 2007.
  • Rice – 2.77 million acres in 2008 vs. 2.76 million in 2007.
  • Sorghum – 7.4 million acres in 2008 vs. 7.7 million in 2007.
  • Wheat – at 63.8 million acres, up 6% from 2007. Winter wheat is 46.8 million acres, up 4% from last year. Of this total, 32.5 million acres are hard red winter, 10.7 million are soft red winter, and 3.63 million are white winter.

    Spring wheat is expected to total 14.3 million acres, up 8% from 2007. Of this total, 13.6 million acres are hard red spring wheat. The intended durum planted area for 2008 is 2.63 million acres, up 22% from the previous year.
-- Elton Robinson, Delta Farm Press

      Retail-Food Prices Rise In First Quarter

Retail food prices at the supermarket increased in the first-quarter 2008, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Marketbasket Survey conducted in February. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 basic grocery items in the first quarter was $45.03, up about 8% or $3.42 from the fourth quarter of 2007.

Of 16 items surveyed, 11 increased, four decreased and one stayed the same in average price compared to the 2007 fourth-quarter survey. Compared to one year ago, the overall cost for the marketbasket items showed an increase of about 9%. A 5-lb. bag of flour showed the largest retail price increase, up 69¢ to $2.39.

Other items increasing in price were: cheddar cheese, up 61¢ to $4.71/lb.; corn oil, up 58¢ to $3.01/32-oz. bottle; a dozen large eggs, up 55¢ to $2.16; vegetable oil, up 38¢ to $2.63/32-oz. bottle; mayonnaise, up 22¢ to $3.14/32-oz. jar; Russet potatoes, up 18¢ to $2.47 for a 5-lb. bag; a 20-oz. loaf of white bread, up 16¢ to $1.78; apples, up 13¢ to $1.40/lb.; whole fryer chickens, up 9¢ to $1.37/lb.; and ground chuck, up 4¢ to $2.73/lb.

Bacon was the only item in the survey that stayed the same in price, at $3.35/lb.

Items decreasing in price were: whole milk, down 10¢ to $3.81/gal.; pork chops, down 8¢ to $3.31/lb.; a 9-oz. box of toasted oat cereal, down 8¢ to $2.97; and sirloin tip roast, down 5¢ to $3.80/lb.

“More than a third of the increased cost reported this quarter is attributed to the two oil products and mayonnaise, which is oil-based. As expected, the drop in price for vegetable and corn oil observed in the last quarter of 2007 appears to have been temporary,” says Jim Sartwelle, an AFBF economist. “Continued strength in the wheat and cheese markets also contributed to the overall price increase for the basket of items.”

In addition, “It is important to note the contribution of runaway energy prices to the retail cost of food,” Sartwelle says. “Transportation, processing and packaging all cost significantly more now than in prior years.”

Sartwelle adds that the share of the average food dollar received by farmers continues to drop. In the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures on average. That’s now 22%, USDA says. In other words, the farmer’s share of this quarter’s $45.03 marketbasket total would be $9.90.

According to USDA statistics, Americans spend just under 10% of disposable income on food annually, the lowest of any country in the world.
-- Western Farm Press

      Schafer Stands By Voluntary NAIS

USDA remains committed to a voluntary National Animal ID System (NAIS), says USDA Secretary Ed Schafer.

“I like to see public policy generated that encourages people to engage, that helps them recognize the benefits of being involved in an interactive relationship with government,” Schafer tells Brownfield Network. “I don’t like government telling people what to do.”

Schafer says progress is being made through the voluntary system. “And, of course, we have to do it voluntarily or our friends on Capitol Hill are going to step in and make it mandatory,” Schafer says.

Schafer also told Brownfield that in order to have an effective country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program, animal ID is necessary. “Having the desire to properly label means we ought to be able to track animals, and that’s a national animal ID system,” he says.
-- Dave Russell, Brownfield Network

      USDA Pumps Up TB Funding

USDA announced the availability of $16.8 million in emergency funding to continue efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB) in California, Michigan and Minnesota.

The emergency funding will be used to depopulate known TB-affected cattle herds, which is crucial to prevent the spread of the disease and to indemnify producers. The funding also will be used for enhanced surveillance not only to identify affected herds but also to determine the source of infection. This enhanced surveillance will include free ranging white-tailed deer in Minnesota and Michigan, a possible source of the disease.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Senate Finance Committee approved a voluntary buyout plan this week for TB-affected herds in the state. The $3.5-million program would apply to a designated 56-herd zone in northwestern Minnesota.

"If the producer does not choose to take the buyout, the board of animal health will do a risk assessment of their farm," says the bill’s author Sen. Rod Skoe. "And they will determine appropriate measures to ensure that there's no interaction between deer and cattle. That will then lead more than likely to significant fencing requirements on those farms."

He believes aggressive action can eliminate TB in the targeted area within five years.

In addition, The Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced the launch of a website dedicated to the State of Minnesota response plan. With the pending downgrade of Minnesota’s TB status to Modified Accredited, the new site is an info resource on bovine TB in the state. At www.mntbfree.com, producers, stakeholders and others can easily access info on bovine TB in wildlife, interstate movement, upcoming informational meetings, biosecurity and more.
-- USDA release and Minnesota Public Radio

      USDA Releases Draft Of NAIS Business Plan

USDA’s Ag Marketing Service (AMS) released a draft business plan to further the implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The plan shows how participants in AMS voluntary programs such as the USDA Process Verified, the Quality Systems Assessment, and the Non-Hormone Treated Cattle programs can meet the inherent animal ID requirements by using NAIS.

According to Bruce Knight, USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, "The AMS Business Plan will allow for integration of NAIS with AMS audit-based marketing programs. NAIS is a voluntary partnership among producers and government. This immediately provides the producer a twofold reward for a single investment. It ensures trace back of their animals for herd health reasons and provides benefits for marketing value-added animals domestically and internationally."

USDA says NAIS would make it easier to properly label product for sale at grocery stores for American consumers. This will help meet the objectives of the country of origin labeling (COOL) program.

To read more, visit www.usda.gov/nais.
-- P. Scott Shearer, Washington, D.C. correspondent

      Updated “Cow-Calf Management Guide” Now Available

If you’re looking for a solid resource manual on cow-calf production, consider the “Cow-Calf Management Guide And Cattle Producer’s Library.” Boasting more than 230 fact sheets on all aspects of beef cattle production compiled in a four-inch, three-ring binder, it’s the most complete set of up-to-date informative material available in the beef industry.

Each fact sheet is peer-reviewed by Extension beef specialists and educators from across the 12 western states. Known as the Western Beef Resource Committee, this group revises the entire publication annually; for an additional cost, revised fact sheets are available each year for those who have previously purchased the book.

Among the topics addressed are: quality assurance, nutrition, reproduction, range and pasture, animal health, management, marketing, finance, genetics, drought and other natural disasters. Visit www.avs.uidaho.edu/wbrc/samples.html to view selected fact sheets.

Available for $95, plus postage, to order the printed book or CD-ROM version, contact the University of Idaho Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at 208-885-6045 or angelac@uidaho.edu.
-- University of Idaho

      WTO Rules Yet Again On 20-Year-Old Hormone Dispute

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled yet again on the 20-year-old trade spat between the U.S. and the European Union (EU) regarding growth hormones in beef, but don’t expect the EU’s market to open up any time soon.

In the latest ruling made public on March 31, the WTO ruled that the EU’s de-facto ban on imported beef raised with growth hormones goes against global trade rules. The EU was forced several years ago to adjust its trade policies because of its illegal trade ban and introduced new rules in 2003 based on new science. The WTO on Monday, however, ruled that the EU's new science is not, in fact, enough to continue the ban.

The U.S. and Canada -- which was also part of the dispute -- didn’t get off easy, however. Both countries had introduced 100% tariffs on several European products, such as chocolate and truffles, since 1999 to the tune of US$116.8 million and C$11.3 million. The WTO ruled that even though those tariffs were appropriate because of the EU’s old ban, they weren’t valid for the ban the EU introduced in 2003.

So, in essence, the U.S. and Canada are meant to come up with new tariffs against the EU that are appropriate for the new 2003 ban.

Yet despite the retaliatory tariffs on EU products, the EU isn’t about to back away from its stance on growth hormones. According to a source inside the European Commission, the EU has no plans to do so nor is it likely to do so despite the new ruling or even if the U.S. and Canada institute more retaliation measures.

The U.S., EU and Canada have the option to appeal the decision and Canada has hinted that it might.
-- Meghan Sapp, Brussels, Belgium

      Westchester Ag Scholarship Applications Due April 30

Applications for the Westchester Foundation scholarship are due April 30. Eligible are college students and high-school seniors accepted for enrollment or already enrolled at an accredited college, university or community college in a course of study related to agriculture or agribusiness.

Recipients are selected on academics, community and school involvement, leadership potential and financial need. The awards, which are a minimum of $1,000/year, can be renewed annually for up to four years. Learn more at www.westchester-group.com.
-- Westchester Foundation news release



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