1. WHITE HOUSE FACES CRITICISM FOR CUTTING FARM CONSERVATION

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman yesterday faced withering criticism from the Senate Agriculture Committee over her Department's implementation of the 2002 Farm Bill. Senators faulted the Secretary with violating the intent of Congress on a wide range of issues, from the dairy program to oil seed loan rates to the conservation programs. Senator Harkin, in particular, expressed his anger that the USDA had accepted a compromise after the Office of Management and Budget refused to release technical assistance funds for the Wetlands Reserve Program, Farmland Protection Program and the Conservation Reserve Program. Congress, he said, very clearly stated that the technical assistance funds were to be made available, and the OMB was wrong to interpret the law otherwise. "Maybe I should conclude that this administration does not support conservation, and this is the way they'll get at it -- they'll bleed it dry by not providing technical assistance money," said Harkin, who also threatened to subpoena OMB Chief Counsel Philip Perry.

2. MOUNTING HAZARDS OF GENETIC MANIPULATION IN CROPS

The first rallying cries to surface against genetically modified organisms (GMO's) came when laboratory tests showed the devastating effect Bt Corn had on Monarch Butterfly larvae. In the ensuing four years the list of the potential hazards of GMO's has grown to sobering proportions. One notable debacle came when consumers, concerned about the allergic responses to GMO corn, forced Taco Bell and others to search out GMO free corn. The latest to hit the headlines is the finding that GM DNA of soya flour eaten in hamburger and milkshake, has been transferred to bacteria in the human gut, a possibility that the pro-biotech scientists have been denying for years. Other predicted hazards have also been confirmed. Genes conferring tolerance to the herbicide Roundup have been found in the mare's tail. This herbicide-tolerant "super-weed" is now plaguing GM soya and cotton fields in the US. Established commercial seed stock and indigenous varieties are now contaminated by GMO stock, posing a significant threat to agricultural and natural bio-diversity.

1n 1989, soybean farmer Harvey Joe Sanner, along with a group of farmers, brought antitrust action against the Chicago Board of Trade alleging the CBOT conspired to manipulate the soybean market in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Thirteen years later Sanner and the other farmers will finally have their day in court as the trial is set to begin in Chicago this week. The saga began on July 11, 1989 when the CBOT issued their infamous Emergency Resolution that sent soybean prices plummeting and farmers into shock. A drought in 1988 had reduced stocks and farmers were rightfully expecting higher market prices for their 1989 production. That optimism evaporated when the CBOT publicly mandated that large contracts to purchase soybeans be liquidated, thereby forcing buyers from the market and creating a windfall for the short sellers. According to a press release sent by the group, "Since 1989, the CBOT has relied on a bevy of lawyers and a 13-year campaign of legal maneuvers to block the efforts by farmers to have their day in court. In the release Sanner said, "The evidence amassed during the discovery process is damning to the CBOT's 1989 action, I guess that explains why they fought so hard to suppress it."

This Saturday, September 21 is the date for the sold-out Farm Aid concert near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. FarmAid regulars Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews will be joined by Kid Rock, Lee Ann Womack, Gillian Welch and others.

The concert will also be a forum for individuals and organizations that are changing agriculture for the better. Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $15 million for farm organizations, churches, and service agencies in 44 states. If you weren't lucky enough to get a ticket to the sold-out show, you can watch it live this Saturday on the CMT! Network from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. 

If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this list, visit our
Rural Updates Subscriber Center