California: Statewide water storage levels are a significant one-third less than a year ago. The shortage alone is not terribly daunting, but it is combined with new judicial rulings on water usage that could limit pumping in some areas. Much of California agriculture is dependent on irrigation.
North Dakota: State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson went on the offensive in October by attacking print and radio ads that criticized state meat inspection programs for being less rigorous than federal inspection. Calling the ads “false and misleading,” Johnson asked that they be taken off the air immediately.
Meat inspection programs became a hot issue after the House version of the 2007 Farm Bill made new allowances for the interstate shipment of meat from state-inspected plants. The proposal is generally considered to be good for small and mid-sized producers.
South: Some grain producers in the South are waiting up to five hours to unload grain at local elevators. Elevator operators say the triple whammy of high soybean yields, more corn acres in the South, and low river levels that slow grain shipment are creating the bottleneck. Unhappy producers are complaining that elevator operators promised to be ready to handle the increased grain loads.
Pennsylvania: The state is putting forth $850 million to support new clean energy projects. In part, the plan calls for dedicating more resources to ethanol and biodiesel production in the state and setting new minimum blending requirements for gasoline and diesel. If done right, the plan could spur rural economic development opportunities around locally-owned biofuel production.
Texas: Meanwhile, in a last minute move to balance the state’s budget, Texas lawmakers cut state funds designated for biofuel production support. Beyond budget-related issues, the debate hinged on the proper role of the state in the biofuels industry, with some lawmakers arguing that by subsidizing biofuels the state was encouraging competition with Texas’s native oil industry. Others argued that the state was being shortsighted in ending support for biofuels production. Seventeen states offer incentives to produce biofuels.
Contact: Brian Depew,
briand@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1015 for information. Visit the Blog for Rural America on our website.
Dakota Rural Action has been a close ally of the Center for Rural Affairs since the South Dakota grassroots organization was established. In particular, Dakota Rural Action is a key ally in South Dakota on livestock market reforms, beginning farmer and rancher initiatives and on anti-corporate farming laws. Visit them online today. 
