Despite reassurances, some producers are getting less than what cattle outside of the quarantined zone are bringing and fewer buyers are showing up at the sales.

"In the spring, buyers that normally buy at those sales were not there," said Steve Gonyea, who operates a 40-head beef operation in Alpena County. "It's a perception that we need to work past. These cattle are the same high-quality cattle that we've always produced."

According to Kevin Kirk, MDA animal health liaison, some feeder cattle in the 11-county quarantined zone have sold for $5 to $10 less per head than cattle outside the zone. "Those cattle are safe to put on Michigan farms and the test proves that," Kirk said. "Any cattle leaving the quarantined area have to be tested, so the buyer can rest assured that he's purchasing a healthy animal."

To date, MDA has tested about 44,000 animals in the 11-county area and a few that were traced back to the region. Six animals have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, which has also been found in the free-ranging deer herd in that area. No animals have tested TB-positive since January of this year.

Kirk says MDA has almost completed TB-testing in the core and buffer zones, and Phase I of the testing process is expected to be completed in October. Random retesting in that area will then begin, targeting about a third of the herd the first year. The following year another third will be tested, and the last third will be retested three years from now. If no animals test positive during that time, the department will re-evaluate the future testing requirements.

"The department is continually striving to get a handle on the situation in the quarantined area," Kirk explained. "The challenge to eradicate this disease requires a great deal of time and energy, but is achievable if everyone cooperates. In the meantime, TB-tested cattle are healthy and shouldn't be treated any differently than cattle outside the quarantined area."

"Farmland preservation is good for agriculture, good for communities, good for the environment and it saves taxpayer money that would be needed to build new roads, schools and public utilities in areas that weren't previously developed," said Jim Fuerstenau, executive director of Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance, an affiliate of Michigan Farm Bureau. Michigan Farm Bureau and the Rural Development Council of Michigan are sponsoring the trip.

The trip - dubbed the Ultimate Farmland Preservation Tour - makes stops in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"There's been tremendous public interest and support for preservation of our natural resources across the nation," said Scott Everett, Michigan Farm Bureau legislative counsel and one of the trip's organizers. "This third encore trip will allow another 135 participants to see the successful programs already in place in other parts of the country. There is no reason we can't build the nation's best farmland preservation program in Michigan."

Michigan State Reps. Ron Jelinek (R-Three Oaks), Stephen Vear (R-Hillsdale) and Mike Pumford (R-Newaygo) are participating in the tour, along with Indiana Sen. David Ford. They join a growing list of legislators who have participated on the tour, including Michigan Reps. Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck), Steve Ehardt (R-Lexington), Elizabeth Brater (D-Ann Arbor), Lauren Hager (R-Port Huron), Ed LaForge (D-Kalamazoo) and Susan Tabor (R-Lansing).

"We're particularly interested in methods that preserve farmland in large, contiguous blocks," Fuerstenau explained. "It's the fragmentation - the pattern of development - that has the most impact and is the most destructive to our agriculture industry. It's never too late to keep agriculture in Michigan, but the question is, to what degree do we want it to function? Do we want to continue to be a leader in agriculture and have it be a strong contributor to the state's economy, or do we want to risk losing those benefits?"

Participants will be looking at voluntary programs. "That's important to note," Fuerstenau said. "We're not looking to preserve every acre of farmland. But these programs will give the farmer another option, other than selling for development, that can be equally t as financially beneficial."

An overview of Maryland's Smart Growth Initiative starts the trip with a focus on Montgomery, Carroll and Hartford counties. In New Jersey, participants will see how townships have developed programs in Burlington County and then travel to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to tour the Brubaker and Hess farms. To mix in a little non-agriculture education, the group will visit the Gettysburg Battle Field before learning about the Adams County program and visiting the Mason-Dixon Farms.

Scattered throughout the trip are expert speakers on land-use programs. Organizers hope this firsthand exposure, coupled with an array of testimony, will spur efforts to develop programs in other states - particularly Michigan.

"By acting now, we can ensure agriculture will remain viable in Michigan because it will have a predictable natural resource base upon which to operate and expand," Fuerstenau explained. "Farmland preservation programs support family farms and make good business sense by making sure land available for agriculture is assembled in a working order. This is important so that changes in the agricultural business environment can occur in the future with minimal impact on the non-farm public."

Michigan's only statewide Purchase of Development Rights program is woefully under-funded and was designed only as a pilot program.

"We need local governments to ask for state leadership and provide matching funds," Fuerstenau said.

Where's the money coming from?

Fuerstenau suggests maybe a land conversion tax, which would levy a fee on the buyer whenever land leaves agriculture. The state's rainy day fund is another option. "Ideally, Michigan needs to create an endowment fund, where the interest from that fund would be available to match local funding," Fuerstenau added.

But, the first step in building a program is understanding the need, the opportunity and the feasibility of its creation.

"It's been done. We can do it here and we can do it better," Fuerstenau said. "All we need is the momentum behind the issue."

"We got just over an inch the last week of August," said Scott Foster, a Berrien County cash crop farmer. "Before then, it was the last weekend in June when we got rain that amounted to anything."

Scott and his brother, Bruce, farm about 2,600 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, irrigating 500 acres of corn. Foster expects the drought will cost him a 50 to 75 percent drop in corn yield on sandy soils, with heavier ground yielding better. Soybean size is also expected to be reduced due to the lack of rain.

Southern Michigan is not the only area suffering drought, as many eastern and northeastern parts of the country have been declared agricultural disaster areas. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman recently named counties in North Carolina, Maine and Virginia as disaster areas, joining 10 other states that have already been declared, including Ohio.

The designation qualifies farmers in these states and contiguous counties for emergency, low-interest loans because of losses due to excessive heat and drought. Under the emergency loan program, farmers have eight months to apply to cover part of their actual losses.

According to Tom George, Farm Service Agency farm loan specialist, Monroe, Lenawee and Hillsdale counties are eligible for emergency loans because they are contiguous to Ohio.

Although three counties in Michigan are eligible, farmers farther west like Foster and others in Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph counties, are still looking for assistance.

"The damage assessment report must show a 30 percent loss in crop production for the entire county in order to be eligible," George explained. "The governor's office will request designation for funding, but harvest figures must be submitted first. Hopefully action can be taken by the end of November when harvest is complete."

According to Jeff Andresen, Michigan State University Extension agricultural meteorologist, the 1998 harvest season ended on a dry, mild note, making the soil during planting season extremely dry.

"Farmers went into the 1999 season with a soil moisture level significantly less than capacity," Andresen said. "Many areas in the state were able to rebound with timely rains, but for the southern parts of the Lower Peninsula, the lack of rain, along with the low soil moisture level, caused big problems for farmers."

During August, soybean prices were up 5 cents from July to $4.25 per bushel, but down $1.18 per bushel from a year ago. Wheat prices rose 20 cents from July to $2.43 per bushel, a scant 5 cents above 1998 levels. Corn rose 4 cents from July prices to $1.78 per bushel, down 11 cents from August 1998.

Livestock prices in August fared well compared to a year ago, with August hog prices at $36.40 per hundredweight - up $5.20 from July and $1.20 above 1998 prices. Beef cattle prices also were up 30 cents per hundredweight over July at $62.90, a full $5.50 per hundredweight above last year's level.

"The referendum was a choice between the lesser of two evils," said Chris Galen, a spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation. "The most egregious evil is having no federal order program. It's no surprise that dairy producers very grudgingly and with a great deal of reservation did vote in the USDA proposal."

The new system is due to take effect on Oct. 1, but legislation pending in Congress would overturn the milk pricing reforms, with one such proposal having the support of 220 House cosponsors.

The sale of Murphy Family Farms provides evidence of the stress that is being felt in the pork industry. It also raises concerns over further concentration of the hog industry. It is believed the Murphy sale is driven, in part, by low prices. It also clearly illustrates how dire the economic situation is for smaller family farms.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, while not questioning the legality of the Murphy/Smithfield Foods transaction, is concerned about the increased concentration in the livestock industry. It is renewing its call for the Justice Department to have someone with agricultural expertise to oversee such concentration issues.

AFBF believes more oversight is needed regarding anti-trust laws pertaining to agriculture, and making sure family producers are protected.

Responses to the 1999 June Agricultural Survey showed the following increases since farmers were last asked about computer usage in June 1997:

• Access to a computer by Michigan farmers increased from 47 to 59 percent in two years.
• 51 percent of Michigan's farmers own or lease a computer, up from 38 percent in 1997.
• Using a computer for farm business occurred on 25 percent of the state's farms, up 5 percent from 1997.
• 28 percent of Michigan's farms now have Internet access, compared with 17 percent in 1997.
• Within the 12-state North Central region, Michigan ranked first in 1999 for access to a computer and for owning or leasing a computer. The state was also top-ranked in these categories in 1997.
• Both in 1997 and 1999, Michigan ranked eighth in the region for using computers for farm business.
• Michigan ranked seventh in the region in 1999 for Internet access, after tying for first in 1997.

Pediatric nutritionists have long agreed that extra iron can push up red blood cell production. As a result, many milk formulas designed for premature infants are fortified with iron. But researchers disagree on whether their tiny patients should get the iron along with their formula or between feedings. A new study concludes iron-fortified formulas are a good option. While researchers found that premature infants actually made 2 percent better use of iron given separately, this very small increase is not significant compared to the extra effort required and the possible stomach irritation that can come with giving iron as a separate supplement. It is simpler and effective to use iron-enriched formulas for premature infants when breast feeding isn't an option.

Michigan ranked sixth in maple syrup production in the United States for 1999 (Vermont was first). Production was estimated at 73,000 gallons, which was better than last year but still not ideal. Several factors affected the slightly low figure - temperatures in early March warmed to above freezing at night, hampering flow and shortening the season; and a prolonged dry spell last summer and fall may have reduced this spring's flow potential.

According to the U.S. Soybean Board, 55 percent of all soybeans planted this year were genetically modified. Since this technological breakthrough in 1996, farmers have reported cleaner crops, a higher yield and a reduction in the amount of required herbicide.

Outdoor grilling is a great way to cook in the summer, but do you know what you're burning in your charcoal grill? Charcoal briquettes are specially treated pieces of wood. Wood is made of three main components: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. But wood really isn't a great fuel. It's only about 50 percent carbon, and doesn't give off as much heat as something like coal, which is 80 to 90 percent carbon. To make wood a better fuel, charcoal manufacturers boost the carbon percentage in the wood by baking it in an airtight oven at 500ºF. The heat makes the liquids in the wood boil, turn into gases and evaporate. With these liquids gone - many of which are high in oxygen and hydrogen - the percentage of carbon in the wood goes up. To boost wood's carbon percentage even higher, charcoal manufacturers pump a little oxygen into the oven. The heat, wood and oxygen react and make a small fire, so the wood partially burns, removing the hydrogen from the wood making it even higher in carbon - and a better fuel for your cookouts.