The statewide Michigan Farm Bureau 2000 Lansing Legislative Seminar will be held at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing. Registration will begin at 11 a.m., followed by lunch and a general session at 11:30. At 1:45 p.m. farmers will be briefed on four current legislative issues to discuss with legislators. A legislative reception will follow from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

According to Tim Goodrich, manager of MFB State Governmental Affairs, the seminar provides members and legislators insight on crucial issues impacting farm profitability. "In addition to visiting with their own legislators, members will be meeting with legislators from metropolitan areas, as well as many directors and senior staff from state departments about the current issues covered in the afternoon briefing sessions," Goodrich explained.

Cost for the seminar is $23 per person, covering lunch and reception expenses. "Generally, county Farm Bureaus cover the registration fees for this seminar," Goodrich said.

2000 Lansing Legislative Seminar topics at a glance

• Transfer "Pop-Up" Tax - Michigan Farm Bureau policy supports legislation to eliminate the issue of property tax on agricultural land increasing from taxable value to the state equalization value (SEV) when the title is transferred and remains in agricultural use.
• Farm Value Assessment - Farm Bureau is seeking legislation for a constitutional amendment to base property taxes on the actual use of the property not the highest and best use.
• Highway Funding - Michigan Farm Bureau is supporting legislation to maintain adequate funding for rural roads and bridges.
• Agricultural Districts - Farm Bureau is calling for the establishment of voluntary agricultural districts in order for local communities to offer economic incentives and additional right-to-farm protection to assist in preserving both farms and farmland.

The tour, the fourth of its kind, will include four deluxe coaches making stops in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"There has been overwhelming interest in this tour," said Jim Fuerstenau, executive director of Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance - a co-sponsor of the trip with Michigan Farm Bureau, the Rural Development Council of Michigan, Indiana Farm Bureau and the Indiana Beef Cattle Association. "We have had more than 300 people on previous tours and there continues to be a huge demand for it," Fuerstenau said.

The trip will showcase a variety of land preservation methods to aid leaders in building effective programs in their home states.

"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," Fuerstenau said

According to Michigan’s 1997 Agricultural Census, more than 1 million acres of Michigan farmland were lost during the last 15 years - much of it to sprawling communities. And, in the past five years, 270,000 acres of cropland were converted to other uses.

"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."

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 just as financially beneficial."

Just a few of the programs that will be explored include: density-based agricultural zoning, agricultural security areas, smart growth strategies, purchase of development rights and transfer of development rights.

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, Penn., 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.

The tour features 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.

Cost of the trip is $560, which includes bus transportation, lodging, lunches, dinners and programs. "This is a non-profit, educational trip and the fee simply covers expenses," Fuerstenau said.

Registration and a $300 deposit are due March 10. For a registration form, contact Stacy Sheridan at the Rural Development Council of Michigan at (517) 241-4084.

At a news conference, Jan. 25, the coalition, consisting largely of urban mayors and the Michigan Municipal League, announced it will circulate a petition. The petition would allow for a ballot proposal in the November election, calling for a 2/3 vote from both legislative chambers to preempt local government laws and ordinances - creating a "home rule" for local governments.

"It’s ironic that just in the last few days we’ve heard a calling for greater unity to attract big auto manufacturers, larger industry nd greater economic viability in the area," said Tim Goodrich, Michigan Farm Bureau State and Governmental Affairs Department manager. "And the next day there’s a petition calling for disunity, or the ability for local governments to enact something different than their neighbor. What if townships surrounding a city were to create ordinances that were unproductive for industry in that city? The city would have no recourse. So it’s almost hypocritical that on one hand this group is calling for unity and then, on the other hand, they want local units of government to be able to set regulations without any oversight about how they’re going to handle economic development and the regulation of the economy."

Currently, the Constitution creates local government. "This petition drive would turn that around and say to state government - we are going to be autonomous and if you want to change the way we’re doing business in our communities, you’re going to need a 2/3 vote in order to get it through the legislature," Goodrich said.

Michigan Farm Bureau strongly supported Senate Bill 205, which strengthens Michigan’s Right-to-Farm Act by establishing the Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices as a guideline for Michigan agriculture. "We do not believe local units of government have the resources to do the scientific research and to implement those guidelines," Goodrich said. "So we’re very concerned that this petition would dissolve the progress made with the passage of Senate Bill 205."

The only other piece of legislation requiring a 2/3 vote is a ballot proposal.

"You can imagine any number of things that local units of governments can come up with to prohibit business, agri-business and agricultural activity," Goodrich said. "So it would allow local units of government to continue to regulate agri-business and producers right out of existence. We believe that if this were to get on the ballot and pass, every farm would be a so-called "corporate farm" for those that don’t like agriculture.

Within agriculture, the state has developed standards for pesticides, migrant housing and now the Right-to-Farm Act. "These are instances where local governments have gone too far in regulating," Goodrich said. "Some people don’t want migrants in their community. Local ordinances could be passed, if this petition drive gets on the ballot and passes, that would prohibit migrant housing and at the same time, put farmers out of business simply because a group doesn’t want that particular ethnic group in the community."

"Legally, we don’t have a leg to stand on," said one unidentified "high-ranking EU official" in a Dow Jones Newswire report. "There is no international support for the ban. The overwhelming consensus confirmed by the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods and the WTO is that hormones are safe. There’s not a shred of proof that it’s carcinogenic."

Nonetheless, the EU isn’t about to budge on its ban. According to EU Commission spokesperson Gerry Kiely, "There is very strong evidence that hormones pose a risk, so hormone-treated beef would also pose a risk."

Kiely stressed that the EU will wait for the results of the 17 studies, even though it’s doubtful the studies will clarify what an acceptable risk level would be, he said.

Contact: Bob Boehm (517) 323-7000, ext. 2023

Authored by Dr. C. S. Prakash, director of the Center for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, the declaration declares that "recombinant DNA techniques constitute powerful and safe means for the modification of organisms and can contribute substantially in enhancing quality of life by improving agriculture, health care and the environment."

The Biosafety Protocol meeting in Montreal is being touted as a means to set the international trade rules for the shipment and use of genetically modified foodstuffs.

According to the scientists' declaration, "The responsible genetic modification of plants is neither new nor dangerous. Many characteristics, such as pest and disease resistance, have been routinely introduced into crop plants by traditional methods of sexual reproduction or cell culture procedures. The addition of new or different genes into an organism by more recombinant DNA techniques does not inherently pose new heightened risks relative to the modification of organisms by more traditional methods."

Prakash said that to help promote a "responsible use of biotechnology in addressing the global problems of agricultural productivity and world hunger, it is critical that we as scientists become more proactive in making our voices heard.’’ Prakash has established a web site (www.AgBioWorld.org) to help coordinate this effort. The declaration and a list of scientists who have signed it can be viewed on the web site.

Michigan farmers are suffering from the low commodity prices. This payment limit increase will help alleviate some of the losses. If any farmer has any questions regarding their payment limitation, please contact the Washtenaw-Wayne Farm Service Agency at (734) 662-3900 or come to the office located at 7203 Jackson Road in the USDA Service Center.

Low commodity prices have caused agriculture to be viewed as in a "crisis." Congress can only attempt to respond if they have accurate up-to-date information on farm conditions. These data are one of the best resources when policymakers determine Federal Assistance. Data collected are also used to determine the percent of farmland owned by type of landlord at the State and National level.

Agricultural producers chosen to participate in these surveys will represent from 50 to 100 fellow producers, and will therefore make an important contribution to the overall welfare of America’s farmers and ranchers.

Results from these surveys will be used by farm and ranch operators, farm organizations, commodity groups, lenders, university researchers, news media, local USDA agencies, farm suppliers, and others to compute prices paid, evaluate the economic health of America’s food and fiber producers, determine the need for farm assistance, measure the cost of farm production, and assess the ability for producers to maintain sustainable farms.

For a copy of the finished report or to obtain other agricultural statistics, visit the Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service web site at www.mda.state.mi.us/mass/ or call (800) 453-7501.

Why is popcorn harder than sweet corn? Because there’s more starch and less water in popcorn kernels than in that soft, juicy, eat-it-off-the-cob sweet corn. Starch is a chemical combination of sugar molecules joined together in long chains. There are two kinds of starches - hard and soft. Dent corn - corn often used to feed livestock - has a dent at the top of every kernel. The dip is caused by uneven drying of the hard and soft starches inside each kernel. Flint corn, like the colorful Indian corn and popcorn, hardly have any soft starch at all. The hard starch dries evenly, so there’s no depression in the kernels. Other kinds of corn have mostly soft starch. They’re often called flour corn because the soft kernels are easy to grind up and use for all sorts of foods, like tortillas. And sweet corn? It stays soft because it’s full of water, and the sugar inside each kernel doesn’t make starch until after it’s picked. That’s why fresh-picked sweet corn is sweeter than three-day-old sweet corn.

Thinning and transplanting seedlings can be a tedious task. When handling seedlings, hold them by their first leaves rather than the stems. At this tender stage, the stems can be easily bruised or broken. Using a thin, pointed tool (such as a bamboo shish kebab skewer) to support and separate the roots while lifting will keep the leaf from tearing away from the plant. It’s important to replant each seedling as you move it. Even a short time out of the soil will dry the roots and slow down the re-establishment of the young plant.

Different cattle breeds have traits that result from natural selection pressure based upon the environment in which they were developed. Holstein cattle, for example, have been bred and selected primarily for milk production and are the highest milk-producing cattle in the world overall, although the Australian Friesian Sahiwal have been developed to have higher milk production levels than holsteins in the tropical regions of that country. And the N’dama cattle from West Africa have, through the centuries, developed a resistance to trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, spread by the tse-tse fly, which is fatal to most other breeds of cattle.

The goat is among the earliest domesticated animals. Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in western Asia, such as Jericho, Choga, Mami, Djeitun and Cayonu, which allows domestication of the goats to be dated between 6000 and 7000 B.C. The major contributor of modern goats is the Bezoar goat, which is distributed from the mountains of Asia Minor across the Middle East to Sind. Goats easily revert to feral or wild conditions given a chance. In fact, the only domestic species that will return to a wild state as rapidly as a goat is the domestic cat.