"I am here to listen to Michigan producers and interested parties to gather information regarding the use of natural boundaries to determine split-state (TB) status," Clifford said. Approved by the USDA, split-state status would designate that TB is isolated to Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties.

"(USDA's) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plans to assess this information in order to make a decision based on sound science," Clifford added.

The Ogemaw and Iosco County Farm Bureaus propose making the Au Sable River the southern boundary of the Surveillance Zone, which extends north encompassing Oscoda, Crawford, Otsego and Cheboygan counties.

Currently, the Surveillance Zone extends to the southern edges of Ogemaw and Iosco counties, requiring beef and dairy farmers throughout those counties to obtain permits for animals moved off farms and to conduct TB whole-herd testing every two years.

Ogemaw and Iosco County Farm Bureau members say the current TB zone map is unfair because TB has not been found in domestic livestock or wildlife in Ogemaw or Iosco counties, yet the counties' producers are subjected to stringent livestock movement and TB testing requirements merely because their counties abut Alcona County, which is located in the Infected Zone where TB has been discovered in livestock.

They say reconfiguring the Surveillance Zone to end at the Au Sable River would provide a natural buffer between the Infected and Surveillance zones while relieving Ogemaw and Iosco county farmers of costly and cumbersome testing requirements and other burdens that decrease the marketability of their cattle.

"We want to take Dr. Clifford to the Au Sable River so he can visibly see the land features and see firsthand how the river creates a natural boundary where no livestock or deer are concentrated," said Ogemaw County Farm Bureau President Bob Bennett, who milks 140 cows in Prescott with his brother John.

"Until you see it, it's hard to comprehend," added Iosco County Farm Bureau President Mike Boensch, who works for Mackinaw Land & Cattle Co. and feeds cattle in Whittemore. "But once you see the river, you see how the Au Sable would make an ideal boundary."

The presidents said using the Au Sable River as a boundary rather than county lines seems feasible to the county Farm Bureaus because both counties have undergone TB testing over the last three years without a single case of the disease.

Beef and dairy producers in Ogemaw and Iosco counties would still be required to have a whole herd TB test completed if the counties were reclassified as disease-free, but farmers would no longer have to conduct biennial testing or be subjected to livestock movement restrictions.

"The only reason we're involved with the Surveillance Zone is because the northeast corner of Ogemaw County touches Alcona County," Bennett said.

"If there was a TB-positive animal, we'd take our lumps. But there's been no positive animals - domestic or wild - found here," he said. "Yet there's an unfair dark cloud put over Ogemaw County with the Surveillance Zone designation."

Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) President Wayne H. Wood said the frustrations are part of a bigger challenge of ensuring the viability of Michigan beef and dairy operations while TB exists in the state and ultimately eradicating the disease.

"This is part of a much broader issue of protecting the well being of livestock farmers in the northeast and throughout the rest of Michigan and really maximizing the state's TB eradication efforts," Wood said.

According to state Fiscal Year 2003 budget figures, roughly $6 million is budgeted for Michigan's TB eradication efforts. Applied to Michigan's 500,000 adult cattle, the figure is spread thin to about $12 a head.

However, if the $6 million was devoted to the 23,400 head of adult cattle in the Infected and Surveillance zones, about $256 a head could be spent on eradication efforts in those zones. Applied to the four-county Infected Zone, the per-head allocation increases to about $600 for the area's 10,300 head of adult cattle.

"Given the state's current budget constraints, it would make sense to devote the entire budget to areas where the disease has been found," Wood said. "It's essential that we target taxpayer dollars and state manpower to where the disease is a known problem so that we can rid Michigan of this costly disease as quickly as possible and redirect state resources to other needs."

MFB supported the development of the TB eradication zones in February as a procedural step for the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) to eventually be able to apply for USDA split-state TB status.

"The proposal set forth by the Ogemaw and Iosco County Farm Bureaus," said Wood, "suggests a creative way to possibly narrow the TB-infected area further so that the state's eradication resources are best targeted at TB 'hot spots.'"

Wood added that the challenges faced by cattlemen and dairymen in Ogemaw and Iosco counties lend credence to Michigan's need for split-state TB status. "We appreciate Dr. Clifford taking the time to explore the local proposal firsthand and listening to Farm Bureau members' concerns," he said.

Clifford's visit was spearheaded by the Ogemaw and Iosco County Farm Bureaus with collaborative assistance from MFB, Rep. Dale Sheltrown (D-West Branch), Michigan State University Extension and the MDA.

Michigan apples are currently shut out of the Mexican market because of Mexican officials' concerns with introducing foreign insect pests to their country. Under the new deal, however, Mexican officials have agreed to accept Michigan apples that are stored in special controlled atmosphere storage facilities and that have been approved by a Mexican inspector who will work during the harvest season from office space provided free of charge by the Kent County Farm Bureau.

"I've been manager of the Michigan Apple Committee for 20 years, and I can't remember such a big event, " said Mark Arney, executive director of the committee. "My guess is that in the 2002-2003 season, we'll ship a minimum of 100,000 bushels to various Mexican importers and retailers. The potential is there over time to send 500,000 bushels."

Under terms of the agreement, 10 Michigan apple shippers will work with growers to earmark 72 controlled atmosphere storage rooms for the program. Mexico's apple inspector will be in Michigan in September to inspect the apples and supervise storage room sealing and will return in mid-December for the shipping season.

"The Mexican inspector will inspect the controlled atmosphere rooms and make sure the proper temperature requirements are met," Arney said. "Once the rooms are sealed, they'll be kept for 40 days to kill any pests that might be a concern for Mexico.

"Controlled atmosphere rooms basically prevent the apples from further ripening, as lack of oxygen kills all insect pests," Arney continued. "When those rooms are opened about Dec. 15, we'll begin shipping."

The inspector will work from the Kent County Farm Bureau office, located on Alpine Avenue within a 25-mile radius of The Ridge, home to Michigan's richest apple growing region and a significant number of processing and treatment facilities.

The deal, inked April 8, is expected to increase Michigan's apple prices, Arney said.

"This will create a market niche for apples normally sold on domestic markets," he said. "Supply and demand could boost prices."

Arney added that growers are "very positive" as the deal "represents a bright spot that we haven't seen in some time."

"We still have a tough road to travel - and this won't solve all our problems, but it will go a long way," Arney said.

Kent County Farm Bureau President Jim May agreed. May is a Fruit Ridge apple grower and was part of a delegation that conducted an apple trade mission to Mexico last year.

"Just to get this inspector here is a plus to the apple industry," May said. "Even if it isn't my apples specifically that go to Mexico, it will help the entire price structure a little bit. It will definitely help us move the apple supply."

According to Paul Burke, manager of the Michigan Department of Agriculture's International Marketing Program, Mexico wants red and golden delicious apples - two varieties currently being shipped to Mexico by Washington state growers. Mexico also will provide markets for gala, fuji and perhaps rome and empire varieties, Burke said.

May expects the benefits of the new market to reach well beyond apple growers.

"I look at this as a big positive for all of Michigan agriculture," he said. "After apples, who's to say what might come next?"

The effort to strike the deal is a good example of many industries working together, added Michigan Farm Bureau President Wayne H. Wood.

"The opportunity to market Michigan apples in Mexico is very positive news for Michigan agriculture," Wood said. "Several industries worked together to reach this goal, and I commend everybody involved."

• Mark Arney, Michigan Apple Committee executive director, (517) 669-8353
• Jim May, Kent County Farm Bureau President, (616) 887-5309

A meeting to accept public comments on the three GAAMPs will be held May 2 at 10 a.m. in the Lake Superior Room of the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 717 W. Allegan St. in downtown Lansing.

In addition, written comments may also be submitted to MDA, Environmental Stewardship Division, P.O. Box 30017, Lansing, MI 48909, or via e-mail to MDA-Right-To-Farm@michigan.gov by 5 p.m. May 3.

The Michigan Right to Farm Act provides guidelines under which a farm or farm operation shall not be found to be a public or private nuisance. In order to have this protection, the farm or farm operation must conform to GAAMPs, which are set by the Michigan Commission of Agriculture. GAAMPs are reviewed annually by the Commission and revised as necessary.

For a copy of the proposed revisions to these GAAMPs, visit www.michigan.gov/mda and type the keyword "GAAMPs," or contact MDA's Environmental Stewardship Division at (517) 241-0236.

In its third year, the fund-raiser will take place at The Emerald at Maple Creek Golf Course just north of St. Johns. The event kicks off with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and concludes with dinner at 3:30 p.m.

The scramble offers 18 holes of golf, breakfast, lunch, a steak dinner and a benefit auction. On the auction block will be items signed by Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo as well as gift certificates and more.

Last year, the scramble raised more than $14,000 to support more than 5,000 Michigan FFA members and programs for leadership, personal growth and career success.

Cost is $125 per person or $500 for a team of four. Dinner only is $25. Various levels of sponsorship are also available. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Molly Avis, Michigan FFA Foundation executive director, at (800) 292-2680, ext. 6569.

The registration deadline is July 19.

Contact: Molly Avis, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6569

Small farms in Michigan average 63 acres and are defined by an economic sales class of generating at least $1,000 of agricultural product sales but less than $10,000. Recent 2001 estimates show that these smaller sized farms increased from 27,500 in 2000 to 28,500 in 2001.

In addition, 2001 estimates show that Michigan is home to approximately 52,000 farms and has about 10.4 million acres of farmland, both unchanged from the year before. "

While other states are losing farms and farmland, Michigan is holding steady. These statistics are important and telling indicators that Michigan is on the right track with its agricultural policy efforts that have been initiated, developed, implemented and enhanced over the past decade," said MDA Director Dan Wyant.

Nationally, the number of farms and ranches stands at about 2.16 million or a decrease of nearly 1 percent, the second largest decline since 1991. The total U.S. land in farms declined about 1.9 million acres from the year before.

Michigan will be participating in the upcoming 2002 Census of Agriculture, which will provide more specific agriculture-related statistics and trends for the state and nation.

For more information, visit the Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service Web site at www.nass.usda.gov/mi/.

Contact: Jill Haake, (800) 292-2680, ext. 6585

AMLAP-II will provide about $75 million to eligible growers for their 2000-crop apple production. The payments are to help offset economic losses due to low prices in the U.S. apple market. Growers can receive a payment per pound for their 2000-crop apple production, and will be paid on a maximum of 5 million pounds per separate apple operation.

To receive cash payments, eligible apple producers must have:

• Produced and harvested apples during the 2000-crop year
• Not received compensation from any other federal program, other than crop insurance, for the same market loss
• Applied for cash payments during the application period for each apple operation.

Contact: Sarah Black, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2025

A San Luis Valley potato-growers group is marketing individually shrink-wrapped potatoes suitable for microwave cooking. The "Express Bake PotatOH!" come pre-washed, and cook evenly in the microwave. Promoters see the as a way to entice would-be potato lovers who are too busy to wait an hour for a conventional oven-baked tuber. The shrink-wrapped potatoes will cook in seven to eight minutes in a standard microwave oven.

Eating fish can significantly reduce a man's risk of sudden death from a heart attack, according to a new study supported published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that men with no evidence of prior cardiovascular disease cut their risk of sudden death by more than half simply by eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This compounds the long-held thought of scientists that n-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oils, have similar benefits to drugs used to treat abnormal heart conditions.

A new study has suggested that eating oatmeal and other whole-grain oat cereal can help control blood pressure levels meaningfully, and potentially lower drug-prescription expenses by millions of dollars annually. The study indicates that 73 percent of participants who ate oat cereal daily for 12 weeks were able to reduce or eliminate their need for blood-pressure medication at an average annual cost of savings of about $197 per patient.