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Show Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday August 26, 2003 8A Emery County C OMMENTARY Cattlemens Capitol Concerns Australian Trade: According to ofAustralian Embassy, y the waiting period requirement for US beef exports to Australia has officially been lifted. NCBA is very pleased with this decision and has been working towards the elimination of this trade barrier for a long time. Historically, Australia has maintained a y aging import requirement for US beef. This sanitary barrier has contributed to the difficulty of the US to ship what little beef it does into Australia, which was 0.4 metric tons in January-Jun- e 2003, and 82.7 metric tons in 2002. During FTA negotiations, the NUBA insisted that the Administration resolve the remaining SPS issues with regards to US beef exports to Australia. The office of the US Trade Repren sentative, Agriculture and Plant Service and Health Inspection Service have worked together to make this change a reality, and we are very pleased with its prompt resolution. Canadian Trade: NCBA has received a number of questions regarding the recent decision to develop a permitting process to allow boneless boxed beef from Canada to be exported to the United States. We would like to reiterate that USDA's decision is science-baseThe decision to reestablish trade with Canada in this manner is consistent with the guidelines established by the Office of International Epizootics (OIF) for tradingwith countries such as Canada that have had all the necessary BSE prevention systems in place and enforced, and that have conducted the type of comprehensive ficials from the 30-da- long-standi- non-tari- ff 30-da- USDA-Foreig- USDA-Anim- al d. investigation as Canada to illustrate this is an isolated case. OIF is an organization that endorses countries makdecisions as ing science- - and the USDA has done in this case. Relative to consumer confidence, NCBA survey data indicate consumers have a very high level of confidence in the safety of US beef, both before and after the Canadian BSE case. Therefore, we do not expect the reestablishment of basis trade on a limited, science-base- d to effect consumer confidence. We will closely monitor this situation and act if need be to address any challenges to the safety of beef, both foreign and domesrisk-base- d tic. Country of Origin Labeling: NCBA submitting comments this week to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on the proposed amendments to the Chicago Mercantile Exchanges live cattle futures contract regarding country of origin labeling. The proposals will require all cattle delivered on the futures contract must be born and raised exclusively in the United States, and the seller must provide supporting documentation that conforms to industry standards at the lime of delivis ery. This CME proposal demonstrates that the mandatory labeling law could change, or even restructure, beef marketing and production. NCBA has long recognized that mandatory labeling will cause disruptive changes. For this reason, NCBA supports an alternative approach to country of origin labeling that will avoid wholesale changes that are caused by mandatory labeling. Should the futures contract become the dumping ground for cattle whose beef is non- - merchantable at the retail level, the price discovery and risk management purpose of the contract will be thwarted. Obesity Issues: NCBA participated in a media workshop reviewing cur- rent obesity issues facing our nation this week, which included a panel of health and nutrition experts, food industry staff, and government officials. The workshop was coordinated by National Pork Producers Council and Meat and Poulthe Washington-basetry Industry Media Relations Committee. Panelists included: Maureen Storey, Ph.D., Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, Virginia Tech; Barbara Determan, Pork Producer, Early, Iowa; Robert Earl, R.D., MPH, Senior Director of Nutrition Policy, National Food Processors Association; David Baer, Ph.D., Diet and Human Performance Laboratory, USDA; Mark d Mansour, Attorney, Keller and Heckman. Disease (FMD): th as part of the agriculture industrys FMD Communicators NCBA, Group participated in a briefing at USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Emergency Operating Center in Riverdale, Ma. today. The group (communications representatives from the beef, pork and dairy industry groups) met with members of APHIS Veterinary Services emergency programs staff and APHIS public affairs staff. The participants shared information about communications plans and toured the new Emergency Operations Center. Animal Health Emergencies: NCBA, as part of the .Animal Agricul ture Coalition, filed a request to the Animal and Plant Health Inspeetion Sendee (.APHIS) asking for an extension to the comment period for the proposed rule g on for animal and plant health emergency programs. This proposed rule will change the percentage of funds the federal government is responsible for in certain animal or plant health emergencies. The comment period doses on Sept. 8. The coalition asked for the deadline to be extended for 60 days to allow the industry more time to examine all facets of the proposed rule and the intended or unintended consequences. NCBA strongly believes the federal government should enhance animal health programs, not diminish them. Animal Health Status: USDAs. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending the regulations that set procedures for recognizing the animal health status of regions. Under the rule, regions that have been granted certain animal health status under USDA regulations will be specifically required to provide information, or allow APHIS to access information, to confirm the regions status when it is requested. NCBA has previously commented on this rule. The amended regulations require, at the discretion of the Administrator, that regions submit, or allow the collection of, information APHIS believes is necessary to ensure that the animal health status of the region has been maintained. FDA Public Health Strategy: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a plan that outlines how it is takingnew steps to protect and advance public health for America. Protecting and Advancing Americas Health: A cost-sharin- Strategic Action Plan for the 21 st Century, The plan outlines five priority goals for the future. These are: ( ) effirisk management, cient, science-base- d (2) patient and consumer safety. (3) better informed consumers, (4) counterterrorism, and (5) a strong FDA. For more information, go to 1 wvvw. http: fda.govocmcclellan strategie.html Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable: Staeev Katseanes, PLC & NCBA Federal Lands Issue Coordinator, will attend meetings this week of Sustainable the Rangelands Roundtable (SRR) in Portland, Ore. The SRR, a coalition group of resource professionals, government policy makers, academic's, researchers, conservation and environmental groups, and industry representatives are working to develop a set of measures of the environmental, economic and social components of rangeland sustainability that would apply to all US rangelands. The SRR last met in Wyoming in June. A top priority for NCBA and PLC is site-specif- ic short- - and long-ter- m rangeland monitoring. California Visit: NCBA VP of Government .Vffairs, Chandler Keys, and NCBA PAC Director Tandy Harrison were in Oakdale, Calif, last week, meeting with individual California cattlemen to discuss current issues affecting the cattle industry. Congressional Schedule: Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are out for summer recess. They are due back following the Labor Day holiday. Harriets World By HARRIET BISHOP its that time of year wiien I for get crazy garden vegetables. We have had a very bad season this year for gardens. I dont have one at all. VViiat with the drought and all. am fortunate because my friends have started to share their gardens a little with me. A tomato here and a cucumber there. I treat each piece as if it were gold. There is nothing like that first tomato of the season is there. I dont know about you but I always like to have my first tomato sliced with salt and pepper on it. After that I can eat them on a sandwich or fix them with cucumbers and all sorts of things but that first tomato has to be eaten just plain. So you can savor the taste. Well, 1 Last night my dear neighbor brought over some corn so I could have some with my dinner. Oh, it was so good. I wrapped my mouth around that first cob of the year and it was perfect. 1 never had anything taste as perfect. I say that every year. There is nothing like Utah corn. There is a gazillion different vanities. Most of us like the sweet variety. Some like yellow kernals. Some like white and there is even an in- tegrated kernal. You pick it right before you eat it and then you dump it in that pot just minutes after its been picked. The flavor oooooli weee! Everybody eats their corn different and cooks it differ- ent. Some people microwave it. Some boil it for five or ten minutes. Some leave it in the husk and roast it. Anybody who eats corn will tell you that their w ay to cook it and eat it is the only w ay. Me, I put it in cold water in the pot and bring the water to boil. Boil one minute, then turn off the heat and let it sit. That sets the milk in the kernal. Then butter and salt right on the cob. Thats another thing. Some people eat their cobs different. Some go around the cob while others like myself eat it a few rows at a time like a typewriter. I butter as go. Some butter the w hole cob before they start eating. Whatever floats your boat. Some people cut if off of the cob before they eat it. Me, I still have enough teeth that I can still eat it from the cob. Have I tempted your taste buds? The best dinner of the whole summer is sliced tomatos and corn on the cob. No meat just those two vegtables. In my world corn and tomatos were meant to be eaten together. Until next time, remember if you grew a good garden this year, dont forget to thank God for it. Bon Appetit! 1 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Recently, I traveled to the Green River via the Range Creek road through Little Park. I have worked in the East CarbonSunnyside area for over 10 years and have heard the residents talk about this road that started at I lorse Canyon and ended up on the banks of the Green River. After traveling approximately five miles from the Horse Canyon Mine an old BLM sign is placed, w hieh makes a statement that I am sure is not the philosophy of todays BLM. As you travel from Turtle Canyon and turn south for three miles along Range Creek to find a barricade that was placed there years ago denying access to the last one and a quarter miles. Range Creek flows along this canyon as it has for hundreds, maybe thousands of years and meets the Green River. The sign makes a statement that it is a wilderness study area and is closed to all motorized vehicles. At this point visitors have to decide if they want to turn around or make the one and a quarter mile hike down to the river. The group I w;as with chose to make the walk. What we first found out is that the sign is misleading. The actual distance is close to two and a half miles, not the one and a quarter the sign stated. Next we found barricades of sticks, logs and rocks placed along the now closed road. I thought e this effort was from the people river entrance. If they would of known what type of barricade was placed up stream they w'ould see their efforts were not needed. Closer to the river you see evidence of the amount of traffic that uses the beach and river entrance. Trails and footprints are everywhere. Rocks have been placed and arranged for seats. Logs have been located so people can sit and camp. So obviously the area is being used. The only people who get to see this utiliz-ingth- I beautiful place are those who can pay for it during a river rafting trip or make the two and a half mile hike. It was very beautiful and the water was a welcome sight after the two and a half mile hike. It was very sad for me to think that the only ones who can utilize this place of public land was people who pay the high price of river rafting company's. The BLM continues to close more and more public land that at one time was a treasured spot for the residents of East CarbonSunnyside for many years. When we arrived back at the barricade we found eight to 0 East Carbon Sunnvside residents some who I work with sitting at the barricade having a picnic. They were dipping their feet and gettingwet in Range Creek. The creek is putting out a small amount of water that they were making the best of. I thought to myself that two and a half miles down the road is a wonderful place. A place to swim, camp and enjoy like others at one time had done for many years until someone at the BLM decided what was best for them and placed this huge barricade. What a shame to deny this land and area only to those who have the money, political power and insane ideas. If truth was known most of the people who utilize the river entrance are not even residents of Utah. I now can understand why so much anger I have heard from the residents of the East CarbonSunnyside area is directed to the people responsible who placed the barricade. To deny this area to them and their children or to Carbon County residents is not right. We as Americans continue to talk about the injustice and loss of freedom. We are in many countries now fighting for that freedom and a chance for others to live as we do here in the United States. And right under our own noses are people taking away public lands, denying us 1 t access to places that truly belong to the people. I can now see that the BLM would like us to stay out of public lands, make false statements on signs, restrict us so we must take what they give us and make the best of it. Eventually we will be boxed in where we as residents of Carbon County and American citizens can dip our toes in kiddy pools found in our front yards because what was at one time made available to all is now closed only to the select few. Jeff Green Helper Dear Editor, It's that time of year again, time to dust off the books, buy new clothes, and head back to school. Education is the single greatest legacy that we can pass on to our children. A solid educational foundation provides the building blocks for success throughout life, and is the key for future generations in overcoming the problems faced by our society, both today and in the future. Todays children are tomorrows leaders, and it is important for us, as responsible citizens, to treat them accordingly. It is imperative that they are afforded every opportunity to succeed, opportunities that begin in the classroom. There is a growing sentiment that the school system is failing. There are a number of suggestions as to how to correct the problems in the educational system. Some say that we need to increase funding of schools in order to pay teachers more or to spend more on school infrastructure or supplies. Others argue that what is needed is a change in curriculum or educational strategy. While each of these points has merit, the solution to our educational crisis lies a little closer to home, actually a lot closer at home. Decades of research have demonstrated that the single largest factor to home: child's achievement, both in school and in life, is the family support structure. Its very' easy to sit back and criticize the educational system, to blame the failure of a child on lousy teachers or inadequate facilities. How many parents, though, actually take the time and expend the energy to become an integral part of their child's education? There are a number of ways that parents can involve themselves in the education of a child. First and foremost, talk to the child. Ask about their day at school, discuss what they learned that day, and go over any homework assigned. Children that understand that their parents care about school will be encouraged to work harder and succeed. Second, call the school and talk to the teachers directly. Find out what your child is doing in school on a daily basis. If you have the time during the day, volunteer with the school, commit some of your time and energy to helping make the schools a better learning environment. The bottom line: while the school proxies the infrastructure, it is ultimately the responsibility of the parents to raise children. That responsibility carries into the education of children, providing them with the tools and encouragement that they need to succeed. Commitment to education is a reflection of societys commitment to the future of its children. The lessons that parents send with them to school are every bit as, if not more, important than the lessons they bring home. Bob Henline Ferron Letters to the editor should focus on public issues rather than private personalities or entities. All submissions must be verified : prior to publication. The Emery County Progress reserves the right to edit letters not only to sat- isfy space constraints, but potential liability concerns. j i ; |