When I was Secretary of AgricuIture, the European Union delisted all of our meat packing plants, claiming that they needed to reinspect and recertify them.The real truth wasn't that our plants were in any way inferior totheirs. No! They just had too much meat in Europe and didn't want ours. After about 2 years, they certified 9 of our plants. They were all horsemeat plants. The French just couldn't get enough horsemeat. So -- we resumed shipping horsemeat to Europe.

But, that was 20 years…

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The St. Louis Post Dispatch quotes a mother buying milk. Here's what she has to say: "I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's bad."

So, what is so bad? Milk from cows that receive a supplement called bST that increases their milk production. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1993. We've already been drinking the milk for 13 years with no ill effects. The milk from a cow that is given the supplement is identical to the milk from a cow that does not receive the…

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Down on the farm! That's where I was last week. We could sure use some rain. But so far, so good. The corn seems to be in good shape. And in walking in the fields, I was happy to find very good pollination. There is nothing that will cut yield like stalks without ears.

It has been hot. When it is hot, the pigs don't eat or gain weight like they should. Besides, it is a challenge just to keep the sows cool. As my son cranked up the auger wagon to haul feed to the finishing barns, I couldn't…

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Cows are headed for slaughter. Beef consumption has collapsed 40% in France. Beef is being yanked off the school lunch menu in Paris and Berlin. Mass hysteria seems to have a grip on all of Europe. The threat -- Mad Cow Disease.

Now I'm not here to say there is no threat or that precautions should not be taken but it seems that the European consumer overreacts to every little thing. And in fact, they really don't care to listen to the scientists and the risk statistics.

It is a fact that…

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