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Food Safety

November 13 2001

Things are happening on the farm and food front. A furious and confusing farm bill debate rages in the Senate. A completed bill for the President to sign still seems unlikely this year. When will Congress complete the appropriations bill for the President to sign? That is one thing they have to finish before adjourning. I think they'll still be here working into December.

Trade promotion authority according to House Speaker Denny Hastert is coming to a vote. We have an ongoing debate about…

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Christmas 2000

December 14 2000

Hello everybody out there in farm country. The John Block radio commentary is brought to you by the Council for Bioteclmology Information.

What an interesting experience! Recently I visit the Monsanto experiment laboratories in Chesterfield, MO. I can report to you the world of biotechnology promises to be a world of wonder and unbelievable value to all of mankind -- not just fanners. For more information about biotech, visit the Council's web site at www.whybiotech.com.

And now for…

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Biotechnology 2000

October 17 2000

Timing is everything. Federal regulators, for whatever reason, didn't get around to approving Starlink com for human consumption. Now we have a real mess. Kraft recalled millions of taco shells. Safeway had to do the same. Farmers are blaming the seed companies that sold Starelink for not making it clear to them that they had to segregate the grain from other genetically engineered corn variates.

Here's the situation. We are eating genetically engineered corn every day now. It is approved…

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Best of Times, Worst of Times

September 26 2000

I pick up a big city newspaper and read the criticism of the generous support for farmers in this election year. Okay, I'll admit the support is generous. But to provide some balance to this evaluation of the situation, it might be worth taking inventory of other conditions working against the farmer.

Is your diesel fuel much more expensive? What about the LP gas drying your com? Just wait 'til you see the price tag for nitrogen fertilizer. The simple fact is the higher energy prices will…

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PIK Program

September 13 2000

Say it isn't so! Not the PIK program again. Yes, that's what it is. This time for sugar. I really thought PIK (payment in kind) was history. But I guess not. We have too much sugar and with the loan rate where it is, it appears the sugar processors are going to forfeit at least 500,000 tons of sugar to the government. Secretary Glickman does not want the sugar. He already owns 125,000 tons. The sugar beet farmers are about to harvest another big crop. I introduce you to payment in kind. Give…

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Government Support for Farmers

July 11 2000

Adopt this proposal and U.S. farmers will be able to "sell their commodities in every comer of the earth without being undercut by subsidized competition or blocked by high tariffs." -- the words of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. The proposal was formally presented to the World Trade Organization the last day of June.

The plan would set a ceiling on government support for farmers and phase down over time. The objective is to systematically wean farmers from government support…

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Federal Budget Surplus

July 4 2000

President Clinton has been making a big thing out ofthe bulging budget surplus. Vice President Gore has been trying to take credit for the surging economy. Members of Congress are talking about the windfall. It's like we just won the lottery. This is terrific. And after all of those years of budget deficits. But if indeed the federal government is going to have 4.2 trillion dollars more than needed to meet our obligation over the next 10 years, what should be done with the money?

That's the…

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Congress

June 27 2000

Many of the pundits have been saying that this would be a "do nothing Congress". That political gridlock would close the door on any meaningful legislation. So far that has not been the case at all. Let" just take inventory ofwhere we are with a list of bills that might have been little more than a dream a few months ago. For years the Congress went through the annual charade of voting normal trade relations for China.

The energy expanded every year was enormous. This year we passed…

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The Death Tax

June 7 2000

I picked up the Washington Post yesterday and there I saw this article discussing the Death Tax issue in great detail. The gist of the message was: Yes, there is growing pressure for the federal government to do something to reduce the tax burden forced upon a family at the death of the principal. Somehow, the writer of the Post article couldn't seem to understand why relief was supported by so many people. After all, only 2% of family estates are faced with the tax. It's really no big deal.…

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TOBACCO

March 28 2000

I am getting tired of talking about our own government's oppresshre, ruthless assault on tobacco. You may say -- "Who cares? I don't smoke." 'Well, neither do I!! But the assault on tobacco has serious implications. What about personal property rights? '''hen your friends come over to your house, don't you think that you should be the one to decide if they can smoke or not. What's the difference, if you own a bar, a pool hall, a restaurant. Your customers come in and you say, "you are welcome…

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