South Korea free trade pact to take effect in March SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea say their long-stalled free trade agreement (FTA) will take effect March 15.
The two countries made the announcement last week. The deal is America’s biggest since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. The agreement to slash tariffs and other trade barriers was signed in 2007. But it was delayed for years by changes in governments in both countries, the global financial crisis and American worries over an imbalance in auto trade.
Seoul eventually compromised and addressed those concerns. Proponents say it will boost trade and the countries’ half-century alliance. South Korean activists say it favors the United States over South Korean workers.
Authorities: Barn fire in Michigan kills 27 horses GRASS LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A barn fire in southern Michigan killed 27 horses and sent a farm worker to a hospital with burns, authorities said.
The fire broke out the night of Feb. 21 at Campbell Stables and wasn’t considered suspicious, authorities said. A neighbor reported seeing flames shoot 100 feet in the air, according to the Jackson Citizen Patriot. It burned for several hours.
At about 10:40 p.m., firefighters were called to the stables in Jackson County’s Grass Lake Township, about 60 miles west of Detroit. Crews arrived to find a two-story barn fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters from five area departments fought the blaze. The injured employee was taken to an Ann Arbor hospital with burns to his hands and legs, said Grass Lake Township Fire Chief Greg Jones. The owner originally reported there were 38 horses in the barn, but later realized she miscounted, Jones said.
“She was so upset,” he said. “She just wasn’t thinking clearly.” The cause of the fire is not known, Jones said. He did not anticipate having a report on the cause immediately. There was no immediate estimate of the cost of the damage.
Indiana lawmakers back penalties over farm lawsuits INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana Senate committee has endorsed a bill that would require penalties against anyone who a judge decides has filed a frivolous lawsuit against a livestock farm. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 Feb. 22 in favor of the bill that would change current law giving judges discretion on whether to order the person filing a frivolous lawsuit to pay the farm’s court costs and attorney fees. Supporters of that change say judges are often reluctant to order such penalties against those filing nuisance lawsuits.
Environmentalists argue that such a change will have a “chilling effect” on those with legitimate complaints against sprawling, factory-style livestock farms. They say Indiana already has a strong law protecting the property rights of farmers.
The bill now goes to the full Senate.
Missouri House rejects plan to increase some farm taxes JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri House members have voted to reject a tax plan that would increase property taxes for the best farms.
Property taxes for farms are based on the land’s “productive value.” Farms are divided into eight groups based on land quality, with the best in Grade 1 and the worst in Grade 8. The Missouri Tax Commission has recommended increasing productive values for the four highest grades.
The property tax changes for 2013 and 2014 take effect unless the legislature approves a resolution to reject them. House members voted 117-39 Feb. 21 to reject the tax proposal.
House member Casey Guernsey, a Republican from Bethany, said flooding and natural disasters have caused problems for agriculture. He says it is a bad time for a tax increase on farmers. In other news, the Missouri House has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment barring voters from enacting laws that affect the raising of livestock through initiative petitions. The proposal would add a “right to raise livestock” to the Missouri Constitution.
Sponsor Tom Loehner of Koeltztown said initiative petitions affecting agriculture should be restricted because farmers have little money to educate voters, while outside groups can use television ads to persuade urban voters to pass laws that hurt farmers. Loehner cited the 2010 voter-approved laws regulating dog breeders as an example.
Critics of Loehner’s proposal say restricting initiative petitions could interfere with voter rights. The House gave the measure initial approval Feb. 20 on a voice vote. If approved by the House and Senate, it would go on Missouri’s November ballot.
Connecticut bill looks to add labels to engineered food HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut legislators are looking at bill that requires genetically engineered foods to be clearly labeled as such.
The Environment Committee heard arguments for and against the legislation at a public hearing last week. Representatives from the Connecticut Farm Bureau, Grocery Manufacturers Assoc. and other groups testified on the bill.
The legislation would require labeling on any food sold in the state that is produced with genetic engineering. Foods sold without this label, even those partially produced with genetically engineering, will be considered misbranded.
If enacted this session, Connecticut could become the first state to require such labels. Co-Chair of the Environment Committee, Rep. Richard Roy of Milford, said he introduced the legislation because of public concern over the issue.
Fire destroys barn, leaving at least two sheep dead
FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Flames have destroyed an eastern Iowa barn and left at least two sheep that lived there dead.
Firefighters responded to the fire at the farm in Fairfax, near Cedar Rapids, early Feb. 20 and found flames coming from a shed and a barn where about 35 sheep lived. Most of them escaped into a neighboring field, but crews have recovered the bodies of two dead sheep and expected to find a couple more.
KCRG-TV reported crews believe a heat lamp used to warm the sheep sparked the fire. Farm owners said they heard a pop after 2 a.m., found the fire and called 911. The Fairfax Fire Department continues to investigate.
Cornell prof: Warming climate favors New York soybeans
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A Cornell University crop and soil science professor says a warming climate could present a profitable opportunity for farmers in northern New York: Soybeans.
Professor William Cox said soybeans aren’t labor intensive and they’re commanding a high price. He recently released results of field trials to help growers decide which varieties to plant in 2012. New York has been a marginal region for soybean cultivation because of the cold climate. But Cox says that’s changing. Soybean acreage in New York increased to almost 300,000 acres in 2011 from about 40,000 in 1990, with big growth in the Finger Lakes, western New York and northern New York.
Cox said more dairy farmers are looking to grow their own soybeans and process them for feed. |
