Analysis from USDA’s Economic Research Service looks at the relationship between public and private investments in research and development and their importance in agricultural input industries. According to USDA’s Chief Scientist Catherine Woteki – agriculture is more dependent on scientific innovation than any other industry. Woteki says the recent ERS study shows the great job that private industry is doing in research – much of which was built on the genetic technology USDA scientists have been working on for decades. She says it’s crucial to continue supporting this kind of research and development.

Globally – most of the increase in ag production over the past 50 years can largely be attributed to rising crop and livestock yields. As private sector investments comprise a greater and growing share of overall R&D spending – the findings from the ERS study will help trace their influence on future productivity gains. The study also shows that growth in private funding is helping to offset the sluggish growth in public research and development.

The ERS study is the first of its kind to provide comprehensive estimates and analyses of private sector R&D for agricultural input industries. Agricultural inputs are defined as animal genetics, animal nutrition, animal health, farm machinery, fertilizers, crop seed and biotechnology and agricultural chemicals.

The Heartland Institute and the American Legislative Exchange Council are working together to see state renewable energy mandates across the country reversed. Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C. have binding renewable energy standards. Model legislation – the Electricity Freedom Act – would repeal these standards. The Council says they are essentially taxes on consumers of electricity. It was written by the Heartland Institute’s Senior Fellow for Environmental Policy James Taylor and adopted by the council’s board of directors in October. Taylor argues alternative energy – renewable energy – is more expensive than conventional energy. Todd Wynn Directs the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force. He says members of his group are not opposed to renewable energy – but are opposed to government intervention mandating certain energy sources over others. He says they also worry about the impact of renewable energy mandates on their state’s economies and constituents.

The American Wind Energy Association – a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council – questioned the new policy. It’s also been questioned by the watchdog group Checks and Balances Project. The group’s co-director said the legislation and economic reports that suggest state mandates would cost consumers hundreds-of-millions of dollars amount to a one-two punch against clean energy laws by fossil-fuel interests.

Similar efforts to repeal state renewable standards have failed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. American Wind Energy Association Senior Vice President for Public Policy Rob Gramlich says renewable standards have had bipartisan support over the last decade – even before the dramatic growth in manufacturing and construction jobs created by the industry. His group is confident attacks on state renewable energy policies will fail again in 2013.

The latest educator resource from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is now available. The Feeding Minds – Cultivating Growth guide and accompanying books will be available for purchase online early next week. The curriculum teaches young people to care for others, build healthy relationships and learn from their elders while living vicariously through the narrative of young farmers and ranchers.

The educator’s guide supports classroom reading of one or more of Farm Bureau-designated accurate ag books. It also includes standards-based lesson plans, take-home enrichment activities, supporting handouts, summarizing information about each text, a suggested implementation plan and a scoring rubric for a final project.

Fifteen of the class sets of books and educator’s guides will be given away this fall thanks to a generous donation by Random House. Interested middle school educators can contact their state Farm Bureau Agricultural Literacy Coordinator. Contact the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture by emailing foundation at fb dot org ([email protected]) for more information.

The Agriculture Department’s Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture has presented a report to Secretary Tom Vilsack on ways to promote coexistence in agriculture. Vilsack tasked the committee with providing recommendations for strengthening coexistence among various agricultural production methods. The report is the outcome of a year-long discussion and is to be used as guidance to enhance working relationships among farmers growing different types of crops – specifically biotech and non-biotech crops. Committee member Barry Bushue is Vice President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Bushue says the report’s recommendations could benefit all of agriculture.

The report highlights the importance of diversity in U.S. agriculture and the history of successful coexistence in identity-preserved markets – whereby production practices maintain each crop’s integrity and purity. As American farmers continue to innovate – Bushue is optimistic the committee’s recommendations can help identify coexistence practices where they are working, improve stewardship where needed and mitigate much of the underlying concerns about the real and perceived risks related to coexistence. He says the report emphasizes proactive grower outreach and education.

According to Bushue – the Advisory Committee carefully weighed the evidence, listened to the needs of growers and emphasized improved stewardship and neighbor-to-neighbor coexistence.

To see the full report – visit www dot usda dot gov (www.usda.gov). Click on the Biotechnology link under the Topics heading and then select the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture link. Look for the November 19th AC21 Final Report.

Consumers really haven’t seen the impact of the drought at the grocery store yet – but USDA says we can expect to start seeing the effects by the end of the year. Chicken, milk and eggs will likely be the first to rise in price – followed by pork and beef price increases in early 2013. Higher prices will spread through the rest of the grocery store by mid-year. USDA Economist Ricky Volpe notes the drought affected about 80-percent of agricultural land and hit the crops fundamental to America’s food supply – corn and soybeans.

Mike Miller with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says consumers can expect the price of beef and other proteins to rise four to six-percent in 2013. Overall – USDA’s Volpe says retail prices will likely increase three to four-percent in 2013.