States are trying to protect agriculture with legislation that creates penalties for those who fraudulently gain access to a farm with the intent to cause harm. There are also penalties for organizations or people who aid or abet someone who misrepresents facts to gain access to a crop or livestock farm. The chairs of the Iowa House and Senate Agriculture Committees call passage of the ag protection bill among the major accomplishments of the recently ended 2012 legislation session. It was signed into law in the state in March. House Ag Committee Chair Annette Sweeney says it was also signed into law in Utah; was already in place in Kansas, Montana and North Dakota; and came to the floor in Nebraska. It was also approved in Missouri Friday – the final day of the 2012 Missouri Legislative Session.

Opponents of the measure say it would make ag whistle blowing a crime. But Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Joe Seng disagrees. He says the main gist of the bill is on fraud. He says the bill is designed to stop people from fraudulently telling a farmer they want to work on his farm when they’re doing it with the intent of taking down his business. According to the Iowa Attorney General – the bill is court worthy and would pass Supreme Court muster.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has introduced a web-based label approval system to streamline the review process for meat, poultry and egg product labels. The Label Submission Approval System gives food manufacturers the ability to submit label applications electronically, will flag application submission errors that could delay the approval process and will allow users to track the progress of their submission. USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen says this will expedite and simplify the review process – enhancing the agency’s ability to ensure accurate information is applied to product labels and reaches consumers quickly. FSIS reviews labels on the products it regulates to ensure they are truthful and not misleading.

Looking to the future of U.S. sugar production – the American Sugar Alliance has formed a Young Farmer Advisory Board. The board will advise the industry on strengthening policies and encouraging new farmers to enter the business. The board is comprised of 20 farmers and agricultural lenders under the age of 36. They represent 14 states – but face similar challenges. Michigan farmer and board member Rita Gretner says the cost of starting a farm and access to capital are the biggest hurdles – as land prices are at historic levels and input costs for production have skyrocketed. Unfortunately – young farmers often lack the liquid assets, collateral and business track records – making it more difficult to secure loans. Grower and board member Derek Orsenigo says young farmers have no shot at adequate financing unless lenders have confidence they can pay them back. Board member Lee Harang from Louisiana says that is where farm policy comes into play.

The Young Farmer Advisory Board intends to be active during the 2012 Farm Bill process. Many members recently traveled to Washington to meet with lawmakers. Still – California farmer Ryan Mamer says the idea is bigger than that – with a long-term focus on future domestic and international policy issues. He says the problem of having fewer people to produce food for the growing world population won’t fix itself over night. He says it’s the responsibility of all U.S. farmers to ensure the next generation can continue the proud tradition.

The farm bill approved by the Senate Ag Committee is headed for the Senate floor next month. In preparation – Politico is reporting that Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow is reaching out to southern lawmakers in an effort to bridge the gap that split her committee last month and put her at odds with allies in the House. According to Politico – backroom talks are focused on putting a modest counter cyclical program together as a safety net for rice and peanuts.

One possibility would trigger assistance if prices fell below $10.50 per hundredweight for rice and 495-dollars per ton of peanuts. Those figures are well below what growers have been asking for – instead matching the indexes set in current law. Lawmakers in the House that are sympathetic with the South – Politico reports – are saying this potential deal must be considered as a bridge to a future House-Senate conference on the farm bill.

The 2012 World Pork Expo kicks off at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines in just over two weeks. Nearly 20-thousand people are expected to see the pork industry’s newest technologies, participate in business seminars and show breeding stock at the event June 6th through the 8th. National Pork Producers Council President R.C. Hunt says there is so much to see – that everyone will thoroughly enjoy every minute of the Expo as they mingle with top pork producers from around the globe.

In addition to the more than 450 commercial exhibits featured at the Expo – there will be pre-expo tours, musical entertainment and a variety of educational seminars. Eight seminars will feature the latest in nutrition, herd health, manure management and price risk on Wednesday and Thursday. Free business-seminar luncheons at noon on both days will feature weather and economic outlooks. Hunt encourages attendees to carve out more than one day to explore all the Expo has to offer.

James Giddens – the trustee overseeing the return of customer money following the collapse of MF Global – has received more than 168-million dollars from JPMorgan Chase. Technically speaking – the money is not part of the 1.6-billion in customer cash that disappeared from the commodities brokerage firm. Even so – Giddens plans to use it to repay the farmers, traders and hedge funds that have been waiting more than six months to get their money back.

According to the New York Times – MF Global customers have collected about 70-percent of the money they held with the brokerage firm. Those that traded on overseas exchanges have received even less. The customers – in an effort to get regulators and federal authorities to act – have written the Justice Department or rallied support from Republican lawmakers who are calling for an independent inquiry into the firm’s collapse.