Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is encouraging eligible homeowners to take advantage of historically low home mortgage rates being offered in as many as 19 states through a USDA pilot loan refinancing program. Refinancing is available for any homeowner with a loan made or guaranteed by Rural Development, subject to eligibility requirements.

Mr, Vilsack believes – this refinancing opportunity has the potential to reduce costs for thousands of homeowners. He pledged that USDA will continue to work with borrowers, community leaders, and lenders in all 19 states participating in this program so everyone who is eligible can take advantage of this opportunity.

Across the 19 states covered by the pilot program, the number of eligible homeowners is estimated to total 237-thousand. The Secretary says USDA will be sending Section 502 direct and guaranteed borrowers in each pilot state a letter to make sure they are aware of the opportunity to refinance. The letter will provide instructions for interested borrowers to contact their lender or their State Guaranteed Coordinator to see if they qualify for the Rural Refinance Pilot program

Courtesy: NAFB News

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has a total of seven temporary export inspection facilities supplementing the work done at the Agency’s approved permanent facilities. These temporary facilities reduce the distance animals have to travel prior to export and help exporters meet strict shipping deadlines. U.S. cattle exports doubled in 2011, in addition to a 50 percent increase in 2010 exports.

Rebecca Blue, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, says – overall, U.S. farmers and ranchers are experiencing their best period in history in terms of agricultural exports, and USDA’s support is an important part of that success. Blue points out that – through flexible approaches, such as the approval of temporary export facilities, APHIS has adapted to meet the needs of animal exporters while maintaining its high standards for animal health and welfare.

USDA has forecast fiscal year 2012 agricultural exports to reach the second-highest level on record, maintaining a robust trade surplus and supporting more than 1-million jobs. The forecast for livestock, poultry and dairy was increased 1.9-billion dollars, paced by demand for cattle from Russia and Turkey.

Courtesy: NAFB News

In Nitro, West Virginia, from 1949 to 1971, Monsanto produced an agricultural chemical known as 2,4,5,T,  In approximately 1964, the company began selling the product to the Armed Services to be used as part of the herbicide ‘Agent Orange’ for use in Vietnam. Residents during the period of manufacture involved in the law suit received injuries as a consequence of their abnormal exposure to dioxins/furans. A judge has now agreed to a settlement between Monsanto Company, resolving all claims in all pending litigation as well as all class actions filed in West Virginia.

Scott Partridge, vice president of Monsanto Company, says – these settlements ensure that both individual and community concerns are addressed, and services are made available for the people of Nitro. Class Counsel Stuart Calwell says – the settlements provide needed medical benefits and remediation services to the people of Nitro and broader community.  He adds – the principal goal of the litigation was to provide long-term medical monitoring and to provide professional cleaning of individual homes.

Approximately 45-hundred homes are located in areas where individual remediation of homes may be desirable.  A program will be created to offer free professional cleaning of these homes and provide funding of up to 9-million dollars for this purpose. Also, a thirty-year medical monitoring program will be established at a local hospital. This plan will be supported by a primary fund of 21-million dollars which will pay for medical testing of eligible class members.  Up to 63- million dollars in additional funding will be available over the thirty-year life of the medical screening program.

Courtesy: NAFB News

The American Soybean Association has issued an Action Alert, asking its members to contact their members of Congress, asking them to sign onto letters to President Obama and to the Office of Management and Budget.  The letters, written by ASA, call for the Obama Administration to follow through with increasing the RFS volume to 1.28 billion gallons for 2013. The deadline for signatures is February 29^th.

Senators Kent Conrad and Charles Grassley are leading the effort in the Senate.  Current cosigners to the Senate letter are: Senators Conrad, Grassley, Patty Murray and Jon Tester.

Representatives Leonard Boswell and Mike McIntyre are leading the effort in the House. Current cosigners to the House letter are: Representatives Tom Latham and Collin Peterson

Courtesy: NAFB News

U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency-imposed numeric nutrient criteria for Florida streams and unimpaired lakes are unlawful because they are arbitrary and have no scientific basis. The court upheld EPA’s ability to issue federal standards under the particular facts at issue in Florida and upheld some of the particular EPA standards.  However, the court agreed with arguments that two key types of restrictions were unlawful.

One of the key concerns of the court was that EPA could not show that the streams criteria were needed to prevent harm to the environment, as required by Florida law. American Farm Bureau Federation General Counsel Ellen Steen says – EPA attempted to impose standards that would prohibit any increase above naturally occurring nutrient levels in pristine waters.  The court recognized that EPA was arbitrary in assuming that any increase above pristine nutrient levels is harmful.

According to Steen, this ruling will help ensure that if EPA imposes federal numeric nutrient criteria on other states in the future, it must use scientifically valid methods that comport with state laws. EPA must now decide its next steps for the standards that were vacated by the court ruling

Courtesy: NAFB News