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Mary Reed, has resigned as Chief Apiary Inspector for the State of Texas effective January 18 in order to take a position in her home state of Florida. We are sad to see her go as she has done so much for beekeepers across the State.
We’re looking forward to the future and hope that whoever fills the position lives up to the standard that Mary has set. Mary has accomplished so much in her time as Chief that positively affects Texas Beekeepers. From educating legislators at the Texas Capitol to building a foundation for resources and programs that will hopefully continue to grow in her absence. We believe her commitment to educating Texas Master Beekeepers was an efficient and targeted way to expand knowledge within the beekeeping community. This commitment as well as one to consistently learning and staying up to date on the most relevant research studies and industry news will hopefully be a crucial trait for seeking a new Chief.
Whoever seeks to fill the position will have big shoes to fill. We will be staying in touch with Texas A&M as they work to fill this position. In the interim, Texas will have Bill Baxter as the interim Chief Apiary Inspector – providing consistency in the services we expect from the Texas Apiary Inspection Service along with the other inspectors.
We look forward to working with Texas A&M while they seek to find the highest quality candidates for the position.
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Program Will Unlock Approximately $1 Billion for Meat and Poultry Processors and Food Supply Chain Infrastructure
Release & Contact Info
Press Release
Release No. 0268.21
Contact: USDA Press
Email: press@usda.gov
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced USDA is deploying $100 million under the new Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to make available nearly $1 billion in loan guarantees; these loan guarantees will back private investment in processing and food supply infrastructure that will strengthen the food supply chain for the American people.
USDA is making the funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to address food system challenges dating back decades and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These investments will help essential processing and supply chain infrastructure that will ultimately deliver more opportunities and fairer prices for farmers, they will give people greater access to healthier foods, and they will help eliminate bottlenecks in the food supply chain.
“The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities and created extreme disruptions in America’s food supply chain. The reduction in meat processing capacity is just one example of the supply chain bottlenecks that affect small and midsize farmers,” Vilsack said. “Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, USDA is investing in ways to improve America’s food supply chain. The funding we’re announcing today will leverage approximately a billion dollars in public and private-sector investments that will significantly expand meat and poultry processing capacity and finance critical food supply chain infrastructure.”
Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program, USDA will partner with lenders to guarantee loans of up to $40 million to help eligible entities expand meat and poultry processing capacity and finance other food supply chain infrastructure. Lenders may provide the loans to eligible cooperatives, corporations, for profits, nonprofits, Tribal communities, public bodies and people in rural and urban areas.
USDA Rural Development (RD) will administer the loans. Funding may be used to:
USDA is accepting electronic applications from lenders through the Food Supply Chain Online Application System until funds are expended. Paper applications will not be accepted. To access the online application system, lenders must submit a request to rdfoodsupplychainloans@usda.
USDA Rural Development encourages applications for projects that advance the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, promote equitable access to USDA programs and services, and reduce the impacts of climate change on rural communities. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/priority-
Background
This funding announcement follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s September announcement about the steps it is taking to address concentration in the meat-processing industry. It adds a new commitment of $100 million for guaranteed loans on top of the previously announced $500 million investment to expand meat and poultry processing capacity.
These efforts are part of USDA’s Build Back Better Initiative, a comprehensive plan to invest $4 billion to strengthen the resiliency of America’s food supply chain while promoting competition.
As co-Chair of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, Secretary Vilsack and USDA have brought together industry, labor and federal partners to address the short-term supply chain disruptions arising from the Administration’s strong economic recovery. This is one of several key steps that USDA is taking to build a more resilient supply chain and better food system and to increase competition in agricultural markets. These steps are pursuant to President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy and his Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains. This initiative will support key supply chain infrastructure investments to expand and scale existing capacity, as well as support long-term investments in new operations.
Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page
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USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
EPA Sued Over Systemic Pesticide Exemption Harming Honeybees
by Kendall Heebink
December 16, 2021
A suit was filed on Tuesday in the Northern District of California by the Center for Food Safety and the Pesticide Action Network North America against defendants United States Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) and Michael Regan (Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency).
The complaint for declaratory and equitable relief alleges that despite being required by law to do so, the defendants failed to answer a 2017 petition for the EPA to “close a regulatory loophole that allows seeds coated with systemic pesticides to evade the registration and labeling requirements of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.” If the loophole remains open, the plaintiffs state that there will be irreparable environmental harm.
Coated seeds are intended to “have an external pesticidal effects on pests and predators of the growing plant.” Despite them being used widely across the United States, their widespread environmental impacts include injuring or even killing birds and insects, as well as contaminating the surrounding air, soil, vegetation, and waterways. Most notably, the coated seeds have detrimental impacts on the honey bee population. The complaint notes that “excessive honey bee mortality and related wild pollinator declines are a major crisis for American agriculture.”
Coated seeds are currently exempt by the EPA from premarket licensing, registration, assessment, and labeling since they fall under the agency’s treated article exemption. The EPA exemption argues that the systemic pesticides coating the seeds are exempt because they are protecting the seed. The plaintiffs argue that they should not be exempt as they do not protect the seed, but rather the growing plant. The current exemption allows the pesticides to remain unregulated.
The plaintiffs assert that the EPA “has for decades intentionally evaded any judicial review by failing to issue any final agency action on the topic.” Previous litigation has been common with the EPA regarding their coated seeds regulations and the corresponding impact on bees and other pollinators.
The complaint cites a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), leading the plaintiffs to seek favorable judgement on the APA count, an order requiring the EPA to respond to the petition within 90 days, litigation fees, and any other relief deemed proper by the Court.The plaintiffs are represented by counsel from the Center for Food Safety.
One of the biggest updates from ABF at the Annual Conference was an update on the extensive efforts being made to take on fraudulent honey in the market. The American Honey Producers Association along with Sioux Honey Association filed a petition through the International Trade Commission. (ITC)
Through this pursuit, U.S. Beekeepers are taking on foreign countries who are knowingly, or unknowingly importing fraudulent honey into the U.S. market. The term “dumping” refers to goods sold below cost that negatively impact the market value of our domestic commodity.
Based on the most recent decision in December, the ITC will continue to investigate the injury inflicted on the U.S. raw honey producers by low-priced imports, and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will investigate the extent to which imports from the five countries are being sold below fair value in the U.S. market.
Additional resources:
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From the American Beekeeping Federation
We need your help! We have an urgent need to fight against unfair honey prices for our domestic honey producers.
The International Trade Commission has ruled that U.S. Honey Producers have been injured by low imported honey prices (an estimated 381 million pounds of honey valued at $300 million was imported in 2020 alone). Adding insult to injury, these honey imports are often adulterated with “extenders” that affect the quality of the product which negatively reflects on those of us who take pride in our pure U.S. honey.
We at the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) recognize the urgent need to get behind the anti-dumping lawsuit, and we are asking for your financial support!
Would you consider a donation in one of the following amounts?
• $.05/pound of your 2020 production – suggested for commercial beekeepers
• $.12/pound of your production if you averaged over $4.00 per pound – suggested for serious sideliner beekeepers
• $300 which is equivalent to the cost of setting up one hive – suggested for small-scale/hobbyist beekeepers
• Or a donation of your choosing: no gift is too large or too small!
To win this lawsuit, we need to make a strong, distinctive statement. Our message is that We will NOT stand for our market to be adversely impacted by cheap or adulterated honey. We are a small community doing a big job. We all need to do the RIGHT thing to:
• protect the integrity of honey
• establish fair market trade
• get a fair price for U.S. Honey
• educate the public to “know where your honey comes from”
You can donate online to the Honey Defense Fund at: http://bit.ly/HoneyDefenseFund.
Thank you for your continued support of the ABF and the industry it represents.
P.S. Successful Cases Tend to increase Market Prices by Eliminating Unfair Trade. After the domestic industry filed and won an Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties case against honey imports from China and Argentina in 2000-2001, domestic raw honey prices for white honey steadily increased from
$0.56/pound to $1.40/pound by 2003. While it is not possible to predict the exact price impact of the case, there is every reason to believe that the new case should have a similar positive impact on domestic raw honey prices. Please donate today to support the anti-dumping/fair trade lawsuit!