News from Monday, March 8

 

SYMPHONY IN THE FLINT HILLS TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY

 

     Tickets go on sale at 10:00 a.m. today (3/8) for the fifth annual Symphony in the Flint Hills. The June 12 event will feature the Kansas City Symphony, with a special guest appearance by four-time Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett.

     The Texas native singer and songwriter is long-time friends with Edward Bass, the landowner hosting this year’s event. Bass will open the gates to his South Clements pasture for the 2010 symphony. The Chase County pasture is seven miles south of Cottonwood Falls and eight miles west of Bazaar.

     “Ranching on the Tallgrass Prairie” is the theme of symphony. It will highlight the ranching way of life integral to the continuation of the tallgrass prairie.

     Those attending the event will see native grass and wildflowers on the one-mile trail between the parking area and concert site. For those who don’t want to make the walk, trailers will serve as transportation.

     Symphony in the Flint Hills is an outdoor concert series that has sold out every year since it debuted in June 2006. The event moves each year to a different site in the Flint Hills, providing an opportunity for the public to visit private ranches on the majestic and treasured tallgrass prairie.

     Tickets can be obtained by calling (816) 471-0400. Adult tickets are $63, with tickets for children 12 and under at $43.  

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News from Tuesday, March 9

KANSAS HOUSE TOYS WITH TAX INCREASES

 

     KLA is monitoring the potential impact on livestock producers as state legislators develop a budget in the face of declining tax revenues. The House Tax Committee advanced a bill last week proposing a repeal of sales tax exemptions to determine the willingness of the full House of Representatives to raise taxes this session. HB 2549 would repeal the sales tax exemptions for residential utilities and purchases made by churches. The residential utility tax repeal is estimated to generate $140 million a year for the state’s general fund.

     Before advancing HB 2549, the committee removed a provision, opposed by KLA, which would have imposed a sales tax on some services purchased by feedyards. It’s anticipated a host of amendments to repeal additional sales tax exemptions will be offered when HB 2549 is debated by the full House.

     Also last week, the Senate Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a resolution urging Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency to continue to allow prescribed burning in the Flint Hills with minimal regulation. KLA testified in favor of SCR 1623 and informed the committee about the ecological and economic benefits that prescribed burning provides in the Flint Hills.

     KLA Senior Vice President Mike Beam analyzes the budget and burning issues in this week’s video report from the state Capitol. Scroll down and hit play to watch.  

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News from Wednesday, March 10

DISPUTE WITH MEXICO THREATENS 
AG EXPORTS

 

     Today marks the one-year anniversary of a trade dispute with Mexico that threatens U.S. ag exports. The dispute began when Congress terminated funding for the U.S. – Mexico cross-border trucking pilot program, a move that violated  U.S. commitments under the North American Free Trade Agreement. This prompted Mexico to impose damaging retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agriculture and manufacturing goods.
     Although Congress addressed the issue by removing the prohibition on the trucking program, the Obama administration has yet to make progress with Mexico on removing the tariffs. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates as many as 25,000 U.S. jobs could be lost as a result of the impasse.
     Mexico is the top export destination for U.S. beef, dairy, poultry, rice, soybean meal, soybean oil, corn sweeteners, cotton, apples and dry edible beans. The U.S. exported a record $1.4 billion in beef and beef variety meats to Mexico in 2008. That number backed down to $910 million in 2009. Trucks move more than 70% of the value of U.S.-Mexico trade.
     “It is time for the administration to take action before the critical relationship with our top trading partner is further compromised, putting agriculture exports and imports, and American jobs, at risk,” said NCBA President Steve Foglesong, a cattleman from Illinois.

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News from Thursday, March 4

AMERICANS HAVE INACCURATE PERCEPTION OF ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP

 

     A new nationwide poll of Americans has found 71% wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an umbrella group for local humane shelters. The survey showed 59% believe HSUS contributes most of its money to local organizations that care for cats and dogs.

     According to the 2008 federal income tax return filed by HSUS, less than .5% of the organization’s budget was allocated to hands-on pet shelters. The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) points out HSUS does not run a single shelter for companion animals and is not affiliated with any local humane societies.

     “Very few Americans understand what HSUS really is: a super-rich lobbying group that puts more money into its executive pensions than in the hands of local humane societies,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko.

     The poll sampled opinions of 1,008 Americans. It was commissioned by CCF and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, NJ.

     HSUS officials have publicly stated the organization’s goal is to eliminate livestock production and meat consumption in the U.S. Strategies used to meet this objective include state ballot initiatives, such as Proposition 2 in California; public information campaigns disparaging food animal welfare; and lobbying for legislation to restrict livestock production practices.  

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News from Friday, March 5

 

CONCERN EXPRESSED WITH NEW AMERICAN ROYAL INITIATIVE

 

     KLA Executive Vice President Dee Likes was part of a group of beef breed and trade organization leaders who met with the American Royal Executive Committee earlier this week to discuss the show’s surprising new emphasis on locally grown and raised food. Beef leaders expressed concerns about the Royal’s Good Food Good Futures Institute. Spokespersons for the institute have expressed the need to “reorganize agriculture” by moving away from conventional production and more toward natural, organic and more environmentally sustainable operations.

     The beef groups told American Royal leaders mainstream ranchers and feeders don’t oppose natural, organic or locally produced systems, but are concerned when marketers disparage conventional meat and agricultural products in an effort to create differentiation. These are growing segments of agriculture, but represent only a single digit percentage of food production. Beef executives emphasized farmers and ranchers involved in conventional agriculture, which includes most producers, will be challenged to meet projections that food production needs to double by 2050 in order to feed the expected growth in world population.  

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