The first three months of 2013 brought us a new Congress that was settling in . . . a second term of a President with a renewed agenda . . . and plenty of battles over the economic course of our nation between the House, Senate and the White House.
How well do you remember 1985? Twenty eight years ago, the average price for a gallon of gasoline was $1.20, a movie ticket was $2.75, a stamp cost 22 cents, and a car cost $9,000. Microsoft introduced Windows 1.0 that year, President Reagan first met Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union), the first mobile phone call in England was made, Christa McAuliffe was chosen to be the first teacher to fly on the space shuttle Challenger, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was born, and the hit movie was “Back to the Future.” Farm Bill Senate — On June 20, the Senate concluded its consideration of its version of the 2012 farm bill. It considered 73 amendments to the bill passed out of the Agriculture Committee. Each amendment had a total of two minutes of debate – one minute in favor of the amendment and one minute against. During June and July, Washington was consumed by the theatrical negotiations among our government leaders in their efforts to avert defaulting on the nation’s debts on August 2. The size and timing of the spending cuts and a pitched battle over tax increases as part of the package have created major political challenges in achieving a solution. Most members of Congress, however, have a clear determination that a solution must be achieved, because the ramifications of inaction will negatively impact our nation and every citizen in a significant way.
Roundup Ready Sugarbeets
On Thursday, March 17, the Center for Food Safety’s newest lawsuit was transferred from the U.S. District Court for Northern California to the U. S. District Court in Washington, D.C. On March 28, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to consolidate the transferred case with the Grant vs. Vilsack case in which we are plaintiffs. On the same day, the Center for Food Safety withdrew their request for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to prevent the planting of the 2011 crop, while reserving the right to re-file it at any time. As always, check with your local processor for the latest information on litigation activity. |   Luther Markwart
Luther Markwart, author of Dateline Washington, is executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association.
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