Action wanted on Japan and China beef barriers; the Weed Olympics

Washington Ag Today August 5, 2011 Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have signed on to a letter urging the U.S. Trade Representative and the Agriculture Secretary to work closely in addressing barriers imposed by China and Japan on U.S. beef imports.

The letter was written by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member Pat Roberts. The letter states that despite a conclusion by the World Organization for Animal Health that U.S. beef of all ages is safe, Japan still maintains an unscientific ban on U.S. beef over 20 months of age and that China remains the only major market completely closed to U.S. beef due to BSE.

A team from Washington State University placed first in the Western Region division of the first ever Weed Olympics held recently at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. About 150 students from across the country, graduate and undergraduates, competed at the event. University of Tennessee’s Dr. Greg Armel explains what contestants had to do.

Armel: “They have to be able to identify weeds. They have to able to identify a herbicide that has been sprayed and tell what herbicide was actually treated there. They have to be able to engage in simulated events where they are actually directing it towards clients in helping a client solve a problem they don‘t know anything about. And then the fourth component of this is they have to show us that they can calibrate a sprayer and deliver the exact volume and appropriate volume.”

The University of Tennessee doesn’t plan on holding another Weed Olympics but hopes another university sees the value in doing so.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net.