2009 In Review

2009 In Review. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.\

Hard to believe that it was 10 years ago that we were all scrambling around preparing for what some thought might be the end of the world or at least a catastrophic collapse of our systems. Now 10 years later we laugh about it and look towards what the next 10 years will hold. It is also time to take a look back at the last year in the ag world and see what stories held our attention starting with President Barak Obama taking office in January. That caused an across the board changing of the guard including Tom Vilsack replacing Ed Schafer as Ag Secretary. Vilsack was the former Governor of Iowa and fellow Iowan Senator Chuck Grassley spoke in favor of his nomination.

GRASSLEY: It is fitting that we once again have a Secretary from one of our leading agricultural states in the country. Governor Vilsack learned first hand that a farm crisis is not just affecting farmers, it happens to be a rural crisis that impacts all of the economy.

Along with the new Ag Secretary came a new farm bill. The bill was supposed to have been passed in 2008 but it took a new administration heavy on Democrats to get the new bill pushed through.

Like 2008’s lettuce and tomato scares, the beginning of 2009 was marred by the recall of dozens of products made with peanut butter after salmonella was discovered. Production was shut down at the Peanut Corp. of America plant which made peanut butter and peanut paste blamed for sickening hundreds of people in more than 40 states and a number of deaths related to the products. It took the American buying public a bit to recover their confidence in any peanut products.

Also in 2009 the dairy industry took a major hit as input prices far exceeded prices paid for products. Early on, Roger Hoskin an analyst with the USDA hoped that there was a chance that feed prices may moderate some.

HOSKIN: But it won’t be enough. But assuming no significant herd reduction early in the year, milk prices are expected to plummet to their lowest level in years. And we have the all milk price forecast to reach its lowest level since 1978.

Prices did not recover and many dairy operations were forced to either severely cut their herds or close their operation.

Cuba has long been a closed market ever since the embargo was put into place back in October 1960. Castro finally relinquished his control to his brother and hopes were raised that perhaps the nearly 50 year old embargo would be lifted. American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said more effort was needed to open ag export.

STALLMAN: Long term we need to do more to open up the channels of trade like we do for every other country.

More tomorrow.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.