04/08/05 Taiwan now open; More daylight?

Effective next Saturday, U.S. boneless from animals under thirty months of age will be allowed back into Taiwan. U.S.D.A. made the official announcement yesterday after weeks of speculation that indeed Taiwan would lift the ban on that particular U.S. beef product put in place after the December 2003 U.S. b.s.e. case. U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns called the reopening of Taiwan significant progress in reopen global markets to our beef. And for pure numbers, the lifting of the Taiwanese ban should give U.S. beef producers a shot in the arm. Prior to the ban, U.S. beef exports to Taiwan in 2003 totaled $76 million dollars, with boneless beef products accounting for $56 million of that. Record setting energy costs may be the reason Congress is considering adding more daylight during the year. Under an amendment in a bill under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Daylight Savings Time would be extended by two months. The measure calls for Daylight Savings Time to start the last Sunday in March and run through the last Sunday in November. Valora Loveland will continue to serve as Washington State's Director of Agriculture. Loveland's reappointment was announced by Governor Christine Gregoire earlier this week. Loveland was appointed by then Governor Gary Locke to fill out a remaining term in 2003. Gregoire said Loveland will be counted on to continue to increase ag's economic opportunities and expand ag research and development. Many of Idaho's state legislators will be home this weekend. After threats by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to stay as long as it would take to pass a highway funding measure, the Legislature and Kempthorne reached compromise, passed a measure, and called the 2005 session good Wednesday. But instead of acrimony, many legislators and Kempthorne himself were patting each other on the back for their accomplishments. In addition to the funding to improve highways, lawmakers also approved the Snake River Water Adjudication Process and approved several bills addressing issues of water use in the Eastern Snake Plains Aquifer. Cairns went well. So says U.S.D.A. Secretary Mike Johanns after returning from Columbia and last week's meetings with seventeen ag exporting nations & the so-called Cairns group. Johanns says from his standpoint, the coalition continued discussions on ways to work together to complete the Doha round of World Trade Organization ag trade reforms. The goals of the Cairns group include advancing free trade through policies such as lowering tariffs and non-tariff barriers.