Court Denies Injunction & Potato Expo Keynote Announced

Court Denies Injunction & Potato Expo Keynote Announced plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction that, if granted, would have blocked the USDA from implementing and enforcing its revised country of origin labeling regulations until a lawsuit filed July 8 is concluded.  The National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Chase Adams says the decision just means more costs for cattle producers and processors. ADAMS: We had hoped that the court would understand that this failed rule by the USDA and the cost to the industry in excess of $100-million dollars and record keeping and increased labeling costs all for a rule that we see is likely to be found not to meet with our international trade obligations. The National Potato Council and the United States Potato Board have announced that Actor, Author, Economist, and Pop Culture Icon Ben Stein will be this years 2014 Potato Expo keynote speaker. Stein will tell tales from his eclectic journey through life.  Also, as an accomplished economist he will provide witty insight on today's economy and defining moments spanning five decades. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. The recently released report by USDA's Office of Inspector General stating that the USDA made 239 farm assistant overpayments totaling a combined worth of $20.3 million during the 2012 fiscal year will be one of the first things members of Congress address as they prepare to go to conference over the 2013 farm bill. To be cited as a "high dollar" overpayment the overpayment must be at least 50% more than the correct amount and more than $5 thousand to an individual or $25 thousand to an entity for the quarter. The highest number of overpayments were allotted to the USDA's Federal Crop Insurance Program, which overpaid seventy individuals or entities for a total of roughly $14.7 million. The OIG report suggests that the USDA can reduce overpayment amounts through better bookkeeping and the reporting of errors in a shorter time period. In response, USDA officials agreed to improve the way they identify and document overpayment errors and stated that new procedures had already been put in place the end of August. The report also noted there were no major overpayments for the USDA's nutrition assistance programs in 2012. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.