05/24/05 Check-off stays; Judicial compromise

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association and similar commodity promotion groups can have mandatory check-off programs to pay for marketing efforts. That's according to the U.S. Supreme Court, which finally ruled on the constitutionality of the Beef Check-off program. By a 6 to 3 margin, the High Court found the Beef Check-off does not violate the First Amendment right of farmers and ranchers against forced speech & in the form of ranchers paying for mandatory assessments for a government program, in this case, the Cattlemen's Beef Board. The ruling was meant as the litmus test to determine if other commodity groups with existing mandatory check-off programs would exist depending on the outcome of the Beef Check-off case. Might the fate of Idaho attorney William Myers be addressed by the U.S. Senate today? It may have been determined late last night when on the verge of a showdown over how to vote on judicial nominations, Centrist in the U.S. Senate agreed on a compromise. Under the terms of the agreement, Democrats have agreed to allow three judicial nominees to be voted on. However, two others, including Myers, up for appointment as a judge to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, are not guaranteed for votes. In turn, Senate Republicans have agreed to oppose application to make changes in the filibuster rules. And in balance to that, all parties have agreed to filibuster only under the vague term of "extraordinary circumstances". The avoidance of the so called "nuclear option" means consideration of several ag and rural related bill should resume in Senate committees soon. Now with today's "Food Forethought", here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: The November issue of Vanity Fair headlined an article that attempted to discredit our national beef industry for what the author, an obvious organic advocate deemed was unsafe Livestock and meat handling practices at feedlots and packing houses. The piece reeking of BSE sensationalism tried to convince consumers that commercial beefs' habitat was one of filth and feces, while organic cattle lived in bucolic pastures. While I addressed the mistruths in a national column, I couldn't contain my delight when a recent New York Times Magazine article titled High Priest of the Pasture touted one organic farmers' practice of wintering cattle in a barn on a growing manure pile mixed with corn and decomposing hay, then using it as pig feed. In this instance, the manure pile was described as a sweetly decomposing" heap consumed by "pig-aerators" rather than a cheap farmer fattening pork on feces. Interestingly a little different take than if a reporter would find these conditions in a feedlot. I'm Susan Allen with Food Forethought