11/28/06 Improper FSA Payments & Canadian User Fee

Improper FSA payments & Canadian User Fees. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. With just over a year under her belt - Teresa Lasseter - Administrator for USDA`s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Washington, DC - is facing some serious heat. In a recent report - FSA disclosed that a large number of improper payments had been made. According to Lasseter, the numbers are staggering LASSETER: So this year, FSA did a very thorough review of our crop disaster program, our conservation reserve program, our direct encounter cyclical program, our load deficiency program, our market and assistance loan program and out non-ensured disaster program. The outlays, the total projected outlays on the payments that are reviewed are 25.6 billion dollars. We found that we have according to our definition of improper payments, we have some 2.8 billion dollars that we need to report as improper payments. Now that's something that I take very seriously and so do all the employees of FSA. The USDA`s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is delaying the effective date and establishing a staggered implementation for the collection of user fees for inspections of Canadian-grown fruits, vegetables, commercial vessels, trucks, railroad cars, aircraft, and international passengers entering the United States from Canada. The delay will allow affected industries time to prepare for the change. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. With the eco-Epicurean movement sweeping the nation, environmentally discerning wine consumers have some decisions to make regarding the wine they drink. Do they want a sustainably produced wine, organic or the newest label, a biodynamic wine. While sounding like something from L. Ron Hubbard, Biodynamics actually stems from Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner's lectures in the 1920's. It differs from organic because it incorporates a spiritual dimension to winemaking. In a new age sense biodynamic grower's look to the cosmo's for direction, They might opt to plant with moon phases or celestial vestiges. Biodynamics also incorporates mid evil practices like horning, burying manure in a steers horn over the winter to make a spring fertilizer, in our era of handi-wipes at petting zoos, I wonder who gets to dig them up. Some big players like Deloach Vineyards are promoting the practice , and with competition fierce in the wine industry , we can expect more labels promoting biodynamics. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.