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Chicago;
Monday, February 11, 2002
LAST
WEEK IN REVIEW …
Cattlemen
from across the United States warmly greeted President Bush last
week at their Cattlemen’s Convention & Trade Show. The cattlemen made
it clear that they very much like having George Bush in charge. At that
meeting in Denver, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President
Lynn Cornwell told Max, "The President is one of us.
He owns cattle. He understands the industry. He supports us. We support
him. We like having a Texan in the White House."
The
cattlemen heard some good news about beef demand last week. In the opening
session of their convention, where Max served as the on-stage host
for the convention, beef demand figures for 2001 were presented. It was
revealed that even though travel and restaurant dining were greatly curtailed
in the wake of the September 11 tragedies, beef demand for the year was
actually up 6%. N.C.B.A.’s Vice-President of Consumer Marketing, Mark
Thomas, explained that while beef consumption in restaurants fell,
in-home consumption jumped and made up the difference.
Last
Friday was Food Check-Out Day, an event celebrated by the Farm
Bureau. The day pays tribute to the relatively little amount of income
spent by Americans on food. Farm Bureau says the average family in this
country must work only 40 days to earn enough to buy their food for the
entire year. On the other hand, Farm Bureau says families will work about
120 days to earn enough money to pay their taxes for the entire year.
On average, families in the United States devote only 10.6% of their disposable
income to pay for food.
Payment
limitations for farm program subsidies were supported last week by Senators
from the Midwest. Voting with the majority, nearly all senators from the
region indicated their support for a $275,000 per-farm, per-year limitation,
despite the outcry from senators in the South. The Southerners said that
their cotton and rice growers would be badly harmed by the lower limits.
Differences in the Senate limitation and a higher one in the House bill
will have to be resolved in a conference committee.
Orion
visited with Ken Hobbe, President of the U.S. Grains Council
at their meeting in Dallas, Texas last week, and he told our listeners
prospects for grain exports this year were "so so" with no major
sales increases expected in any of the feed grains. He did say, however,
that long term there will be a steady increase in exports over the next
10 years that will benefit American producers.
COMINGS
& GOINGS …
This
is the week of the National Farm Machinery Show. Max will
be there and will interview a team of farmers selected to find the "neat,
new" things that are at the show this year. Next week, the National
Agriculture Outlook Forum will be held in the Washington, D.C.
area, and the Commodity Classic will be in Nashville. We will be
at both events. Orion travels to Moorhead, Minnesota tomorrow to
address the Concordia College C-400 group tomorrow night. Wednesday,
he will address the annual meeting of the Northwest Farm Management
Meeting in Fargo, North Dakota. Saturday, he travels to Grand Rapids,
Michigan to emcee the National Outstanding Young Farmer Awards
Banquet for the 37th consecutive year.
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