ASA and Chinese Officials Sign Agreement
The American Soybean Association’s (ASA’s) president has signed an agreement that promotes long-term trade and cooperation with China.
ASA President Bob Metz signed the memorandum of understanding with Cao Xumin, president of China’s Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce, and Animal By-products (CFNA). The three-year agreement renews a 2003 agreement that includes measures to increase trade and cooperation, such as the exchange of information on topics ranging from soybean growing conditions to solutions to trade issues. The parties will also conduct training programs for U.S. soybean end-users as well as downstream industries in China related to feed and animal production. The groups will link Web sites to facilitate the exchange of member companies of both groups. The North American Export Grain Association also signed an agreement with CNFA and will conduct seminars in China in 2006.
Bioterrorism Guides Released
Two new guidance documents developed by the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) are now available to assist grain elevators, feed manufacturers, feed dealers, grain processors, and transporters in complying with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) bioterrorism recordkeeping regulations. The regulations apply to most industry firms that receive, store, manufacture, process, pack, distribute, transport, or import raw grains and oilseeds, feed, feed ingredients, food, or other agricultural products in the United States.
The first is a comprehensive guide containing compliance information pertinent to companies that operate country, terminal, and export grain elevators; commercial feed mills; integrated livestock and poultry operations; feed dealers; grain processing plants; and rail, barge, and truck fleets. The second is a 16-page version that is relevant specifically to feed dealers and retail feed stores.
Both of the copyrighted guides are available on NGFA’s Web site at www.ngfa.org, or by e-mailing ngfa@ngfa.org.
ID Requirements at Waterfront Facilities
Those who own, operate, or utilize waterfront facilities should be aware that facilities regulated under Coast Guard regulations 33 Code of Federal Regulations 105 are required by May 30, 2006, to provide a list of all facility employees (permanent employees, long-term contractors, and longshoremen) requiring access to waterfront facilities and port or harbor areas, including vessels and harbor craft in those areas.
This requirement is the U.S. government’s first step in implementing a Transportation Worker Identification Credential Program that will identify workers legally eligible to work in the United States, and provide government issuance of individual port security cards.
Each affected facility must identify a facility security officer (FSO) for each site. The FSO must then register on the Homeport Web site, www.uscg.mil, and then submit a spreadsheet containing the employee information requested.
Questions should be directed to James Bull, Coast Guard, at (202) 267-1630.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Register notice, dated April 28, 2006, further describes the requirements.
Kentucky Governor Awards $1 Million Grant
Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher has announced the award of a $1 million grant to Kentucky-based Alltech to assist in building its Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition.
Alltech will build the center at its world headquarters in Nicholasville, KY, as part of its existing 10,000-square-foot research facility. The grant is expected to create 40 new jobs in research and development over the next five years.
The grant, designed to advance the development of the state’s biotechnology sector, was approved by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority and will be awarded through the Cabinet for Economic Development’s Department of Commercialization and Innovation.
Swift to Sell Non-fed Cattle Business, Construct Biogas Facility
Swift and Company has signed a definitive agreement to sell its non-fed cattle business, including its Omaha, NE, operating plant and its assets in Nampa, ID, to XL Foods, Inc., of Alberta, Canada. The company intends to reinvest the sale proceeds back into its existing core lines of business. Additional transaction terms were not disclosed.
Swift and Microgy, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Environmental Power Corporation, have entered into a letter of intent to construct a biogas production facility at Swift’s Grand Island, NE, beef processing plant that will utilize Microgy’s anaerobic digestion technology to extract methane-rich biogas from animal wastes, meat processing wastes, and certain wastewater plant residual streams that would otherwise be landfilled or land applied. In addition to the initial biogas project in Grand Island, both parties will cooperate to identify, evaluate, and develop projects at Swift’s seven other beef and pork production facilities throughout North America.
Microgy President Randy Hull said the company believes there is the potential to recover energy values in excess of about 1.2 million British thermal units per year from multiple digesters within Swift’s eight plants, which is equivalent to over 25,000 barrels per day of heating oil.
New Zealand Group Re-elects Chairmen
Meat and Wool New Zealand’s Board has re-elected its chairman, Jeff Grant, and deputy chairman, Mike Petersen, for another year.
Grant, a Southland farmer, has been chairman since the organization’s inception in 2004. Peterson, a Hawke’s Bay farmer, was elected as deputy chairman in May 2005. Next year will be the celebration of 125 years of the sheep meat industry in New Zealand, while the wool industry has been part of the country’s economy for 164 years.
Tyson Receives Environmental Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored Tyson Foods’ Noel, MO, poultry complex with an honorable mention award as part of an EPA Region 7 program called Pollution Prevention for Environmental Excellence.
The plant earned the award for its water conservation and waste recovery efforts. The plant has reduced its water usage by approximately 17 percent in each of the past four years through conservation measures and a water recycling process. In 2005 alone, the plant’s use of water from the Ozark Aquifer was reduced by more than 180 million gallons. The Noel facility has also reduced the volume of material going into its wastewater treatment system by installing new equipment designed to recover usable animal fat.
June 2006 Render