WASHINGTON FARM BUREAU NEWSWATCH

October 25, 2004 No. 89
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANNOUNCED SATURDAY THAT IT HAS
reached an agreement with Japan that will allow the resumption of beef
exports. Japan halted imports of U.S. beef 10 months ago after a cow in
Washington was found to be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Under the agreement, the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service will
develop a program to certify that beef products exported to Japan come
from cattle less than 21 months of age.

PRESIDENT BUSH FRIDAY SIGNED THE AMERICAN JOBS CREATION ACT, WHICH will
phase out certain export tax breaks for U.S. companies that the World
Trade Organization had ruled violates trade-subsidy rules. The European
Union was expected to announce today that it would lift tariffs imposed
on many U.S. goods, including agricultural products, because of the
subsidies. However, the EU also said the new law still may not fully
comply with the 2001 WTO ruling, and said it would file a new complaint with
the WTO.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANNOUNCED FRIDAY THE RELEASE OF $1.6
billion in fiscal year 2005 funding for conservation programs on
working lands, including more than $31 million for Washington. The USDA said
providing program funds earlier than in the past would give farmers and
ranchers more time to make sound decisions regarding conservation
practices. The funds cover a range of conservation programs, including
nearly $800 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, $245
million for the Wetlands Reserve Program, $67 million for the Farm and
Ranchland Protection Program, $63 million for Ground and Surface Water
Conservation, and $57 million for the Conservation Reserve Program.

THE LAST TWO LARGE DAFFODIL GROWERS IN PIERCE COUNTY ARE AMONG several
farmers who are negotiating with Puyallup to annex their property
before the county adopts new urban growth boundaries. (Tacoma News Tribune,
Oct. 20) The county wants to protect about 31,000 acres of farmland
from commercial or residential development. However, an agent for farmers
Neil VanLierop and Roger Knutson said designating his clients' land as
"Agricultural Resource Lands" would lower their property value by 75
percent, costing them a combined $3 million. "I'm sure they want to keep
us farmers," said VanLierop, "but they are not helping us." The county
initially proposed protecting 63,000 acres.

CALIFORNIA HAS BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO REWARD LANDOWNERS FOR leaving
forests standing to help control global warming. (AP/San Francisco
Chronicle, Oct. 23) Under a voluntary program adopted by the state's
Climate Action Registry, landowners who agree to permanently preserve their
forests through such things as conservation easements receive emissions
credits for the amount of carbon dioxide that is stored by their trees.
These credits can be traded on an emerging commodity market. California
loses about 60,000 acres of forests to development annually - the
equivalent of adding 2.5 million cars to the state's roadways every year.

THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THAT J.R.
Simplot workers in Pasco rejected joining the Teamsters union by a vote of
140 in favor to 170 against. (Tri-City Herald, Oct. 19) Workers voted
almost two months ago, but the results were delayed because of a dispute
over whether certain supervisors should be allowed to vote. The NLRB
eventually ruled that all but three of about 20 supervisory workers were
eligible to vote.

* 2004 Washington Farm Bureau. NewsWatch is a periodic update on news
of interest to agriculture. Contact Dean Boyer, director of public
relations, 1-800-331-3276 or, to receive NewsWatch by fax or e-mail.