COSDA 2010 Conference Video: "Communication"

Check out the most recent COSDA video, 'Communication,' developed in partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture and AMS Pictures. It features insight from communication experts Peter Shankman, Karen Hughes and AMS' Natalie Glover.

COSDA 2010 Conference Video: "Welcome to Texas"

The 2010 COSDA Conference was a great success! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. For those of you who could not make it, AMS Pictures provided this video of the event. “Welcome to Texas” provides a high-level overview of the entire event, including key conference speakers and tours. If you know of colleagues who weren’t able to attend this year’s conference be sure to forward this video along to them.

New Marketing Director for Colorado Department of Agriculture

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Tim Burleigh of Denver, Colorado has been named Markets Division Director for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Burleigh began his new position earlier this week.

“I am pleased Tim has accepted this position. The Markets Division plays a vital role in Colorado’s agriculture and his experience and leadership can help companies expand their current operations on a local, regional, national, and international level,” said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John Stulp.

Burleigh has a wealth of experience in agricultural marketing:

• Most recently, Burleigh was the Regional Director for the US Soybean Export Council in the Middle East. His duties include overseeing the management and implementation of programs designed to promote the awareness, utilization, and preference for US soybeans.


• Burleigh has also provided agribusiness consulting services. While in this position, he worked cooperatively with CDA’s Markets Division on a project to launch the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to Colorado’s specialty crop producers.


• Burleigh has also served as the Denver branch manager and broker for Conticommodity Services, developed market opportunities for the US Wheat Associates, and has worked collaboratively with US farmers throughout the years.

“There are tremendous opportunities for Colorado to market our agricultural products; I hope my experience and knowledge will help expand those already developed and help our industry to foster new opportunities statewide, nationwide, and in the global marketplace,” said Burleigh.

Burleigh replaces Tom Lipetzky, now the Department Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

The main purpose of the Markets Division is to promote the sale of Colorado products. The Division offers assistance in promotion, research, exporting, business start-up and expansion. The Markets Division also publishes numerous directories and resource materials to help market Colorado products effectively.

The Colorado Proud program is a primary domestic marketing tool promoted through CDA’s Markets Division. Colorado Proud helps consumers, restaurants and retailers identify and purchase Colorado food and agricultural products that are grown, raised or processed in the state.

The Fruit and Vegetable Section provides a quality inspection service to the produce industry of Colorado. The inspection service ensures the shipment of high quality fruits and vegetables and enhances Colorado's reputation as a supplier of superior produce.

Whether companies are looking for domestic or international assistance or need to have produce inspected, the Markets Division is available to help. For more information, visit www.coloradoagriculture.com.

Texas Department of Agriculture's Wine Passport Program Wins Award

The Texas Department of Agriculture's Texas Winery Passport Program won the 2010 North American Agriculture Marketing Officials (NAAMO) Agricultural Marketing Excellence award!

The winery passport program works in new and innovative ways to offer incentives to visitors experiencing Texas wine country. Through the program, more than 1 million travelers visit Texas vineyards and wineries, while meeting the winemakers who take pride in their craft. Thanks to those winemakers, Texas is the fifth-leading wine-producing state in the nation.

When travelers redeem their passports, not only does TDA send them a reward or connect them with a reward-donating winery that offers tastings, dinners or overnight stays, the agency also receives valuable feedback about consumer interests that serves as essential market research.

NAAMO awarded TDA and Texas this honor above all other U.S. states and Canadian provinces. To learn more about the Texas Winery Passport Program, visit www.gotexanwine.org.

Congratulations again to TDA's Marketing and Promotion Division for superior strategy and excellent execution!

Commissioner Farmer supports federal bills protecting producers from costly regulation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer supports federal legislation that would prevent the government from requiring farmers to get additional permits under the Clean Water Act for using pesticides that are applied consistent with federal pesticide law.

Bills filed in the U.S. House and Senate would clarify that producers who apply pesticides in compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are not subject to Clean Water Act permits. The measures stem from a federal appeals court decision that overturned an Environmental Protection Agency rule that exempted permitting of certain pesticide applications from the Clean Water Act. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Oklahoma), and Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) have filed similar legislation to address the situation.

“The court ruling reversed decades of sound federal policy on pesticide use,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This legislation would prohibit the government from placing a costly and unnecessary burden on our producers that would result in little or no benefit to the environment.”

FIFRA was enacted by Congress to control all aspects of pesticide registration, sales and use. The EPA has never issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit under the Clean Water Act for the application of a pesticide, and in 2006 the agency specifically exempted permitting of certain pesticide applications from the Clean Water Act. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2009 that the EPA did not have the authority to exempt pesticides from the Clean Water Act.

Agricultural Finance Loans Approved

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sandra Gardner
(502) 564-4627 x. 223
(502) 330-2105

agpolicy.ky.gov

Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation Approves More Than $315,000 in Loans

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2010) -The Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation (KAFC), chaired by Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, today approved $315,938 in agricultural loans for projects in the Commonwealth during their regular monthly business meeting.

KAFC participates with lenders to provide financing to producers making capital expenditures for agricultural projects through the Agricultural Infrastructure Loan Program. Eligible projects include permanent farm structures with attached equipment that improves the profitability of farming operations. An Agricultural Infrastructure loan was approved for a total of $100,000 in Metcalfe County.

The Beginning Farmer Loan Program is designed to assist individuals with some farming experience who desire to develop, expand or buy into a farming operation. Beginning farmers may qualify for financing to purchase livestock, equipment or agriculture facilities; to secure permanent working capital; and to make a down payment on real estate or invest in a partnership or LLC. Beginning Farmer loans totaled $215,938 and included one recipient from Daviess County.

For more information on the programs offered by the KAFC, contact Bill McCloskey, director of financial services, at (502) 564-4627 or visit the KAFC Webpage at kafc.ky.gov.

In defense of America's food supply.

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

Here in America, we are blessed with the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world. It has always been this way for most of us, so it’s easy for us to take for granted that it will always be this way.

But the fact is that any number of conditions could affect the availability and affordability of food in Kentucky and America, for better and for worse. For one thing, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled scientific reviews for atrazine and for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter – here in Kentucky, we call it “dust” – that could make it more difficult and more expensive for Kentucky farmers to make a living.

That’s why I felt it was necessary to stand up for Kentucky family farmers and question the necessity of these reviews in letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

Atrazine is a critical tool in weed control for Kentucky farmers, and thousands of scientific studies have show it to have little, if any, risk to the environment and to public health. Further, there is no scientific basis for more stringent dust standards that would be the toughest in our nation’s history.

We all want to protect the environment. But if Washington tightens restrictions on atrazine and dust, it will do very little good for our air and water while raising costs for Kentucky farmers. Those costs inevitably will find their way to consumers, many of whom are strapped for cash as it is.

Mac Stone named to national organic board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 1, 2010
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Mac Stone of Georgetown, executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing office, is one of five people appointed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to the National Organic Standards Board.

“Mac is a national leader in organic and sustainable agriculture,” Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “He uses organic production principles on his own farm. Mac’s knowledge and passion for organic farming will make him an outstanding addition to the National Organic Standards Board.”

Stone was named executive director of the Department’s Office of Agriculture Marketing and Product Promotion in March 2008. He joined the Department in October 2004 as director of the Division of Value-Added Plant Production. Before that, he served as manager of the Research and Demonstration Farm at Kentucky State University for 19 years. He also worked at the Spendthrift Farm thoroughbred operation and as a beef research specialist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Stone and his wife, Ann Bell Stone, own and manage Elmwood Stock Farm, a certified organic farm near Georgetown, where they produce vegetables, tobacco, Angus cattle for seed stock, organic beef, lamb and organic-raised pastured poultry. Stone has been active in Partners for Family Farms, the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association.

Stone hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky.

Stone and the other four appointees will serve from 2011-2016.

The 15-member National Organic Standards Board is responsible for making recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed in organic production or handling; assisting in developing standards for substances used in organic production; and advising the agriculture secretary on other aspects of implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.

Tayshaun Prince, Whitney Wade, Commissioner Farmer launch 'Eat to Win' campaign for 2010-2011 school year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Basketball star Tayshaun Prince and professional golfer Whitney Wade joined Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer to kick off the Eat to Win program for the 2010-2011 school year on Tuesday at Bridgeport Elementary School in Frankfort.

Eat to Win is a program Commissioner Farmer launched earlier this year to encourage Kentucky students to adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating more fruits and vegetables, eating more Kentucky Proud foods and getting more exercise.

“Whitney and Tayshaun believe – as I do – that you need to eat the right foods to do your best in the classroom, on the field of play, and in the game of life,” Commissioner Farmer said.

Prince, Wade and Commissioner Farmer spoke to fifth-grade students from the Franklin County and Frankfort Independent school systems in an assembly in the school gymnasium.

Commissioner Farmer said sometimes it’s hard to find time to eat right and exercise. “Adopting a healthy lifestyle requires time and effort, but the benefits will last a lifetime,” he said.

Kentucky Proud foods are part of a healthy lifestyle, Commissioner Farmer said. He told the students Kentucky Proud foods come from close by, not from across the country, and Kentucky Proud fruits and vegetables arrive on their plates at their peak of nutritional value. Buying Kentucky Proud products helps Kentucky farmers make a living, Commissioner Farmer said.

Commissioner Farmer launched Eat to Win in response to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that revealed that:

• Only 13.2 percent of Kentucky’s youth eat fruits and vegetables five or more times a day, compared with the national average of 21.4 percent;
• 40.5 percent of Kentucky students drink one or more soft drinks per day, compared with the national average of 33.8 percent;
• 59 percent of American high school students skip breakfast three or more times a week; and
• 37 percent of Kentucky youth are either obese or overweight.

Prince is a former University of Kentucky basketball star and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year who plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Wade, a native of Glasgow, plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour and the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

More information about the Eat to Win program is available by going to www.eattowinky.com.

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, left, speaks to fifth-grade students about the importance of healthy eating as Whitney Wade, center, and Tayshaun Prince listen Tuesday in Frankfort. (Photo by Chris Aldridge)

Time to welcome the world to our old Kentucky home

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

The Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games will be Kentucky’s time to shine. The eyes of the world will be on the Commonwealth Sept. 25-Oct. 10. Kentucky is ready to put her best foot forward.

The Office of the State Veterinarian literally has been preparing for years to receive hundreds of equine athletes for the Games. Led by State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout and Rusty Ford, the equine program manager, the dedicated men and women of the state veterinarian’s office are ready to safeguard the horses that come to Kentucky for the Games as well as those already housed at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the largest, most complicated event they’ve ever managed, but they’ve worked big events before, and they’re among the foremost experts in the world on equine health. The horses could not be in better hands.

Some of Kentucky’s leading kitchen wizards will join forces with celebrity chefs from throughout the nation for the Cookin’ in the Bluegrass dinner series during the Games. Sponsored by the James Beard Foundation, the dinner series will give the local and national chefs the opportunity to showcase some of our great Kentucky Proud foods. This event will put Kentucky’s culinary heritage, and our talented chefs, on a national stage.

I encourage all our visitors to stop by The Kentucky Experience, an interactive facility where you can enjoy Kentucky’s culture, history, natural wonders and, of course, food. The Kentucky Proud pavilion will enable guests to sample some of Kentucky’s outstanding food products – and even take some home. Whether you’re from down the road or around the globe, I hope you’ll visit the Kentucky Proud pavilion and check out all the fine foods Kentucky has to offer.

Company’s coming, Kentucky! Let’s welcome our guests with the best Southern hospitality and show them why we love our old Kentucky home.

Kentucky wineries strike gold at Indiana, Iowa competitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky wineries brought home 32 medals, including two double golds and five golds, at the Indy International Wine Competition Aug. 4-6 in West Lafayette, Ind.

“Throughout the country, wine lovers are discovering what we already know: Kentucky’s wine industry is back,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said.

Acres of Land Winery of Richmond earned double gold and Best of Class for its Concord wine (the second year in a row its Concord won Best of Class at Indy) along with a silver medal. Jean Farris Winery of Lexington picked up gold medals for its Petite Sirah (which also was Best of Class) and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as three bronze medals. Wight-Meyer Vineyard and Winery won double gold in the French-American Blush/Rosé class for its Diamond/Concord wine. Its Diamond wine earned a gold medal and Best of Class in the Diamond and American Late Harvest categories, and its Concord was a gold medal winner. The Shepherdsville winery also brought home four silver medals.

Other Kentucky wineries that won medals at Indy International were Black Barn Winery of Lexington, Black Oak Vineyard of Princeton, Chrisman Mill Vineyards and Winery of Nicholasville, Equus Run Vineyards of Midway, Horseshoe Bend Vineyards and Winery of Willisburg, Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery of Lawrenceburg, Purple Toad Winery of Paducah, River Valley Winery of Carrollton, StoneBrook Winery of Camp Springs, Talon Winery and Vineyard of Lexington, and Wildside Winery of Versailles.

More than 50 judges evaluated commercial wines from 39 states and 12 countries at the Indy International competition, the largest scientifically organized and independent competition in the United States. A complete list of results is available at www.indyinternational.org/competition/2010/.

In July, three Kentucky wineries brought home 12 medals, including four golds, from the 2010 Mid-American Wine Competition in Ankeny, Iowa.

Harkness Edwards Vineyards of Winchester won three medals, including gold medals for its Vat 32 Viognier wine and for the wine’s label in the Most Unique category. Wight-Meyer won gold for its Diamond wine and earned five medals in all, the most among Kentucky wineries. Elk Creek Vineyards of Owenton won a gold medal for the Best Series label on its Orchard Creek Series and three bronze medals.

The fourth annual Mid-American Wine Competition on July 9-11 was open only to commercial wineries in Kentucky and 15 other states across the Midwest. Proceeds from the competition support the Enology International Internship program at Des Moines Area Community College, which hosted the event. Results of the 2010 competition are available at www.midamericanwine.org/.

To find out more about Kentucky’s growing wine industry, go to www.kentuckywine.com.

COSDA Conference 2010

The COSDA 2010 annual conference will be held November 7-10 in Austin, Texas.

Signing up for the COSDA 2010 Conference is quick and simple. Due to challenging economic times for many states, this year the COSDA board voted to wave the conference registration fees. However, we request you renew your membership at the low cost of $50 for full members and $20 for associate members. By completing this form you can register for the Texas COSDA Conference and ensure your membership is up to date.

Hotel Accommodations:
Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel
701 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 457-8800
(512) 721-7259
austin.guestservices@ihg.com
www.austin.intercontinental.com
More details here

Contact Event Organizers:
Texas Department of Agriculture
Elizabeth Longoria
P.O. Box 12847
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-7664
(800) 909-8581
elizabeth.longoria@texasagriculture.gov
www.texasagriculture.gov/cosda

For more information on the event, visit the COSDA 2010 website.

Horse Confirmed with Rabies in Colorado

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture is encouraging livestock and pet owners to discuss animal health concerns, including the rabies vaccine, with their local veterinarian after a horse in eastern Arapahoe County tested positive for rabies.

“The department would like to stress two very important points,” said State Veterinarian, Dr. Keith Roehr. “One—animal owners need to be aware that rabies is transferring from one species to another and they should monitor their animals for symptoms; and two—local veterinarians are a valuable resource to help producers decide the best course of action to protect their livestock and pets from rabies.”

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in 2009, there were a total of 103 rabies cases in 20 Colorado counties; one of those cases included a horse. In September 2009, a horse in El Paso County was euthanized and subsequent tests determined the horse was infected with rabies; public health experts believe the horse was exposed in July 2009 to a skunk on its home property in the Black Forest area.

As of April 12, a total of 28 animals have tested positive for rabies in Colorado in 2010: 25 skunks (13 from Elbert County), 1 domestic cat from Prowers County, 1 muskrat from Morgan County, and the 1 horse from eastern Arapahoe County.

Rabies is a viral disease infecting the brain and central nervous system. The clinical appearance of rabies typically falls into two types: “aggressive” and “dumb.” Aggressive rabies symptoms include combativeness and violent behavior and sensitivity to touch and other kinds of stimulation. There is also a “dumb” form of the disease in which the animal is lethargic, weak in one or more limbs, and unable to raise its head or make sounds because its throat and neck muscles are paralyzed.

Rabies can be passed from animals to humans. Elisabeth Lawaczeck, state public health veterinarian at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment added, “The best way to protect your family from rabies is to keep your pets currently vaccinated for rabies through your local veterinarian, humane society, or animal shelter. Rabies vaccination performed by owners will not be recognized by local public health or animal control agencies for licensing or in the event of an exposure to a rabid animal.”

Rabies is spread primarily through the bite of rabid animals, resulting in the spread of the disease through their infected saliva. Rabies also can be spread when saliva from an infected animal gets into open wounds, cuts or enters through membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. No cure exists for rabies once symptoms appear although there is a vaccine to prevent the infection. Livestock and pet owners are urged to discuss the vaccine with their local veterinarian.

“Animal owners need to primarily look for any dramatic behavioral changes. That is typically one of the hallmark signs that the animal may be suffering from rabies,” said Roehr.

Examples of unusual behavior include: wild mammals that show no fear of people and pets; nocturnal animals that are active in daylight; and bats found on the ground, in swimming pools or that have been caught by a pet. Rabid carnivores, such as skunks, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, dogs and cats, may become aggressive and may attempt to bite people, pets and livestock.

In addition to ensuring that pets and livestock are vaccinated properly against rabies, residents are encouraged to follow these prevention steps:

• Don’t feed wild animals or allow your pets around them. Be sure to teach children to stay away from wild mammals.
• Contact your veterinarian if your dog or cat is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, such as a skunk, bat, fox or raccoon.
• If you suspect you’ve been exposed to rabies, contact your physician without delay.
  Discuss rabies vaccination of your livestock with your veterinarian. Vaccination should be considered for horses and other equines, breeding livestock, dairy cattle or other high-value livestock, especially in areas of the state where skunks have been diagnosed with rabies.
• If you observe a wild mammal acting strangely, especially a skunk, or if you find a dead skunk that isn’t on your property, stay away from it. Strange behavior for a skunk would include being out and about during daytime hours.
• If you must remove a dead skunk on your property, wear rubber gloves or lift the carcass with a shovel or other tool, and double-bag it for the trash.
• Do not allow pet dogs or cats to roam freely, as this increases the chance they may be exposed without your knowledge. Keep dogs in a fenced in yard.
• Take precautions when camping, hunting or fishing. Avoid sleeping on the open ground without the protection of a closed tent or camper. Keep pets on a leash and do not allow them to wander.

Additional Resources

Colorado Department of Agriculture

www.colorado.gov/ag/animals


Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/zoonosis/rabies/


Colorado Division of Wildlife

http://wildlife.state.co.us/About/OfficesAndPhone/

http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/


Colorado State University

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01819.html

http://csuvets.colostate.edu/equinehospital/Equine_Rabies_For_North_Forty_News_March_2009.pdf

http://www.dlab.colostate.edu/

Colorado Plants Travel the Globe

CDA Inspects for Safe Travel

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Phytosanitary Certification Program has issued 2,318 “phyto” certificates since July 1, 2009; those products are destined for distribution to 85 countries around the globe.

The Phytosanitary Certification Program makes it possible for Colorado producers to export produce, seeds, and other plant commodities to foreign countries through inspection and issuance of phytosanitary export certificates.

“CDA’s phytosanitary program inspects shipments for harmful pests and plant diseases to prevent them from hitchhiking their way to foreign countries,” said Laura Pottorff, CDA’s phytosanitary coordinator. “This program provides a vital service for plant health around the globe.”

CDA’s Top “Phyto” Countries

Based on July 1, 2009 to March 19, 2010 timeline

Country	Total Cert. Issued	Primary Phyto Commodities Inspected
Mexico	1542	potatoes, pinto beans, onion, sunflower seeds (grain), popcorn
Canada	75	seed, annual and perennial bedding plants, poinsettias
Turkey	35	sunflower seeds (grain)
Malaysia	33	millet
Australia	32	seed, pinto beans
Republic of Korea	32	seed, millet

Those commodities inspected add to Colorado’s ability to export high quality products around the world; in 2009, Colorado’s total agricultural export value was approximately $1.2 billion.

For more information on CDA’s phyto program, visit www.colorado.gov/ag and click on “Phytosanitary Certification Program.” You will also be able to view a complete list of the countries CDA issues phyto certificates for, the number of phyto certificates issued per country, and a world map highlighting the countries.

Colorado Governor Honors Program that Affects Every Coloradan

“Every citizen and every business has a direct financial interest in seeing that all transactions are fair to both the buyer and seller.” –Steve Bornmann

Governor Ritter has issued a proclamation heralding the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s consumer protection efforts; Colorado’s Weights and Measures Week is March 1-7, 2010.

“From weighing products at the grocery store to weighing coal trains, CDA’s Inspection and Consumer Services division affects almost every person in Colorado,” said Steve Bornmann, division director. “Our goal is to protect consumers and promote equity and integrity in the marketplace. The measurement standards programs and metrology laboratory play integral part in that goal.”

Inspectors and metrologists within the Measurement Standards program ensure the accuracy of scales, meters, and packaged products at supermarkets, warehouses, packing plants, storage facilities, and other retail stores through inspections. CDA’s Metrology Laboratory calibrates the standards used by the inspectors and licensed scale repair companies. Both protect the consumer and help ensure fairness in the marketplace.

“It is the responsibility of weights and measures officials to make tests of commercially used weighing and measuring devices and report their condition to the owners,” continued Bornmann. “If the devices are correct, they are approved and sealed. If incorrect, they are rejected for use until corrected.”

Scales and other measuring devices can become obsolete or out of adjustment just like any other mechanical equipment. Unlike many other devices, they continue to give quantity determinations, although incorrect, until they are tested, corrected, and replaced.

For more information on CDA Weights and Measures programs, visit www.colorado.gov/ag and click on “Measurement Standards” or “Metrology Laboratory.”

The proclamation states:

WHEREAS, The Colorado Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Programs serve to meet the public need for uniform weights and measures in our state; and

WHEREAS, employees within the Weights and Measures Programs ensure all weighing and measuring devices used in commerce are accurate in both their design and operation; and,

WHEREAS, weights and measures activities have an annual estimated economic impact of more than $75 billion in Colorado; and,

WHEREAS, each year the first week in March is set aside as Weights and Measures Week to commemorate the nation’s first Weights and Measures Law – enacted on March 2, 1799 – and to raise public awareness of the importance of this law; and

WHEREAS, the State of Colorado recognizes the dedicated efforts of our state servants who ensure our weights and measures meet the national standard and encourages the public to learn more about this important service and the impact it has on their lives;

Therefore, I , Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim March 1 – 7, 2010, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEEK in the State of Colorado.

Texas Dept. of Agriculture, Attorney General, Governor Challenge EPA’s Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gases

AUSTIN - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples today joined Attorney General Greg Abbott and Gov. Rick Perry in challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The petition outlines how EPA has ignored major scientific conclusions, and questions the federal government decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions based on fragile claims.

"EPA's move to regulate greenhouse gases would impose devastating rules on those Texans who fuel one of our state's largest economic sectors - farmers and ranchers," Commissioner Staples said. "As a regulatory agency, the Texas Department of Agriculture is required to impose rules based on sound science - not political science. Not only does state law require this, but it is also a fundamental principle by which regulators all across the U.S. have always lived. EPA has ignored extensive research on greenhouse gas emissions and based this significant regulation on faulty data."

Last December, EPA ruled that greenhouse gases were harmful to the environment, despite scientific evidence that suggests otherwise. Now the agency is planning to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Air Act, which could mean costly mandates for farmers and ranchers.

Attorney General Abbott's legal challenge will focus on the inadequacies of the process EPA followed in triggering Clean Air Act regulation. Global climate change is an issue that requires careful analysis of all available data and options. EPA failed to perform the precise study required, and instead relied on flawed theories.

"Ninety-seven percent of land in Texas is privately owned, and more than 80 percent of land in the state is in some form of agricultural use," Commissioner Staples said. "Agriculture is a $106 billion industry in Texas, and as some of our state's first environmentalists, farmers and ranchers know they must take care of the land in order for it to take care of them. For centuries they have invested in science and research to ensure not only the preservation of our natural resources, but the availability of the safest, most affordable and most abundant food supply in the world."

Watch video from the press conference:

Lowes Receives $35,000 Fine

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – An investigation by the Colorado Department of Agriculture into pesticides being sold at Colorado Lowes HIC, Incorporated stores has resulted in a $35,000 fine for the home improvement chain. Of the $35,000 fine, Lowes has paid CDA a total of $19,025; the final $15,975 will be suspended unless further violations are discovered.

“Lowes was selling a product, Tomcat Ground Squirrel Bait, that cannot legally be sold or used in Colorado,” said John Scott, CDA’s pesticides program manager. “These violations of the Pesticide Act spanned a number of years, and use of this product presents risks to wildlife, resulting in such a significant fine.”

All of the poison baits that can legally be sold or used on ground squirrels in Colorado are “restricted use” pesticides that can only be sold to and used by pesticide applicators licensed by CDA.

CDA inspectors first found Tomcat Ground Squirrel Bait being offered to customers in the spring of 2006 at two different stores resulting in two violations. Lowes quickly removed this unregistered rodenticide from store shelves and indicated they had fixed the problem. In 2008, CDA inspectors found the product on shelves in five different Colorado Lowes stores resulting in five violations.

In a written response to CDA, Lowes has indicated that according to their records, they believe that 54 units of Ground Squirrel Bait were sold in Colorado stores between June 6, 2006 and May 7, 2008. These sales were made after CDA’s original Cease and Desist Order and despite orders from Lowes headquarters to stop further sales.

If consumers believe they purchased Tomcat Ground Squirrel Bait and have questions concerning its application or possible damages, they are encouraged to contact Lowes or Laura Quakenbush with CDA’s pesticide program at (303) 239-4147. It was sold in pails containing three pounds of bait. Any remaining product should be returned to a Lowes store to make sure it is disposed of properly and to obtain a refund.

To learn more about CDA’s pesticide program, visit www.colorado.gov/ag/dpi and click on “pesticides programs.”