IN THIS ISSUE – November 4, 2009

…PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES

……Draft Document Related to the Review of the National Ambient

        Air Quality Standards for Carbon Monoxide 

……Draft Guidance for Industry: Guides to Minimize Microbial Food

        Safety Hazards - Leafy Greens, Melons, and Tomatoes

……Pesticide Drift Labeling and Pesticide Drift Labeling Interpretation

…USDA NEWS

……NIFA Funding Contributes to Swine Genome Sequencing Project’s

        Successful First Draft Completion

……NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

        Grants Awarded

……NIFA National Integrated Water Quality Program Grants Awarded

……NIFA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and

         Integrated Organic and Water Quality Program Grants Awarded

……Nine Rural Water Projects Loans and Grants Funded Under

         Recovery Act

……USDA Food Commodity Contracting Opportunities for Rural

        America Initiative: Program and Conferences

……Urban and Community Forestry Grants

……USDA U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan Working Groups Include Land-Grant

         Faculty

……Nine Additional Biobased Items Designated for Federal

        Procurement

…RESOURCES

……USGS Fact Sheet on Agricultural Chemicals in the Environment,

        Using a Watershed Approach

……Healthy Animals Newsletter - ARS 

……Characteristics, Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming- ERS

……Marketing U.S. Organic Foods-ERS

……Agricultural Land Tenure and Carbon Offsets-ERS

……Federal Crop Insurance Program Study

……General Accountability Office Reports:

        Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help

        Officials Make More Informed Decisions – Two Reports

……House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture

        and Organic Agriculture- Hearing to Review Implementation of the

        Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Title of the Food,

        Conservation and Energy Act of 2008

……House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation,

        Credit, Energy, and Research- Hearing to Review the Future of

        Next Generation Biofuels  

……House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water

        and Power – Oversight Hearing on Water Management and

        Climate Variability: Information Support at the USGS and Bureau 

        of Reclamation

……Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

        Subcommittee on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection,

        and Plant and Animal Health, along with the Subcommittee on

        Production, Income Protection and Price Support - Joint Hearing to

        Examine Low Dairy Prices, Focusing on Exploring Avenues for

        Federal Action

……Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee

        on National Parks - Hearing to Examine Current and Expected

        Impacts of Climate Change on Units of the National Park System

…MARK YOUR CALENDAR

……Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture

……Center for Natural Resource Economics & Policy Third National

        Forum on Socioeconomic Research in Coastal Systems

……Fourth World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists

…CONTACT THE FORUM

CONTENT  é

None this issue

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES    é

None this issue

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES    é

Release of Draft Document Related to the Review of the National

Ambient Air Quality Standards for Carbon Monoxide 

TIME SENSITIVE:  November 19, 2009 Deadline

The EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards is making

available for public comment a draft assessment document: Risk and

Exposure Assessment to Support the Review of the Carbon Monoxide

(CO) Primary National Ambient Air Quality Standards--First External

Review Draft. This draft document describes the quantitative analyses

that are being conducted as part of the review of the National Ambient

Air Quality Standards for carbon monoxide.  Comments should be

submitted on or before November 19, 2009.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-26093.htm

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/co/s_co_cr_pd.html

Food and Drug Administration

Draft Guidance for Industry: Guides to Minimize Microbial Food

Safety Hazards - Leafy Greens, Melons, and Tomatoes

Extension of Three Comment Periods to January 4, 2010

The Food and Drug Administration is extending to January 4, 2010,

the comment period for three drafts:  Guidance for Industry: Guide

to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Leafy Greens; Guidance 

for Industry: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of 

Melons; and Draft Guidance for Industry: Guide to Minimize Microbial 

Food Safety Hazards of Tomatoes.  Comments are due by January 4, 2010.

Leafy Greens:  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-26637.htm

Melons:  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-26638.htm

Tomatoes:  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-26636.htm

EPA Seeking Comments on Two Documents: Pesticide Drift Labeling

and Pesticide Drift Labeling Interpretation

Deadline:  January 4, 2010

EPA is seeking public comment on two documents - a draft Pesticide 

Registration Notice entitled ``Pesticide Drift Labeling'' and a draft 

explanatory document entitled ``Pesticide Drift Labeling Interpretation.

This action is directed to those persons who manufacture, distribute, sell, 

apply, or regulate pesticide products that are for use outdoors, including

agricultural, commercial, and residential products.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-26594.htm

USDA NEWS    é

NIFA Funding Contributes to Swine Genome Sequencing Project’s

Successful First Draft Completion

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0541.xml

NIFA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Grants

Awarded

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0548.xml

NIFA National Integrated Water Quality Program Grants Awarded

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0524.xml

NIFA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and

Integrated Organic and Water Quality Program Grants Awarded

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2009news/10301_orei.html

Nine Rural Water Projects Loans and Grants Funded Under Recovery Act

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0549.xml

USDA Food Commodity Contracting Opportunities for Rural America

Initiative: Program and Conferences

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0543.xml

Urban and Community Forestry Grants

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0531.xml

USDA U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan Working Groups Include Land-Grant Faculty

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0529.xml

Nine Additional Biobased Items Designated for Federal Procurement http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/11/0550.xml

RESOURCES    é

USGS Fact Sheet on Agricultural Chemicals in the Environment,

Using a Watershed Approach

http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa  (See Featured Headlines & National Maps)
Detailed Information on the USGS Agricultural Studies

http://in.water.usgs.gov/NAWQA_ACT/

Healthy Animals Newsletter - ARS 

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091021.htm

Characteristics, Costs, and issues for Organic Dairy Farming- ERS

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR82/

Marketing U.S. Organic Foods-ERS

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB58/

Agricultural Land Tenure and Carbon Offsets-ERS

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eb14/

Federal Crop Insurance Program Study

http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2009/09/milliman.html

General Accountability Office Reports:

  Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help

  Officials Make More Informed Decisions

  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-175T

  Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help

  Government Officials Make More Informed Decisions

  http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-113

House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and

Organic Agriculture- Hearing to Review Implementation of the

Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Title of the Food, Conservation

and Energy Act of 2008

http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.html

Scroll down to October 28

House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit,

Energy, and Research- Hearing to Review the Future of Next Generation

Biofuels   (includes testimony from REE Under Secretary Shah)

http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/statements.html

Scroll down to October 29

House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and

Power – Oversight Hearing on Water Management and Climate

Variability: Information Support at the USGS and Bureau of

Reclamation (National Research Council Recommendations Follow Up)

http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=54&extmode=view&extid=295

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittee

on Domestic and Foreign Marketing, Inspection, and Plant and Animal

Health, along with the Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection

and Price Support - Joint hearing to Examine Low Dairy Prices, Focusing

on Exploring Avenues for Federal Action

http://ag.senate.gov/site/calendar.html 

Arrow back to October and then click on October 27

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on

National Parks - Hearing to Examine Current and Expected Impacts of

Climate Change on Units of the National Park System

MARK YOUR CALENDAR    é

Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture, Madison, WI,

February 7-10, 2010

http://www.aceee.org/conf/10ag

Center for Natural Resource Economics & Policy:  Third National

Forum on Socioeconomic Research in Coastal Systems, New Orleans,

LA, May 26-28, 2010

http://www.cnrep.lsu.edu/2010/Call_For_Abstracts.pdf

Fourth World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists,

Montreal, Canada, June 28-July 2, 2010

http://www.aere.org/meetings/wc.php

CONTACT THE FORUM    é

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