According to the USDA/US Trade Representative announcement, the United States agreed to: (1) publish a proposed rule by April 16 to recognize the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina as free of foot-and-mouth disease and swine fever and complete a risk evaluation to determine whether fresh beef can be imported from Brazil; (2) modify the operation of the GSM-102 Export Credit Guarantee Program to make it even more risk-based; and (3) establish a fund of $147.3 million per year that would provide technical assistance and capacity building for Brazil’s cotton industry. The fund’s amount corresponds to the economic impact attributed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitration panel to the upland cotton marketing loan and counter-cyclical payment program. The fund will continue until the next farm bill’s passage or a mutually agreed solution is reached, whichever is sooner. Also, the fund is subject to transparency and auditing requirements.

Following implementation of these initial steps, the United States and Brazil agreed to continue discussions with a view to agreeing on a process by June that will bring a long-term solution to the ongoing dispute.

In response to the announcement, NCC Chairman Eddie Smith called the agreement “a positive development” in the long WTO case. “The two critical aspects of the agreement are that it avoids the immediately harmful economic effects of trade retaliation and it puts the serious discussion concerning changes in the U.S. cotton program before Congress in the 2012 farm bill, which is where that discussion belongs,” Smith said. “Under Secretary Jim Miller, Ambassador Miriam Sapiro and Ambassador Isi Siddiqui are to be commended for their effort and this creative approach that enables all parties to work diligently on these issues in the months ahead."

In a news release, she quoted from the letter saying, “In our continuing efforts to restore the nation’s economy and create jobs, there is no step more important than providing a stable economic environment for our businesses. Without predictability in the tax code, our businesses lack the certainty needed to plan for the future, make capital investments and hire workers. In my home state of Arkansas, the lapse in the biodiesel tax credit has resulted in biodiesel production nearly ceasing for the entire first quarter of this year.”

The release noted that the Senate passed the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act on March 10, and the legislation now has to be reconciled with the House version of the bill before it can be signed into law. The Senate-passed version of the bill contains Sen. Lincoln's $1.5 billion disaster assistance package for farmers and ranchers who incurred significant agricultural losses last year.

EPA Water Chief Peter Silva announced the April 15 online forum and asked for public input on critical unmet clean water needs and challenges. Silva said the forum will bring together 100 regulators, environmentalists, industry and other high-level officials to help address three themes: 1) a CWA watershed approach, 2) managing pollution from nutrients and 3) limiting storm water pollution. Similar forums also will be held in each of EPA’s regional offices.

The forums will seek to determine a broad agenda for EPA under its existing authorities with the future possibility of legislative changes to the CWA. To begin addressing the legislative piece of the discussion, Silva is citing a March 19 report, Considering the Clean Water Act, which recaps a major conference convened last fall by the Nicholas Foundation at Duke U. and the Water Environment Federation.

While the report does not recommend specific next steps for legislative reform, it identifies four options, including: 1) updating the act to improve existing tools, 2) expanding the law beyond traditional applications, 3) updating other relevant statutory mechanisms to better address water quality and 4) creating new legal or regulatory tools to target nonpoint sources or integrated watershed restoration and management.

Each coursework level is built on the previous instruction level, with Level I as the foundation. Thus, beginning students, regardless of gin experience, should start with Level I.

Level I courses: Introduction to Cotton Ginning and the Industry; Maintenance of Auxiliary Gin Components; Basic Hydraulics; Basic Gin Safety; Maintenance and Adjustments for Seed Cotton Cleaners, Gin Stands, and Lint Cleaners; Air Utilization and Drying; and Electricity in the Gin.

Level II offerings: Purpose and Operating Principles of Individual Gin Machines; Efficient Operation, Adjustment, and Maintenance of Gin Equipment; Pneumatics and Waste Collection; Electrical Systems; Hydraulic Systems; Gin Safety; Management Tips; and Roller Ginning (at the Western School only).

Level III: Review of Functions of a Ginning System; Electrical Systems; Air Systems in the Gin; Drying and Moisture Restoration Systems; Matching Machinery Capacities in the System; Seed Cotton Unloading Systems and Management of Seed Cotton Handling Systems; Bale Presses and Hydraulic Systems; Safety Programs and Labor Regulations; Cottonseed Handling Systems; and Roller Ginning (at the Western School only).

In addition to Levels I, II and III, all schools will feature a two-day continuing education (CE) coursefor certified ginners and gin managers. One may register for the two days or for individual parts of the course with a minimum of one day registration. Check at each school location for the order in which these will be covered.

The CE course’s first day offerings will focus on developing basic skills and knowledge with PLC controllers, touch screens and electrical components. Training will provide students with a basic understanding of PLC operation and programming that will allow for better communications with the repairman to expedite resolution of problems in the gin. The session will include a discussion of electricity in the gin and a focus on reading wiring diagrams and identifying problems that will allow for better communications with electricians. Other discussions will be held onhigh efficiency motors, power saving techniques, energy management and new technology to conserve energy.

The second day’s CE course discussion will focus on high capacity ginning and quality preservation and how ginners can get the most out of the gin through reduced operational costs, gin management and maintenance activities. Included will be identifying capacity drags, understanding the difference between urgency and carelessness, and identifying capacity killers. The course will feature discussions on developing a program that can assist ginners in reaching the gin’s full operational capacity and maintaining that level throughout the ginning season.