Member Alerts

 
Attend our 25th Annual Association Meeting on 7 February 2012

Details on our Events page.

NASS Catfish and Trout Reports to be eliminated

Issued October 17, 2011 by the Agricultural Statistics Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS):

In light of funding reductions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and the likelihood of additional reductions in FY 2012, NASS conducted deliberate reviews of all programs against mission- and user-based criteria, aimed at finding cost savings and forward-thinking business efficiencies so that key timely, accurate and useful data remains available in service to agriculture.  As a result, the agency is discontinuing or reducing a wide range of agricultural survey programs.  The decision to eliminate or reduce these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless necessary, given the funding situation.  Because of the timing of the agency’s survey work during the coming year, these decisions are necessary now.

Following is a rundown of programs that NASS will potentially seek to eliminate or reduce in order to meet the house mark.  Programs are listed in priority order from most important to least important in terms of impact to constituents, as you read down the list from top to bottom.

  • Annual Reports on Farm Numbers, Land in Farms and Livestock Operations – Eliminate
  • Catfish and Trout Reports – Eliminate
  • Annual Floriculture Report – Eliminate
  • January Sheep and Goat Report – Eliminate
  • Chemical Use Reports – Reduce frequency of commodity coverage
  • July Cattle Report – Eliminate
  • Distiller Co-Products for Feed Survey – Eliminate
  • Annual Bee and Honey Report – Eliminate
  • Annual Hops Production Report – Eliminate
  • Monthly Potato Stocks Report – Reduce from monthly to quarterly
  • Annual Mink Report – Eliminate
  • Fruit and Vegetable in-season forecast and estimates– Reduce from monthly and quarterly to annual report
  • Nursery Report – Eliminate
  • Rice Stocks June and September reports – Eliminate but continue January, March and August reports

Recognizing the importance of NASS’s data products and services to U.S. agriculture, NASS will make available similar data either less frequently or within the every 5-year Census of Agriculture.  The next census will be conducted beginning January 2013 to reflect activities in the 2012 calendar year.

A Federal Register notice announcing the program changes will be forthcoming.  For more information, contact Sue duPont at 202-690-8122.

Michigan Aquatic Invasive Species Council bills pass Senate and are awaiting action in the House

The Michigan Senate has passed a package of Aquatic Invasive Species legislation (Senate Bills 508-510) that could have impacts on aquaculture in the future. The package of bills will create an Aquatic Invasive Species Council that will make recommendations to the Michigan Legislature regarding the status of non-native aquatic species in Michigan.  The aquaculture industry will have a representative on the Council under the Senate passed version of the bills.  Please click on the links below to view the actual bills.

Click here for a PDF version of the bill analysis for Michigan Senate Bill 508-509.

Click here for a PDF verson of Senate Bill 508.

Click here for a PDF version of Senate Bill 509.

Click here for a PDF version of Senate Bill 510.