| TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- The situation for Twin Falls, Idaho,
sugar beet producers just might be looking better.
Acres in the Twin Falls district moved around
significantly, with most of Bell Rapids, Idaho, growers taking
advantage of the Idaho Power buyout and moving to areas within
the district where water comes more cheaply.
Leonard Kerbs, Twin Falls ag manager for Amalgamated Sugar
Co., says about 400 acres were planted during the third week
of March in the Twin Falls District.
"That's on the early side," he says.
In the many areas with extra dry soil, farmers are waiting
until water is available before they plant.
Stuffed molasses
On the economic side of the industry, no ruling on the
stuffed molasses issue has come down. But Sen. Larry Craig,
R-Idaho, isn't waiting around to see if the decision favors
U.S. growers.
Along with Sen. John Breaux, D-La., he is sponsoring a bill
to close the loophole that has plagued producers since 1995.
Last year, 174,000 metric tons of sugar came through Canadian
channels into the United States under suspicious
circumstances.
Called "stuffed molasses," product that has
molasses added to crystallized sugar right before entering the
country is shipped into the United States; then the molasses
is spun out of the sugar in a Michigan plant with the sugar
sold mostly as cereal sweetener. The U.S. industry claims the
strategy circumvents customs guidelines for importing sugar
into the country.
During the past three years, U.S. producers have fought the
company who makes stuffed molasses and are now at a court of
last resort in Washington awaiting a ruling on an appeal.
"Our concern is that even if customs court rules in
our favor, there's a possibility other companies could come in
and do the same thing all over again," says Mark Duffin,
Idaho Sugarbeet Growers Association executive director.
"This bill would stop it from ever happening again."
The bill was introduced in September 2000, but there was
not enough time to push it through, Duffin says.
"This is essentially the same bill as last year,"
says Mike Tracy, Craig's communication director in Boise,
Idaho. "I think it will have strong bipartisan
support."
In addition, Craig has written a letter to USDA Secretary
Ann Veneman asking her to consider a "product for
production" proposal.
He is asking her to approve a sale of Commodity Credit
Corp. inventories of sugar to beet processors who will in turn
negotiate with sugar beet producers to reduce their plantings
for 2001.
But Duffin warns that USDA might not have jurisdiction over
the CCC. Currently lawyers are wrestling over who has
authority to release the CCC's sugar. |