A group of advocates for small farmers will present a petition today to USDA seeking to cut off Farm Service Agency direct loans or loan guarantees for building livestock operations.

The Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment states it has 25,000 signatures asking Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to suspend construction loans for hog and poultry operations, arguing these loans are contributing to overproduction at a time of low prices.

The group states that FSA direct and guaranteed loans for new hog and poultry construction amounted to $264.4 million in 2008 and 2009 combined. It also is noted that now the pork, dairy and poultry industries, along with lawmakers, are clamoring for USDA to buy more of their products to take them off the market, while continuing to sign off on new construction loans.

To view letter to be submitted go to www.iowacci.org/whatcanido/stopUSDAloan.html

CSI Agriculture?

Apparently crime shows have hit a wall when it comes to making murder interesting. DTN readers e-mailed last night and this morning that CSI Miami's episode last night linked E coli deaths to an organic farm that secreting was growing genetically modified sweet corn. As one reader stated, "It was an attack on agriculture from the left and the right."

Everybody would have been better off watching the Denver-San Diego game.

I can be found on Twitter at chrisclaytonDTN.