Appeals Court Wolf Decision; Ag Econ Barometer Up
**Farmers and lawmakers say the Federal Appeals Court was wrong to keep wolves on the endangered species list. The decision handed down last week means nothing changes, and people cannot interfere with wolves attacking livestock and pets.
Wisconsin State Senator Tom Tiffany says efforts to fight the problem have stalled, but hopes to turn it around and create a greater sense of urgency for Congress to get the wolf delisting done with no judicial reviews.
**The Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer turned higher in July, a change after several months of stagnation. The index of farmer sentiment, based on a monthly survey of 400 producers across the country, reached 139 in July, the highest level since January.
The monthly barometer is more positive than during last summer when barometer values ranged from the mid-90s to the low 100s.
**National Cattlemen’s Beef Association doesn’t want Country-of-Origin-Labeling in a renewed NAFTA agreement.
NCBA CEO Kendal Frazier recently told the House Ag Committee his organization strongly opposes any attempts to use NAFTA as a vehicle to resurrect failed past policies.
He says COOL was a U.S. law for over six years and failed to deliver on its promises to build consumer confidence and add value to products and instead resulted in a long battle at the WTO with the U.S. facing more than $1-Billion in retaliatory tariffs from Mexico and Canada.