Walt Jeffries will be able to receive money via Kickstarter for completion of his Vermont butcher shop. I probably will wait a bit to see what Kickstarter is all about, and I'm not clear on why he qualified on the second try but not the first.
I've the vague idea that the JOBS bill which just passed with bipartisan support is somehow related to Kickstarter, at least at the minimum encouraging small enterprises to get investment dollars. It's all about reducing "friction", as some blogger I just read said (he was able to use an Apple app to buy something from an Apple store in 2 minutes without going to the salesclerk).
It's an amazing world.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Something for the Garlic Eaters
Obamafoodorama posts before and after shots of the White House garden. What stands out when you click on the before photo and enlarge it is the garlic they have growing. Back in my youth, garlic was something used in cooking by southern European immigrants. Times have changed. (I tried garlic once but it was a tricky crop to grow.)
Looks to me as if each helper had about half a flat of starts to put out. Not exactly a hard day's work, but the symbolism is important.
Looks to me as if each helper had about half a flat of starts to put out. Not exactly a hard day's work, but the symbolism is important.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Obama's Garden
Obamafoodorama has posts on the actual planting of the White House Garden. Apparently they're planting cool weather vegetables, mostly starts instead of seeds. If they were sowing seeds I'd call them a tad late, since they're in a warmer area than we are. But starts makes sense: that way you can see where your untrained helpers are planting; wouldn't want to have any irregular rows, or rows which drift to the right in the garden. Planted potatoes for the first time which makes sense in terms of productivity.
I observe Mrs. Obama favored girls, particularly Girl Scouts, in selecting her volunteers. I also observe the idea that the Obama kids will garden has faded away. It was a nice idea but this is a show piece with lots of different people with their fingers in the soil, which doesn't make for a good learning experience for the kids.
I observe Mrs. Obama favored girls, particularly Girl Scouts, in selecting her volunteers. I also observe the idea that the Obama kids will garden has faded away. It was a nice idea but this is a show piece with lots of different people with their fingers in the soil, which doesn't make for a good learning experience for the kids.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Modern Architecture
As you might expect from a geezer I'm not a real fan of modern architecture, particularly the modern architecture of the 1960's and 70's. I do love Saarinen's Dulles Airport and St. Louis Arch.
And this building in Reston, now vacant, works pretty well for me. Not great, but okay.
And this building in Reston, now vacant, works pretty well for me. Not great, but okay.
White House Garden
Today's the day Mrs. Obama is getting her garden planted. I'm almost reminded of Tom Sawyer and whitewashing the fence, given the number of kids who will be working for her. It's really a two-fer, since as Obamafoodorama observes, some of the invitees are from key battleground states for the fall election. (In DC, it's politics, always politics.) But planting is really the easy part, once the ground has been prepared, which we can assume was done by adults over the weekend.
She's got good weather for it, a little windy as the cold front moves in, but I don't know whether she's planting tender vegetables or not. March 26 is late for the cool-weather ones (our peas, lettuce, onions are doing well, thank you) and a tad early for warm weather, though given the availability of hoop beds, they can probably manage okay.
She's got good weather for it, a little windy as the cold front moves in, but I don't know whether she's planting tender vegetables or not. March 26 is late for the cool-weather ones (our peas, lettuce, onions are doing well, thank you) and a tad early for warm weather, though given the availability of hoop beds, they can probably manage okay.
Options in the New Farm Bill
Farm Policy reports House Ag leaders are talking of "options" in the new farm bill. I'm not quite clear on whether it's different strokes for different commodities, or offering choices for the same commodity.
This sounds like bad news for FSA managers, IT types, and field staff: the problems of explaining programs to farmers and of implementing software, regulations, and manuals for programs grow as the number of programs grows. And I'd guess the relationship is not arithmetic, but more geometric. Part of the problem is that each new program distracts from the previous: if you do A for program X, are you going to do A for program Y, or maybe you should do A1 or maybe A2? So maintaining a focus becomes very hard.
If you combine more options with the possibility of more cutbacks in staff and/or government shutdowns you've got problems.
This sounds like bad news for FSA managers, IT types, and field staff: the problems of explaining programs to farmers and of implementing software, regulations, and manuals for programs grow as the number of programs grows. And I'd guess the relationship is not arithmetic, but more geometric. Part of the problem is that each new program distracts from the previous: if you do A for program X, are you going to do A for program Y, or maybe you should do A1 or maybe A2? So maintaining a focus becomes very hard.
If you combine more options with the possibility of more cutbacks in staff and/or government shutdowns you've got problems.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
You Can Lead a Horse to Water...
Since 1994 NASA has required program managers to document "lessons learned" and put the documents in a database. The IG now says the effort isn't working according to this FCW piece.
Bureaucrats resist the idea we don't know something, so it's unlikely we'll exert any effort to look up lessons learned by someone else.
Bureaucrats resist the idea we don't know something, so it's unlikely we'll exert any effort to look up lessons learned by someone else.
Wickard and Healthcare
How did a ladies dress shop owner become involved in the battle over the constitutionality of Obama's healthcare act? Jim Chen has a law article on Wickard vs. Filburn (1942) which will play a large role in the Supreme Court debate.
The issue in that case was the constitutionality of acreage allotments and marketing quotas on wheat, given that Filburn grew his wheat, in excess of his allotment, for consumption by his animals.
As best I could see in a scan of the text, Chen has the program and agriculture pretty close to right, and he's a good writer for a legal beagle.
The issue in that case was the constitutionality of acreage allotments and marketing quotas on wheat, given that Filburn grew his wheat, in excess of his allotment, for consumption by his animals.
As best I could see in a scan of the text, Chen has the program and agriculture pretty close to right, and he's a good writer for a legal beagle.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
How To Be an Assertive Woman
Follow Joan of Arc (Ken Anderson at Volokh Conspiracy posts her declaration of war).
Potholes Again in ND?
I remember Gary Cruff (the production adjustment specialist in the ND state office) calling in in the early 80's to be sure management knew what they were doing in changing cropland definitions around pothole areas. We had revised the handbook and in the process had changed the language and the regulations.
The answer to Gary was that the change was intended, though in my memory the assistant deputy administrator who made the call was from Texas which has no potholes and probably did not understand the issues. The potholes represent areas where blocks of ice from the retreating glacier sat, so the glacial debris settled around the ice, which when it melted then created a low area or pothole. Depending on seasonal precipitation, the pothole might fill with water, or might dry around the margins. There are also long-term wet and dry trends--over the course of several dry years the farmer might be able to crop the margins, if not the entire pothole. The question then became: were the marginal areas "cropland" or not; was the land regularly cropped with only occasional and intermittent flooding or was it not possible to crop it in "normal" years? Under the program, land that was cropland could be designated as set-aside/ACR, land that wasn't cropland couldn't, so the farmers wanted as much of the pothole margin to be considered cropland as possible so they could call it set-aside. The assistant deputy administrator took the approach that the program needed to reduce production when it compensated farmers for set-aside, and if the margins were not regularly cropped the farmers were getting a freebie. He was concerned about program integrity and, as a Republican, taxpayer money.
The issue is very sensitive to what management in the 1980's used to call "the duckies", the conservationists. The pothole areas are important for wildlife, particularly for waterfowl and migratory birds. The conservationists could care less back then about "program integrity"; they wanted the potholes protected--call them "cropland" and designate them as set-aside. So, as I recall it, both the conservationists and the farmers were on the same side of that issue at the time. That seems unlikely, so maybe my memory is totally wrong.
Anyway, Sen. Hoeven is giving NRCS flak about its enforcement of conservation compliance. The press release doesn't say so, but IMHO it's potholes again. (Hat tip: Farm Policy) BTW, Sen. Hoeven could use some help on his website--there seems to be some disconnect there. Maybe as much disconnect as my memory and potholes.
The answer to Gary was that the change was intended, though in my memory the assistant deputy administrator who made the call was from Texas which has no potholes and probably did not understand the issues. The potholes represent areas where blocks of ice from the retreating glacier sat, so the glacial debris settled around the ice, which when it melted then created a low area or pothole. Depending on seasonal precipitation, the pothole might fill with water, or might dry around the margins. There are also long-term wet and dry trends--over the course of several dry years the farmer might be able to crop the margins, if not the entire pothole. The question then became: were the marginal areas "cropland" or not; was the land regularly cropped with only occasional and intermittent flooding or was it not possible to crop it in "normal" years? Under the program, land that was cropland could be designated as set-aside/ACR, land that wasn't cropland couldn't, so the farmers wanted as much of the pothole margin to be considered cropland as possible so they could call it set-aside. The assistant deputy administrator took the approach that the program needed to reduce production when it compensated farmers for set-aside, and if the margins were not regularly cropped the farmers were getting a freebie. He was concerned about program integrity and, as a Republican, taxpayer money.
The issue is very sensitive to what management in the 1980's used to call "the duckies", the conservationists. The pothole areas are important for wildlife, particularly for waterfowl and migratory birds. The conservationists could care less back then about "program integrity"; they wanted the potholes protected--call them "cropland" and designate them as set-aside. So, as I recall it, both the conservationists and the farmers were on the same side of that issue at the time. That seems unlikely, so maybe my memory is totally wrong.
Anyway, Sen. Hoeven is giving NRCS flak about its enforcement of conservation compliance. The press release doesn't say so, but IMHO it's potholes again. (Hat tip: Farm Policy) BTW, Sen. Hoeven could use some help on his website--there seems to be some disconnect there. Maybe as much disconnect as my memory and potholes.
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