The state of Colorado last week unveiled its final plan to guide management of 4.2 million acres of roadless lands within the states 11 national forests and submitted it for federal approval.

The value of new opportunities for our businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers remains vague because of the broad flexibilities available to key emerging markets like China, India, and Brazil, that are fastgrowing economies and important markets of the future, he said.

EPA said late last year it would require coal plants, refineries and other heavy industrial facilities emitting more than 25,000 tons a year of greenhouse gases to obtain permits demonstrating they were using the best available technology to reduce emissions.

The advanced biofuel industry is pressing Congress to approve a 30 percent investment tax credit that it says is needed to help jumpstart production necessary to meet a national renewable fuel mandate.

The scrapping of the national animal identification (ID) system in the U.S. simply means that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recognizes that some things can be better handled on a state-by-statenot nationalbasis, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President Phil Seng.

New federal rules that define what makes milk and meat organic have natural food advocates optimistic that the government is committed to ensuring the label means something.

The House Agriculture Committee voted unanimously last Wednesday to tell the House Budget Committee not to cut any agriculture programs in the fiscal year 2011 budget, but House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson, D-MN, said he will still move forward with his plan to consider cuts if Congress should go through the reconciliation process.

World weather agencies have agreed to collect more precise temperature data to improve climate change science, officials said last month as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged environment ministers to reject efforts by skeptics to derail a global climate deal.

U.S. beef exports could rise this year, but a gain will depend to a large degree on economic conditions in importing countries.

CME Group Inc. will launch futures contracts for distillers dried grains (DDGs), a byproduct of corn ethanol production that can be used to feed animals, the exchange operator said last week. Trading in the DDGs con- tracts will start on April 26.