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from Forbes:
I like a fresh-cut tree at Christmastime. Yes, I know all the arguments against buying fresh-cut Christmas trees and we do it anyway. It happens to be one of my favorite things about the holidays and now that I live in the snowy northeast, there’s something ridiculously gratifying about heading out in mittens and hats with my kids to choose a Christmas tree. If you’ve done it before, you know the drill: finding one that’s not too tall, not too short, not too fat, not too skinny. It’s all part of the fun. (For the record, before you shoot off a nasty email, you should know that when we take our tree down in January, we cut it up and re-use the branches in the backyard which makes the birds and my garden happy – apparently 93% of all folks with live trees recycle or reuse them in a similar manner.) We’re not the only family that makes the National Lampoon-like trip to get a tree. There are approximately 25-30 million live Christmas trees sold in the U.S. each year. Of course, all of those trees generate quite a bit of revenue for retailers, growers and marketers. But it’s clearly not enough. This week, the Department of Agriculture announced a new 15-cent fee/tax on the sales of fresh-cut Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (the plan has been in the works since last year). The idea is to raise money to support a newfederal program to – wait for it – improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees. Apparently, we don’t think about Christmas trees as positively as the feds – and the lobbyists – would like for us to. So, government did what government likes to do: created a committee and raised fees/taxes to pay for it. And since we’re working on improving the image and marketing of Christmas trees (by charging more for them), we might as well define what it is. For your information, the official definition for this purpose is:
Christmas tree means any tree of the coniferous species, that is severed or cut from its roots and marketed as a Christmas tree for holiday use.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Scrooge-Comes-Early-This-Year-xfoftp-2269159842.html
RDLN Graduate and Board Vice Chair Shirley Sherrod was appointed Georgia Director for Rural Development by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on July 25. Only days earlier, she learned that New Communities, a group she founded with her husband and other families (see below) has won a thirteen million dollar settlement in the minority farmers law suit Pigford vs Vilsack.
In announcing the appointment of Shirley and other new officials, Secretary Vilsack said that “These individuals will be important advocates on behalf of rural communities in states throughout the country and help administer the valuable programs and services provided by the USDA that can enhance their economic success.”
http://www.ruraldevelopment.org/shirleydirector.html
“The cash award acknowledges racial discrimination on the part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the years 1981-85. (President Reagan abolished the USDA Office of Civil Rights when he became President in 1981.)
New Communities is due to receive approximately $13 million ($8,247,560 for loss of land and $4,241,602 for loss of income; plus $150,000 each to Shirley and Charles for pain and suffering).
There may also be an unspecified amount in forgiveness of debt. This is the largest award so far in the minority farmers law suit (Pigford vs Vilsack).
