Johanns Could Be Leaving USDA Just in Time (AG Weekly) WASHINGTON — The Department of Agriculture is rarely in the headlines these days, but when Secretary Mike Johanns stepped down last week, he listed a range of projects that span the agency’s broad reach, from preparing for an outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza to developing an online facility for providing U.S. citizens with nutrition advice. [News Source]

USDA begins process to open border to older Canadian cattle (Prairie Star) Citing the need to harmonize the cattle trade with countries presenting a minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on Sept. 14, published rules that will eventually allow older Canadian cattle to move south across the border. [News Source]

Russia bans import of Polish fish meal (EARTHtimes.org) Russia has banned imports of fish meal, mainly used as fodder, from Poland and has threatened to stop importing Polish vegetables. Sergej Dankwert, an official of the Russian veterinary agency, claimed an inspection established the Polish fish meal, usual... [News Source]

Russia bans import of Polish fish meal (UPI) Russia has banned imports of fish meal, mainly used as fodder, from Poland and has threatened to stop importing Polish vegetables. [News Source]

At long last, this might finally be ‘next year’ for Cubs (Daily Southtown) Concerned about the rotation? Worried about the bullpen? Haunted by the ghosts of the last 98 years? Chill, Cubs faithful. I'm here to assure you that Next Year has finally arrived. And I've got 98 reasons for you to believe it. [News Source]

GLOSSARY OF TERMS (The News & Observer) Organic. [News Source]

New in paperback (The News & Observer) "Murder in Amsterdam: Liberal Europe, Islam and the Limits of Tolerance," by Ian Buruma (Penguin). Buruma has made a career of analyzing foreign cultures. Here he returns to his native land to examine the 2004 murder of the filmmaker Theo van Gogh. A Dutch-born Islamist of Moroccan descent shot van Gogh, angry at "Submission," a film he had made with the Somali-born feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali ... [News Source]

Is Worrying A ‘Female Thing?’ (The New York Sun) So a new study "proves" that women worry more than men. Like we didn't know that. Like we women don't spend most of our waking hours (and being worried, of course, most of our hours are waking), fretting our feisty femme hearts out, using this delightful template: "Did I remember to pay the credit card on time or are they going to use this as the excuse they've been waiting for to jack up my APR ... [News Source]

Premise registration continues on plan (Iowa Farmer) Editor’s note: On Nov.. 22, the Bush administration pledged not to make a planned National Animal Identification System mandatory. However, that has not derailed movement toward a voluntary tracking system. [News Source]