The beastly side of pets: Disease (The Providence Journal) Our pets scratch and bite us. They leave worms, protozoan cysts and ticks in our yards. They expose us to a fearsome range of infections. [News Source]

The shock is in finding solutions to the doctrine (St. Marys Journal Argus) Stew Slater, columnist I wasn’t able to attend Naomi Klein’s recent speech at the University of Western Ontario, but I did hear her interviewed twice on radio, picked up her new book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, and went online to view the short film made to accompany the book. [News Source]

Congress Sends Peru Free-Trade Pact to President’s Desk (CalTrade Report) WASHINGTON, DC – 12/10/07 – The US Senate has voted 77 to 18 in favor of the free-trade agreement with Peru, clearing the pact for final action by President Bush, who has already stated he will sign the bill. [News Source]

China raises its own import issues (International Herald Tribune) After pressing China for a new effort to police the safety of its food and other exports, Chinese leaders are pushing back with demands for commitments from the United States to insure the safety of its food and goods. [News Source]

Congress Sends Peru Free-Trade Pact to President (U.S. Department of State) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hails Congress’ passage of a U.S.-Peru free-trade agreement. “Peruvian access to the U.S. market, which had to be renewed by Congress periodically, will become permanent. This permanent access will help build a more efficient and effective economic engine to create growth, jobs and economic opportunities both in Peru and in the United States,” Rice says in a ... [News Source]

Wheat Average Price to Increase to Record, USDA Says (Update4) (Bloomberg.com) Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Average wheat prices will rise to a record next year even as farmers increase planting, U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Keenum said. [News Source]

CSU break ground on veterinary clinic (Colorado State Collegian) Despite the layer of snow that dusted the ground Friday morning, the groundbreaking ceremony was still carried out for the new Diagnostic Medical Center. [News Source]

Auction yards fight Canadian border cattle rule (Rapid City Journal) Five South Dakota auction yards recently hosted fundraisers that generated more than $50,000 to support a legal battle to stop older Canadian cattle from coming into the United States. [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]

Wheat to Increase to Record, USDA Undersecretary Says (Update3) (Bloomberg.com) Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Average wheat prices will rise to a record next year even as farmers increase planting, U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Keenum said. [News Source]