The New York Times reported Friday morning that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would drop its program to trace all livestock.  In fact, the USDA announced Friday morning that it was announcing a "new framework for animal disease traceability." Clearly, the USDA has not dropped its plans to trace animals, but has shifted its focus.

The old policy would have every farm animal tracked through implanted devices. (Every animal would have its own electronic bar code.) This complicated system drove small operators crazy and the National Animal Identification System nearly set off a revolt in farm country from Maine to California. The USDA held "listening sessions" across the country and heard uniform opposition from animal owners. So, the headline in the Times was welcome.

Yes, but. In the USDA's news release, it's clear the NAIS scheme has not gone away. The agency announced that it wanted a national animal tracing system that would only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce and that the news system would be administered by the states under federal regulations. The USDA plans to "convene a forum with animal health leaders" from the states and the Tribes to "initiate a dialogue" about ways to build a new NAIS. What does all this mean? Stay tuned.

The system for supporting dairy prices is so complicated, nobody understands it. And, by the way, it doesn't work.

Some parts of the Obama administration are moving faster than others. The Washington Post reports this morning that the White House has had difficulty picking someone to fill the food safety post at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Obama has finally picked Elizabeth Hagen, a 40-year-old doctor who has limited experience with food safety issues. Consumer groups are puzzled by the choice. The folks over at the American Meat Institute are pleased. The administration's first choice for the post, Mike Doyle at the University of Georgia, dropped out of the running after he was told he'd have to give up a patent he held for a meat cleansing wash.

Meanwhile, over at the Department of Justice, the antitrust division is going full bore. The DOJ has formalized its investigation of Monsanto and has filed suit against the mild producer Dean Foods, seeking to undo Dean's acquisition of two dairy companies in Wisconsin.  (The Bush administration didn't file one major anti-monopoly case.) Dean Foods now controls 57 percent of the market for processed milk in northeastern Illinois, Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. 

Once a year, the leaders of ag committees in the state legislature get together to talk. What they discuss will be the issues states will likely wrestle with in the coming year.