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TULARE COUNTY MAKES FORBES JOB GROWTH LIST

TULARE – Tulare County – which comprises the Visalia-Tulare-Porterville “metropolitan statistical area,” or MSA – was in the Top 20 nationally and 7th in California for job growth on the 2003 Forbes magazine 'Best Places for Business' List.

Tulare County, located in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley agricultural region, placed 18th nationally in terms of job growth, while the county ranked 3rd in California for lowest cost of doing business (97th overall).

The annual Forbes ranking looks at a variety of factors including the cost of doing business, which includes the prices of labor, energy, taxes and office space, the qualifications of the available pool of labor, and the overall attractiveness of a region by crime rates, housing costs and net migration.

US LIFTS IMPORT BAN ON SOME CANADIAN MEAT PRODUCTS

WASHINGTON, DC – The US will begin accepting applications for permits to import certain ruminant meat products from Canada, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Department said the decision follows a review of international animal health standards and of preventive measures Canada already had in place prior to the announced detection of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) – or  “mad-cow disease” – in the Canadian province of Alberta.

Discovery of that case led the USDA to temporarily halt imports of most ruminant products from Canada in May.

Ruminants -- animals with complex digestive systems -- include cattle, sheep, goats, deer, bison and elk.

Applications for import products from Canada cover a variety of products including boneless sheep or goat meat from animals under 12 months of age; boneless bovine meat from cattle under 30 months of age; boneless veal meat from calves 36 weeks of age or younger at slaughter; fresh or frozen bovine liver; vaccines for veterinary medicine for non-ruminant use; and pet products and feed ingredients containing processed animal protein and non-ruminant tallow produced in facilities with dedicated manufacturing lines.

US WINE CONSUMPTION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN 16 YEARS

NORWALK, CT – US wine consumption climbed to its highest level in 16 years in 2002, as increasingly sophisticated American tastes drove sales of premium wines to record levels, according to the 2003 edition of Adams Wine Handbook published by Adams Beverage Group.

The growth in wine consumption in 2002 occurred despite a sluggish economy, excess grape supplies and high inventories from a weak 2001. Consumption climbed to 246.3 million 9-liter cases in 2002, up 5%, the largest percentage increase since 1996 with table wines showing the largest gains.

Both domestic and imported table wines recorded healthy gains last year, but imports showed the greatest growth, soaring 16% to 49.9 million cases. Domestics were up 3.5% to 171.1 million cases.

Australia, not even considered a contender a decade ago, overtook France last year to become the second largest exporter of table wine to the US after Italy, the publication said.

Wine “is increasingly becoming mainstream as the middle market expands. Not only are warehouse clubs and mass merchants selling more wine than they were a decade ago, but these discount retailers are offering brands in all price categories, with the understanding that wine does not have to be expensive to be good," the publication concluded.

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