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Pastimes : BEER -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Vendit™ who wrote (1015)	4/23/1999 4:00:00 PM
From: SIer formerly known as Joe B.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3689

Frieday April 23, 2:21 am Eastern Time Better Barley Test May Cost Farmers By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press Writer BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- A test used to gauge the malting quality of barley for beer ''has substantial variability,'' and its outcome determines whether farmers reap the premium price or a substantial discount on their crops, a government report concludes. The report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, examined the consistency of a test kit used in most of North Dakota to determine vomitoxin levels in barley. Vomitoxin, which can affect the taste of beer, is a byproduct of a crop disease known as scab. It has plagued North Dakota's wheat and barley crop for the past six years. North Dakota has been the nation's leading barley producer for the past 50 years. ''The market ... is making crucial pricing decisions at concentration levels where the (test) kit has substantial variability,'' the GAO report said. Testing experts attribute variability to the skills of the technicians conducting the tests and stress the importance of training, the report said. Two other tests give more accurate and consistent results, but complexity and expense of the tests preclude using them at commercial testing facilities where farmers bring their barley, the report said. In 1997, the American Malting Barley Council said that only 9 percent of all Midwestern malting barley had a vomitoxin level that fell into the premium price category of 0.5 parts per million or less, according to the report. The council is made up of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the Miller Brewing Company, the Coors Brewing Company and the Stroh Brewery Company, which together constitute about 86 percent of the U.S. beer market. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who asked for the GAO report, said the brewing industry has ''exacerbated the problem'' by using its economic clout to impose its will on producers. He said the industry has ''dramatically injured farmers'' and that testing must be standardized. ------ TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- With corn and soybean prices still lagging, some Ohio farmers would like to see commercial hemp production legalized to give them another way to make money. Hemp is the non-hallucinogenic cousin of marijuana and can be used in cosmetics, beer, plastics and paper, supporters say. ''Everyone thinks you're talking wacky tobacky, and it's not the same thing at all,'' said Joe Hertel, a farmer in northwest Ohio's Van Wert County. Hemp -- used for oil and protein products as well as for fiber -- is grown in more than 20 countries for a variety of products, including salad dressing, face cream, rope and clothes. Montana and Virginia have urged an end to a federal ban on industrial uses of hemp, and the Minnesota Senate last month passed a bill aimed at permitting experimental hemp production. The Hawaii House has approved a 10-acre test crop. But there is little support for legalizing hemp production in Ohio among the state's elected leaders. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have said that permitting hemp farming would send the wrong signal to young people. They also worry that marijuana farmers could hide their crops with industrial hemp plants. Police rely on pictures taken from aircraft to detect marijuana fields.

To: Vendit™ who wrote (1015)	4/23/1999 4:01:00 PM
From: SIer formerly known as Joe B.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3689

When did Augie start drinking Coors? Thursday April 22, 8:37 pm Eastern Time Coors' first quarter profits soar on record sales GOLDEN, Colo., April 22 (Reuters) - Beer brewer Adolph Coors Co. (RKY - news) Thursday reported a 22.4 percent increase in first quarter earnings, driven by record net sales. Net earnings were $12 million, up from $9.8 million in the first quarter of 1998. Diluted share earnings exceeded Wall Street expectations, at 32 cents compared with 26 cents last year. First Call's estimate was 30 cents. For the quarter, Coors reported net sales of $439.9 million, a 6.2 percent increase from a year earlier, while sales volume totaled a record 4,734,000 barrels - a 0.9 percent increase from a year earlier. Distributor sales to retail grew about 0.7 percent. ''The first quarter in the U.S. beer industry was characterized by a very competitive environment and heavy marketing spending,'' said Peter Coors, vice chairman and chief executive of Coors Brewing Company. ''Still, we achieved solid results due to strong pricing, continued brand-building efforts and improvements in our product and geographic sales mix.'' Leo Kiely III, CBC president and chief operating officer, said: "In the first quarter each year, we focus on preparing the business for peak season. This year, in addition to our usual preparation, we completed production and process upgrades that we expect to improve our cost trends as the year progresses. ''We also boosted pricing and mix significantly in the quarter and still grew volume modestly,'' he said. ''Overall, we achieved good bottom-line results while continuing to make substantial investments behind our brands and in systems technology to improve our business.'' More Quotes and News: Adolph Coors Co (NYSE:RKY - news) Related News Categories: leisure/travel, US Market News