AgWired

Consumers with questions about seafood sustainability and safety now need to look no further than the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Web site for answers. At the International Boston Seafood Show, NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher launched the agency’s new Fish Watch site, designed to answer consumer questions.

“Steering the public to Fish Watch is a great way for consumers to get all the facts,” said National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President John Connelly. “The seafood-buying public deserves the most accurate and up-to-date information on safety and sustainability and NOAA has it.”

During a news conference announcing the site, Lautenbacher said, “Our hope is that you will go here for ground-truth science. It is not about making decisions for you.”

With the proliferation of unwarranted seafood health scares and myriad sources dictating what are good fish and bad fish, the new agency Web site aims to arm the public with an unbiased education and provides a balanced clearing house for consumers.

“Environmental issues are very important but mixing environmental concerns with potential health effects is confusing for consumers,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University, who joined Lautenbacher’s panel of experts at the unveiling.

The Beefmobiles, vans emblazoned with visions of juicy steaks and burgers, embarked on the project’s fifth tour of the United States this January with the mission of delivering information to beef and dairy producers about how their beef checkoff dollars are being used.

Created to provide information about beef and the checkoff’s $1-per-head assessment to producers and consumers, the Beefmobile program has made almost 600 stops since its first stop in January 2004. In 2008, the three Beefmobiles and their “Wranglers” will make 200 stops to include livestock auction markets, country music festivals, and rodeos across the country. At each location, the Beefmobiles and their Wranglers provide information – and solicit input – from cattlemen about the Beef Checkoff Program.

Jodee Inman of Bloomington, Ind., joins returning Beefmobile team members Tracey Orsburn of Harrison, Neb., and Stacy Loutzenhiser of Flagler, Colo., as a new wrangler.

Inman has worked in the cattle industry as a producer and staff for several marketing establishments throughout her high school and college career, as well as an auctioneer for eight years. She served as a liaison between auctioneers and cattle buyers at Owen-Monroe Feeder Auction Association in Spencer, Ind., White River Valley Feeder Auction Association in Worthington, Ind., and for United Producers, Inc. at their Scottsburg and Vincennes, Ind., markets. Inman has a management degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.; and she is also a graduate of the Missouri Auction School in St. Joseph, Mo.

Inman said her interest in the Beefmobile project was sparked during its inaugural run in 2004.

“It’s a great opportunity as a representative from the Midwest to experience the vastness of the producers and operations throughout the country and to be able to act as a voice for them when it comes to their input, feedback and questions about the Checkoff,” Inman said. “The Checkoff is an integral part of the industry and I’m honored to be a link in the chain of communication between the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and producers.”