A new piece of legislation will open up trade possibilities for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. H.R. 3687, the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman, Mike Conaway, along with Representatives Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Ted Poe (R-TX). It repeals financing restrictions, allowing U.S. banks to offer credit in Cuba in connection with exports of U.S. …
Fly-In Tells Congress of Need for National Food Labeling
The Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, organized a fly-in bringing representatives of our country’s agriculture and food sectors to Capitol Hill urging passage by Congress of a uniform, national labeling standard for foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Vermont is set to implement its own labeling standard next July and other states passing or considering their own labeling mandates, …
First Chairwoman of CropLife America
At the recent annual meeting of Croplife America some newly elected board leaders were announced. One of those is the first ever chairwoman, Diane Allemang, director of North America business development and global portfolio at FMC Corporation. Diane was elected to a two-year term and is the 46th chair of the board. I spoke to Diane this morning to get …
American Agri-Women Celebrate 40 Years
The American Agri-Women (AAW) have been celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and the festivities will culminate with the national convention in Portland, Maine November 5-7. The convention’s theme will be “Harvesting for the Future.” The Maine Agri-Women are hosting the convention and the state is also the home of AAW President Sue McCrum, who is finishing her final year …
LPC Invites You to Vision Event
The Livestock Publications Council invites you to save the date for their Vision event to be held November 10, 2015 in Kansas City. The evening is designed to celebrate the livestock industry and honor the people who have impacted that industry for the better. The event begins with an education seminar with panel discussion, followed by social hour and dinner …
You Are What You Eat?
We all know food labels contain important information, but they can also be overwhelming and confusing. The authors of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) have provided some clarity regarding food labels. Their recent paper examines how consumers react to labels, identifies the legal framework for labeling and provides policy recommendations based on the pros and cons of …
Iowa FFP Launches “Homegrown Food. Hometown Values”
The Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP) is working together with farmers to serve locally grown food with the launch of it’s new campaign, “Homegrown Food. Hometown Values.” The sentiment draws attention to the locality of food and the commitment of today’s farm families to provide that food in a safe and reliable manner that’s good for the environment …
Meet the 2016 Alice in Dairyland
In an effort to educate audiences across Wisconsin about the importance and global impact of agriculture, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection(DATCP) has created a secret weapon: they call her Alice, and the role she holds as an agricultural industry professional is making an incredible impact on Wisconsin youth. Alice in Dairyland is a one year, full …
New Ad Exposes Chipotle’s “Burrito Disguise”
A full-page ad ran in the New York Post last week highlighting the Center for Consumer Freedom‘s Chubby Chipotle campaign. The ad exposes Chipotle’s “healthy” burritos as 1,500 calorie meals. The ad also points out that in addition to their Burrito Disguise, Chipotle is also facing a class-action lawsuit for alleged violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. “Chipotle …
Beef Excellence in Canada
Beef is what was for lunch during one of my tour stops at the Canadian Farm Writers Federation Annual Meeting. Excellent beef. Beef from the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence to be precise. This center opened earlier this year and is a Canadian beef and veal innovation, training, education and culinary marvel. The key areas are a presentation room, meat …