I wonder how long it would take to crack 10 million fresh eggs. A long time for one person that’s for sure. That’s how many eggs that are being donated again this year by America’s egg farmers. The Easter bunny is getting a helping hand from United Egg Producers. The eggs are being donated to Feeding America’s 78 food banks …
ABC News Should be Held Liable
Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “Should ABC News be Liable for Job Losses due to Lean Beef Trimmings Story?” Sixty percent of you said Yes and forty percent said No. As Cindy has said about this issue, “Yellow journalism makes pink slime.” Couldn’t agree more. Have you read various online stories about this? Maybe worse than the terrible and …
Ag Secretary Vilsack & IA Gov. Branstad Press Conf.
Today at 3pm, CDT, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will hold a joint press conference to clarify facts surrounding Beef Products Inc.’s lean finely textured beef. We sure need some facts to get out into the consuming public on this. You can watch it live in the player window below. The press conference will be held …
We Need Both RFS and Farm Bill According to Senator Stabenow
Addressing the attendees to the Agri-Pulse reception last night was Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwomen, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. I visited with her briefly after her remarks. I first asked her what she thought about the importance of the work that’s being done by groups like USFRA which held a Food Dialogues event prior to the reception. …
Senator Pat Roberts Just Tells It Like It Is
The Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Senator Pat Roberts, made comments during the Agri-Pulse reception last night. I got to visit with him briefly afterward. Senator Roberts says the idea of trying to get urban America better understand where their food comes from is “a mountain we’ve been trying to climb for years …
USFRA Hold Food Dialogues Prior to National Agriculture Day
In conjunction with the second annual agricultural appreciation reception held by Agri-Pulse the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance held a special edition of their Food Dialogues titled, “The Future of Food and Farming.” The panel tried to deal with the question, “Is technology in agriculture creating environmental improvements and economic growth or perpetuating public fears?” That seems like a loaded …
Sending Animal Agriculture Offshore Would Increase Food Costs
Leading off a press conference during Commodity Classic for the United Soybean Board was Vanessa Kummer, Chair. The topic was Consumer and Food Safety Costs of Offshoring Animal Agriculture (pdf). This is a Soybean Checkoff funded study. Also pictured on stage are Lewis Bainbridge, USB Director (seated) and André Williamson, Agralytica, (standing) the company that conducted the study. Paying more …
Know Your Farmer Know Your Food Compass
I couldn’t participate in today’s USDA webinar about their latest project but did get this information to share. Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan unveiled the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, an interactive web-based document and map highlighting USDA support for local and regional food projects and successful producer, business and community …
The Growing Problem of Food Waste
Food waste is a growing problem. That was the message from Kai Robertson, Director, Food, Beverage & Agriculture Practice, BSR, during the Bayer CropScience Ag Issues Forum. I visited with Kai right after her presentation. She startled many of us attending when she presented a statistic from EPA (estimate) that more than 67 billion pounds of food end up in …
Happy St. Valentine’s Day
Happy St. Valentine’s Day. Yes, there is an “St.” on the front of that or at least there used to be. Bottom line is that it’s a day for romance and to say “I love you.” I’ve always been big on flowers. Just ask Cindy. This is our 36th St. Valentine’s Day! I think I should have invested in a …