The NAFB Washington Watch program is about to start their visit with Secretary of Agriculture Schafer here at the USDA Admin Offices. Here’s the BARN broadcasters Andy Vance and Lindsay Hill with the Secretary. Actually they’re all filtering in to the board room now so I’ve got to go. More to come. NAFB Washington Watch Photo Album
USDA FSIS Begins Podcasting
Podcasting is becoming more mainstream all the time. Now USDA’s FSIS is using this great new media communications tool. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today launched a series of educational podcasts tailored to address food safety and education issues for consumers and other stakeholders. As a part of the Agency’s ongoing outreach efforts …
More High Speed in Rural America
USDA Rural Development is at it again, helping bring AgWired to rural America in high speed (as well as all ZimmComm online communications projects). Thank you Sec. Dorr for all you do! SDA Rural Development Under Secretary Thomas C. Dorr today announced that Open Range Communications, headquartered in Denver, Colo., has been approved to receive a $267 million loan from …
Egg Board Members Appointed
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer has appointed nine members and nine alternates to the American Egg Board for the 2008-2009 term. All members and alternates will serve 2-year terms. The board administers an egg research and promotion program authorized by the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act of 1974. The board is composed of 18 members and 18 alternates representing six …
Secretary Schafer Press Conference
After his speech Secretary Schafer met up with the press near the media room. You might find this more interesting than his speech since he gets to respond to specific questions. He fielded quite a few relating to the recent meat recall and made the point over and over that “the rules will be followed.” He said that although he …
Secretary Ed Schafer’s Commodity Classic Speech
Our Secretary of Agriculture made an appearance here at Commodity Classic. He took the stage after we heard from political analyst Charlie Cook who provided a pretty clear analysis of where we’re at with the Presidential campaign. I like the way session moderator John Phipps, U. S. Farm Report, described our Secretary as the “closer” following up on the work …
Tom Dorr at National Ethanol Conference
Once again I got to hear our Undersecretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr. He was first up on the program here this morning at the National Ethanol Conference to speak about the farm bill and focus on renewable fuel policies and provisions. He says the ethanol industry is going through some growing pains, or put another way, transitional challenges. He’s …
Broadband Opportunities for Rural America
That’s the title on a new joint website of the Federal Communications Commission and USDA Rural Development. Pretty soon we won’t see any disparity in rural vs. urban broadband accessibility. “Broadband technology is a key driver of economic growth. The ability to share increasing amounts of information, at greater and greater speeds, increases productivity, facilitates interstate commerce, and helps drive …
Secretary Ed Schafer and Me
Our Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer, made his first major public policy speech today at the Cattle Industry Convention. Thanks to Andy Vance, Buckeye Ag Network, for snapping a picture for me. It was a pleasure for the ag media to get to meet Schafer. For many of us, it’s our first opportunity and I’m sure not our last. I’m …
Baxter Speaks Out For Ag Census
You sure know Baxter Black is more than just a pretty face. He’s also a recognizable voice. I’m sure that’s why USDA had him voice a couple of psa’s for their current Census of Agriculture. I realize these are meant for “broadcast” use but dare I post them on the web? Baxter PSA Number One (:60): ag-census-baxter-1.mp3 Baxter PSA Number …