6 years, 2 months ago AFBF
Farm groups call for unity and a follow-through on promises from President Donald Trump after his State of the Union address Tuesday night. In a released statement, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said President Trump’s infrastructure investment plan, touted during the speech, will be a “boon to a rural America.” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said the roadmap outlined by the president “aims to unify and strengthen our nation,” and continue the theme of “renewing rural America.” The President presented what Duvall called a “bold” package for immigration reform, that should “prime the pump for overdue action.” Meanwhile, National Farmers Union urged Trump to follow-through on his promises, specific to rural America, on trade and infrastructure. Noting that the president promised to “turn the page” on “decades of unfair trade deals,” while also commenting on the president infrastructure plan, NFU President Roger Johnson said agriculture is “looking to President Trump to deliver on his promises to fix the nation’s failed free trade agreement framework and crumbling rural infrastructure. “
In reaction to the speech, regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement, Republican Senator from Kansas, Senate Ag Chair Pat Roberts, said: “Farmers and ranchers are still struggling with low prices and surpluses,” adding that: “We must aggressively pursue trade policies that increase access to new markets for these producers.” Roberts said that he is “continuing to make the case” that the U.S. economy, particularly agriculture, benefits from NAFTA, and that the U.S. “must preserve” a trade relationship with Mexico and Canada. Roberts also said that the U.S. “must move forward on new trade agreements” with nations that are “taking their business to our competitors.”
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was the “designated survivor” for the State of the Union speech. The designated survivor is generally carted off to an undisclosed location, ready to assume the role of president, should a catastrophic event occur in the House chamber. Perdue is not the only Agriculture Secretary to serve in the role. Two decades ago, then-Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman was Washington's designated survivor during then-President Bill Clinton’s speech.
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House Ag Democrat: No Farm Bill Better than Bad Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Democrat Jim McGovern of Massachusetts says he would “rather have no farm bill this year than a lousy farm bill.” McGovern told the Hagstrom Report that he has not seen the House draft of the farm bill, but that he would work to defeat the bill if he does not like it, in hopes for a better farm bill in 2019, in hopes Democrats will control the House. Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, a Texas Republican, has sent the farm bill draft to the Congressional Budget Office for review. McGovern pointed out that Conaway has not shown him a draft of the nutrition title even though he is the ranking member on the Nutrition Subcommittee. A spokesperson for Conaway says the Congressman has received scores on some titles of the farm bill, but not all, and does not want to share drafts of the bill “before we know what we can afford.” The Republican leadership is expected to need Democratic votes to pass the farm bill this year because conservative Republicans are unlikely to support it.
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State Ag Officials Set 2018 Policy Priorities
The National State Departments of Agriculture this week set top policy priorities for the year during a Washington, D.C. event. During the organization’s annual Winter Policy Conference, leaders of state agriculture departments called passing a unified farm bill, along with the successful modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement, top issues for 2018. The group also calls implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act a priority for the year. NASDA President and Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Reviczky (re-VIZ-kee), says of the priorities, that “state departments of agriculture set the stage for good things to happen.” NASDA members also want rural broadband expansion, meaningful investments in infrastructure and improvements to conservation programs for producers. NASDA represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories.
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USDA, FDA Announce Formal Agreement to Bolster Coordination and Collaboration
A formal agreement between the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration seeks to make the oversight of food more effective. Announced Tuesday by the White House, the arrangement is aimed at “bolstering coordination between the two agencies.” The formal agreement outlines efforts to increase interagency collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness on produce safety and biotechnology activities, while providing clarity to manufacturers. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the agreement promotes “coordination and the streamlining of capacities and obligations on shared concerns and jurisdiction.” USDA oversees the safety of most meat, poultry, catfish and certain egg products while the FDA has authority over all other foods such as dairy, seafood, produce and packaged foods.
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EU Delays Ruling on Bayer-Monsanto Merger, Again
The European Union has again delayed a ruling regarding Bayer’s planned takeover of Monsanto. Earlier this week, EU Commission antitrust investigators extended their investigation by five working days until March 12th, according to Reuters. The ongoing proceedings would have given Bayer until midnight on Monday to offer further concessions to EU regulators or request another extension of up to 10 working days. The EU did not state a reason for the delay to deliver its verdict on the merger, and a Bayer spokesman declined to comment. The transaction would make Bayer the largest supplier of seeds and crop chemicals, surpassing ChemChina's Syngenta, DowDuPont and BASF. Late last year, the EU Commission granted Bayer more time to provide information, which pushed the deadline for the EU to decide over the deal back to March 5th from late January. Bayer had initially hoped to wrap up the deal by the end of 2017.
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Gen Z Emerging as Food Influencers
Move over millennials, the next generation of food industry influencers has arrived. Although members of Generation Z are just now entering adulthood, their impact on the food industry is already being felt, according to a new study. Generation Z, those born from 1997 to present, now represent 27 percent of the U.S. population, a larger group than Millennials. Global information company NPD Group says Gen Zs are unintentional foodies by virtue of their upbringing in a culture that talks about, celebrates and entertains with food. They are told at an early age what their food can do for them regarding functional and nutritional value, and they value flavor, function and authenticity over brand and hype. Like Millennials, Gen Zs prefer food with transparent labeling and an absence of artificial ingredients and are skeptical of big brands and too many label claims. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports that This tech-savvy generational group who never knew a world without the internet also seeks personalization and engagement, with functionality like portable foods to meet the needs of their busy lives.
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Former AFBF Lobbyist Takes Syngenta Job
Syngenta announced this week that former American Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher will join its government relations team. Thatcher will join Syngenta in mid-February as senior lead of Federal Government Relations, based in Washington, D.C., according to a Syngenta news release. In the role, the company says Thatcher will support the company’s strategic federal government relations activities including outreach and advocacy. Syngenta calls her “one of the foremost experts on farm policy in the United States,” and Thatcher called Syngenta “a strong competitor with great people, a focused strategy, and superior products and services.” Thatcher retired from AFBF earlier this month, following a 31-year tenure at the farm organization. Thatcher is a fifth generation Iowa farmer active in corn, soybean and livestock production.
