United States Department of Agriculture
MFU Vice President Gary Wertish to co-chair session of USDA Rual Summit
St. Paul (June 1, 2010) - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack will be hosting The National Summit of Rural America: A Dialogue for Renewing Promise on Thursday, June 3, 2010, in Hillsboro, Missouri, and has asked Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President Gary Wertish to co-chair a Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services breakout session titled "Fair Advantages: Future Farm Competitiveness and Productivity."
"I am honored to be asked to be a co-chair by the USDA for the competitiveness and productivity session of their rural summit," said Gary Wertish, Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President. "Part of what Farmers Union fights for is getting rural people a fair and competitive price for their goods; and I will be able to tell the USDA first hand what I have been hearing from Farmers Union members."
There are over 200 people participating in the Summit, which will give farmers a chance to tell the USDA about the issues that concern them.
For more information on the Summit, go to, http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/ruraltour?navtype=TOUR&contentid=ruralsummitfull.html. You can contact Vice President Wertish to schedule an interview before, during or after the Summit at 651.262.7128.
USDA, NAVY Launches Effort to Encourage the Development and Use of Renewable Energy
FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE:
New Initiative Will Enable Biofuels to Power Navy Fleet, Spur Economic Opportunity in Rural America
HONOLULU, April 6, 2010 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations & Environment Jackalyne Pfannenstiel today kicked off the first of several energy forums to look at ways to increase biofuels production and meet the Navy's renewable energy needs. The forum comes as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently signed by the USDA and the Department of the Navy to encourage the development of advanced biofuels and other renewable energy systems.
"As we continue to expand efforts to build a clean energy economy, create new jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we can use the Navy's fleet as a catalyst to increase demand for biofuels and spur economic opportunity in rural communities throughout the country," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "President Obama has an ambitious renewable energy agenda, and the USDA/Navy partnership we are highlighting today is a critical step to enhance America's energy security."
Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack lays out priorities, extends comment period for payment limitations rule
From the United States Department of Agriculture
WASHINGTON, Monday, January 26, 2009-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced he will extend the comment period for the 2008 Farm Bill Farm Program Payment Limitation and Payment Eligibility rulemaking process.
Vilsack discussed his priorities as Secretary of Agriculture during a teleconference call today with agriculture and other reporters across the country and said that as part of the regulatory review process outlined by the White House and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), he is directing the Department to extend the comment period for the payment limits rule for an additional 60 days.
"Let's be clear - in no way is this move a signal that we will modify the rules for the 2009 crop year," Vilsack said. "Sign up has begun and it's important that clear and consistent rules remain in place so that producers can prepare for the crop year and manage their risk appropriately."
To date, USDA has only received seven comments on the payment limits rule and Vilsack says that by extending the comment period additional farmers and other interested parties will have the opportunity to comment.
We pasteurize milk: Should similar protection be mandated for other foods?
(January 22, 2009) - One of the recurring discussion topics of this column is food safety. In a recent column, we talked about imported honey. At other times we have talked about melamine in chocolates and wheat gluten, ethylene glycol in toothpaste, and e. coli in beef and field-grown vegetables.
This week we want to look at Salmonella in peanut paste and peanut butter used in commercial settings. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported a genetic match between the Salmonella found in a batch of peanut butter at an institution in Minnesota and the strain of Salmonella that has caused illnesses in Minnesota and other states.