USFRA Looking for Spokespeople

At the close of the Food Dialogues in Los Angeles – the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance unveiled an effort to help put a real face on agriculture. The Faces of Farming and Ranching is an effort by the Alliance to identify potential spokespersons for farmers and ranchers across the country…

“We really feel that its important because of all of our research telling us that consumers really don’t have the ability to connect with the real person who is producing their food. This is the first step of our efforts in identifying the right people to help us between now and January.”

That’s Forrest Roberts – CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Chair of USFRA’s Communications Advisory Council. He says once those “faces” are identified – they will play a critical role in continuing the dialogue about food
 

Bank of America Partnering with HSUS

Bank of America is partnering with the Humane Society of the United States – releasing a new HSUS-themed credit card. The card will provide HSUS with 60-dollars for every new account opened and an additional 25-cents for every 100-dollars spent. The Animal Agriculture Alliance wrote to Bank of America’s President to request that the bank stop funding groups like HSUS that seek to eliminate animal agriculture. The Animal Agriculture Alliance is encouraging all ag stakeholders to write their own local Bank of America to share the true agenda of animal rights extremists and ask them to drop their support for HSUS.
 

House Ag Leaders Applaud Senate, Note Their Farm Bill Will Look Different

Following Senate passage of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act – House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson said moving the legislation was a challenge – and the efforts of Ag Committee Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts made it possible. The House Ag Committee is set to begin its process on the legislation on July 11th, with an overall deadline of September 30th – when the current farm bill expires. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the House needs to get to work and get the work done…

“I have confidence that Chairman Lucas and Representative Peterson will work in a bipartisan way to get the process started in the House Ag committee. I am concerned about Leader Cantor’s comments that he has put his finger on the pause button, as it relates to the food, farm and jobs bill. I want him to take his finger off the pause button because I don’t want to put my finger on the panic button. “
 

Administration Opposes Ag Spending Bill Approved by Committee

The Obama Administration is strongly opposed to the Agriculture Appropriations measure as reported by the House Appropriations Committee. According to the Statement of Administration Policy – the bill severely undermines key investments in financial oversight in a manner that would cripple Wall Street reform. The statement goes on to point to harmful cuts in rural economic development, renewable energy development, nutrition programs, food safety and international food aid. The Administration says investing in these areas is critical to the nation’s economic growth, security and global competitiveness.
 

Food security or global land grab?
 

Want to invest in a soybean farm in Mozambique? Maybe you’ve never considered such a thing, but agribusiness investment in developing countries is a hot trend. With food prices on the rise and the outlook for future food demand practically off the charts, governments, companies and private investors have been buying or leasing land in remote corners of the world for agricultural development, a practice that draws praise from some and derision from others.