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 …
Generation 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Precision Ag Bill Seeks Resolve to Broadband Connectivity Issues
The Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 would create a task force to evaluate high speed internet access on cropland and ranchland related to precision agriculture technologies. Supported by the Ag Broadband Coalition, which the American Farm Bureau Federation is a member of, the task force would develop policy recommendations to get farm equipment connected. AFBF congressional relations director R.J. …
USDA, FDA Announce Formal Agreement to Bolster Coordination and Collaboration
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. announced at the White House a formal agreement aimed at making the oversight of food more efficient and effective by 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. …
Florida Ag Policy Conference to Help Growers Deal With the Ever-Changing Global Economy
In light of the competitive and dynamic global economy, experts from UF/IFAS and other organizations will share knowledge about how to deal with pressures facing growers in Florida at the third annual Florida Agricultural Policy Conference. The conference will be held Feb. 21 at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida. Whether it’s trade agreements, labor, water …
Secretary Perdue to Speak at World Meat Conference This Summer
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will speak at this summer’s World Meat Congress in Dallas, Texas. Taking place May 30th through June first, Perdue will address participants on Thursday morning, May 31st, during the “Global Politics of Food” session. The U.S. Meat Export Federation, the organization hosting the global event, announced the appearance by Perdue. USMEF CEO Emeritus Philip Seng says …
EPA Sends WOTUS Delay Rule to White House
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent a final rule to the White House that would prevent the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule from taking effect. The EPA rushed the rule to the White House because of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling placing the legal jurisdiction of the rule in federal district courts, not federal appeals courts, where …