More testimonials

Lorelei DiSogra conducted a Capitol Hill briefing May 10 for the fruit and vegetable program, and she brought in some school officials with experience with the program. She passes along their prepared remarks.

Here is Bud Heller, the Food Service Director for Edgewood Elementary School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Here is Mary Jo Tuckwell, Food and Nutrition Director for the Eau Claire School District located in northwestern Wisconsin.

Here is Dr. Cathy Booth, Superintendent of Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District in Central Texas.

Chilly reception

I was at the House Agriculture Committee press conference today, and chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., along with ranking member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said they will begin
subcommittee markups for the farm bill during the week of May 21. Each subcommittee will conduct markups on the Farm Bill titles under its jurisdiction. A press release said the markups will continue in June, following the Memorial Day recess.
"Our goal is to develop a Farm Bill that has effective policies for supporting farm income, resource conservation, rural economic development, a healthy fruit and vegetable sector, feeding and nutrition programs, and energy independence."

The House Ag Committee news release says a preliminary discussion draft for the conservation title of the Farm Bill was released today. It is available online at:http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/legislation.html. Additional preliminary discussion drafts will be posted on the Agriculture Committee website as they become available.The Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research will hold a markup on Tuesday, May 22.

Senator Tom Harkin was not pleased with the money that the House Agriculture Committee is outlining for conservation programs. Peterson's refusal to find new money for the conservation programs does not necessarily bode well for produce industry priorities like national expansion of the fruit and vegetable program and the specialty crop block grants.

Thank you for your comment. I'll pass it on

I was sitting in the office of Senator Tom Harkin this afternoon, waiting to meet with some of his staff on nutrition and farm bill issues.

As I waited, the senator's two receptionists were taking one call after another from citizens who were alarmed about the recently struck immigration deal . "Yes, the Senator supports comprehensive immigration reform." And, "No he doesn't consider that it is amnesty." And "No, the senator is not available. His fax number is.." And "I don't want to argue with you, but the Senator doesn't consider it amnesty."

Immigration reform is truly a hot button issue, and nowhere did it strike me more than when one call after another rang into the Senator's office opposing "amnesty."

The momentum for immigration reform seems to have been given a kick start with news of the bipartisan deal in the Senate. Now the question is whether both the Senate and the even more unpredictable House of Representatives can close the deal, even as their constituents are on lines one and two with angry comments.

Confidential baseline

One of the more intriguing story lines to come out of Tuesday's food safety hearing by the House Ag subcommittee was news that the United Fresh Produce Association board of directors has voted to establish a confidential database of microbiological testing data.
Robert Whitaker, speaking on behalf of the Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh Produce Association, ,said United’s board of directors earlier in May approved that the association move forward with a project that would organize a confidential database of microbiological testing data for the industry. Whitaker is vice president of processing and technology for NewStar Fresh Foods, Salinas, Calif., “This blinded database would allow, for the consolidation of ongoing testing information on an industry wide basis,” he said during his testimony. He said the database should be an effective way to establish baselines that could be measured over time and provide benchmarks against which companies could measure their own tests, he said. He said like-minded industry efforts by the beef and dairy industries proved helpful to regulators and industry.

TK: This effort may take considerable effort in resources and human capital to launch. It will be revealing to see how quickly this laudable intentin can coalesce into action, and how confident the industry will be about the confidential status of the data. I wonder why the USDA's microbiological testing program wouldn't serve just as well.