Johanns leaving? Conner in?

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns declined to say Sept. 13 at the WPPC whether he would run for the Senate seat vacated by Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. However, the AP is reporting that Johanns may make the announcement he will quit his USDA post to run for the Senate as early as Monday. I put a call in to Johanns spokeswoman Terri Teuber but she did not pick up this afternoon.

Johanns will go down as one of the most produce-friendly heads of the USDA ever. It is regrettable he apparently won't see through the publishing of final rule for the agency's WIC program that will add vouchers for fruits and vegetables to food packages. He also won't be on hand, at least in official capacity, for the signing of the 2007 farm bill Here is the audio link to his recent Sept. 13 speech at the WPPC.

One Washington lobbyist said Johanns was strongly encouraged to run because he is the strongest Republican in the field,. Since Republicans already look like they are in trouble in the 2008 elections, Johanns entry gives them a better position for the Hagel seat. While some may criticize him for not seeing the farm bill through, Johanns has to quit now and start raising money for the race, the lobbyist sai.

The lobbyist said there will be a short term extension of the farm bill this year that will be a part of a continuing resolution. That won't be a problem, but any long term extension of the farm bill would be a setback.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner is expected to become acting Secretary of Agriculture when Johanns resigns, the lobbyist speculated. He may serve out the term in acting capacity. Conner was the White House point man on the 2002 farm bill, and has detractors among Southern senators because of the Administration's push for subsidy limitations that impact cotton and rice producers. Conner has been no great friend of specialty crops in the past, but he will likely try to build on the foundation that Johanns has laid.
Conner does appreciate the fact that the assistance that specialty crop interests are seeking is WTO green box compliant and trade friendly.

Here is the bio for Conner:

Charles F. Conner was sworn in as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture on May 2, 2005, by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.Prior to his tenure at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Conner served on the National Economic Council beginning in November 2001 as a Special Assistant to the President for Agricultural Trade and Food Assistance, focusing primarily on Farm Bill issues.From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Conner was President of the Corn Refiners Association, Inc., a national trade association representing the corn refining industry. Prior to his tenure with the Corn Refiners Association, Conner held several staff positions with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Mr. Conner served as both the Majority Staff Director (1995-1997) and the Minority Staff Director (1987-1995), of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. He also worked as a Professional Staff Member for the Committee from 1985 to 1987. Prior to joining the Senate Committee in Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Conner worked as an Agricultural Legislative Assistant to Senator Richard G. Lugar.Mr. Conner grew up on a family farm in Benton County, Indiana, which remains in the family and is operated by his older brother, Mike.Mr. Conner received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in 1980. He is married and has four children..

Upscale 7-11 or something much more?

As Dow Jones reports Tesco's market share in the U.K. grocery trade has risen to 31.7% for the 12 weeks ending Sept. 9, (up from 31.4% last year), Tesco has firmed up its timing for opening of Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S, says this report in Convenience Store Decisions. From the story;

Tesco has unveiled plans to open in the U.S. as early as November, adding three more Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets to its list of stores.
The chain plans to have up to 50 stores launched by February 2008 in California, Nevada and Arizona, according to chief executive Tim Mason in a recent interview with the Orange County (Calif.) Register. Mason refused to say which city would claim bragging rights to the inaugural store, but he did share the state.
"The first opening will be in Southern California," Mason told the paper.
Originally, Tesco said it planned to open six neighborhood supermarkets in the California towns of Huntington Beach, Orange, Fullerton, Laguna Hills, Anaheim and Buena Park. The retail giant has recently added Fountain Valley, La Habra and a second Orange store to a growing list of more than 100 supermarkets planned for the U.S.
"Tesco is going to go across the board and everyone is holding their breath to see if its going to be an upscale 7-11, or a true small market that has neat things that people like to have," Phil Voorhees, an investment retail specialist for CB Richard Ellis in Newport Beach, told the newspaper. Voorhees added that Tesco is building momentum to "hit the ground running" when it enters the region later this year.

Biotech in Thailand?

Are more international produce suppliers ready to adopt biotech fruit and vegetables? From a recent USDA FAS report:

FAS/Bangkok, in cooperation with the State Department and the Biotechnology Alliance Association conducted a series of seminars titled, “Crisis and Solution: The Problem of Papaya Ring Spot Virus in Papaya Exporting and Productions” in Khon Kaen, Nakhonpathom, and Bangkok. The seminars increased awareness and support for biotechnology among Thai stakeholders by discussing global commercialization of biotech crops, Thailand’s problems with the papaya ring spot virus (PSRV), and public communication for biotechnology. More than 200 participants attended the three seminars, including private and commercial papaya producers, media reporters, consumers, papaya processors, and academics. As part of the
seminars, FAS/Bangkok invited a Hawaiian biotech papaya producer, Ken Kamiya, to speak to Thai producers pragmatically about the risks of not adopting biotech, or “rainbow,” papaya when faced with PRSV. Mr. Kamiya who has farmed for nearly 40 years, presented an overview of the papaya market in Hawaii, and specifically how the PRSV nearly destroyed the Hawaiian papaya industry until “rainbow” papaya was introduced in 1998. As a result of “rainbow” papaya’s introduction, producers were able to eliminate PRSV from their fields. Currently, about 95 percent of papaya production in Hawaii is crossed with “rainbow” papaya, and there has not been a single complaint or health related incident among consumers. Furthermore, crossing the “rainbow” line with existing varieties created hybrid vigor, an enhancement in plants nutrition, flavor, and overall health associated with the introduction of new genetics to older plants. Mr. Kamiya’s presentation was well received by the Thai participants, who often posed questions concerning the biosafety and marketability of producing biotech papaya. Several producers and processors inquired about the Hawaiian papaya industry’s experience with getting biotech papaya to Japan. Currently, the U.S. is seeking approval for shipping “rainbow” papaya to Japan and is in the risk assessment process. Non-biotech papaya produced in Hawaii is eligible for export to Japan. On biosafety concerns, Mr. Kamiya stressed that Hawaii has no problem with crosscontamination
with non-biotech papaya as producers apply USDA guidelines on the use of perimeters to mitigate papaya pollen from reaching other crops. Over the course of the week, several media outlets interviewed Mr. Kamiya, including newspaper, radio, and television interviews. The tone of the interviews was positive, with reporters inquiring about Mr. Kamiya’s experience in growing biotech papaya, consumer reaction, marketability, and what management practices are used on-farm. None of the participants or media interviews raised objections to the use of biotech papaya in combating PRSV. Rather, Thai stakeholders were primarily concerned with management practices, consumer reaction, and fruit quality compared with non-biotech papaya. According to sources from within the Thai Ministry of Agriculture, papaya production in some areas of the Northeast is 100 percent infected with PSRV. Plants infected with the disease face stunted growth, lower productivity, and malformed fruit. Although aphids are the primary vector for the disease, herbicide and pesticide has proven unsuccessful in warding off the disease. Genetic resistance has been the only proven method to ward off PSRV.

Retail tomato prices