In strong support

Keyed by industry lobbying efforts, nutrition advocates have been showing up in support of the fruit and vegetable snack program in the farm bill. We still don't know precisely when the Senate Agriculture Committee will convene, Washington lobbyists say. But discussion drafts of the nutrition title appear positive for the fruit and vegetable program. Discussion draft funding of $225 million per year compares with about $70 million in the House farm bill.
Here is a letter sent out by the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity ( NANA) :

Subject: URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED FOR NATIONAL EXPANSION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SNACK PROGRAM IN 2007 FARM BILL

Dear NANA member, We are at a key time in the Senate farm bill debate, with the Agriculture Committee tentatively scheduled to mark-up the bill the week of October 22. Ag Committee Chairman Senator Tom Harkin released his draft Chairman’s mark (draft bill) on October 4, 2007. The draft nutrition title is attached. National expansion of the Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program is one of NANA’s top Farm bill priorities. Section 4903 of the Chairman’s mark (also attached) would provide $225 million/year for national expansion of this effective nutrition program. This funding level would reach 4.5 million low-income school children in more than 5,000 schools across the country. Every state would receive base funding for more than 50 schools; states also could receive additional funding based on their total student population. Although the Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program enjoys broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate, there are significant funding constraints in the 2007 Farm Bill. Therefore, we need your help. Please sign the letter below to let the Senate know that your organization supports national expansion of Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program and the $225 million/year funding level provided in Senator Harkin’s Chairman’s mark. To indicate your support, please email me or my colleague Dana Roberts at droberts@cspinet.org as soon as possible (and no later than Monday, October 15th). Let me know if you need additional information about the program or the letter.

The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman

The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Ranking Member

Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Chambliss: Thank you for your support of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program and for your commitment to expand this effective nutrition program to more American children.
We the undersigned organizations write to express our strong support for national expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and for the funding levels provided in Senator Harkin’s Chairman’s mark (draft) released on October 4, 2007. While we understand that the Chairman’s mark is a draft and subject to broader farm bill agreement, we believe that the level of funding provided is a necessary and critical step that will pay future dividends in terms of improved child health and nutrition.
As outlined in the nutrition title, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program would be funded at $225 million annually. This funding level would enable more than 50 schools in every state to participate in the program. States also could receive additional funding based on their student populations. In total, 4.5 million low-income elementary school children would benefit from receiving a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day at school. This proposal also includes funding for an evaluation of the program. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a valuable nutrition program that results in children eating more fruits and vegetables and creates healthier school food environments. It is an important strategy to improve children’s health and reduce their risk of overweight/obesity and other diet-related health problems. While optimally we would like the program to reach every elementary school child in the nation, we recognize that there are significant constraints on funding in the farm bill and believe that this is a very positive step forward. Understanding that the Chairman’s mark is only a first step in the Senate farm bill process, we urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to expand this program nationally and we support the funding level of $225 million per year as provided in the draft nutrition title.

Everything you wanted to know about PMA*

Well, you probably weren't afraid to ask, but here are some resources to check out prior to Houston. First, you be aware that Fresh Talk has a Google search bar at the bottom of the page that can search the Web pages of the PMA, in addition to United and The Packer.
Here is the schedule of events in Houston for the Fresh Summit.
Here is the exhibitor list.
Exhibitor search
Transportation information
Here is the group's 2005 990 form.

A general description of Fresh Summit:

Newark, Del. – The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit International Convention and Exposition, expected to attract over 17,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors worldwide, will be held October 12-15, 2007 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, U.S.

PMA president Bryan Silbermann remarked, “PMA’s Fresh Summit is for individuals from companies big and small across the entire industry, from produce to floral, retail to foodservice and global to local. This is the industry’s once-a-year opportunity to identify new products, trends and ideas that will impact the industry as a whole as well as individual companies and careers.”

Silbermann will provide his insights and analytical perspective on Saturday, October 14 at the Breakfast General Session, “A Fresh Outlook on the State of the Industry.” Highlights from additional speakers include:
The Honorable Colin L. Powell, one of the 21st century’s most influential leaders, will outline the critical elements needed for successful leadership including gaining control and the trust of others during tough situations in “Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust & Values” at the opening Lunch General Session on Friday afternoon.
John G. Miller, best selling author, will reveal the common thread among successful leaders and how it can improve manager-employee relations in “Personal Accountability and the QBQ!” during the Sunday Breakfast General Session.
Keith Harrell, life coach and author of Attitude is Everything, explains that an individual’s attitude can raise one’s altitude on the corporate ladder in the Monday Breakfast General Session presentation, “Harnessing the Power of Human Technology.”

Dust in the wind

Agricultural groups are not happy with an EPA rule that regulates dust in non-urban and rural areas. If the rule stands, it would seem to put some parts of the country in permanent violation of the standard From the Farm Bureau:


WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9, 2007 -- A new Environmental Protection Agency rule that regulates dust generated by agricultural sources has no basis in the law or science, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF and three other agricultural groups, the National Catttlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and Agricultural Retailers Association, filed a joint brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals urging review of the rule.
AFBF and the other groups contend that EPA erred in issuing a rule that regulates non-urban, rural areas under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter.
“Everyday aspects of livestock and crop production, including tilling the soil and traveling on dirt roads to reach pastures and fields, can generate dust, particularly in dry areas,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “EPA's insistence on regulating rural dust has the potential to negatively impact all areas of agriculture.”
AFBF argued in the brief that EPA’s own findings prior to publication of the rule stated that dust from rural areas did not pose a public health risk.
“EPA's regulation of dust in rural areas ignores the agency’s findings and is improperly based on ‘caution’ rather than science,” said Stallman. “If allowed to stand, this rule has the potential to curtail the efforts of hardworking farming and ranching families to provide food for our nation and the world.”